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Handling them with care and releasing them safely is important to the future of our fisheries. The statewide slot limit from 18 and 27 inches is intended to protect the large fish, which are part of the spawning stock.
• REDFISH REGULATIONS: Florida recently adopted new management plan for redfish. There are now varied regulations across nine different zones. Anglers need to understand those regulations because they’re intended to protect one of our iconic species in the face
Most of the state now has a one-fishper-person daily limit in the 18- to 27inch slot. Some regions have a two-fishper-vessel possession limit and others have a four-fish-per-vessel possession limit. The Indian River Lagoon region is strictly catch-and-release only for redfish. For complete Florida redfish regulations, go
Free-lining sounds simple, but where you choose to fish and what you’re targeting will play a role in the set-up and rig you should use.
TARGETING REDFISH During the Mullet Migration
Here are some tips for anglers to take advantage of the mullet run.
• TACKLE: I mainly fish inshore, so light tackle is the way for me. However, it’s important to be prepared to switch up depending on the size and species of game fish present.
The
• BAIT: Obviously, mullet is the bait to use this time of the year. Full-grown mullet are great for shark and tarpon fishing. I prefer freelining finger-sized mullet, because pretty much everything eats them.
In the backcountry, I like a light- to mediumaction 2000 size spinning set-up to fish 10-pound leaders and 3/0 circle hooks. I prefer Mustad hooks and tie them on with a simple loop knot. I use an FG knot to connect my leader to a braided main line. This creates a true free-line, without the added weight of a swivel.
By Skye Burkhardt
• ARTIFICIALS: This backcountry lady angler enjoys sight fishing and scouting Mosquito Lagoon and the marshes of the Tomoka Basin along Florida’s central Atlantic Coast. I’ll target bull reds in the inlets, but I spend most days targeting snook, tarpon and slot reds in the backcountry. This style of fishing is perfect for throwing artificials on light tackle.
Atlantic Coast of Florida experiences one of the planet’s great migrations each fall. When millions of mullet push south in giant schools toward spawning grounds off the southern end of the state, it presents an exciting prospect for fishing. It’s an event anglers anticipate all year long.
The mullet run doesn’t have an official start or end date. Large schools of mullet—some the size of three football fields—move south as temperatures cool. Tarpon, sharks, kingfish and redfish are just some of the gamefish that move with these pods. Most years the fishing is on fire in October and November.
It’s heartbreaking to see breeder fish floating due to carelessness or lack of knowledge. Hauling a big redfish up vertically onto a bridge or pier, dragging it over the rocks on a jetty or tossing it back from up high severely limits its chance of survival. Get a pier net to fish from a bridge or pier, and do everything in your power to ensure the healthy release of your fish.
The rigging is pretty much the same if I need to beef up for larger catches. With a 2500-size setup, I’ll fish 15- to 20-pound leader. I’ll bump that up to 25- to 30-pound test on 3000-size gear for bigger fish.
Keep up with Skye Burkhardt on Facebook Inshore Adventures with Skye and on @brassyangler87.Instagram
To fish with the mullet, I just follow the pods, cast to the outside of the school and open the bail to let the bait swim. When you hit it right, you can hook-up on nearly every cast, with the species changing from one cast to the next. Big gamefish tend to seek out isolated or injured mullet, which is exactly what your bait is.
This time of year, any artificial that resembles a mullet will do the trick. I like Vudu Mullet Swimbaits, Rapala X-raps, Bomber Lures Mullets,
Landing a bull red this time of the year is easy. With the mullet running, simply free-line a mullet or drop one on a weighted rig to land a trophy! Before you experience the drag-pulling run, you should know how to properly handle and release your fish.
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Ahhhh, yeah! This is the time of plenty. Now is the time of year to have a community-sized fish stew to clear out all the vacuum-sealed stuff in the freezer. You’ve got to make some room for freezer-stuffing grouper, snapper and seabass.
Starting this month, the larger gags will be so close in that it’ll shock you. Don’t run too far, or you’ll run over some of the biggest fish of the year. Go wherever you jig up your cigar minnows and sardines, and the gags will be right there. When you get a few baits in the well, it’s a good idea to have at least one person put a bait right back down.
and snappers hold a special place in my heart. Starting right now, they should be going off! It’s time consuming to stop on the way out a jig up bait. However, a 15- or 20-minute bait stop could make the difference between a good day and a great day. When you find bait in numbers, it doesn’t take long to rack up. I like to keep a Sabiki angler on each side of the boat handing me baits to dehook into a bucket in the center of the boat. Once I get 20 or so baits in the bucket, I pour them into the livewell and repeat until there’s enough.
Tim Barefoot
BIG BOTTOM FISH ARE THE BOUNTY OF FALL
the possibilities of spawning. The same places will hold large seabass, as well. I love to eat grouper, but the way I grouper fish also produces large seabass, which I think are even better than grouper in texture andScampsflavor.
FORFAMILYscotthawaii.comRUNINHAWAII90YEARS
‘a - Ahi
love spring and summer fishing, but let me say this loud and clear: I live for fall and winter fisheries!
I
Hanapa Marlin
I also like to take pinfish from the marina as a “bird in hand” for bottom fishing. The beauty of putting a live sardine on a jig and sending it to the bottom is that EVERYTHING down there eats them. The beauty of sending a pinfish, grass grunt or sailors choice to the bottom is that everything down there would love to eat them, but can’t. They can’t get their mouths around the bigger baits, but the ones that can are the fish you want to catch. Go enjoy the bounty of the season!
For more information, go to Barefootcatsandtackle.com.
‘a -
COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THEANGLERMAG.COM OCTOBER 2022 NATIONAL 7
After all, that is why the gags are there. They are eating the same baits that you’re catching. They come inshore to a place that holds bait, so all the smaller females have plenty to eat while they are discussing
Once onshore you can take it a step further showing your fellow anglers your catch of the day wearing “slippahs” from Scott Hawaii.
This is the time of year that can make even me look good. The large male gags have started staging up on nearshore structures, wrecks and traditional bait-holding bottom. The scamps and large snappers have started a transitional move to their deeper wintering grounds. Water temps will soon draw a line in the water that clearly shows you where to fish.
You raise the flags of the fish just caught to show you weren’t skunked.
Hanapa
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OCTOBER 2022 ATLANTA 1COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THEANGLERMAG.COM
RIVERS & FLY FISHING
the tailwater. As we move into Oc tober, the Toccoa should continue to fish well once the lake finishes its annual turnover.
FALL
Mid-October until the end of December brings the wary ole Mr. Brown in from places unknown. This can be an outstanding time to hook up with one of these fine specimens. Browns will start mov ing into the upper reaches of rivers and streams to stage for the spawn. This can be an exciting time to be on the water here in North Geor gia.If you want to try fly fishing for the first time or want the watchful eye of an instructor to help im prove your casting, we have sev eral guides that teach the “Art of Fly Fishing”, entomology, stream reading, etc. We are a full-time fly-fishing guide service with pro fessional guides from across North Georgia. So, what are you waiting for, Give Us a Call, We’ll Hook You Up!
Contributed by James Bradley Orvis Endorsed Fly Fishing
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Yes, it is getting close to the Fall of the year. Here in the mountains, we have already had temperatures below 50 degrees. So, we have almost made it through the last of the humid days of summer. The changing temperatures will for sure get the trout active and searching for their next opportu nity to feed.
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October brings the opening of North Carolina’s Delayed Harvest (DH) streams. Our friends to the north have about seven times more streams and ponds set up for DH fishing. Their season ba sically opens October 1st but, bear in mind, it will take the NCWRC about a week to get around to stock all these bodies of water. They will be stocking browns, rainbows and possibly brook trout. You can find the DH streams online at ccoaswitchingAsSquirmyfliespartDates-Map.pdfHarvest-Trout-Waters-Stocking-Fishing/documents/Delayed-www.ncwildlife.org/Portals/0/https://IffishingtheearlyoftheDHseason,usejunklikeeggs,Y2Ks,SanJuanandwormsforfasthookups.theDHseasondragson,beginbacktonaturals!Locally,floatingtheTocRiverwillbeginseeingsomehanges.We’vemainlybeenrunningmorningtripsforthelastseveralmonths.Itwillnotbetoomuchlongerwhenwewillbeabletostartgettingsomefulldayson
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At a recent fly-casting prac tice outing, the student that I was working with had a ‘fishing cast’ that worked for them. It swept to the side and then up on the back cast. The forward cast was more of a ¾ off to the side delivery, and it was working well on the 20-30ft casts. Why change it? It’s working.
