Where and How to Catch December Bass At Miller’s Ferry, with GPS Coordinates

 December Bass at Millers Ferry 

with Skip Spurlin

     The Alabama River has some great bass lakes on it and Millers Ferry ranks high among them.  All the river lakes contain excellent populations of largemouth and spotted bass and this is a good time to catch both species on Millers Ferry.  As the water cools they follow patterns that you can take advantage of right now.

     Millers Ferry is officially known as William “Bill” Dannelly Reservoir and covers 105 miles of the Alabama River south of Selma.  It contains about 17,200 acres of water and over 500 shoreline miles.  A Corps of Engineers Lake that officially opened to the public in 1974, it has more than three million visitors each year.

     Skip Spurlin grew up near Millers Ferry and has fished it for a long as he can remember. It was the lake he fished in his youth with his Uncle Jerry Hollinghead, Grandfather J.C. Hollinghead and father Gordon Spurlin.  He has learned what the bass are doing there over the years with them and fishing on his own.  The patterns they follow each fall make finding and catching bass a good bet.

     Skip now lives in Opp and fishes several tournament trails including the BFL and Airport Marine tournaments.  He also fished some of the Fishers of Men tournaments and a lot of local pot tournaments and charity tournaments on Millers Ferry.  He is on the Airport Marine Ranger Pro Staff.

     Some of Skip’s best catches at Millers Ferry include a spot weighing a 5.5 poounds, a good fish anywhere, and a 7.5 pound largemouth.  His best tournament catch on the lake was a five fish limit weighing 22 pounds.  There are plenty of quality spots and largemouth in Millers Ferry.

     “Fall fishing is all about the shad,” Skip told me.  The shad move off the river into the pockets as the water cools in November and the bass follow them.  Then in late December the shad will head back out to the river and bass will say on them.  You can catch them on the points at the mouths of creeks and pockets coming and going.

     Skip and I were on Milers Ferry in late October, the first cold front of the year and the coldest day up until then, and the shad were already back in some of the creeks.  That seemed a little early but you need to follow them and not worry about why they are moving when they do, just stay on them like the bass do.  Find the shad and you will find the bass.  At times you can see them feeding on top and other times you will need to watch your depth finder to spot the balls of shad in deeper water.

     “When you catch a bass on a buzzbait it will be a fat one,” Skip said.  Each morning Skip will start with a white or black Lunker Lure buzzbait around wood cover in the mouths of pockets.  He will throw this bait on shady banks back in the creeks as long as the fish are hitting. 

If they don’t want a topwater bait he will try a silver blade white spinnerbait in the same areas.  He will also offer them a Trick worm or Senko around the shallow cover if they don’t seem very active, working the Trick worm by cover and dropping the Senko beside logs and letting it sink to the bottom.

     As the sun gets higher or if the bass are not hitting the  spinnerbait and buzzbait he will try a crankbait.  Skip likes to start shallow with a bait like a Rattle Trap and will throw it around the mouths of creeks and pockets.   He likes a one half ounce shad colored bait in clear water and a gold bait in stained water.

     After trying the Trap shallow work deeper with a Norman’s Deep Little N then a DD22 in the same colors. Probe for drops, cover and fish around shad in the mouths of creeks on points with these baits.  The point between the river channel and creek channel is often an excellent crankbait hole this time of year.

     If nothing else works Skip will go to a jig head, Carolina or Texas rigged worm, but they tend to catch smaller bass.  He likes a Zoom Speed worm for largemouth and a Zoom Trick worm for spotted bass.  On sunny days a green or green pumpkin color is best and on cloudy days he will switch to the same worms in Junebug or redbug colors.

     Skip likes the Gee’s Bend area this time of year.  He and I put in at Roland Cooper State Park and fished the following holes in late October. There were shad and bass on several of them but we had a tough bluebird sky/cold front day to fish.  Each will be even better now and you can catch bass on them on through December or even later. Just remember to find the shad to find the bass.

1. N 32 03.363 – W 87 15.031 – Going upstream from the opening at the ramps at the state park you will pass a long island on your right.  Watch to your right for an opening going back into a big area at the state park golf course. There is a small island in the middle of the opening and a green channel marker is lodged in some stumps on the downstream point.

     Start here early throwing a buzzbait and spinnerbait around the wood and grass cover on the point. Work back into the pocket behind the point and around behind the island.  Fish school up on shad in places like this and feed early around shallow cover.  Make several casts to the best looking spots.

     Later in the day or if nothing hits shallow work around the island with your crankbaits. Work deeper if you don’t get bit shallow.  The water drops off fairly fast on the river side of the island so work this areas back to the downstream point.  You can also fish a plastic bait around the cover here.

     2. N 32 04.194 – W 87 14.206 – Run up to the next cut on your right and go into it.  Be careful if you run in on plane, there are some stumps near the channel.  Go around the point on your left and head to the left.  Near the back of the creek you will see a concrete seawall and dock on a point on your right. Start fishing on this point.

There is a good grass bed to fish around this point and some wood cover. Work up this bank hitting grass beds and wood cover with buzzbaits and spinnerbaits. This bank stays shady for a good while so it will be better a little later in the morning. Fish all the way up to the last dock on that side. Just past it you will see a causeway coming across the small creek. 

If the fish don’t hit a buzzbait or spinnerbait work a plastic bait around the cover. A Trick worm or Senko can be good in the shallows if the bass don’t want to chase your faster moving lure.  If shad have worked this far back into the creek there should be bass feeding on them.

3. N 32 04.246 – W 87 14.629 – Back out at the main river stop on the upstream point of this creek. The point between the creek and river has a lot of visible brush off the bank on the river side and you will see a long cedar tree growing on the point. On the map this point is near mile marker 46.

Fish around the shallow cover with spinnerbaits and buzzbaits on the point between the two channels.  Also work a jig head worm or Texas rigged worm on it. Skip says the bottom is nasty here with lots of rocks that will eat your bait.  You can’t fish a crankbait here without getting hung up on every cast.

Current is critical on these points.  Bass will feed much better when there is some current moving. The current will move the shad across the points and position the bass.  You will catch some bass without current but not as many and not as big as when it is moving. This point is mostly a spot hole.

4. N 32 04.385 – W 87 14.770 – Across the river is an opening going back to flats of an old oxbow and Skip likes to fish the left bank going it. Start about even with the point on the island between the river and the oxbow and fish all visible cover.  The left bank going in is the side the old river channel was on and is deeper and better.

Fish from the area across from the river side island to a point where there is a deep pocket going further in. You will see a field across this pocket and that is as far as Skip usually fishes this spot.  The sun gets on the water early here so he likes to start here in the mornings.

