Good fishermen are consistent. This year in the Flint River Bass Club’s five tournaments, I won the January tournament, zeroed the next three, then won last Sunday in the May tournament. That is about as inconsistent as you can get!
At West Point last Sunday six members of the Flint River Bass Club fished for eight hours to land 13 keepers weighing about 24 pounds. There was one limit and one zero. About half the bass were spots that can be weighed in at 12 inches. Largemouth have to be 14 inches long to be legal.
I won with five weighing 9.40 pounds and Chuck Croft placed second with three at 6.87 pounds. His 5.39 pound largemouth was big fish. Don Gober came in third with three weighing 4.44 pounds and his grandson Alex Gober was fourth with one keeper weighing 1.52 pounds.
When I got to the parking lot over an hour ahead of our 7:00 blast off time and it was already crowded, I knew it would be a mess. The West Georgia Bass Club had 60 boats in their tournament. Fortunately, they blasted off at safe light, about 6:40, so we waited and had the six ramps to ourselves to launch our four boats.
Fortunately for me, Alex Gober backed me in and parked my truck so I did not have to climb in and out on the trailer tongue or walk far. I have had a lot of help at tournaments the past two years, I could not have fished them without it.
It looked like most of the boats in the big tournament went up the river, my original plan. But I decided to go down near the dam since I knew the river pockets would be crowded. It turned out to be a good decision.
My first stop on a shallow gravel point where shad usually spawn was also a good decision. Although there were no active shad, I caught two keeper spots on a topwater plug the first 20 minutes.
With all the boats on the lake, there was only one fishing near me, back in one arm of the creek I was in. I fished around the arm I was in and they left. That arm is full of stumps and a good bedding place, so I went over there and started dragging a Carolina rigged Baby Brush Hog around, and caught my best fish, a 2.75 pound largemouth.
Then I went back to the starting point and dragged the Carolina rig and caught two keeper spots, filling my limit. Two of the five in the livewell were two pound spots so I had three good fish.
After fishing around the area, I landed my second largemouth on a shaky head near some brush, culling my smallest fish. Then I ran to another creek closer to weigh-in at 11:00 and landed two keepers, one big enough to cull my smallest spot.
My motor didn’t want to crank at 1:00, my battery was dead from running electronics and live well pumps, so I jumped it off with trolling motor batteries and went back to the launch site.
Just wasting time there I landed two more keepers, one a largemouth that culled another spot. I was surprised there were not more limits since I caught 11 keepers.
The West Georgia tournament was won with over 15 pounds and they had a six-pound kicker. It took over 15 pounds to place second, and over 12 for 11th place and a check.
Sometimes comparisons reinforce my feeling I am not a very good fisherman!
Own these and you are outfitted for every region, condition, and inshore species that swims from The Fishing Wire
Open the lid of any saltwater tackle box and you are certain to see a menagerie of shapes, sizes, and colors that is more dynamic than a confectionary (for all you kids, that means a candy shop). You might have to rub off some rust to appreciate the brilliant rainbow of colors, but trust it’s there.To more fully grasp the eye-popping selection of available colors and schemes, sans rust, meander down the aisles of any well-stocked tackle shop. The Willy Wonka sights can easily overwhelm the senses; making actual selections can turn into an exercise in extended head-scratching. So, to simplify shopping, we’ve amassed a Top-5 list of inshore saltwater shrimp lures and jerkbaits with input from some of saltwater fishing’s brightest minds.
SHRIMP BAITS
Every legitimate saltwater fishery in the world is home to one or more species of shrimp. And the better news? Every gamefish worth its salt preys on this ubiquitous forage. Moreover, shrimp imitations are simple to fish.The only thing better than the perfectly shaped shrimp softbait is one that’s internally weighted and adjustable. Z-Man’s anatomically accurate 3-1/2” Rigged EZ ShrimpZ bears an internal, notched ¼-ounce weight that can be pinched off all the way down to 1/8 ounce. The weight is ideally keeled, too, yielding a level drop and upright posture when it rests on the bottom. Genius.