2 ATLANTA OCTOBER 2022 WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/THEANGLERMAGAZINEATLANTA/
LOCAL RIVERS FISHING
Contributed By: Rene J. Hesse Certified Casting InstructorFederation of Fly Fishers & Atlanta Fly Fishing and Camping Meetup Organizer
& FLY
adjustment.It’sfunny how working on one thing leads to another. We ob served that the sweeping of the rod to the side, back and up on the back cast was working on the short cast, but the longer cast @35 ft suf fered because the line had time to actually go on the other side of the person in the back. The line was essentially ending up on the left side of the right-hand caster’s body in back. After getting whacked in the head a few times on the for ward cast, it was decided, this is not going to work. I didn’t want to change the casters style, because it was working on the 2 and 3 fly rigs they use. So, what we did was focus on the back cast direction. This involved a quick video of the cast for the student to see the issue,
not just feel the whack in the head. By the way, I used to be against do ing video of a caster, it’s very harsh, it tends to show flaws and most folks don’t want to see flaws. Now I use it as a positive visual progres sion. I make sure to end the video reviews on a good note, watching one of the good things.
cast straightened; the distance improved as well. Fly casting is a series of progressions that build on each other. Learning the essentials is recommended. One of the ‘es sentials’ of fly casting according to Fly Fishers International, is to get the rod tip to go on a straight-line path. If the caster is successful us ing a sweeping, off to the side back cast which is not a straight line, but it’s working, why do anything else? It’s a fishing cast, not a distance cast. What makes a difference is knowing how to adjust to make a longer cast when you need it and then being able to do it. That is where the well-rounded caster will have the advantage. Have fun, try something different. daltonmarineinc.com
After getting whacked in the head a few times on the forward cast, it was decided, this is not going to work. I didn’t want to change the caster.
When we went to the 35- 40ft casts, everything curved and crumbled. The style of casting was a natural motion and very easy to get in the rhythm of. For our lo cal Georgia small streams, there was nothing major to tweak for the sake of getting the fly to the target. The issue was that longer casts were going to be needed on a trip out west and we needed to work on getting the line to lay out straight. Just a few things needed
THE CASTING CORNER FISHING CAST
So back to the fishing cast.... We saw the little flip in the rod tip at the end of the cast that was send ing the line around their body. We needed to change that flip to ‘up’, rather than around. That little ad justment was hard to make. It’s not easy to change something that is a habit. So, we focused almost the whole class on the back cast, which ended up working. The forward
LOCAL RIVERS & FLY FISHING
Contributed By: Henry Cowen www.henrycowenflyfishing.com
What fly you throw is not that im portant. However, what is important is to MATCH THE SIZE OF THE SHAD OR HERRING. So small flies like my Somethin’ Else, gummy minnow, or tiny Clouser are good choices if you are in the middle of a threadfin shad blitz. Game Changers are your ticket for matching the her ring blitz (which tends to end earlier if the water cools down below 70 degrees). Conventional anglers can toss small bucktails on light lines or even a casting bubble rigged with a small fly to match the shad. You can toss Sebile’s, redfins and chug bugs if the stripers are feeding on herring. First light until 9am, will be another good time to get out and give these fish a try. On Lanier, the fish will show best from mid-lake down to the south end. You just need to ride and keep a set of binoculars handy to help spot the busting fish. There are no birds on Lanier to help find the fish in October. No sir…. that is November’s pattern to help locate the fish. One last thing anglers can do, is start fishing the shallow san dy points by the end of the month. You do this using intermediate lines along with bigger flies like 5”-6” long deceivers, snake flies and the likes. It is at this time of year that the bomber bight fires up. Conventional anglers will toss Bomber Long A lures on shallow sandy points in the dark and catch stripers feeding shal low on gizzard shad. The best col ors for the Bomber bite are bubble gum pink, black or dark purple. If you have never tried this bite, you have no clue what you are missing.
AUGUST FLY FISHING REPORT
As a fly rod angler, I toss a hookless Bomber Long A until I get a tug. I am using my hookless Bomber as a bird dog to help locate the fish. Then I break out my fly rod and throw it until it’s time to move on to another point and start with the conven tional gear again. So that is what October has in store for North GA anglers. This strategy will work on other area lakes as well, as the strip ers don’t know where they live, they just want to eat. Try these tactics on Lakes Hartwell, Allatoona, Carters and even Clark’s Hill. Just remem ber that while you are awaiting a top water bite to occur, you can toss these same flies and lures on humps that are 20-25’ deep. Any hump that is around deeper water will more than likely hold a fish or two and you can raise them up on a fly or lure worked near the surface. These fish are usually feeding on herring in the 4-6” length. Tossing Sebiles, red fins or pencil poppers can get you a few extra bites while waiting for surfacing fish. Cool mornings, crisp nights and the hopes and dreams of marauding fish with stripes along their sides. What could be better? See you on the pond! For anyone wanting to learn more about our beloved freshwater striped bass, my book, “Fly Fishing For Fresh Water Striped Bass” is out and available in all fly shops as well as Amazon, Books-A-Million, Barnes & Noble as well as fly shops around the coun try and is a great read for both fly or light tackle anglers wanting to learn how to target these great game www.henrycowenflyfishing.comfish.
neers should be pulling water down every afternoon to get the lakes into their winter water levels. This has a lot of significance to anglers who want to search for busting fish as the pull of water creates a manmade tide (if you will) and causes the fish to look up and eat on or just below the surface. In early October our bite should start out with the spot ted bass being the most consistent top water feeders. They will feed on both small shad and blue back her ring. You might find singles break ing the surface or wolf pack groups of 10-15 fish blowing up on top. Ei ther way, a run and gun approach, is what you need. Make sure your trolling motors are charged to the max as you will be moving all over the place to get to these fast-feeding demons. While it is always best to employ your electric motor to keep as stealthy an approach as possible, sometimes you must give in and use the big engine to get up on the fish as quickly as possible. Fly rodders can have a ball tossing floating lines with wiggle minnows and game changers attached to 15lb tippet. Put your rod under your arm and strip with a hand over hand retrieve and watch these fish explode on your of fering. It is some of the most excit ing fishing of the season. Generally speaking, Lanier’s bass and stripers will be mostly a herring bite. By the time we get into the end of October it is likely that the bite will change over to a small sized threadfin shad pattern. Last year our striper bite started around the third week of October with crazy numbers of fish feeding on the surface. A blitz on top looks like someone has put a blender on the water’s surface! I suspect this year will be off the chart good as we have seen an entire year class of fish (2018’) that can tolerate slightly warmer surface water temperatures due to their smaller size (6-8lbs). My guess is that the stripers will be feast ing on both 1 ½”-2” long threadfin shad as well as 4”-6” long blue back herring. Start by tossing herring type flies or lures (if conventional fishing). Any small to medium sized fly thrown on an intermediate slow sinking line should get you a bite.
OCTOBER 2022 ATLANTA 3COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THEANGLERMAG.COM
Last year the topwater bite on Lake Lanier started the last week of August and I would have surely thought the same would happen again this year. I am sitting at my computer writing this October fish ing report on Sept 7th and to date we still have not seen any topwater activity. Weather has the lake water temps at 83 degrees and that’s prob ably average for this time of year. Traditionally, October is when our topwater season begins and from what I am seeing right now, I suspect that is when it will fire up this year. One thing is for certain... there are nearly no floaters (dead stripers) be ing seen on the surface this summer which is a very good thing to see. The fish being caught on bait or arti ficial down deep are fat and healthy. I suspect we will see more doubledigit sized fish this fall as the size rate appears to be improving. That means fly rod fishermen can experi ence a real big fish on their fly tackle this year as Lanier gets back to be ing GA’s trophy striper fishery. Top water and October for striped bass in North GA are synonymous with each other. As of this writing, the af ternoons are already seeing schools of 30 to 50 fish crashing bait on the surface. Everything for October will still be dependent on water tem perature and whether it was a rainy season, or a drought filled season. If the temperature stays down to near eighty degrees, we will start seeing some consistent top water activity on the south end of all the impound ments here in North GA. Should we have an Indian summer then the ac tion will delay by a week or three. This time of year, you need to burn gas looking for the top water feeders and have a bit of patience with re gards to your fellow angler. Combat fishing is about to begin. Show re spect and ease up on fish if another boat has beaten you to them. Put away the 6 and 7 weight outfits and get the 8 and 9 weight outfits back in service. For most lakes around North GA, October means it’s time to keep a pair of binoculars handy as it is TOP WATER season. The lakes will surely have started their turn over process and the Corp of Engi
LOCAL RIVERS
Scouting is next. We can first scout online, via wildlife agency websites, apps, good books, and online forums. The maps and fish ing tips in there will enhance our
By Jeff Durniak, Unicoi Outfitters
& FLY FISHING
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Lastly, we must remember to stalk before we shoot. Rushing into the water and blind casting will bring far fewer fish to hand than a heron-like stalk and a short, pre cision “shot” into a seam between fast and slow currents. Be the tor toise and not the hare to win this race, especially if the water is low and/or clear.