This is a good area for pattern that works on some spots. Look for patches and pockets of water hyacinth and flip them with a heavy jig and pig. You need a half to three quarters ounce jig to get down under the mat. Skip says this pattern can be good all day since bass hold in the shade on sunny days.

5. N 32 04.687 – W 87 14.508 – Another good pattern on Millers Ferry is to flip and pitch to shoreline cover along outside bends in the river.  Back out on the main river head upstream and the river will start bending to your left a little.  Watch for a big oak tree leaning over the water on your right and start fishing there, working upstream.

Flip a jig and pig to all wood cover along the outside bend. The bottom drops off fast and there are lay down trees and logs as well as stumps along this bank.  Also watch for any change in the bottom like a ditch or the change from dirt to clay. Those things can concentrate the fish.

Skip likes to flip a three eights to one half ounce jig to the wood along the bank.  He chooses a black and blue Eakins or Lunker Lure jig with a Zoom sapphire blue Super Chunk.  Fish it on heavy line like 15 to 20 pound Seaguar fluorocarbon to pull bass out of the cover.

6. N 32 05.367 – W 87 14.905 – Up the river you will come to the mouth of Buzzard’s Bay on your right. You can see a lot of standing trees back in the bay and there is a red channel marker just off the upstream point.  The upstream point is where you want to fish.

Skip likes crankbaits and plastics on this point. There is a good break in eight feet of water and wood washes in and hangs up on it. Bass will hold in the cover and school up on the flat behind the break.  Start with your boat out in 15 feet of water and cast up shallow, covering the flat and drop. Then move on the shallow side of the break and work your plastic baits through the wood cover, fishing deep to shallow.  

Skip will throw a Carolina rigged Zoom Baby Brush Hog on this point.  He likes green pumpkin and dips the tails in JJs Magic chartreuse dye.  The Carolina rig is good for fishing the cover on the bottom. Moving water makes shad pull up on the flat on this point and bass will follow them, too.  Watch for surface activity while fishing the deeper water.

7. N 32 02.394 – W 87 16.671 – Run down the river past the state park and watch on your left for a line of tall post that run along the bank.  They were put there for a seawall or some other structure but stick up by themselves with some wood along their lower edges. 

Start fishing at the downstream side of these posts and work upstream.  This is another good outside bend area and working upstream helps you position your boat if there is any current. Current really makes the bass bite better so you want to be fishing it when the current is moving.

Skip says you can take a limit of spots weighing 15  pounds if the current is moving and everything is right. Flip a jig and pig to shoreline cover here like in hole number 5.  There are also riprap banks and docks along this area to fish. 

Fish upstream to the double dock with the workboat tied to it.  There was an American flag flying here the day we fished.  Skip says flip to all the post on this dock, that wood washes in and hangs up here and holds bass. Work this whole bank probing for wood cover as the water drops.

8. N 32 02.315 – W 87 16.920 – Just downstream of the posts on the same side is a cove that holds shad and bass this time of year.  There is a big gray house on the upstream point with a gazebo out on the point.  Across from that point they are clearing brush on the lot on the downstream side. That is the side Skip likes to fish.

Start fishing on the riverside of the lot they are clearing. There is wood and grass along that bank that holds bass as they move in and out of the pocket following the shad. Try all your baits along this bank, hitting visible grass and wood cover.

9. N 32 02.903 – W 87 18.535 – Further downstream on your left is the opening to go back to Ellis Ferry landing.  The downstream point of this creek has a two story white house behind and a little downstream of it.  This point has a bar that runs across and upstream of it and is an excellent place to find spots schooled up.

Fish a crankbait and jig head worm on this point, covering it from all angles. Watch your depth finder to see how the bar runs and work it out to deeper water.  A jig head worm is especially good fished along the bar out toward deeper water.

10. N 32 02.493 – W 87 18.493 – Go back into the creek until you see the ramp at Ellis Ferry ahead of you as you round a point on your right. Start at that point across from the boat ramp and work into the creek. Ahead of you there is a causeway that cuts off part of the bay. This is a good bank to start on if you put in here.

Shad will often hold along the grass beds on this bank and they were thick in there in late October.  Bass were schooling on them when we fished it and it will be even better now.  Fish this bank with buzzbait and spinnerbait early, then work a Trap a little later.  It is a shallow bank so stay way out and make long casts.

Fish the docks and grassbeds back until the water out from the bank where your boat is sitting is only two feet deep.  Watch for action on top and make casts to it. Also hit dock pilings and brush under the docks.  There are enough tournaments held from this ramp that the area is constantly restocked, adding to the fish that are moving in following the shad.

Try these ten spots Skip likes to fish and see what kind of structure and cover he is looking for. Check other areas of the lake that are similar and find the shad on them and you will catch bass.

Great Holiday Deals on St. Croix Rods

Happy Holiday Deals!
Great time to fill your rod locker with
St. Croix Rods
Enjoy the biggest savings of the year on select, retired St. Croix Rod models from December 6th through the 20th
Park Falls, WI (December 3, 2019) – St. Croix anglers are always on the hunt for big fish, but now is the time of year when they are also hunting for big savings. Whether shopping for anglers on your holiday list or taking advantage of the biggest savings of the year to add to your own rod collection, St. Croix Rod has anglers covered with our special two-week Holiday Sales Event, starting this Friday, December 6th and running through the 20th.

It’s our way of saying “Thank You and Happy Holidays” to our passionate angling customers, and a sure-fire way for you to make the anglers on your shopping list smile. The fast-approaching online-only sale will offer incredible savings of up to 60% off a great selection of retired St. Croix rods, plus FREE SHIPPING on orders shipping inside the continental US!

St. Croix’s Holiday Sales Event will run from 7:00 AM CDT on Friday, December 6th through 10:00 PM CDT Friday, December 20th. Shoppers at www.stcroixrods.com/collections/rod-shopper can take 30% off select Legend Surf, Avid Surf and Mojo Musky rods; 40% off select Mojo Bass Glass and Premier Crankbait rods; 50% off Rio Santo fly rods; and a phenomenal 60% off SOLE fly rods and Avid Carp rods!
Freshwater rods, saltwater rods, flyrods… from trout to tarpon, online shoppers will find phenomenal deals on them all. But don’t be late; St. Croix Holiday Sales Event prices are limited to available stock.#CROIXGEARLike the rods? You’ll love our lifestyle apparel. Spend $75 on apparel during the St. Croix Holiday Sales Event and receive a FREE Catch & Release Hat! 
MEET OUR MACHINERYComing to northern Wisconsin? We’d love to meet you, and we’d love for you to have the chance to Meet Our Machinery. Call us at 800.826.7042 or email us at factorytour@stcroixrods.com to schedule a factory tour. Learn more at https://stcroixrods.com/pages/factory-tours.