More about its physique… The durable ElaZtech® Rigged EZ ShrimpZ features a segmented body, giving it lifelike looks and a natural action. Its thin, short appendages proffer a realistic quivering movement and improved wind resistance for increased castability.Made in the USA, the Rigged EZ ShrimpZ contains a 2/0 Mustad® hook and come in ready-to-fish two packs. Replacement bodies are also available.Operation is simple: cast it out and work the bait back with short snaps, letting it freefall to the bottom, or near bottom, between pops. Certainly, alter retrieval speed and aggressiveness of the snaps based on fish responses. Sometimes, all you need to do is slowly drag it across the bottom. If you’re dogged about realism, squeeze Pro-Cure Super Gel in the pack and let the baits baste in the savory concoction.
Z-Man’s Rigged EZ ShrimpZ is the perfect companion to a popping cork, too, often outfishing real shrimp – and without the worry of bait tearing away on the cast or pops. Pesky pinfish and other small marauders can’t dismember it, either. And being available in a multitude of colors, you can broker change, matching indigenous shrimp or tendering eye-catching colors in stained water.
VETARGET Fleeing Shrimp Along with the aforementioned, LIVETARGET’s Fleeing Shrimp is the only other shrimp imitation you’ll ever need. It’s the most anatomically and visually precise shrimp bait ever designed. In fact, the Fleeing Shrimp won the prestigious Best New Saltwater Lure at ICAST in 2018, as voted on by the industry.The LIVETARGET Fleeing Shrimp seamlessly combines a biologically precise shrimp profile and anatomy, a dynamic color palette, biomimetic action and robust saltwater components to synthesize a soft lure that uniquely replicates the appearance, action, sound, and even the scent of a living shrimp.
The action-packed LIVETARGET Fleeing Shrimp is, at its heart, a soft lure, but one that uniquely replicates a natural shrimp’s appearance. A portion of this biomimetic perfection stems from having a body size and shape that accurately recalls a living shrimp, bristling with three-dimensional anatomical features including tail and thorax segmentation, eyes, antennae, and more. A custom-designed jighead sporting an extra-strong corrosion-resistant hook blends seamlessly with the Fleeing Shrimp’s soft body, accentuating the lure’s ultra-natural profile. A broad spectrum of eight color patterns completes the visual deception.
The LIVETARGET Fleeing Shrimp truly comes to life when the angler imparts action, either popping it along the bottom or swimming it beneath the surface. The Fleeing Shrimp’s proprietary skirt masterfully emulates a living shrimp’s front legs, both in motion and at rest. When the shrimp is “fleeing” in a natural, backwards direction, the skirt folds together like the front legs of a living shrimp. When the shrimp comes to rest on the bottom, it stands perfectly upright with the head tipped slightly upward, while the skirt material fans outward and gently flows up and down, creating a subtle, lifelike action that will entice a bite and not spook wary fish.
Artistry meets engineering in the LIVETARGET Fleeing Shrimp. This standard in shrimp lures comes in two lengths and weights (2-3/4” and ¼ oz, or 3-1/2” and 3/8 oz) and eight ultra-realistic color patterns. And if you need to downsize weight, take the included extra body and rig it with a lighter Z-Man Trout Eye™ or longer shanked Redfish Eye™ jighead.
HARDBODY JERKBAITS
Yo-Zuri Crystal 3D Minnow There’s no shortage of retailer peg-hooks draped with Yo-Zuri hardbody jerkbaits, and for good reason – they are deadly. The Yo-Zuri Crystal 3D Minnow, specifically, is a perennial saltwater fish catcher.
The lure’s patented and proprietary Internal 3D Prism Finish reflects all subsurface light, even in the murkiest water. The results of the dynamic flash will be evidenced by the fish chilling in your ice box. Accentuating the visual bursts, the Crystal 3D Minnow’s erratic side-to-side swimming action drives fish off the deep end.
The Crystal 3D Minnow attracts sonically as well with its internal rattle ball sound system. Saltwater-grade tin hooks, durable ABS resin body and stainless-steel split-rings complete the masterfully designed baitfish imitator.