4 ATLANTA OCTOBER 2022 WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/THEANGLERMAGAZINEATLANTA/
For reloading, go through your fly vest or sling pack, drop the ir relevant spring goods, and restock your cold weather essentials. Since the season is usually a dredging game, I shed most of my dry fly boxes and keep just one with a few universal dries like Adams, BWO’s, dark caddis and stones, and midges. I’ll reload my streamer and nymph boxes with plenty of small, dark bugs like woolly buggers, pheasant tails, and hares ears. I’ll add back my junk fly box, full of eggs and squirmies that are deadly on fresh delayed harvest stockers and wild fish in dingy water. I’ll resupply a diversity of fresh tippet spools, split shot, and strike indicators to ready my dredging game.
If we reload, practice, scout, and stalk, our cool-season harvest should be abundant. I hope that a few of these “hunting” preparation tips help y’all to make some fine trout fishing memories this fall!
For practice, I’ll dust off my trout outfit and cast it in the front yard. A trash can lid makes a great target! I’ll start 10 feet away, sight in, and then back up 10 feet at a time, up to 40 feet, to perfect my aim. I’ll practice three shots: over head, roll, and Belgian casts (the online Orvis Learning Center has great instructional videos!).
chances of success. Armed with that intel, we can then take some early scouting trips to pinpoint stream accesses and locate fish niches. Polarized sunglasses are al most as important as our fly rod!
Our region’s “second” trout season closely parallels hunting season. Let’s use the lessons from hunters to prepare for cool weath er trout fishing on our horizon. Those lessons are reload, practice, scout, and stalk.
TROUT HUNTING SEASON
WELCOME FALL YOU ARE FI NALLY HERE!
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of the day, whether you are fishing out of a drift boat or a poling skiff! Let’s all embrace a great Fall season of all out door activities pulling for your favorite team on Saturday, trout fishing in the mountains, Redfishing in the marsh or whatever you choose to do outdoors. Remember to take care of the fish, take care of your guide, and leave the area cleaner than you found it!
OCTOBER 2022 ATLANTA 5COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THEANGLERMAG.COM
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benefits of Fall in North Georgia, it is also one of our favorite times of the year to take travel trips, through our shop, to Louisiana to sight fish Redfish. We, as a shop, have traveled extensively to desti nations around the globe as well as domestically, and I still put Louisi ana very high on my list. The com bination of hunting redfish from a skiff combined with fine cajun food in Louisiana is hard to beat. You stand on the casting platform with your favorite 9 or 10 wt. rod and your fly of choice in hand and search for redfish, but in Louisi ana we sometimes call these big bull redfish “pumpkins” with their vibrant color of orange. Some of these fish are massive in size, but they are all fun to catch regardless of size.Inthe day of social media and photos and everyone wanting to show everyone else how awesome
A WELCOME TO FALL
By Andy Bowen, Store Owner Cohutta Fishing Company (706) 946-3044
In addition to all the great
We all look forward to fall, and although September 22nd of ficially marks the first day of Fall, for many of us this season begins with the first college football game kickoff or dove season opening. Once Fall has arrived the anticipa tion of foliage in the mountains, the crisp mornings, putting on that flannel shirt that you haven’t worn since March all come to mind. As anglers, we think about how much better the fishing is in the Fall. Camping, hiking, moun tain biking, fly fishing - basically everything is better in the Fall with a touch of coolness and lower humidity in the air. In Blue Ridge, we get to enjoy various Fall Fes tivals in downtown, beautiful fall foliage in the mountains, as well as Apple season where people drive from locations far and wide to pick and buy apples.
they are, remember that your guide on the platform in the back of the boat is the reason you had the opportunity to make that cast, so please don’t forget to thank and mention your captain in your posts. Remember that a suc cessful day on the flats whether you are chasing bonefish, tarpon, permit, snook, or redfish should be measured by the amounts of shots or opportuni ties you have been given to make a cast to the fish. Success is not measured by how many fish you caught, jumped, or landed. As an angler you must be well prepared with time on the water and practice to increase your odds of clos ing the deal after your guide points out fish. The level of work and skill it takes for a fly-fishing guide to find fish and put you in the proper position to cast to them should be rewarded at the end
I’d suggest putting in at Long Shoals boat ramp at first light and head to the dam. If the lights on the dam are not on, head up the lake, north of the ramp. Bring bass min nows and long line them in 12lb test with a #4 sinker and #4 circle hook trolling at 1 mph. Have your jigging spoons (7/8-ounce War Eagle in white or chartreuse) ready as well. If you see rising fish, you can cast a long way to reach the fish without spooking them. If you see fish on the humps with your elec tronics, simply lower the spoon to the bottom and raise your rod tip a few feet and while maintaining a
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This guide’s best friend…She watches (and holds off on dinner) while I pressure wash the boat for tomorrow’s trip. Her pump kin bread, that my customers rave about, is in the oven. In the morn ing, I’ll be up at 3:45 AM trying to be quiet but she will inevitably come out for a cup coffee and to wish me well on the trip.
My wife, Mary, has always sup ported my dream of being a guide on Lake Oconee, moved here from Atlanta with me, and I am eternally grateful. As you can see, she knows how to fish too! Thank you to the kind folks at “The Angler” for al lowing me to recognize her here.
Fly Fishing –
Crappie –
DOG DAYS/LAKE OCONEE OCTOBER FORECAST Contributed By Capt. Wayne Moore USCG www.oconeeonthefly.com OCONEE ON THE FLYGuided Fly Fishing and Conventional Tackle Trips for Hybrids, Stripers, and Crappie Booking now, novice or experienced anglers. On the water instruction, top of the line fly gear! Mix it up with light spinning tackle as well for a great combo trip! Captain Wayne Moore - Oconee On The Fly, Inc 404-317-9556 www.oconeeonthefly.com / wmoore1700@outlook.com • Fly Fishing Trips • Rentals • Clinics & Classes • Apparel FULL SERVICE OUTFITTER
tight line, drop it back down.
In early October guides here will be getting in their final trips fishing over brush piles. As we move towards the end of October, the trolling bite will pick up and trolling double jiffy jigs (1/16 and 1/32) will start to produce. The June bug color on a chartreuse, black, or pink jig works well for
Traditionally by mid-October the fish are at the dam and if you happen to be there when they are pumping water up from Sinclair the topwater bite will be incredible. Will it happen this year? I don’t know, since Georgia Power put in the supplemental oxygen lines at the dam, the fish, this year, had moved to mid-lake.
Fly fishing will begin to pick up in October, but it will be largely dependent on whether Georgia Power is pumping water. As al ways, casting intermediate or sink ing line with a 10 pound leader and a Cowen’s “Somethin Else Fly” will be the ticket. By the end of Octo ber, we might see the birds (gulls) move in and another type of top water bite will begin.
me.Final Words Please call 404-317-9556 or e-mail me at wmoore1700@outlook.com and lock in your dates well ahead of time to ensure you get the dates you want. I am already book ing trips for this fall as the bite was very strong last year, October through December.
October Forecast - Hybrids / StripersFinally, fall is coming. Before I say anything else, if you want to ex perience the best fishing of the year, book your trip now. Every year is different, but October through January is outstanding for hybrids and stripers on Lake Oconee. Last year in December it was common to catch 20 to 30 fish on spoons in a short amount of time.
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Streamer fishing will be great this Fall season as well. There are a tre
As we travel from one water sys tem to another, let’s remember to give our equipment a good clean ing to avoid any transfer of invasive species. Also, as we are enjoying the scenery and rivers we are fishing on, please “Leave No Trace”. Just a couple of ways to help take care of the things we love. We hope to see everyone out on the rivers!!
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Water temperatures have signifi cantly dropped from the summertime heat, and now the trout have evolved from the depths of thermal refuge into shallower areas of the rivers. The emergence of some Fall hatches have the trout moving and to the delight for most of us, dry fly fishing. Drydropper rigs are doing well through out the day. If casting dry-droppers is not in the game, try swinging nymphs and soft-hackles, a dead-drift is es sential to a great day on the rivers. An upstream cast, a mend or two of your line, and letting these fine bugs drift freely, with no drag, all the way down stream, will produce fish. A full arse nal of Fall bugs are available here at the shop, along with full and half day guided trips.
CHATTOOGA RIVER
Cool wisps of air from the North embrace the mountain, the leaves of all the foliage start to turn into a magi cal sea of color across the mountain tops, and it is Fall on the Southern Appalachian streams and rivers. Oc tober brings excitement of cooler wa ter temperatures, some dry fly fishing, and checking your waders for the up coming season of cold-water fishing.
As the Delayed Harvest season arrives, now is a great time to see the Walhalla Fish Hatchery in full swing. If you have never been to the hatchery, you will be able to see the thousands of fish in many sizes, getting ready for their journey to the rivers. From fingerlings, to show fish, one will be amazed at the vari ety of sizes of the Brook, Brown, and Rainbow trout which the great folks at the hatchery have raised for us to enjoy out on the rivers. Bring along a couple of quarters when you visit, to enjoy feeding the large show fish which the hatchery has on display.