Over-harvest Causing Walleye Decline


U. of Wisconsin Study Says Hidden Over-harvest Causing Walleye Declines
A new study by UW–Madison Center for Limnology graduate student Holly Embke shows that the state’s walleye fishery is being overharvested at a rate ten times higher than fishery managers anticipated.
By Adam Hinterthuer, University of Wisconsin
from The Fishing Wire

A new study by UW–Madison Center for Limnology graduate student Holly Embke shows that the state’s walleye fishery is being overharvested at a rate ten times higher than fishery managers anticipated. Over the last few decades, walleye in Wisconsin have been on a downward trend. As lakes in the upper Midwest warm due to climate change, this cool-water species has found itself with less habitat in which to thrive. Add in factors like lakefront development and loss of shoreline habitat, and the iconic fishery isn’t what it used to be.

Despite this decline, the fish remains as popular as ever with anglers. Though they are catching fewer individual fish than before, the percentage of walleye that state and tribal resource managers allow to be harvested each year has stayed about the same.

Given the cultural and economic importance of this inland fishery, it’s time to reassess current regulations, says University of Wisconsin–Madison Center for Limnology graduate student, Holly Embke, lead author of a study published this week [Nov. 18, 2019] in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. It finds that “40 percent of walleye populations are overharvested, which is ten times higher than the estimates fisheries managers currently use,” she says.

A big reason for this “hidden overharvest,” says Embke, is that, for the last 30 years, resource managers have focused on fish abundance and not fishery productivity when calculating harvest limits.In the late 1980s, after a U.S. District Court judge ruled that federal treaties gave Ojibwe tribes the right to hunt and fish in their former territories, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission were tasked with working together to set sustainable harvest limits on walleye for both recreational and tribal fisheries.

These fisheries today consist of more than 1 million recreational anglers who account for about 90 percent of the total annual harvest on the state’s 900 “walleye lakes.” The other 10 percent comes from the 450 tribal members who spear walleye on roughly 175 lakes each spring.Using the best available science at the time, the agencies developed a management plan based on fish abundance. They used adult walleye population estimates to set regulations that ensured a maximum harvest amount of 35 percent of the adult walleye in any given lake. The average exploitation rate for walleye stocks is closer to 15 percent, so the agencies assumed these regulations were sufficiently conservative to be sustainable.

These regulations “worked for a long time,” says co-author Steve Carpenter, director emeritus of the Center for Limnology, “and then they stopped working. Over the last couple of decades, there began to be walleye recruitment failures scattered around the state.”In these last few decades, annual walleye production in many of the state’s lakes has declined by 35 percent. On top of that decline, walleye stocks now take one and a half times longer to replenish themselves than they did in 1990.

State fisheries managers responded by changing angler regulations to protect large female walleye, boosting walleye populations by stocking hatchery-raised fish in struggling lakes, and managing individual lakes according to their productive capacity, says Greg Sass, fisheries research team lead in the DNR’s Office of Applied Science. But these efforts didn’t reverse the broader walleye decline.

So, Embke and her colleagues set out to better understand other factors fisheries managers might consider when setting harvest rules. By focusing on production, they hoped to get a clearer picture of how well populations withstand fishing pressure and continue to reproduce and grow.“We wanted to take a more nuanced approach and ask not only how many fish are in a lake but also consider how fast they’re growing, how big they are, and how many are produced every year,” she says.

One way to think of it, Embke says, is in terms of a bank account. “Abundance tells you the money in the bank while production tells you the interest rate,” she says.In other words, if you start taking more money out of your account than the interest rate contributes each year, your savings shrink. Do this several years in a row, and those annual withdrawals begin to have an outsized impact on what little money is left in the bank.

Using data that state and tribal researchers had already collected, Embke and her colleagues calculated how walleye biomass had changed over a 28-year period in 179 lakes. Measuring biomass is akin to throwing all of the walleye in a lake on a scale and recording the overall weight. Production is a reading of how much biomass grows each year, an indication of a population’s ability to replenish its losses.

By comparing walleye production to the total fishery harvest in these study lakes, they found that overharvest is ten times higher than the 4 percent estimates generated when fisheries managers consider abundance alone.What’s more, Embke says, the study found great variation in walleye production from lake to lake. Some lakes remain walleye strongholds and can handle current fishing pressures, while others can’t sustain even current average harvest rates of 15 to 20 percent, much less the 35 percent harvest benchmark. By considering production, fisheries managers may be better equipped to set limits for individual lakes.

These results, the researchers write, “highlight the urgent need for improved governance, assessment, and regulation of recreational fisheries in the face of rapid environmental change.”“Nature has changed,” says Carpenter. “The climate now is different from what it was in the 1980s and it’s not going back. That means habitat is decreasing and, on average, walleye stocks can’t take the harvest levels they have seen.

”The good news, he says, is that the data fisheries managers already collect can be plugged in to Embke’s method for estimating production and help chart a way forward. By better understanding the resilience of Wisconsin walleye populations and by acknowledging the role that anglers play in reducing stocks, the future of this iconic fishery just may have a fighting chance.
Alex Bentz, field technician at the the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources holds a walleye. Photo by Adam Hinterthuer, UW–Madison Center for Limnology

Christmas Gifts For Fishermen

I try to not think about Christmas until after Thanksgiving, so I guess its time.  I have my two front teeth, so my next choices are fishing equipment. Fishermen are easy to buy gifts for, since we never have enough fishing stuff.

Prices range from a couple dollars to ridiculous amounts.    I think any fisherman would be happy with any of the following.  I know I would since I use all of them and depend on them.  I have everything on this list, but, like any other fanatical bass fisherman, I could always use duplicates!  

  Garmin Panoptix Livescope – If you like knowing what is underwater, the Panoptix system can’t be beat.  It shows structure and cover, but more importantly, fish as they move, their depth, distance from the boat and direction from the boat, much like shining a spotlight underwater.    You can make every cast count and see how the fish react to your bait in real time. Its almost cheating! The first time I was in the boat with one and saw how it worked, I ordered one for my boat as soon as I got home.   

This system is expensive, costing a little under $3000.00 for transducer and sonar unit with a ten inch screen for it.   

St.Croix Avid Rod – The Avid line of rods are good quality for the cost and have a great warranty.  The seven-foot medium fast is good for topwater, crankbaits, spinnerbaits and swimbaits and the medium-heavy fast is perfect for small jigs, Texas rigs and shaky heads.   I use those two actions for almost all my fishing.   

The Avid series of rods are about $180.00. each.    