Fishing one is simple as well. Cast and twitch, experimenting with pause times and forcefulness. Oftentimes, twitches mutate into hooksets, as inshore species regularly smash the bait while it’s stationary or just pulling away.Available in 14 unique patterns, there is a Yo-Zuri Crystal 3D Minnow to match your fishing situation, water clarity and targeted species.
Daiwa Salt Pro Minnow Shallow does not necessarily mean fishing small. Inshore predators like redfish, snook, and seatrout eat big stuff, especially during the summer months when juvenile bait like mullet are developing into young adults.
In said situations, nothing begs to be bitten like Daiwa’s Salt Pro Minnow. Another effective hardbody jerkbait, the popular Salt Pro Minnow was engineered for versatility and casting great distances, which is a must in clear water. An internal weight-transfer system propels the lure amazing distances and cuts inshore winds to the quick. This, while heavy-duty saltwater hooks promote longevity and fight rust.Cosmetically, its realistic scale pattern and 3D eyes dare fish to prove it is not real. To that, the Salt Pro Minnow is available in a whopping 32 color patterns, catering to anything the ocean desires.The suggested 5-1/8” size dives to just three feet, making it fully functionable in most inshore situations. Twitch and pause, like any run-of-the-mill jerkbait, but expect improved results. Fish love to hate this thing.
Rapala X-Rap Salter Rapala’s greater X-Rap® series is synonymous with success… the Suspending X-Rap® Saltwater, specifically, when saltwater species are involved. Categorized as a Slashbait® for its vigorous, darting action, the lure’s locomotion is unique to hardbody jerkbaits. And the fish notice.Visually speaking, the iconoclastic lure features prominent scales, a legit lateral line, internal holographic foil for optimum flash, textured translucent body and 3D holographic eyes. Aggregated, these traits present a realism that fish want to get to know better.Promoting tape-measure casts, the Suspending X-Rap Saltwater jerkbait houses a long-cast mechanism that flat-out works. VMC® Perma Steel® Hooks finalize the package.
And like all Rapala premium baits, every X-Rap Saltwater jerkbait is hand tuned and tank tested, so don’t be thrown off by any water droplet residue on the packaging. It means Rapala cares.Rapala’s X-Rap Saltwater is available in four sizes and a dozen surefire colors.If you’re looking for top-producing saltwater shrimp and hardbody jerkbaits, don’t be the kid in the candy store.
Take our advice and stock up the top 5… and be ready for a fight.
My first bass boat was a 1974 16-foot Arrowglass with a 70 horsepower Evinrude motor on it. It sat on a single axle trailer and I pulled it for the first three years with my Cutlass Supreme Convertible before buying my first van in 1977.
With the car, I could back the boat into the water, slide across the trunk and stand on the trailer tongue to unhook he winch. As I pushed the boat back off the trailer I would hop on the front deck.
The van was as little more difficult. If I had to back in until the back tires were in the water I would hang on to the rain gutter, step up on the tire then swing around to the bumper. Then I could get on the trailer tongue. I did that through three different vans until I got a pickup.
With the pickup I often have to climb into the bed, step over the tailgate onto the bumper then onto the trailer tongue. It has gotten harder and harder to do this then crawl rather than hop up onto the boat deck as the boat slides off the trailer.
My current Skeeter came with a flat tool boat on the trailer tongue, about 18 inches square and a great place to stand while unhooking the winch. It had one step to the side of the front of the trailer by the boat and that made it a lot easier to get in and out of the front of the boat.
Recently, boat manufacturers have been putting steps on their trailers. Some have three or four steps, and some have a pole to hang onto beside them. I wanted a set like that but the ones I priced were just too high, many over $400 and that did not include shipping or installation.
A month or so ago at a tournament at West Point, Donald Wells gave me some business cards for James Hewitt and his Boat Steps. James lives in LaGrange and will come to the boat ramp and install the steps he makes for $250, a great price. Two guys in the Sportsman Club had him install steps on their boats last month. They were very pleased so last week I called James and he met me after the Flint River tournament weigh-in last Sunday and put steps on my boat trailer in just a few minutes.