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mendous number of shiners, min nows, and sculpins throughout the watersheds. Targeting fish in the seam lines, just off the big runs of the rivers, will be beneficial. Cast the streamers up stream, “dead-drift and twitch” through the drift, and then a strip and pause retrieve, will be rewarding. For a full line of bugs and streamers stop by and see us, and check out the new arrivals, to fulfill your Fall fly fishing.
APPALACHIAN AUTUMN ANGLING Contributed by David Hulsey International Federation of Fly FishersMaster Certified Casting http://www.hulseyflyfishing.comInstructor 770-639-4001
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ing the fly sometimes is greatly ap preciated! Hatches here in the hills of Georgia and North Carolina in the fall are limited to Blue Winged Ol ives, Midges and beautiful October Caddis. If you get lucky and find a hatch coming off and fish respond ing to them on the surface it can be a blast. My favorite dry fly to use for Blue Winged Olives is just a simple parachute style matched to the size or one size larger than the hatching insects. If your fly is a little larger sometimes it will get the attention of a trout with a bunch more bugs on the water. The same goes for match
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that are designed with materials that somewhat cover the hook point and can shed a few pieces of junk. When the leaf fall is at its peak, on your favorite creek or river there’s not a whole lot you can do but grin and bear it. It sometimes amazes me how trout can pick out a fly amongst all the rest of the debris that is rip ping down the stream in their face, but they can. I have found that using flies that stand out in color ation or movement can give you the edge over the fish or other anglers. In other words, don’t throw a yel low or brown fly when most of the junk floating down the river is the same color. Also using a streamer or swung soft hackle moving across the current instead of a dead drifted nymph pattern can draw a few more strikes. Brightly colored soft hack les or flashy streamers get the nod more often than drab natural hues. Just giving the trout a little help see
October in the mountains is one of the most beautiful times of the year to be out on the water chasing trout. Gone are the scorching days of summer with high water temper atures that can literally spell doom to our low elevation trout populations and make fly fishing a chore instead of the pleasure it was meant to be. Our southern mountains are vast with a very diverse flora community and that fact in the fall means mega tons of leaves will make their way into our rivers this month. Leaf lit ter is good for the biomass, or bug life, in the water, but can make the act of fishing a little or a lot bother some for a few weeks until it settles to the bottom. There are a couple of tactics that can help overcome not having to unhook a piece of leaf from your hook every cast. These include accurately casting your fly to a spot where there is an opening in the river of debris, to using flies
ing the emerging midges, a Griffiths Gnat works great for the fact it looks like a small group of midges huddled together in a clump giving the trout more bang for the buck so to speak. October Caddis are large bugs, about a size 10 or 12, here in the Appala chians and with enough emerging, can cause the fish to go bonkers! Swinging big orange Caddis emerg ers with Trout Spey gear is one of the true joys in life and long awaited in all parts of the country. The trout simply explode on them and can pro vide a memorable experience that won’t soon be forgotten!
Forecast By: Eric Crowley Lake & Stream Guide Service (706) lakeandstreamguideservice@gmail.com669-4973
Fall is here and the walleye bite is too. Jigs, spoons, live bait, anything you like fishing will catch walleye in the next month or so. Find fish laying on the bottom and hit them in the face. That’s the go to method this month. Good electron ics are key to locating these fish as they will be pinned to the bottom. Subtle bumps on the bottom are all you will see till they move. Getting your offering within a foot or so is the way to get a bit. Work the area and move on. Covering water and hitting as many productive areas as you can, will increase your odds greatly. If it looks like it could be a fish, fish it. I can’t tell you how many
After sunrise the yellow perch will get fired up looking to pack on some weight for their upcom ing spawn season. These daytime feeders will eat minnows, worms, spoons, jigs, or a combination of any or all the above. October is a great month for perch in both numbers and size. Fish in the 16 to 18” range are not uncommon, but most average between 10” to 12”. There is no limit on perch, but we only keep quality fish and set a goal/limit for each trip.
ramp. Also, please be aware of shallow water hazards like shoals and sand bars that can be just a few inches under the surface. Stay
warm and stay safe. We will see you on the water! For more up to date reports and info visit us at lakeandstreamguideservice.comwww.
The lake is at winter pool and there are no usable docks at any
LOCAL LAKES AND FORECAST
10 ATLANTA OCTOBER 2022 WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/THEANGLERMAGAZINEATLANTA/
times a bump becomes a walleye, or two, or more. Fall is a great time of year to catch a limit of quality fish on your favorite spoon or jig and minnow combination. These fish will be feeding the last hour before sunrise till around 9am and again at dark.
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recently. I am setting minnows 10-12 feet deep most of the time. Crappie love the shade, so cast into the shad ows or shaded areas of dock. When dock shooting the biggest fish are usually the first to bite. I use ATX lure companies jigs on a lip thrashin lure jig heads. I use 5 pound test, high visibility, yellow k9 braid for my line unless I am using a bobber then it’s the k9 6 pound high vis line from k9fishing.com and a Acc crap pie stix. I use Garmin Live Scope and the Navionics Boating app. Find me on Facebook and like my pages #crappieonlanier & #fishingwithev erydayheroes to book call or go to ht t
The water temperature is 78 degrees. The temperatures are dropping, and we have several cool nights coming that should help lower the water tempera ture even more. We are catching lots of fish around 8 to 9 inches. Crappie are suspended 10-20 feet at most for the docks we are fishing. Docks with structure are producing well. If you are using jigs, I would try bright colors in clear water and dark colors after the rain. I have had success with white with red flake and bluegrass
Until then, stay calm and fish or hunt on!
aCallp://www.crappieonlanier.comCaptainJoshThorntontobooktrip770-530-6493.
by Tim Dangar
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LOCAL
Still some fun to be had with hungry crappie around cover at 1215 feet deep. A trick I like is find ing fish with a live minnow and then switching to lead heads with a good active grub. Fishing the min now will also help with how deep you fish the jig. For whatever rea son, these fish will, out of the blue, go into a feeding frenzy and you may catch 15-20 in a short period of time. I have found they will shut down just as fast. The lake level at Allatoona is critical this time of year and you may have to go to deeper water as the level drops. With the long-range forecast show ing about ten straight days with no rain, water level will go down and no doubt change some of my favor ite honey holes. Oh well, with bow season opening up it’s time for me to hit the woods. I will catch up y’all next spring.
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LOCAL LAKES AND FORECAST
SUSPENDED1.GABlade
Shad Spin – This is an excellent producer on Lanier. Fish the bait at the depth you see the fish suspending near bait balls. Understand the fall-rate for your rig and count the bait down to the
Jimbo is a full-time, year round Spotted Bass Guide on Lake Lanier. Contact him today to book a trip!
SHALLOW1.Shaky
Lures and Presentation
ings in the jerkbait – check out the Berkley Stunna!
Head – A Georgia Jig Head with a Berkley Power worm can be an awesome bait in Octo ber. Fish shallow around docks and secondary points with this bait for some hammers.
2. Georgia Jig – Great bait throughout the fall on Lake Lanier. Tip the jig with a twin tail trailer, and fish the bait around rocky/clay points, on ledges, and timber edges. Take your time and work it slowly.
4. Spinnerbait – A Georgia Blade spinnerbait can really get cracking for you in October once the water temperatures fall into the 60’s. I like the double white willow blade com bination and the #9 skirt choice. Check out GA Blade online or pick up some of their super creations at Hammonds Fishing and other tack le stores around North Georgia.
I still have a few dates available this October, but they are going fast - call me to book a trip! See you on the water!
14 ATLANTA OCTOBER 2022 WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/THEANGLERMAGAZINEATLANTA/
TRANSITION IS THE WORD ON LANIER IN OCTOBER
Contributed By: Jim “Jimbo” www.jimboonlanier.comMathley
3. Crankbait – Tie on a Spro Little John DD and target shallower rock points toward the end of the month. This can be a particularly good approach at daylight.
October on Lake Lanier means transition. Often you can find fish shallow and in the mid-depth ranges. As well, some fish start to move deep. The lake traditionally begins its turnover/stratification process this month, which provides an additional challenge. This year the lake returned to full pool and has been trending below full pool moving into fall. This traditional weather pattern and lake level should bring us some more predict able fall fishing this year on Lanier. Let’s dig in and examine how to ap proach catching spotted bass in this highly transitional month.
depth of the fish and maintain that depth.2. Jerk Bait – Another great tool for targeting suspending fish. Chose a bait that suspends at the depth the fish are holding and experiment with your retrieve ca dence until you find what the fish are looking for on any given day. I really like the new Berkley offer
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2 Berkley The General – A great bait to fish shallow around docks as it can be skipped under and around objects with ease. Dead stick the bait and wait for the tick!
MID-DEPTH1.Topwater/Swimbait– This bite in October can be outstanding. Large schools of fish can be found around humps and points near the creek or river channel, typically more near the mouths. Experiment with different baits and presenta tions to match the conditions. A Berkley Cane Walker and Drift Walker, along with a Chug Bug are some of my favorite topwater baits. On the Swimbait side, make sure to try the Sweet Bait Company Swim Bait offerings. Awesome baits!!