American Hero Speed Stick rod –  I bought a rod from Berry’s Sporting Goods to replace my heavy jig and worm rod I broke.  When I tested it in the store, it felt good even though it is a seven-foot rod and I really wanted a shorter rod for skipping baits under docks.  The medium heavy, fast action was right, though, and I got it.    After using it several times and catching a few fish on it, I am very happy with it.  It cast half ounce jigs and Texas rigs with a three sixteenths ounce sinker well, exactly what I wanted it for.  I can skip ok with it and it has good sensitivity for feeling bites on those baits.  The seven-foot length gives me good leverage when setting the hook.   

The American Hero Rod I got at Berry’s SportingGoods was a little under $100.00.   

Bass Pro Shop Reels – I get a nice discount from Bass Pro Shops on their branded stuff, so I use their reels.  They are less expensive than many of the same quality and have had good service with them.    The three I use are the Pro Qualifer, Carbonlight and Signature Series. The higher priced reels are a little smoother and cast a little better, but for most of my fishing the cheaper models serve all my needs.  I use the Signature Series for pitching and skipping baits under docks when the higher price makes it worth it.  For everything else, the lower priced reels are fine, and I can pitch and skip with them if needed, I just get a few more backlashes.   

The Pro Qualifer is $80.00, the Carbonlight is $125.00 and the Signature Series is $160.00   

Guidewear – I fish year-round and this time of year it can be miserable on the water if you don’t have proper clothes.  A few years ago I bought a Guidewear suit from Cabellas. The bib pants and jacket have both zipper and Velcro flap closings on all openings.  They are lined and have Goretex for waterproofing.    When suited up with hood up and closed, nothing shows but my eyes, nose and hands.  It is warm and completely waterproof.  I have fished in rain, sleet, wind and temperature in the teens and have been comfortable, except for my hands, even in the worst conditions.  Rubber insulated boots complete the outfit when it rains.   

This outfit is not cheap, at about $275.00 each for bibs and jacket, but worth it if you are out in bad weather.    

 Sunline Shooter fluorocarbon – Fluorocarbon line is important in clear water but works well in stained water, too.  The lighter line is limp enough for spinning reels but 12-pound test and up is best on baitcasters.  It is some of the toughest line I have ever used, strong and abrasion resistant.  If my reel is spooled with fluorocarbon, its Sunline Shooter. It has never failed me.   

A 200-yard spool of this line is about $25.00.   

Trilene monofilament line – Some baits like topwater require monofilament line, and I like Trilene XT Extra Tough line in 12 to 14-pound test. It is very strong, abrasion resistant and cast well on both bait casters and spinning reels.   

At 1000-yard spool of this line, plenty to last a few years, is about $25.00. 

   Rapala DT 6 – The DT series of crankbaits come in a wide range of colors and depth they work. They run true out of the box with no tuning.   The DT 6 is good from fall through Spring for bass feeding in relatively shallow water.  They have no rattles and that helps for spooky, heavily pressured bass. I have one tied on every trip and have caught some of my best limits on them.   

Rapala DT 6 crankbaits cost about $8.00 each.   

JJs Magic – JJs dip and dye quickly colors plastic baits and gives them a strong garlic scent.  It comes in several colors to “match the hatch“ and bass love it.  I never throw a plastic bait without dipping the tails in chartreuse JJs.   

A bottle of JJs Magic cost about $6.00.   

All these things work well for me and I would not want to be without them on a fishing trip.

Where and How to Catch February Allatoona Bass

Allatoona Bass with Carter Koza

Lots of spots and the occasional largemouth feeding on gravel flats and bluff banks. Tournament limits consistently weighing 13 pounds, with some taking 18 pounds to win.  Don’t call Allatoona “The Dead Sea.”

Allatoona is a 12,000-acre Corps of Engineer lake just north of Atlanta on the Etowah River.  It is a small lake with a big drainage area, so the water level is well known for big changes, especially from winter and spring rains.

It can be tough to fish, but the spots there have increased in numbers and size over the past few years.  For a long time it was hard to catch a keeper there, but three pound spots are common now, and most tournaments have multiple limits weighed in. At a January 6 Allatoona Team Trail tournament, it took 18.50 pounds for first. Their big fish was a 4.63 pound largemouth, so all their limit was quality fish.

Carter Koza is a sophomore at Mt. Parran Christian School in Kennesaw and on the fishing team.  He grew up fishing with his dad, Jamie, owner of The Dugout and has learned well.  He started fishing high school tournaments in the eighth grade and won the BASS Nation High School tournament at Eufaula in 2017. He has five top five finishes on that trail.

In 2017 he was Angler of the Year in the points standings on that trail and was runner up last year.  He teams with his sister, Lee Rose Koza and they qualified for the FLW High School National Championship. Fishing is in his DNA.

“In February bass at Allatoona are setting up in early pre-spawn, feeding on gravel flats and bluff banks leading into spawning areas,” Carter said.  He covers those areas looking for active feeding fish.  Stained water helps the bite a lot, and it is usually stained this time of year.  

Carter’s goto bait is a crankbait, but he will also have a Rat-L-Trap, a jig and pig ready to try.  Although he covers water, he does not do a lot of running around, spending time on each area to fish all the good cover carefully.

We fished the following spots in mid-January on the worst possible weather conditions, the first day of a hard cold front after several days of warm rain. But Carter caught nine keepers, including two three-pound spots and one largemouth, in half a day on the water.

1. N 34 08.053 – W 84 39.200 – Across the cove from the Galts Ferry ramp a big flat point has a danger marker way our on it.  This point is between two good spawning creeks and typical of the type flat Carter likes to fish in February.

Start at the pole, there is a lot of brush around it.  Stop a long cast from it and fish a crankbait all around it.  With the water low you will see the tops of many brush piles and they will hold fish even in very shallow water, so always cast to them.

Carter’s favorite crankbait is a Spro RKCrawler and he especially likes the new model 50 in the mudbug color.  It has some chartreuse in it to help the fish see it in stained water.  He cast it on 12 to 15-pound Segar High VizX fluorocarbon line and uses a St. Croix LGC61 medium heavy crankbait rod.

Fish around the pole then into the downstream side of it into the creek, past the Atlanta Yacht Club dock and boat ramp.  Make long casts, keeping your boat in about ten feet of water, and bump the bottom from two to eight feet deep.

Fish all the way into the creek until you are across from the danger marker about half way back on the other side. Then jump over to that side and fish around that marker, the private ramp on that bank and out about 50 yards.  Carter caught a couple of keeper spots on both sides of this creek and lost two or three more that pulled off.