The three steps and pole allow me to hold on and ease up and onto the front deck without much trouble. I have seen a 300-pound guy use the steps and they flexed very little. The steps are well made, welded and heavy steel.
If you are interested in steps for your boat you can contact James at 706-668-3459 cell or 770-854-8713 home. I put a picture of his steps installed on my boat on my website at https://fishing-about.com/boat-trailer-steps/
Mothers’ Day is always a bitter sweet time for me.
My mother died 19 years ago. She was my mentor for fishing and always encouraged me to go with her to farm ponds near our house, and she often did my chores so I could go even more often.
I have many memories of our trips. I caught my first bass on a trip with her to Usury’s Pond. That jumping 10-inch bass hooked me for life by the way it jumped and fought on my cane pole.
We spent many happy hours sitting on the bank fishing for anything that would bite. Side by side we filled our stringer with bream and catfish and enjoyed our time together. Later we fished from a small jon boat in those ponds, then from our big ski boat for crappie around bushes at Clarks Hill.
We fished many times from my bass boat when I got one in 1974. I would cast artificial baits for bass while she fished for bream and anything else that would hit her minnows or worms.
(Editor’s Note: Today’s feature comes from Joe Sills at our companion publication, Fishing Tackle Retailer.) By Joe Sills, Fishing Tackle Retailer from The Fishing Wire
In Minnesota, fishing license sales are up 45% on the year. In Vermont, fishing license sales rise have climbed 62%. In South Carolina, sales of resident freshwater licenses have risen by about 20%. And in Kansas, license sales are up about 15%—all since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak. And though some tackle stores remain closed across the country, one message seems to be ringing loud and clear from coast to coast: people are fishing.
Washington State was an early epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in America, shouldering 841 deaths to date. Much of the state was closed to outdoor recreation in March, and April fishing license sales were down an estimated 70 to 80%; however, after Gov. Jay Inslee announced a partial reopening of activities including fishing on April 27, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife reported $300,000 of license sales in a single day, according to the Chinook Observer.
“Outdoor activity is up across the board,” says Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Chief of Outreach and Communications Jennifer Wisniewski. “Before COVID-19, people would go out to eat, go to the mall, to kids ballgames and pro ballgames, you name it. All of those things aren’t happening, and what else is there to do? Those who own a boat and are off work or working from home have more time to get to the lake. Of course, we are really encouraging people to get out and discover or rediscover hunting and fishing.”Wisniewski adds that fishing license sales in the Volunteer State are also up over last year’s figures, though nonresident sales have decreased. In total, Tennessee has sold 697,418 hunting and fishing licenses this year—an increase of more than 100,000 from 2019. According to Wisniewski, the state agency does not know if sales figures are due to increased participation or the result of people getting back into outdoor sports after Tennessee’s shelter-in-place orders expired on May 1.
Impact on Tackle Sales Gary Harsel runs Live Bait Vending, a Pennsylvania-based business that builds vending machines for tackle stores meant to be filled with live bait. While many tackle stores around the country remain closed, Harsel says they are looking to his machines to provide new anglers with bait while their doors are locked.“It’s almost embarrassing to say this with what is going on,” says Harsel. “Right now, we are the busiest that we have been in 22 years. Why? Because in a lot of places you’re allowed to go to Lowe’s or Walmart, but not a bait shop. In order to sell their product, people are buying our vending machines. It is sad to be busy because of this. I really hope it is over soon, but we will take it.”Harsel says that his machines—which generate an average of $300 to $400 per weekend for retailers—have been one of the few sources of income for some stores, and his numbers back that up. Live Bait Vending sold more machines in April than it did in all of 2019. Three times, Harsel has had to order new machines from his Des Moines, Iowa manufacturing facility. “My biggest customer has 76 machines, and he told me that he’s never had a better opener,” he adds.