LocationAsthe water temperature cools, the bait, and therefore many of the fish, begin to move shallower in search of the warmer water that remains. As always, staying up with the location of the bait is key to consistently catching fish. To complicate matters, the lake tradi tionally begins its turnover process in September/October, which pro vides an unstable environment for the bait and the fish. The stratified layers of the lake re-mix at different times in different places. During this time, focus your efforts on the areas of the lake that have not yet, or already have, turned over or strati fied. Look for the clearer water, and avoid water that has a dark, cloudy, or coffee look to it. Often, you can find fish shallower in the creeks during this period. However, some fish may also be deeper relating to the brush that had been holding fish through September. Some of the fish may go even deeper and begin relating to the timber edges in prep aration for winter. Obviously, there are numerous factors to consider when searching for the catchable fish in October. Examine your op tions, understand the status of the lake and the effect of recent weather changes, stay flexible in your search, and stay on the move until you find a viable, repeatable pattern during your fishing day. Now let’s examine some potential lure choices.
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What a great group of folks!
There is a moral to this story. No matter how much you might plan…Murphy’s Law is alive and well. Stuff is going to happen. There was nothing wrong with the trailer. I probably hit something in the road that caused the tire to blow. The Tractor Supply spare might have had a bad bead and that caused it to fail. I don’t blame ei ther of those. Things just happen and you do your best to get through it. I had everything I thought I would need to handle this issue, but
And the second thing was some awesome friends who dropped ev erything to provide help to a buddy in need. I’m a very fortunate person in both regards.
Coming back from a trip to the Gulf, the left rear tire on my tan dem axle Magic Tilt trailer decided it needed to explode on the ex pressway. The commotion behind the truck was pretty obvious. The flailing pieces of tread caused the supporting fender strut to give way and the rear of the fender separated from the trailer. It was a mess. Fortunately, the trailer handled very well with just one tire on the left side, and we eased off the ex pressway into the grass.
16 ATLANTA OCTOBER 2022 WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/THEANGLERMAGAZINEATLANTA/
By Capt. Cefus McRae Nuts & Bolts Fishing Series Hartwell, GA
Fast forward about 45 minutes. We have left the expressway and are now on the winding backroads of northeast Georgia, near Eatonton. Pow! That NEW spare tire decides to blow. We are now in the middle of nowhere on the side of the road and the sun is going down. I have had two flat tires in a little over an hour. What a nightmare!
LOCAL LAKES AND FORECAST
TRAILERING NIGHTMARES
I called BoatUS again. Got the same guy as before. Told him the story. We both chuckled a little. This is ridiculous! But BoatUS comes through again. They have another tow company available, but the driver will have to go about 30 minutes out of the way to get anoth er spare at a different store, and then come to us. Net-net. It would be 2 hours or more before they arrived.
Then I had an epiphany. I looked at our location on the map and realized a very good charter captain, and an even better buddy, Capt. Mark Smith of ReelTime Guide Service lived about 25 min utes away. I called him, and he dropped everything to come to our rescue. A friend of his had a bat tery powered angle grinder to cut the cable so we could install the real spare this time. I made the deci sion to cancel the BoatUS tow truck and waited on Mark to show up.
the cable lock threw me for a loop.
I had everything I needed to change out the tire, and to unbolt the fender. Socket set, impact wrench, bottle jack, several pieces of 4x4 lumber to support the jack, tire chocks, etc. My spare has a locking security cable on it and upon inserting the key to unlock, the key proceeded to twist at the head and snap off. So now I have a 5/8-inch piece of reinforced steel cable that I can’t cut, even with bolt cutters. Which means I have NO useable spare tire.
my unlockable security cable, and finished removing the fender, then changed out the tire. Everyone is happy, and we are back on the road.
By now, it’s 9:30pm. We would have been home at 4pm if not for these issues. Mark and his buddy arrived and in a couple of minutes had the cable cut, and tire changed. We got home at 12:45am.
The wrecker arrived in about 45 minutes. We chuckled about
In all this turmoil, I had two very positive things going for me. First, was the foresight to have purchased the BoatUS On-the-water Assis tance and Unlimited Trailer Assist package. All the roadside assistance I got (or might have got) cost me nothing…except for the spare tire.
And I now have a battery-oper ated angle grinder on the truck too. Tight lines and calm seas. Capt. Ce fus McRae
And if you own a trailer, there’s a good chance that you will eventu ally have a flat tire. I did. In fact, it’s happened several times over the years.Recently, I had a trailering in cident that went from “Oh well” to “Oh crap!” to “This is ridiculous!” And believe me, you can’t make this stuff up. Here’s the shortest version I can write.
If you own a boat, there’s a high likelihood you also own a trailer. I do.
I make the call to BoatUS be cause I have the unlimited traile ring package which covers such things. They were absolute cham pions. “Are you safe?” “What do you need?” and they had the calvary on the way in a matter of minutes. However, the problem of no spare to change out still re mained. The tow service contacted me, and I explained the dilemma. The offered to stop by Tractor Sup ply, pick up a spare wheel with tire, and I would reimburse them for it.
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For an exciting Lake Seminole Fishing Adventure, email us 850-264-7534capt.paultyrefishing.capt.paultyrefishingcoseminolefishingadventures@gmail.@lakemorfollowusonInstagram@andFacebook@Giveusacallattocheckavailability!
Forecast By: by Capt. Paul Tyre paultyrefishing@yahoo.com
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The month of September for Bass and Hybrid/Striper fishing has been GREAT. We expect October with the cooler temperatures and lower water temperatures to be excellent! If coming to Lake Seminole in October, the bass will be in their fall feed, feeding on shad. Spinnerbaits are very productive during this time of year. One of my favorite Spinner baits is a 1/2oz War Eagle double willow leaf in chartreuse and white, fished over the grass flats on the mainThelake.striper and hybrid fishing is also very good on Lake Seminole, in October! When fishing for hybrid and stripers, the correct rod paired with a 6:2-1 reel is critical. For the reel, I prefer the Lews LFS series. It has an awesome drag and can hold up to the demands of these hard fighting fish! For the rod, I prefer a
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LOCAL LAKES AND FORECAST
From a fishing perspective the topwater bite has started early this year, just like the last two years. As the water temperature drops, look for the topwater bite to become solid. Concerning live bait, herring will continue to be the primary bait in Oc tober. Rig the herring on a spinning rod with a 1/0 Gamakatsu Octopus hook on a small section of 10-pound Trilene Big Game 100% Flourocar bon and a Spro 120 pd Power Swivel. We are using a light action Shake speare Striper spinning rod paired with a Penn Clash 3000. The light ac tion is important to keep the herring
ing fish and cast right in the middle of them. Some of these schools can be massive. This is usually the most exciting month of the year on Lanier. Do not miss it!
There are still some shell crackers being taken on the flats, Wigglers are the bait to use for them.
18 ATLANTA OCTOBER 2022 WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/THEANGLERMAGAZINEATLANTA/
LANIER STRIPERS
have been the best bait. However, the key bait can change daily based on conditions. Three of the key col ors are Black Chrome, Green Back Ghost, and Bone. Look for school
Crappie are scattered on natural cover on the ledges. They seem to be avoiding the man-made structure we have put out for them to hold on. Minnows are getting the few that are being caught.
Water Level 189.80 msl, Water Temperature 86 degrees, Water Clarity, Good Stain to Clear. The cooler water temperature has the fish more active. They are feeding in the shallow cover later in the morning and the overcast days have helped keep them more active in the open areas. Frogs and blade baits worked over the cover are working well. Soft plastics rigged Texas style of wacky rigged Sinkos are getting bites. June bug, watermelon candy and green pumpkin are good col ors to work these areas. Watch for the shad and birds working in open water areas. A top water popper or spook work well. Working a lip less crank bait in a threadfin shad color will get the bigger fish, below the youngens, working the shad on top. The deeper bass are work ing the cover on the first drops in 15 to 20 feet. They are hitting big ger Texas rigged worms and lipped crank baits. Tennessee shad and gray ghost colors are working. The fish are a little more aggressive in the cooler water. The river humps are holding some bass that are hit ting larger Carolina rigged worms.
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Bluegill are doing very well on the creek edges on crickets. I told you last month about trying the fro zen crickets we had left over from earlier trips. We have had excellent
by: Clay www.catchingnotfishing.comCunningham 770-630-2673
LAKE EUFAULA
luck on these, just keep them in a covered cup in your ice chest. They stay on better and work just as well.