If the weather has been warm and sunny for a few days, warming the water, fish further back on both sides.  Pay attention to the area you get bites in places like this, are the fish hitting out on the points or back in the creek and concentrate on those areas. Warming water will make the fish go further back into the creeks.

2. N 34 07.751 – W 84 37.752 – Run up to the mouth of Kellogg Creek and stop on the right just inside the creek past the first two small coves and the sign.  This bluff bank is a good example of the kinds of bluff banks that hold pre-spawn bass. 

Kellogg Creek is the best creek for finding big schools of baitfish this time of year, a critical factor in catching bass.  And it has many good spawning areas in it.  Fish along this bluff, keeping your boat in close and making angled casts ahead of you to bump the bottom from right on the bank out to eight feet deep or so.

Watch for any change in the rocks, bass like transition areas.  A change in the kind of rock, a small point or a change from big rocks to smaller ones all should be targets of your casts.

3.  N 34 07.749 – W 84 36.579 – A little farther back the creek splits into two arms. The point between them is another good bluff bank with big rocks dropping fast into deep water. Stop just inside this point on the main creek arm that goes to the right and work out and around it.

Carter says you can fish this one point and catch fish all day.  Angle your casts to keep your bait in water where it is bumping bottom most of the cast. Carter says it is critical to be bumping the bottom with your bait to catch fish. 

When you go over an area and catch some fish, go back over it.  Try slowing down with a jig and pig the next pass to catch less active bass. Carter likes a black and blue Chattahoochee Jig in dirty water but goes to a green jig in clearer water. Match your jig color with a Zoom Chunk or Rage Craw.

4. N 34 07.398 – W 84 36.896 – Go to the Kellogg Creek Road bridge back in the main creek. Bridges are always good this time of year, they are choke points for bass moving back and offer a good feeding area.  Carter caught a largemouth and one of his two biggest spots here, both on the RKCrawler, the day we fished.

Fish all the riprap on both sides, keeping your boat in close for angled casts.  The points on both sides, all four corners of them, are key points. Also make a few casts to the pilings when you go under it, running your bait right beside the concrete. 

A trap allows you to vary the depth you fish on them and in other places.  Carter casts a limon one in stained water and chrome in clearer water.  The loud buzz often triggers a bite as you reel it along.

On the upstream side of the bridge fish the boat ramp at Payne Day use area and the state brush pile around the pole in the middle of the creek arm. It gets very shallow fast around this brush with the water down but the brush will hold fish. 

5.  N 34 11.353 – W 84 35.286 – Up the river Sweetwater Creek is on the left just upstream of Little River.  It is another good spawning creek and has good bluff banks on both sides.  Fish both with all your baits, working the inside and outside area of the point and around it. Carter caught his biggest spot of the day on the upstream point when we fished.

Wind blowing across and along these bluff banks, as well as well as the gravel flats, helps the bite. Carter likes to work with the wind since it makes it easier to cast and lets him cover the water faster, as long as it does not move the boat too fast. 

You can go back into Sweetwater Creek and others and fish rocks and blowdowns for largemouth, but you won’t get a lot of bites. For a kicker largemouth, pick apart a blowdown with a jig and pig and bump rocks with it and your crankbait.

6.  N 34 10.440 – W 84 35.731 – The downstream point of Little River is another good bluff bank in February.  There is a good channel swing here where the Little River channel hits the bank.  Bass winter on it since they can move vertically and start feeding more as the days get longer, moving into the river to spawning areas.

Start on the small rock and clay point on the downstream end of the bluff where it opens up into the main Etowah River.  Fish into Little River, casting all three of your baits along the wall.  Bump the bottom with the RKCrawler and run a trap right along the rocks.

When fishing a jig, work it slowly to follow the rocks as they drop. Carter sometimes dips the tails of his trailer in chartreuse JJs Magic for more flash, and spots seem to love chartreuse.  Calm days may make the fish less likely to chase a moving bait so windless days are a good time to try a jig.

7.  N 34 09.814 – W 84 34.958 – Go up Little River to the no wake zone at the bridge.  Stop on the bluff on the right with 2L channel marker on it and fish up that rock wall to the bridge, then fish the bridge riprap.

Sun hitting the riprap here and in Kellogg Creek, and the natural rocks in other places, warms the rocks and raises the water temperature a little, something bass like.  But they may be holding on the shady side, too, so fish both shade and sun on these spots.

8.  N 34 09.107 – W 84 34.347 – On up Little River, Rose Creek enters on the right.  When you get to it, slow down if you don’t know the area well. Mud flats and wood are dangers here and you must follow the channel.

There is a big warning sign on the bank on the right. Just upstream of it, an outside bend of the river makes a good bluff wall. It is not as deep at the ones on the main lake but as the water drops bass move down the river to the deeper water on places like this and concentrates the fish.

Start on the downstream end of this bend and fish up it until it flattens out.  Big rocks are on the bank and under the water that offer the bass feeding and holding cover.  Fish it like the deeper bluff walls, working all three of your baits.  Carter caught a keeper spot here on his crankbait the day we fished.

There are other outside bends like this up the river. All will hold fish but be extremely careful if you go further up, especially if the water is seven feet low like it was when we fished.  If you try to run it and don’t know it, you will run aground.

9. N 34 10.436 – W 84 35.324 – Back out at the mouth of Little River the upstream point is flat with small pockets along it.  Inside the point is a bulkhead wall on the bank. Just downstream of that small wall is a point that has gravel and stumps on it. Other wood cover also washes in and sticks on it. Bass get more active in February on flats like this in the afternoon from the sun.

Start at the wall, keeping your boat in ten feet of water, and work out toward the end of the big point between Little and Etowah Rivers.  This big flat holds lots of pre-spawn bass roaming it feeding.  Make long casts toward the bank and bump the bottom with your crankbait. Work out to the orange sign near the point. When you catch a fish, go back over that area since the bass tend to roam in schools.

10.  N 34 10.064 – W 84 36.785 – Back down on the main lake channel marker 30E is on your left at the Boy Scout Camp.  There is a small ramp on the gravel point the marker is on and it is good one for pre-spawn bass.

Stay out in 10 top 12 feet of water and bump the bottom with your baits.  Be sure to make several casts to the ramp, they hold fish.  Carter got bites on almost every ramp we fished, landing several keepers and losing several more that pulled off.

Fish around this point and the next one, too. Both hold bass that are getting ready to spawn in the pockets between them. Both are typical of gravel flats that are good this time of year, the boat ramp makes it even better.

These places and similar ones all over the lake are holding feeding fish right now and will get better all during the month as the water warms.

You can follow Carter on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/carter.koza.31 to see some of the fish he catches and how he caught them.