American Made and Stimulus Supplied In Park Falls, Wisconsin, St. Croix Rods Director of Marketing Jesse Simpkins says his company has seen an uptick in sales in recent weeks. “We are not sure that is due to stimulus checks or more people being focused on U.S.-built products, but we have indeed seen a nice increase,” Simpkins tells. “We have seen more questions about which series are produced here in Park Falls in the past two or three weeks than almost any other question.”
Bullet Weights CEO Joe Crumrine says terminal tackle sales to distributors are up. “I believe there are more people going fishing right now than in years past, based on the orders we are receiving,” adds Crumrine. “We are seeing most of our customers ordering more than forecasted.
”On March 26, Z-Man became one of the first manufacturers to halt operations for employee safety as COVID-19 began to sweep the nation. President Daniel Nussbaum says Z-Man began reopening with a five-person skeleton crew in late April and has now brought all of its employees back online in staggered shifts. “We’re requiring face masks, cleaning work surfaces and common areas at two hour intervals, and enforcing social distancing.” he says.
“It’s a lot of work, but probably the new normal for a while.”According to Nussbaum, sales tapered off quickly six weeks ago; however, he says the situation has improved weekly. “We’re pretty much swamped right now. A big part of that is that we got behind while running a skeleton crew, but for the most part, people seem to be using this downtime to get on the water and fish. The weather has been great this spring in most parts of the country, and many of our distributors, dealers and sales reps report that business has been great.”Like many manufacturers, Z-Man is facing supply chain disruptions domestically and abroad. However, Nussbaum now has reason to remain optimistic about the season.
The apparel category was hit particularly hard by COVID-19. AFTCO CEO Casey Shedd says the story of one of the nation’s most popular apparel brands is a tale of two worlds. “The wholesale business has not rebounded yet on our end,” explains Shedd. “It experienced very dramatic declines in March and April as retailers understandably pulled back. So far, in May we have seen a slowing of the wholesale decline, but we aren’t yet to what I’d call recovery. We do a lot of business with apparel-only stores in more densely populated areas, and many of those stores are starting to open up just this week. Some are still not open.”Shedd contrasts his wholesale business with a success story from the online side.
“Our own web business and the web business of many of our customers has remained strong throughout the period. Unlike many other clothing companies, we didn’t rely on AFTCO.com in-season discounts to accomplish that. This helped our accounts sell product through their own websites, as they didn’t need to compete with us.”Shedd says his customers have specifically cited stimulus checks as a reason for purchases, recounting one California resident—a hospitality worker that hadn’t had time to fish in years—that used his check to purchase soft plastics, a new rod-and-reel combo and an AFTCO performance shirt.
For retailers, increased demand at a time when their brick and mortar space largely sits empty presents a unique challenge. Those who can are adapting to curbside pickup and delivery service. Others are relying on machines like Harsel’s to stem the bleeding. And soon, many will be among the first guinea pigs for relaxed social distancing restrictions that will allow customers back into their aisles.
I have never gone turkey hunting. Season is in the spring when fishing is best and I never had time while working to do both. Talking to friends that are as fanatical about turkey hunting almost makes me think I am missing something.
A few years ago I started seeing turkey on my farm, and bought a call. It scared them pretty bad. And they disappeared after a few weeks. I have no idea where they went, maybe I said something I should not have with that call.
I did get excited about going turkey hunting a few year ago. An activity at the Georgia Outdoor Writers Association spring conference was going turkey hunting with some local “guides.” I bought a used shotgun to hunt with and shot it enough times to pattern the loads.
At our spring conferences activities are set up with local folks and we do not know them. My hunt was scheduled for the second morning of the conference, another group of three were to go the first day.
At lunch that first day the guys came back wide-eyed. Seems they were taken to deer stands scattered in the woods on somebody’s hunting area before daylight and told to stay and watch for turkey. They were to meet back at the truck at 11:00.
As it got light, all three started seeing yellow stuff on the ground. One by one they got down and found piles of corn scattered around the stands! All three were back at the truck before the sun rose!
This was back before baiting for deer was legalized, and it has never been legal to bait turkey. Getting a ticket for hunting over bait could ruin the career of an outdoor writer, destroying their credibility.