Catfish are really doing well on cut bait and shad if you can get them with your cast net. These are great to eat, especially if you are feeding the crowd that caught them. There’s nothing better than hearing all the bragging around the table by those
Pray for one another, our military and law enforcement men and wom en who sacrifice so much to protect us. God Bless & Good www.alclassic.com,www.hawksfishingguideservice.comFishn’cell3343555057
LOCAL LAKES AND FORECAST
Lanier: The lake is two feet below full pool and dropping, the water is mostly clear, the water temperature is finally getting below 80 degrees and most importantly, the lake is slowly turning over.
By Capt Sam Williams hawk184@earthlink.net334-687-6266
from flying off. We are casting the herring to schoolers on points and open water and letting the herring freeAsswim.mentioned earlier, be pre pared for the surface action this month with a wide selection of top water baits. Spool up an Abu Garcia Medium action rod like the Veritas PLX with 10-pound Trilene Big Game and a Berkley Magic Swim mer as the lure. The Magic Swim mer has caught tons of stripers over the past decade. The Magic Swim mer comes in several sizes, and they all work, but the 125 is most popular on Lanier. Be prepared with several colors like the Chrome and White Liner. Other key topwater baits include the Berkley J-Walker 120, Berkley Surge Shad, and the Berkley Hijacker. Each one has a different action. Also keep the trebles in tip top shape. If they are bent replace them with Gamakatsu Magic Eye trebles. Stripers are notorious for destroying hooks. So far this Fall, any of the above baits, in chrome,
Forecast
Remembonboard.er October 15th is the date for our to support research for these precious, terminal NiemannPic disease children and Darby’s Warrior Support where we take post 9/11 combat wounded and PTSD he ro’s hunting and fishing to help them acclimate back into civilian life with some quite time in God’s great out doors. Please help us get this event back on track after the set back from the coved shutdowns. Visit www.al classic.com for all the info and regis tration or call me at 334 355 5057.
hungry fishermen. Jugs are fun to work, especially if you have young sters
Spotted bass are still your best bet on the south end of the lake. Spots are being caught by casting Spot Remover heads loaded with Speed Craws or just dragging a Carolina-rigged Zoom finesse worm or mini lizard around shoal markers. Also try a small Texas rigged worm or a pig-n -jig around blow down trees. Actively school ing groups of fish will also hit the Flash Mob jr. rig, a personal favor ite of mine, in the fall.
Linesides: GOOD - It has been a pretty good summer in general for schooling topwater action on the main lake. I expect surface schooling on the main lake to continue into the fall. These fish can generally be caught on Roost ertails, topwaters, pop n cork rigs and Storm Swim Shad lures. Start
Bass: GOOD - October usually marks a big improvement in fish ing in general. As the days start to get a little shorter and the temps cool, expect a drastic improvement in the bass fishing. As usual, a few Largemouth and spots are still being caught on deeper brush piles, ledges, and roadbeds in the main lake area. Try deep diving crankbaits or Caro lina rigged worms. Dropshotting can also be effective in these areas. The best fishing is around brush piles or other structure in these areas. Water generation always improves this bite. By downsizing the baits in these same areas, you will improve your chances for spotted bass. As we move into fall and the water cools more fish will move into shallow water. Shallow wa ter baits such as Flukes and Whopper Ploppers will become more effective for shallow fish, especially around
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early or stay late for the best results. Expect the down-line bite on live bait to continue to improve as we move toward fall, with the best yet to come in late fall and early winter. Trolling with crankbaits/bucktail combo should also continue to be effective. Try old faithful areas like the Railroad Trestle Hump and the humps out from Amity Park for goodCrapresults.pie: GOOD - The fish will typically move shallower and hold on mid depth brush & structure or under docks, as the water temps drop into the 70s or below. Try
grass and weed beds. Try target ing the mouths of feeder creeks north of the 219 bridge in the Chattahoochee as long as the lake remains pretty full. Also, have a jig handy to pitch into wood cover in these same areas.
dropshotting minnows or shooting docks in 5-15 feet of water for the best results. You can really do well if you find one of these schools. Try the cuts & coves in Yellow Jacket creek and from Highland Marina north to Wolf Creek in the Chat tahoochee. Some fish will start to move a little shallower as the water slowly cools, especially by the end of the month. Minnows fished un der a float will usually work when you find them. Any blowdown near deep water is a good starting point. Night fishing is still pretty good. Try under the bridges with lights.
Level: 2’ Below Full pool. Temp: 78-81 degrees. Clarity: Clear. Bass: “Fishing has been good, we are still seeing some top water action, which should only get better as the water temps cool down. I’m tar geting breaking fish by throwing a Strike King sexy dawg jr, Whopper Plooper or Zoom fluke, after they break and go back down. If you are using Garmin Livescope you can actually follow the bait and see the fish under them. I will then cast a Strike King 3.25” sexy swimmer on a 3/8oz swimbait head casting into the bait school. I’ve also been catching fish out on long points and offshore structure using a dropshot rig with a 6” Roboworm and a shaky head with a 6” finesse worm. There has also been fish holding in and around lay downs on the main body of the lake. I’ve been catching them on Z-Man chatterbait and Z-Man spinnerbaits. If you’re wanting to target Large mouth then head to the river, the water temp is about 5 degrees lower than the main body. We’ve been tar geting the Largemouth with a drop shot and a Whopper Plooper. There are also some patches of grass that has started growing over the past couple years that are good enough to actually target with a top water frog. Now that we’re past Labor Day the lake will start seeing less boat traffic and TVA will start dropping the lake level. Which means the fish should
the Atlantic coasts of Georgia and Florida do as well. The Gulf Coast also lights up off of Florida, Ala bama, Mississippi, and Louisiana with cooler water and more active redfish, speckled trout, and other saltwater fish species. Accordingly, the angler with limited time avail able for fishing has hard deci sions to make as to where to spend that valuable fishing time. I try to schedule several freshwater fishing excursions and at least one inshore saltwater trip over the course of Oc tober and November.
THE FALL ANGLING SEASON IS FINALLY HERE
There are also fewer anglers and other water enthusiasts on our wa terways, making them less busy. The personal water craft users for the most part have ceased their lake and river rides for the year. Other outdoor users have shifted their fo cus to other activities or interests. Some anglers are now engrossed in hunting. Others are spending time watching or attending college and professional football games on the weekends. Accordingly, there is less competition for those prime fishing spots.A variety of baits continue to be effective during the Fall season. Anglers seem to have more success this time of year using shallow wa ter baits such as spinnerbaits, inline spinners, and shallow running lures. Plastic baits such as tubes, plastic worms, and so-called crea ture baits continue to be effective in shallow and intermediate depth wa ter, off banks and points. Fish can be caught on topwater baits and flies on the flyrod at certain times of the day during this month.
October and November are my favorite months of the year for an gling. The cooler air and water tem peratures, less anglers and boat traf fic, and more active fish; what else could an angler ask for.
Dr. Andrew Cox
A dilemma is encountered dur ing October and November. Not only does freshwater fishing pick up, but inshore saltwater fishing on
LOCAL LAKES ANDLAKEFORECASTCHATUGE
start feeding more and the fishing is just going to get better. Good Luck
20 ATLANTA OCTOBER 2022 WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/THEANGLERMAGAZINEATLANTA/
Beginning with October, Fall is one of the best times of the year for angling. The water is beginning to cool down making the fish more active. Fish that have been hard to come by during the summer months can now be caught with some con sistency. Crappie, bass, bream, and catfish can be more readily found in shallower water. Even the hybrid and striped bass are more active in their schooling activity on area lakes.The air temperature is now cooler making it more comfortable for anglers spending the day on the water. These cooler temperatures are certainly most welcome. How ever, there are still warm and muggy days during the early Fall months. Anglers still have to be mindful of and take precautions to avoid heat related medical conditions such as heat stroke/heat exhaustion.
Author’s Note: Dr. Andrew Cox is a contributing writer to outdoor publications and newspapers. His writing interests specialize in angling and travel, human interest, and gen eral fishing technique oriented top ics. He is a member of the Georgia Outdoor Writer’s Association. He has been fishing the waters of Geor gia, Alabama, and north Florida for over forty years. He has also fished the waters of most states within the United States, Canada, United King dom, New Zealand, Australia, and several Caribbean islands. He enjoys fresh and saltwater fishing for bass, bream, crappie, trout, redfish, and speckled trout using fly, baitcasting, and spinning equipment. Dr. Cox financially supports his fishing habits as Professor Emeritus at Troy Uni versity, Phenix City, Alabama. He may be contacted at andrewtrout@ aol.com.
THE POPPING CORK
By James K. Pressley, jameskpressley@gmail.com
Forecast By: Ken kensturdivant@att.netSturdivant
That title right there just di vided half the fishing world! Oh, what power!!! What absolute fear and awe this little thing can weld. Speckled trout and red fish, triple tail, tarpon, white bass, stripers, and even largemouth bass all fall to this rig. So, let me ask you some thing?Why aren’t you throwing it? Seriously? Answer me that? Al most none of us throw this any more except for in salt water. I’m changing my ways. I will lead the revolt and the return to popping cork traditions of old!