Do you find these Map of the Month articles helpful?  If so visit https://fishing-about.com/keys-to-catching-georgia-bass-ebook-series/ – you can get an eBook or CD with an article for each month of the year on Clarks Hill and Lanier.

Carter and Lee Rose Koza with St. Croix Rods

Press Release – Marietta Bassmasters high school anglers, Carter Koza and Paul Marks, recently bested a field of 95 teams to win the 2019 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Lake Hartwell Open. The no-entry fee tournament was held November 2nd and was hosted by the Hart County Chamber of Commerce. The win qualified the duo of for the 2020 High School National Championship being held next summer on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Qualifying for the event is a significant accomplishment, as only the top ten percent of anglers at state qualifiers make the big show.
Lee Rose and Carter Koza with dad
Photo courtesy FLW
“We only got to practice one day, but we fish Lanier a lot, which is a herring lake a lot like Hartwell, so we stuck with what we knew,” says Koza, who found success with his partner fishing Chattahoochee jigs in deep brush piles with 7’, heavy power, fast action St. Croix Legend Tournament rods. “We caught a lot of fish; they were mostly 13 inchers, but we were patient and managed enough bigger bites to win with 13-10.

”Meanwhile – the same day on the same lake – Carter Koza’s sister and previous high school fishing partner, Lee Rose Koza, placed second in the Yeti FLW College Fishing Tournament at Lake Hartwell Presented by Costa with her partner Maddex Walters. The finish qualified the Carson-Newman University fishing pair for the 2020 FLW College Fishing National Championship, scheduled for Feb. 26-28 on the Harris Chain of Lakes in Leesburg, Florida. 
Lee Rose and Walters didn’t get to pre-fish Hartwell at all. “Maddex is from Georgia and he had been there (Hartwell) in high school, so we just had to go with what we knew from the past,” says Koza, who admits they received a bit of help from their draw. “We drew Boat #2, so we got out early and were able to get to the spots we wanted,” she says.

Generally, those spots were the deep ends of main lake humps, where the duo fished Z-Man Shaky HeadZ  jigs with Z-man Giant TRD and FattyZ Elaztech plastics on St. Croix Legend Tournament medium power fast and extra-fast action rods. “We had a limit by 8:45, so we started throwing bigger worms and got some upgrades,” she says. “Green pumpkin was the key color.”
The Future of Bass Fishing Both outdoor enthusiasts, Carter and Lee Rose come from a fishing family. Their father, Jamie Koza, is a former Chattahoochee River fishing guide, an avid tournament angler and tackle shop owner who passed on the joys of fishing to both kids when they were young. He also taught them a reliable set of techniques.
“Dad has always thrown a lot of crankbaits and it has always been one of our favorite ways to fish,” Carter says, “so, it’s not surprising that St. Croix’s Legend Glass and the new Mojo Bass Glass rods are the rods we prefer to use.”

The Koza’s insist that the St. Croix Legend Glass casting series offers the lightest crankbait rods in the industry; a testament to the linear S-Glass blank each is built around. The new 7’2” heavy power medium action Rip-N-Chatter model in St. Croix’s Legend Glass and Mojo Bass Glass lineups is one of Lee Rose’s favorites. “I’ve yet to find a better rod for cranking chatterbaits or rattlebaits,” she says. “I’m steadily converting my team members to glass! They can’t believe how light and sensitive these rods are, while possessing that sweet, moderate action you need to keep bass buttoned up.

”Carter, currently a high school junior, fished competitively with Lee Rose last season, which was her senior year at Mt. Paran Christian School in Kennesaw, Georgia. They locked in a National invite by placing sixth at the Georgia State Finals on West Point Lake last February and went on to compete together in the High School Fishing National Championship.

“I’m still new to fishing and to the industry,” says Lee Rose, now a freshman at Carson-Newman University. “I grew up watching my dad and brother fish and decided as a junior in high school to join my school’s fishing team. I fished with a different partner that first year and fished with Carter my senior year. It was a blast. Everything flowed, because we had the same kind of style. Dad was our boat captain. It was a cool family deal,” Lee Rose recalls.

“I hope we can fish as a team again in the future.”Carter would like that, too. He has a great deal of respect for Carson-Newman’s coach, Hunter Sales, but says he is keeping his options open.“My sister and I will always be close,” says Carter, who talks to Lee Rose almost every day. “It’d be great to fish with her again in the future, because I know we could go far, but there’s a lot of great teams out there and I’m not sure where I’ll end up. In addition to their great coach, Carson-Newman’s team and program are fully funded by the school, which is a major benefit and makes a big difference for student competitors.”
What’s Next? Carter and his partner, Paul Marks head to Lake Chatuge in Georgia the weekend of Thanksgiving for the next stop on the Georgia Bass Nation tour. “It’s a points tournament and a qualifier for the Kentucky Lake National Bass Championship,” says Carter, who plans to stay in a camper and commute to and from school during the event. “If it stays cold, it will be a good deep brush pile bite,” he predicts. “It’ll Probably take 15 or 16 pounds of spots to win there.

”As for the 2020 High School National Championship next summer on the Mississippi River in La Crosse? “We have never been on the Mississippi,” says Carter, “so it will be a learning experience. But we’ll definitely spend some time up there and figure it out.

”As for Lee Rose’s goals, she wants her Carson-Newman team to finish this season in the top five in the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year. “We ought to easily meet that. We’ve climbed from 66th place and are currently sitting in 11th,” says Koza, who has lofty personal aspirations, too. “My ultimate goal is to be successful working in the fishing industry. In addition to fishing and going to school full time, I work as an intern for the fishing PR firm, Traditions Media, and also help manage St. Croix Rod’s social media presence. I want to work on the media side of the industry after I graduate, so I’m very grateful to have the opportunity to be working with these great companies.”

Committed to the Cause There’s been a buzz behind high school and college fishing since its inception in the mid-1990s. But recent backing from the nation’s largest professional tournament trails has transformed the sport, and sponsors have taken note of the youth movement. Today, many college bass programs have travel budgets for their players, allowances for rods, reels and tackle, and some even provide the use of modern bass boats. Nearly all of these products are donated or deeply discounted by manufacturers in the fishing market.St Croix Rod is on the leading edge of providing support to high school and college bass angling. It sponsors both the Bassmaster and FLW college fishing programs. 
“St. Croix representatives are on-hand at collegiate events to specifically determine the needs of college anglers and build long-term relationships that provide the foundation for future sponsorships,” says Lee Rose. “We are grateful to St. Croix and to all the other companies who have stepped up to support high school and college angling. It’s exciting to be a part of, and the opportunities are only going to expand.”