As soon as the three of us scheduled to hunt the second day heard the tale, we canceled the hunt!
Several members of the Big Horn Hunting Club hunt turkey in the spring. Their excitement was somewhat contagious, making me want to try. Several members said they would take me and call a turkey in for me to shoot and promised I would be hooked on turkey hunting the rest of my life.
There were two things wrong with that for me. Mainly, I am too hooked on fishing to need another addiction! Also, having someone call in a bird for me to shoot seemed a lot like someone hooking a bass then handing the rod to me. There would be no challenge or reward to that. So I never went.
Turkey hunting season is open for several more week. I hope everyone that loves it has a great season. I will be fishing.
Days like Sunday, April 11 make me wonder why I am addicted to bass fishing. Seven members of the Flint River Bass Club fished our April tournament at Lake Oconee. After eight hours of casting we brought four bass weighing about seven pounds to the scales. There were no limits and four us zeroed.
Jerry Regan won with two bass weighing 3.57 pounds, Don Gober had one at 2.01 pounds for second and big fish and Phil King’s one weighing 1.65 pounds was third. That was it.
It was a weird trip for me. AS week ago Sunday night after a shower I stepped out and the cool air hitting my body made me go into chills, shivering uncontrollably. I was miserable all night.
Last Tuesday, after two very bad nights with chills and body aches, I tested positive for both Covid and the flu! I had my second vaccine dose on March 24 but a second more accurate test Tuesday afternoon confirmed the Covid, even after the vaccine.
I did not feel terrible during the day but at night I hurt, to the point moving cover on my skin made me want to cry in pain. It felt like every muscle, joint and bone in my body ached.
Tuesday I took Tylenol every six hours and put some by the bed. That kept the pain down and I was able to sleep some, and felt better Wednesday morning and the fever was gone.
The doctor that gave me the test said I was the first they had to test positive after the vaccine, and warned me to quarantine myself for ten days. A few hours later I got a call from the state health department asking questions about where I had been and who I had contact with during the past two weeks. And they told me to quarantine myself until Wednesday this week.
I felt fine Thursday and Friday, night and day. I decided me alone in my truck going to the lake and in my boat alone on the lake was quarantine and fished the tournament. Plus, I was going stir crazy in the house!
To add to my woes, when I checked the boat Friday night, oil was dripping very slowly from my motor lower unit. Saturday morning, I tried to add oil to it. You have to remove two screws and pump the oil from the lower one to the top one. I pumped enough to see some oil come out the top hole and stopped.
Last summer I hit something and bent the prop shaft a little, just enough to let the oil leak out without my knowledge, and it cost me $4500.00 to fix it. Every time I cranked up Sunday I could hear the “clunk” in my mind of the motor locking up last year.
I idled around a little, never leaving sight of the ramp and never getting on plane, and fished close by. That is my excuse for not catching a fish, I could not go to where I won the Sportsman Club tournament at Oconee three weeks ago!
BRUNSWICK, Ga. (May 3, 2020) – Nesting season for loggerhead sea turtles has started on schedule.
The annual cycle of these massive turtles returning to beaches in the Southeast to lay their eggs began in Georgia with a nest found Saturday morning on Little Cumberland Island. Georgia Sea Turtle Cooperative members reported a second nest Sunday on Sea Island.
Georgia Sea Turtle Program Coordinator Mark Dodd said the first nests are “always around the first of May.” “It’s kind of like clockwork.”
This year’s first also has historical ties. While nesting has been monitored on all Georgia beaches since 1989, the network took root in 1964 when former University of Georgia professor Dr. Jim Richardson started the Little Cumberland Island Sea Turtle Project. That loggerhead monitoring effort is the oldest in North America and shares the status worldwide with a program started in South Africa the same year.
Little Cumberland Project Director Russell Regnery documented the nest on Little Cumberland Saturday. Hundreds more will follow on Georgia barrier islands, with nesting season for the state’s leading marine turtle and a protected species hitting full stride by June.
Predicting a total is anyone’s guess, according to Dodd, a senior wildlife biologist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. But one question is whether 2021 can top the 2,786 nests last year, or better yet, the 3,950 in 2019, the most since comprehensive monitoring began.