Ken Sturdivant, President and founder of the Southern Fishing Schools Inc., will be at the Lake Lani er Boat Show October 14, 15 and 16, 2022 at Lake Lanier Islands, Buford Georgia. There will be fishing semi nars on October 15 and 16, 2022. More than 200 boats on display on the water. For more information see www.lakelanierboatshow.com
the points and flats at the mouths of the creeks. A small Lucky Craft Sammy and a Zoom Super Fluke in shad patterns will catch these fish that are following the shad. Small shad colored crank baits and small Alabama rigs thrown across these main creek points will also produce a good many bites. The clearer wa ter down lake and fishing the early fall pattern seems to be best for numbers of fish. The stained water from mid lake up both rivers has been best for quality bites.
OCTOBER 2022 ATLANTA 21COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THEANGLERMAG.COM LOCAL LAKES AND FORECAST @heronoutdooradventuresFB:www.heronoutdooradventures.comHeronOutdoorAdventures Capt. Joseph Martinelli 404-919-4918 Your AdventureExcellentAwaits LakeGuideAllatoonaService Stripers, Hybrids, Spotted Bass, Crappie Nature InstructionalExcursions,Trips @heronoutdooradventuresFB:www.heronoutdooradventures.comHeronOutdoorAdventures Capt. Joseph Martinelli 404-919-4918 HeronAdventuresOutdoor
and weights. But honestly, I just buy the ones that are in front of me when I need them. The second is the cork on a piece of wire or a wire line, run through the middle with beads etc. on each side. The cork slides up and down the wire leader and makes a ton of noise. It most closely resembles a shrimp or bait fish scattering and being chased. The bait: Now here’s the important part of all this. In salt water, I am most often attaching a small jig head and running a plastic shrimp body or bait fish body on it. In fresh water there’s two things I like to run behind them, Betts Pop’N Stripe being the first choice of guys like Jimmy. Next, I have started running small 1/16 or even 1/32 oz jig heads and small bait fish pat terns about 18” to 24” behind the cork. First, the cork allows you to cast such small baits a long way and next it looks like a small erup tion going on every time you pop it.
Jimmy, a friend of his from his working days, and myself all met up over at Long Shoals boat ramp and never got on plane. We just putted out to the flagpole and the hump right there where, for a while now, the whites and hybrids have been busting nearly every morning. You can tell when and where this is happening because there are no secrets on Oconee and every guide and every fisherman who had skipped work that morn ing was there. Sure, enough there was some action but not what we had all been seeing for a while. Here’s the deal and how to rig this set Poup.pping corks can be divided into two categories in my opinion. The first one is the white and red striped one with swivels on each end and a weight in the middle. This allows for a lot of noise when popped and the ability to cast it a long way when you learn how. There are a couple of different sizes
The gear: Now I personally like to use a medium power, fast action, 7’ spinning rod from St. Croix in the Avid series. With a 30 series reel loaded with 10-pound braid, I can cast these rigs a long way and that means the ability to hit bust ing fish from further out. In salt water, it means I cover more water per cast. The further away from the boat you are the better. I’ve caught some serious trout at the very end of a long cast. Which means you must have the ability to set the hook at the end of that cast. This is the set up I use, whether it is for whites on Oconee or trout in the Gulf.That morning the fish just weren’t cooperating, but I still got a lot of strikes on this rig. On a re cent 3-day trip to Shell Island Fish Camp myself and a friend caught over 60 trout using a popping cork rig. Bottom line is they work! It’s a great technique for early mornings or late evenings on the lake and all day on the flats.
LAKE SINCLAIR
Bass fishing is good. Fish can be caught anywhere from main lake sea walls and points all the way back to the back ends of creeks and pock ets. The bigger fish seem to be relat ing to bream around grass beds and in short pockets off the main river. These quality fish can be caught on a Shad Rap and a Bandit with the best colors being shad and pearl. A square bill crank bait and a Buck eye Mop Jig will also catch some quality fish in these same areas. The key is finding the Shad, as the bass will be close by. Use your Lowrance electronics to find these concentra tions of shad. Numbers of fish can be found following the shad around
A couple of weeks ago my good buddy, Jimmy Holmes of FishOn! Guide Service, called me and asked if I wanted to fish the next morn ing. Well, I had just dropped my boat off at the service department for an overdue 100-hour service and I had no other plans other than my real job and several unfin ished columns sitting on my desk. So, like any responsible fisherman would do, I went fishing!
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not this mini-van. I eased around the parking deck standing on the brake petal with both feet to stop it, hoping the seat didn’t break off its base. I was really in a panic now! I went back to searching Market place to see if there were other op tions available. I looked at a rental, but the problem with that was we were going to be fishing, have wad ers, tying stuff on top of the ve hicle, as well as lots of other stuff. I just generally didn’t think people would appreciate the condition it would have been in when we re turned it. Our original rental was a van from a fish camp, so they knew what the deal was. When my com rades arrived around midnight and I informed them of the issues we had with the brakes, they all agreed we have come this far, we are go ing for it! We loaded all the luggage on top, Beverly Hillbillies style, and headed for Soldotna.
Snag 1. Two days before our arrival I was notified that the van I had rented for our party had bro ken down. In a scramble to find transportation for six people, I got on the internet and found a van for sale on Facebook Marketplace. A Cautionary tale! I bought the van from a man who was moving to Florida. He was leaving the state the day before we arrived. I paid half on Venmo and agreed to send the rest upon my arrival. He left the van at the airport on the top floor of the parking deck. I got there, loaded my luggage in, and cranked the van. I checked all the engine lights. He had sent me screenshots of him
rest of us continued fishing, making day trips all over the pen insula. Dewayne and I were adjust ing to driving the brakeless van. We ran to Seward, Hope, Homer, Kasi lof, Deep Creek, Russian River and anywhere else we wanted to catch fish. We even took it down to the beach and to some 4-wheel drive trails. Finally, after 10 days of driv ing this way, we took time to get the brakes fixed. Now you can just imagine what happened next. Af ter driving so long without brakes, I nearly threw us all through the windshield several times forgetting I had brakes now. Thank good ness we all wore our seatbelts. We caught tons of fish: halibut, salm on, flounder, cod, trout and Irish lords, and we had a ton of fun! Ev eryone wants to go back again next year. In all, we put over 3500 miles on the van in 18 days. There were a lot of long fishing and driving days. Thank goodness for 20 hours of daylight each day.
I guess all’s well that ends well, right!Get with some of your friends and take a fishing trip, whether with a guide or just on your own, GOYoFISHING!ucanreach me at gary@pur geright.com.Pleaseremember, if you are not going to eat it, don’t kill it.
got derailed on the Moose story. We finally made it safely to Soldot na, and the next morning we were ready for the adventures to begin. Johnny was feeling ill and stayed in while the rest of use headed out to do some fishing. By the third day both Johnny and Laura were not feeling well. Turns out they had Covid and were quarantined the rest of their trip. That was Snags 2 andThe3!
MY ALASKA TRIP AND THE VAN
By Gary Turner
22 ATLANTA OCTOBER 2022 WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/THEANGLERMAGAZINEATLANTA/ LOCAL LAKES AND FORECAST
“Tight Lines and Squealin’ Reels put a Smile on my face every time.”
driving the van the day before, so I knew it was a running van.
NOBODY SAID IT HAD TO BE FAIR FOR
I kept it under 45 mph just in case a moose found its way out of the darkness and I had to try to stop. Driving at night is not advised in moose country, they are very dark and you don’t see them until they are in the road. Barely miss ing one on a past trip, I know just how fast that happens. On that trip, I was headed to the Pillars around 1:00 a.m. to meet friends who had called and said the fish were biting. I jumped in the Jeep Cherokee and headed that way thinking about all the fish in the river, when suddenly that moose ran out. I hit the brakes and slid sideways past that big bull moose, knowing that was a lifethreatening collision if I hit it. My rule, that I taught my girls growing up, is that if the animal is smaller than a cow, you do not leave the pavement or your lane, if there is oncoming traffic, to avoid it. This was definitely bigger than a cow! After that I vowed to be more cau tious driving at night. Ok, sorry, I
I then went back through secu rity, another whole story, to wait for my friends’ arrival. I had to go back through security because no restau rants outside of the secure area were open, something about a shortage of help. That’s seems to be the case everywhere. I sat down, ordered the clam chowder and halibut, and went ahead and sent the other half of the payment for the van as we had agreed. After I ate, I decided to move the van to a lower level on the parking deck. Well, it cranked good, but when I put it in reverse – Yikes! No BRAKES! I almost took out two cars parked behind me. The man I bought the van from had told me it needed brake shoes, but it re ally needed BRAKES! There was no brake booster or power assist, so I was literally stopping it manually. That might have been ok for Fred Flintstone in the rubble roller but
I barely got stopped in time to avoid hitting two cars in the park ing deck! This year I took five friends with me. It was the first trip to Alaska for all of them. Capt. Johnny and Laura, Capt. Dewayne, Tina and their son Blake. Our trip started out with a few snags.