Winterizing Your Boat


BoatUS Guide to Winterizing Your Boat
Boaters across much of the country are getting ready to put their boats to bed for a long winter’s nap, but not every boat owner knows all the secrets of winterizing a recreational boat. Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) shares some quick tips to ensure safe storage until next season.

1. Despite mild winters, California, Florida and Texas have the most engine winterizing claims. Boaters in northern climates know to winterize but all it takes is one deep freeze in a normally balmy state to cause major damage to your boat. Unless you’re in an area that never freezes (like Key West or Hawaii) you probably need to winterize.

2. Water expands almost 10% by volume. That expansion means that any water left in your engine, potable water system, or refrigeration system can do some major damage over the winter. Even an engine block can crack open during cold weather. The key is making sure all water gets drained out or replaced by antifreeze.

3. Batteries are happier at home. If you live where you never boat in winter, remove your batteries, bring them to the garage or basement and use a trickle charger to keep them topped off to protect them and extend their life.4. It’s easier to prevent mold than to stop it. Without some air circulation, your boat’s interior can build up condensation, which can lead to a moldy mess next spring. Solar-powered vents and boat covers that lets air circulate can help keep mold at bay.

5. Waxing the hull now makes spring clean-up much easier. The grunge of sitting all winter at a boatyard comes off a lot quicker if you apply a coat of wax before you put your boat to bed.

6. There are two types of antifreeze. Ethylene glycol – the kind in your boat’s cooling system works fine for engines, but it’s very toxic. Propylene glycol is safe for potable water systems and is also fine to use for the raw side of engine cooling systems – check the label. Make sure antifreeze is rated to protect down to the lowest possible expected temperatures.

7. Add fuel stabilizer before you fill your tank. That helps mix the stabilizer so it protects all of the gas. Running your engine for a few minutes after mixing it up will get some stabilized gas in the engine’s fuel system, protecting it over the winter.8. If enough water enters your fuel tank, gas with ethanol can phase separate over the long winter storage period. For boats with portable gas tanks, try to use up fuel now. Any remainder can be used (if unmixed with two-stroke oil) in your vehicle. If your boat has a built-in gas tank, fill the tank almost to the top, leaving a little room for expansion. This will minimize condensation on tank walls, stopping phase separation in its tracks. Never plug a fuel tank vent.

9. Write down what you did or had your shop do. That way, next spring you won’t wonder if the lower unit lube was changed or the spark plugs replaced.

10. Take home any removable electronics, small outboards and even alcohol. The dark days of winter are when boats are most frequently broken in to. Not every thief is a professional – some may just want to raid your boat’s liquor cabinet.

11. Remove all food. Not only might it spoil, but it can attract rodents and other pests, leaving you with a nasty spring surprise.

12. Using a heater as alternative to winterizing is a really bad idea. Not only can the power go out during a big winter storm leaving the boat unprotected, the heater, extension cord or connections can (and do) overheat and cause a fire.

13. In addition to snowstorms knocking-out power to heated indoor boat storage facilities, do-it-yourselfers sometimes make mistakes when winterizing. Either way, for boaters who live in northern states, protecting yourself with ice and freeze coverage insurance may be a smart option. It’s often very affordable, but there’s a deadline to purchase, typically by the end of October.

For more information on how to properly store a boat over the winter, including how to cover a boat, winterize plumbing, store ashore or in the water, and to get a free downloadable BoatUS Boater’s Guide to Winterizing checklist, go to BoatUS.com/seaworthy/winter. 

Garmin Panoptix Livescope Review

A week ago last Thursday, after two frustrating days of running wires, hooking them up and screwing brackets on my boat, I got my Garmin Panoptix Livescope unit hooked up.  Part of the frustration was with the installation instructions with the unit. I kept having to stop and watch videos to try to figure out what to do.

    I thought maybe the confusion was just me, but several of the folks showing how to do it in the videos said they agreed, the instructions were terrible.

    Even though that Friday was rainy and cold, I just had to go to Jackson and see if I had it hooked up right and how it worked.  Although I had watched the system in action on Brent Crow’s boat, he has been using the Panoptix for three years and knows what he is doing. I was afraid the unit set-up would be as confusing as the installation, but it was very user friendly and simple.

    After launching the boat I idled to a point, turned on the unit and dropped the trolling motor with the transducer on it in the water.  Instantly I watch a school of fish slowly move across the bottom under a school of baitfish. It was amazing.

    I eased around with the trolling motor for about three hours, looking at brush piles, rocky points and fish.  It took some time to get used to the very different view on the Panoptix than what I usually see on my other units.  But it quickly became apparent what I was seeing.

    I made a few casts and watched my bait in the water.  A crankbait left a line as it wiggled back to the boat.  I could tell exactly how deep it was running. A jig arched to the bottom then left lines as I jerked it up and let it fall back.

    A couple of times I could see my jig going through groups of fish that I assumed were bass, based on their position.  But they would not hit it.  In and around brush I could see groups of fish suspended and guessed they were crappie, based on their size and position.

    Last Saturday in the Potato Creek Tournament I got to use the system for eight intense hours of hard fishing. The system preformed as advertised and expected. I learned a lot. 

    The main thing I liked was that I could see fish and know my casts were in the right place.  When fishing without the unit, I often wonder if I am casting to empty water or to places with fish but ones that won’t bite.  Now I know.

    It was very frustrating to see fish, know my bait was in front of them but still not get a bite.  It did make me change baits often, trying to offer the bass something they would bite. It also worried me that many fish, as the boat approached within about 30 feet, would sink down into cover and become inactive. That told me the importance or long casts.

    I did not do well in the tournament, catching only three small bass and placing ninth out of 17 fishermen.  But I am not sure I would have caught those three without the Garmin.

    The first two hit in some deep brush that I have fished for years.  But normally I would fish there with a couple of different baits then move on if I didn’t get a bite. Seeing fish there made me try different things and stay longer. 

    I caught one on a jigging spoon and one on a swimbait.  Normally I would fish the spoon but not the swimbait since it gets hung in brush so much. But with the Garmin I could cast and watch the bait, keeping it just above the brush, and not get hung.

    The first cast I made I saw a fish hit the swimbait  as it fell and got excited when I felt a fish on it, but it turned out to be a 1.5 pound crappie, a nice fish but no help in the tournament.  A couple of casts later I caught my second keeper on the swimbait.

    After trying several places and not seeing fish, I worked down a bank.  As I passed a dock I saw a brushpile in front of it that I did not know was there, and it looked like fish were in it.  That made me cast to it repeatedly rather than just making one or two cast as I usually do to brush.  Several casts to it produced my third keeper at about 10:00 AM.