The state’s previous record was 3,289 nests in 2016. The total in 2019 also marked the first time the chunky-headed marine turtles had topped a Georgia recovery benchmark of 2,800 nests.
The loggerhead population has been increasing at approximately 4 percent annually since the early 1990s. However, a new population model developed by UGA and the U.S. Geological Survey using nesting and genetics data indicates the population will plateau at current levels for about the next 20 years, its progress hindered by low recruitment during the early 2000s, Dodd said. If current protections remain in place at least through that period, the model suggests loggerhead numbers would then start to increase again, possibly reaching levels not seen since the late 1950s.
Supporting that rebound is the goal of Georgia’s Sea Turtle Cooperative. The DNR-coordinated network of about 200 volunteers, researchers and agency employees patrols beaches daily during nesting season. Working under a federal permit, members mark, monitor and protect all loggerhead nests, plus those of other species that seldom nest in Georgia, such as green and Kemp’s ridley.
The effort not only eases predation and increases the number of young that hatch, the data collected is used to assess loggerhead populations, assess threats and inform management. Cooperators also help with beach management. The program has been in play on Georgia beaches for more than 30 years.
“The cooperative has done a tremendous amount of work,” and with a measurable impact, Dodd said. “We started out averaging about 800 nests a year and we’re now up to about 3,500.”
Like other marine turtles, loggerheads – named for their large heads – crawl ashore on barrier island beaches, dig a hole at the base of the dunes and lay their eggs, usually at night.
To prep for the season, Dodd and staff have been training interns, working with volunteers, partner agencies and organizations, and teaming with DNR’s Law Enforcement Division, all while navigating social distancing and other requirements involving the coronavirus pandemic. Game wardens enforce regulations including the use of turtle excluder devices, or TEDs, in commercial shrimping.
The process followed on Little Cumberland and Sea Island last weekend will be repeated hundreds of times this year. An egg from each nest – less than 1 percent of the average clutch size on the island – was collected for UGA genetic analysis documenting the number and relatedness of loggerheads nesting in Georgia. The nest was then covered with a screen to protect the eggs from predators.
DNR’s Wildlife Conservation Section works to conserve sea turtles and other wildlife not legally fished for or hunted, as well as rare plants and natural habitats. The agency does this largely through public support from fundraisers, grants and contributions.
Key fundraisers include sales of the monarch butterfly license plates and sales and renewals of bald eagle plate and older designs, such as the ruby-throated hummingbird. These tags cost only $25 more than a standard plate to buy or renew. Up to $20 of that fee goes to help wildlife.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
All marine turtles in Georgia are protected by state and federal law. To help conserve these species:
§ Minimize beachfront lighting during sea turtle nesting season. Turn off, shield or redirect lights.
§ When walking the beach at night, don’t use flashlights and flash photography. They can deter turtles from coming ashore to nest or cause them to abort nesting.
§ If you encounter a sea turtle on the beach, remain quiet, still and at a distance.
§ Leave turtle tracks undisturbed. Researchers use them to identify the species and mark nests for protection.
§ Properly dispose of your garbage. Turtles may mistake plastic bags, Styrofoam and trash floating in the water as food. After ingesting trash, it can kill them by clogging their intestines.
§ Protect beach vegetation: It stabilizes sand and the natural coastline.
§ When boating, stay alert and avoid turtles. Of the sea turtles found dead or hurt in Georgia last year, 26 percent suffered injuries consistent with being hit by a boat. Boaters who hit a sea turtle are urged to stand-by and immediately call DNR at 800-2-SAVE-ME (800-272-8363).
§ Also report any dead or injured sea turtles seen at 800-272-8363. (If the turtle is tagged, include the tag color and number in the report if possible.)
Sources: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Georgia DNR
ACCIDENTAL CATCHES
Anglers who hook or entangle a sea turtle should call DNR at 800-2-SAVE-ME (800-272-8363). Also:
§ Keep your hands away from the turtle’s mouth and flippers.