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Be prepared for the transi tion of the stripers. This basically means they will be moving around to their favorite areas for the fall. In October, I like to use smaller live baits that you can get at your local bait shops around the lake, and I will also do the occasional trolling with umbrella rigs sometimes even the smaller “A” rigs, while looking for schools of stripers. I’d spend a lot of time in the main channels or right of the edges of the channel. Don’t waste a whole lot of time in the creeks this month. This doesn’t mean a few won’t be in the creeks,
Provided By: David Hare Alex City Guide Service 256-401-3089
If the bite is as good this Oc tober as it was in 2021, then we should have a lot of happy clients.
Full Pool (until October 15), Surface Temp 84 (as of 10/8/22), Clarity/ Very Clear
but I believe your most productive bite will be near the main channels.
With most of the recreational boats off the lake, it will be peace ful out on the water. Monday thru Friday you may not see any one on the water, but us, chasing the strip ers. Saturday and Sunday you may run across a handful of boaters, but nowhere close to the summer traf fic.
Until next month stay safe and catch one for me . Tight lines.
LOCAL LAKES ANDLAKEFORECASTMARTIN
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You should start to see a few seagulls. They will lead you to the schools of bait that the stripers will be following.Ifyou’dlike to learn more about striper fishing, we’d love to have you book with us. It’s always a learning trip, not to mention fun catching.
Using and understanding your electronics is very critical especially this month. If you are struggling with understanding what you’re looking at, then go on YouTube where you will find hundreds of useful tips.
Wall of Fame
Peggy Brown wrangled a nice bass in a N. Ga. impoundment.
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Mike and Michael Tenoschok of Kennesaw fished the Big Horn River outside of Billings Montana in August.
One will be given away each month for the best
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Tony Leo with a nice striped bass caught with Catching Not Fishing Guide Service!
Jeanne had a great day fishing on Lake Lanier.
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Second only to the Kenai’s fishing is the scenery. There is a majestic feel to this area. The views are beautiful, there is amazing wildlife and tons of stuff to see. We saw it all as we drove all over the place chasing fish.
Last, but not least, we fished Skilak Lake, which feeds the Kenai River from the center of the peninsula. This was my favorite place to fish. It is as beautiful as it is full of fish. We stayed 18 days in Alaska and spent our 17th on Skilak, where we slayed the fish. We landed and released more than 100 reds, silvers and trout that day! It was a great note to end our trip.
If you ever get the chance to fish the Kenai Peninsula, you will love it. Get a group of friends, do some research and go. Fish with a guide or on your own. There are so many options and so many fish that it’s hard not to have an amazing adventure.
Catch Amazing Action on Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula
Gary Turner is a long-time contributor to The Angler Magazine. Contact him at gary@purgeright.com.
By Gary Turner
We also ventured south from Soldotna to the Kasilof River and caught salmon and trout. We crossed the peninsula to Seward and fished the Resurrection River for silvers, pinks and dog (chum) salmon. The river was full of fish, so we fished until it was too dark to see the bears and called it a day at midnight.
again. It was so fun!
laska’s Kenai Peninsula is a world-renowned fishery, known for all of its salmon runs, of which the Kenai River king salmon run is the most famous. The saltwater fishing out of Homer, Deep Creek and Seward are also amazing. I’ve been to Alaska fishing several times, and this year I fished the fresh and the salt with five friends who were all on their first trip. Here’s a quick look at what we did in freshwater. I’ll write about our saltwater adventures in the future.
Our lodging was in Soldotna, near the mouth of the Kenai River on Cook Inlet. That’s where we fished the Kenai River for red (sockeye) salmon. The famous king salmon season closed before we arrived this year, or we would have been fishing for them. We “flossed” for reds, which is a technique used in rivers to catch salmon that are more interested in their spawning run than they are in feeding. Basically, you use a weighted leader. As pods of fish swim upstream, the line threads an open mouth and you snag the fish when the hook pulls tight. This was combat-style fishing. We stood a rod’s length from other anglers, and it was mayhem when someone hooked up.
We also fished from a boat on the Kenai River, where anchored to deploy small Kwikfish. These lures settle into the current near the bottom and vibrate. Fish swimming upstream see them and attack. Unlike the red salmon, which aren’t interested in eating, the pink (humpback) and silver (coho) salmon jumped all over this setup.
Twice, we traveled northeast by van to Hope, Alaska, where we fished for pinks in Resurrection Creek. They were so thick that we stayed busy catching and releasing them after we all caught our limits. On our second trip to Resurrection, we went in search of silvers but they had not arrived yet, so we caught pinks
Nick Carter is author of “Flyfisher’s Guide to North Carolina & Georgia.” It is available on Amazon or by contacting the author at nsc8957@gmail.com.
The timing is different on every piece of water, but October is thought to be the peak of pre-spawn behavior for most streams and rivers. Since big browns are more aggressive than they are at any other time of year, anglers who target them should fish aggressively.
On a big tailwater, McCrickard gears up with 250-grain sinking line and runs a short 3-foot leader of 0x tippet. If the water is dingy, he’ll fish 3 feet of straight 20-pound monofilament.
FOR AGGRESSIVE FALL BROWN TROUT
Across the East, brown trout spawn in a window that runs from midSeptember into December. Males and females of the species leave their summer lies to strike out upstream in search of spawning habitat. They are on the move and more visible to anglers than at any other time of year.
L
ust and jealousy make males of many species do stupid things they wouldn’t normally do. This is true for humans and whitetail deer, and it’s also true for brown trout, which grow aggressive this time of year as they gear up for the spawn.
While the females become preoccupied with cutting nests, called redds, on shallow gravel bars in moving water, the males put on bright colors to
“If I have that fish that’s two feet or larger, I’m feeling really confident having that fish on 20-pound as opposed to having it on 2x,” he said.
Alex McCrickard has a go-big or go-home attitude when it comes to fall browns. He’s a former fly fishing guide and the current aquatic education coordinator for the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. As the days grow shorter, McCrickard breaks out his heavy 6- and 7-weight rods to sling big streamers.Onsmaller streams, he’ll fish floating line with a 9-foot leader that tapers down to no lighter than 2x tippet. The long leader allows a weighted streamer to get down in the water column, and 2x has a breaking strength of about 10 pounds. It’s more than enough to handle the 14- to 20-inchers you might encounter in a creek or stream.
AggressiveTactics
12 NATIONAL OCTOBER 2022 COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THEANGLERMAG.COM
advertise their suitability as mates. The big boys spar with each other for the opportunity to fertilize eggs. They become ornery, and are cocked to lash out at anything that catches their eye.
On large or small water, pre-spawn browns will hit bigger flies than you’d think they would. This could be a 2- to 3-inch-long Woolly Bugger on a mountain stream or a 6-inch-long articulated pattern on a big river. Either way, it’s a game of covering water persistently and presenting the fly to as many fish as possible.
By Nick Carter
“A productive day is relative. When you’re throwing a 10-foot 7-weight and a 250-grain full sinking line with 3 feet of 20-lb. monofilament, you’re not really going for numbers anymore,” said McCrickard. “You’re looking for one, maybe two fish. You kind of have to go out there with the mentality of, ‘I might get skunked today, but I might catch my best fish of the year… or the best fish I’ve caught in the last five years.’”
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8-ounce swordfish caught 55 miles off Morehead City, North Carolina was recently certified as a new state record.
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ANGLER POUND RECORD SWORDFISH
A504-pound,
The angler, 59-year-old Cary Carney, was fishing aboard the 32-foot Willow B, which was captained by his son Brandon Carney. They were fishing in about 1,300 feet of water on Aug. 21, when the big broadbill ate a strip of albacore belly. They had the fish on an electric Diawa MP3000 reel, but a blown fuse rendered it inoperable. Carney buckled down and cranked the fish in by hand on 65-pound test line.
“He’s one of those old-school guys,” Brandon Carney said of his father for an article in the Raleigh News & Observer. “His arm might be hanging off, but he won’t let you know it. After about 30 minutes, it rose to about 20 feet below the surface and we could see how big it was.”
Carney’s swordfish crushed the previous state record by more than 60 pounds. The old record of 441 pounds had stood since 1979. The thing is, if they had hauled it in with the electric reel, it would not have qualified for the record.The
IGFA all-tackle world record swordfish weighed 1,182 pounds. It was caught off the coast of Chile in 1953 by Louis Marron.
Two hours later, the big fish was boatside. They roped its tail and used the T-top as a pulley to bring it onboard. It measured 104 inches fork length and had a 53-inch girth.
For more information, visit deq.nc.gov.
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From exemplary fishing for striped bass, or a trophy largemouth bass, to our hiking trails and water activities, along with scenic outdoors where you can catch a glimpse of white tail deer and gators, Berkeley County has activities to fit all visitors and families.