    The rest of the day I watched fish ignore my baits, no matter what I tried.  That was very frustrating but based on the tournament results and what folks said, everybody had trouble getting bites. 

    Maybe if I had just left the Garmin turned off and fished the way I usually fish I would have done better. Or maybe I would not have caught a single fish.  Tournament fishing is like that.

    I am amazed at the Panoptix and how it works.  I think it is the electronics of the future for bass fishing and expect to see more and more of them on bass boats.

Kentucky Reservoir Smallmouth Fishing


Reservoir Smallmouth Bass Season Around the Corner
By Lee McClellan, Kentucky DFW
from The Fishing Wire

Reservoir smallmouth anglers are a weird lot. They dangle tiny little hair jigs under bobbers in air so cold ice forms in the guides of their rods. They think the best late fall fishing days feature leaden, low skies, light rain and highs in the 40s–miserable for them, great for smallmouths.The record heat wave of early October is now a memory. The bracing morning air and cooler, longer nights signal to many bass anglers the fishing season is about done for the year. For reservoir smallmouth anglers, however, the season is just beginning on lakes such as Lake Cumberland, Laurel River Lake and the home of the world record smallmouth bass, Dale Hollow Lake.

Mid-October through late spring is the best time of year to catch large smallmouth bass in these reservoirs. The fish are in great body condition at this time of year and the smallmouth populations in these lakes are robust and stable. The smallmouth bass in Lake Cumberland, in particular, are in spectacular condition right now. They look like footballs, with nearly bursting bellies stuffed with threadfin shad and alewives.Water temperatures at these lakes are in the low 70s and soon will fall into the high 60s, the beginning of perfect temperatures for smallmouth bass.

“You can catch smallmouths right now, no matter what time of day,” said Chad Miles, host of the Kentucky Afield television show. “You have a good chance to catch them on topwaters, as well as jigs. We are still a little ahead of the peak for smallmouths, but it is on the way.”Miles is an expert smallmouth angler who fishes Dale Hollow Lake regularly from late fall through spring.On some early fall days, smallmouths herd baitfish against the surface of the lake and rip through them, a process called the “jumps” by anglers. The churn created by these feeding fish looks like the top of an old school coffee percolator.

A silver casting spoon is one of the best lures for jump fishing because you can cast it into the next county. Blade baits such as the Silver Buddy also work well in this situation. Cast these lures into the jump and let them flutter down. The smallmouths usually hit the lure immediately.

The Ned rig is one of the relatively new lure styles catching many reservoir smallmouth bass on these lakes. It consists of using a 5-inch Senko-style soft plastic stick bait cut in half or one of the 2.75-inch Finesse TRD baits designed specifically for the Ned rig.

Thread the fat end of these soft plastic lures toward the head of the mushroom-shaped lead heads designed for this technique with the hook exposed. Cast these on points or in the middle of small cuts along the main lake or major creek arm on these lakes. Allow the lure to settle to the bottom and let it sit there for a few seconds, a technique called “deadsticking.” Slowly crawl the lure on the bottom for a few feet and let it deadstick again.

This presentation drives reservoir smallmouth bass crazy and people with limited fishing experience can catch fat smallmouths on the Ned rig. Anglers on Lake Cumberland using the Ned rig have already been catching nice smallmouth and spotted bass for several weeks.

Curly-tailed grubs rigged on plain ball-shaped leadheads still work remarkably well for reservoir smallmouth bass. White, pumpkinseed, green pumpkin and black grubs all produce at this time of year.Jigs with smaller heads and shorter, less dense silicone skirts or 1/4-ounce hair jigs in combinations of green, brown and orange work well for smallmouth bass in these reservoirs. A smallmouth angler would rarely make a mistake by choosing a black jig.

Fish these lures across or along channel drops and down the sides of points in a rhythmic retrieve. Swimming jigs or curly-tailed grubs over submerged humps also fool reservoir smallmouth in fall.Jigs and grubs are good lure choices to fish these areas, but faster moving baits also score.

“I fish a tailspinner often in late October and early November on points,” Miles explained. A tailspinner is an old-school lure with a leadhead trailed by a single spinner blade and a dressed treble hook.Cast the lure beside the point and allow it to flutter down to the smallmouths staging on the point. They usually hit this lure on the fall, so watch the line intently for any unusual movement. If you see a jump in the line or it goes slack, set the hook.

Fluorocarbon lines in 6- to 8-pound test work really well for fall reservoir fishing when fished on medium-power spinning gear. These lakes possess some of the clearest water in Kentucky and the stealth offered by fluorocarbon line produces results. Fluorocarbon lines also stretch less, allowing for better hook sets, and their density increases sensitivity.

“When the water gets colder, I use heavy football jigs fished really slowly,” Miles said. He will use up to a ¾-ounce jig for this style of fishing and employs baitcasting equipment and 12-pound fluorocarbon line.Serenity, especially on weekdays, is an added benefit of fall and winter smallmouth fishing. You rarely see other boats on the water, making the experience all the better.

Author Lee McClellan is a nationally award-winning associate editor for Kentucky Afield magazine, the official publication of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife (This is the fourth installment of a series of articles titled “Fall Fishing Festival,” profiling the productive fishing on Kentucky’s lakes, rivers and streams in fall. Archived articles in this series are on the department’s website at www.fw.ky.gov.)
Catch big Kentucky Smallmouth right now

Watch Out For That Deer During the Rut

  The cartoon “George of the Jungle” had a theme song that contained the phrase “Look out for that tree.”  Drivers had better heed the idea “look out for that deer” right now.

    Bucks are in full rut, chasing does with abandon, paying no attention to their safety, or yours.  They will run out in front of cars, as will the does they are chasing, without a warning.  A friend on Facebook posted about seeing 16 dead deer in 30 miles on a highway not far from here.

    Bucks also do no pay as much attention to hunters as normal. A usually wily buck that feeds only at night and hides in thick cover during the day will be out roaming looking for and chasing does all day.  The rut is the best time to kill a big buck.

     I was out at Jack Ridgeway’s house, getting a tire replaced on my boat trailer last week, when Keith Duncan drove up. He had a massive eight-point rack in his truck from a buck he had killed.  The pages and website of Georgia Outdoor Magazine are full of pictures of trophy bucks killed in the past couple of weeks.

    So many deer have been killed in the past couple of weeks that every deer cooler in this area was full last weekend. None of them could take any more deer to process until they worked through some of what they had, preparing delicious venison for hunters’ freezers.  

    The good news for drivers, and bad news for hunters, is the main rut is about over.  Activity will decrease rapidly in the next few days and both drivers and deer will be safer. So, if you want a big buck you better get in the woods fast.