§ Safely land the turtle using a net or by walking it to shore. Do not lift the turtle by the hook or by pulling on the line.
§ Leave the hook in place; removing it can cause more damage. (Anglers are encouraged to use non-stainless, barbless hooks when possible.)
§ Keep the turtle out of direct sunlight and cover it with a damp towel.
If an angler cannot reach DNR, cut the line as short as possible and release the turtle.
LOGGERHEADS AT A GLANCE
§ Caretta caretta: Most common sea turtle on Georgia’s coast; found off coast year-round. Also one of the world’s largest turtles, topping 350 pounds and sporting a carapace up to 44 inches long. How long loggerheads live is not known.
§ Range: The Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans, and the Mediterranean Sea. Nests in the U.S. from Virginia to Texas.
§ Nesting: Females reach sexual maturity at 30-35 years. From about May through September, they crawl ashore at night, dig a hole in the face of dunes along barrier island beaches, and deposit and cover eggs.
§ Pilgrimage: Eggs hatch in 55-65 days. The young scramble for the water, beginning a journey that can take them from sargassum weed off Georgia’s shores to a current-powered loop that circles to the Azores and the eastern Atlantic Ocean, south to west Africa and back to the western Atlantic.
§ Eats: Fish eggs and small invertebrates when small. As adults, they eat mainly crabs and mollusks, but also forage items like jellyfish and dead fish.
§ Status: Federally listed as threatened since 1978. Georgia DNR reclassified loggerheads in the state from threatened to endangered in 2006.
§ Threats: Primarily mortality associated with commercial fishing activities, but also nest predation by raccoons and feral hogs, poaching, loss of habitat, boat strikes, and even ingestion of plastic litter mistaken as food.
James installed these on my boat last Sunday after our West Point tournment for $250! You can get some from him at 706-668-3459 cell or 770-854-8713 home.
Last Sunday 27 members of the Potato Creek Bass Club fished our April tournament at Lake Lanier. We landed 84 14-inch keeper bass weighing about 174 pounds. There were nine five-fish limits, and one person did not weigh in a bass.
Jamie Beasley won with five weighing 13.16 pounds, Sam Smith was second with five weighing 12.93 pounds, third went to Jeff Wright with five weighing 12.75 pounds and Edward Folker was fourth with five weighing 12.57 pounds. David Martin had a largemouth weighing 4.74 pounds for big fish. Most of the fish weighed in were spotted bass.
I went up on Tuesday and camped at Don Carter State Park. Don Carter is our newest state park and it had very nice facilities. The campground is spacious and there are great bath houses but there are also hiking trails, horse riding trails, a beach and cabins.
I put in at the park way up the river on Wednesday and fished the stained water in small coves. The water was stained and in the low 60, a perfect combination for the way I like to fish this time of year, but after five hours I landed four keeper bass.
I did catch two nice largemouth on a buzzbait, one about 2.5 pounds and one close to four pounds, but both hit later in the afternoon. I did not think it was worth the 20 mile boat ride up there from our tournament launch site.
Several folks told me there was a good bite on the lower lake fishing Flukes around boat docks, so Thursday I put in at Balus Creek, our tournament launch site, and tried that pattern for several hours without a bite. The back end of Balus Creek was stained and there were shad everywhere but I could not get a bite there, either.
I did finally catch a four-pound largemouth from a dock in the back of a creek, on a Carolina rig of all things, but that was no pattern. One bite does not tell me much, even though it was a good one.
On Friday I tried different things and final caught one keeper spot from a brush pile on a Fluke. I had no idea what to do in the tournament, so I decided to fish memories.
The first rocky point I want to fish Saturday morning had a boat fishing it so I tried other things. At 11:00 I had not caught a fish so I went back to the first point and caught two keepers and two short fish and lost another keeper, all in 20 minutes.
By 2:00 I had not had another bite, including fishing all the docks where the big hit on Thursday. I stopped on another rocky point on the way in to the ramp and caught two more keepers the last hour. All four hit a Carolina rig but four weighing five pound was good for about 20th place!
