The Angler Magazine | May 2020 | Greater Atlanta Edition

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Crappie In Stages

BASS FROM THE

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PHOTO COURTESY OF PAUL PRADINES VOLUME 25 • ISSUE 302

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O P P O R T U N I T I E S

A V A I L A B L E

MAY 2020

W O R L D W I D E

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Catch

BIG BASS

From The Bank

I

f you grew up fishing, you might remember riding your bicycle to a local pond giddy with anticipation of what the day might bring. With a spinning rod held across the handlebars and a pocket full of plastic worms, the tactics were simple but the potential was huge. Would today be the day a monster largemouth tested the strength of your 8-pound line?

For most of us, the joy and simplicity of bass fishing from the bank has

been lost to glitter boats and sophisticated electronics. But the truth is, all you need to catch bass—and some good ones—is a pocket full of tackle and a willingness to explore.

Here are a few tips that’ll take you back to the good ol’ days.

• Find a Pond: Bigger waters do not always hold bigger fish. Find a farm pond or a subdivision drainage lake with the right forage and habitat, and there’s a good chance it holds some bass pushing double digits. The key is access, so look respectful and be polite when asking, and always leave the place looking better than you found it. Google Maps is a great way to seek out small waters, and state or municipal public fishing areas can also be very good.

• Keep it Simple: Only take what you’ll need. A small backpack or tackle pack should hold necessities like an extra spool of line, some needle-nose pliers and a small selection of your confidence lures. A few packs of plastic worms in proven colors and styles allow you to probe all depths depending on the rig.

Spinnerbaits, bladed jigs and lipless crankbaits allow long casts to cover open water. Take just one rod. A 7-foot, medium-light action spooled with light line will handle most lures and allow for long casts you might need to reach fish.

• Fish The Structure: Fish obvious visible cover like fallen trees and docks, but don’t forget the bottom contours. Depth changes attract ambush predators, and in smaller waters even a drop of couple feet will hold fish. Most ponds are deepest at the dam, and there is usually a wide shallow flat with a channel where a creek comes in. Spillways where water runs from a pipe are hotspots, and so are sunken boulders you can find by searching with a Texas rig or jig. Study the banks. Underwater topography often reflects what is visible above the waterline. Features like steep banks and ditches typically continue into a pond.

One of the main considerations when prospecting small waters is that familiarity breeds success just like it does on large rivers and reservoirs. The same cover and structure will hold fish consistently. Also, a willingness to explore areas others won’t leads to unpressured fish. Wear long pants and boots, scramble through the high grass, woods and muck. Wade into the water where bank brush doesn’t allow for a cast.

Remember, the world record largemouth bass was caught in 1932 from a small and swampy oxbow lake in south Georgia. Big fish live in small waters.

That should be enough to make you giddy on the way to your next bank fishing excursion… even if you’re not riding a bike.

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MAY 2020

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T

he tuna fishing is on fire,” said Capt. Blake Rigby. “This year has been absolutely phenomenal.”

That was the April report from a Venice, Louisiana charter captain who was sitting at home in the midst of a global pandemic. Meanwhile, some of the best yellowfin action in decades was occurring in the Gulf of Mexico. The fish are out there, but no one is travelling to catch them.

Charter captains are suffering, despite the fact that fisheries are still open for business.

“It sucks,” Rigby said. “I fished 20-something days in March. I haven’t fished any this month.”

In March, near the end of what Rigby called “lump season,” the numbers and size of yellowfin tuna being caught at the famous salt domes about 30 miles out of Venice Marina were astounding.

Even in decent years, it’s one of the best winter and early spring tuna fisheries in the world.

Plankton-rich currents from deep in the Gulf swirl around vertical domes that top out at 200 to 300 feet deep. It consolidates baitfish and the big fish that eat them.

“It’s the best I’ve ever seen in my life,” said the young captain. At 26, he’s been running charters for six years, and said the old timers are

Gulf

Yellowfin are

expressing the same enthusiasm. “I think it’s safe to say it’s the best anyone has seen in 20 years.”

The silver lining to the situation is there aren’t many people messing with the fish.

When the coronavirus frenzy dies down, Rigby predicts the action will continue right through the summer, as the bite transitions to the massive floating oil and gas rigs of the Mississippi Canyon.

More than 70 miles long and 5 miles wide, the Mississippi Canyon is a huge cut in the edge of the continental shelf. The rigs, called “floaters,” sit over depths from 2,000 to 7,000 feet. Every living thing gravitates to these floaters.

Yellowfin might be the primary target, but blackfin tuna, mahi-mahi, wahoo, the occasional blue marlin and others are in the mix. Rigby said a good summer trip might include five or six tuna, weighing from 35 to more than 100 pounds. The bigger fish, those heavier than 200 pounds,

Photos courtesy of Blake Rigby/ Tripletail Charters.

8 NATIONAL

MAY 2020

By Nick Carter

typically show up in the cooler months.

“I don’t want to raise expectations too high, because every day is different. Sometimes you can really get them, sometimes you can’t,” Rigby said.

“But typically, when you find them, you’re really going to be in them.”

Out of Venice, the floaters are spread 30 to 70 miles out. There’s an hour and a half run aboard Rigby’s 38-foot Empire Boatworks before it’s time put out the trolling spread. Once fish are located, Rigby slows to drift live or cut baits.

Night fishing is a great option in the heat of summer. Usually, night trips depart after lunch and return when anglers have caught their fill.

“Sometimes the fishing is so good, I come back that night,” Rigby said. “Sometimes we’ll stay through the next morning’s bite.”

For more information, visit www.tripletailcharters.com, email Rigby at blake@tripletailcharters.com or call (409) 651-7639.

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By CAM Staff

he way fish react to live bait is interesting. Predatory fish view struggling or dying prey as an easy meal, right?

So why does a half-dead shrimp on the end of the line get ignored?

It would seem to represent an easy meal hanging there limp and twitching.

Meanwhile, the bait pulling your popping cork across the marsh is going to get absolutely hammered. This runs counter to the theory that fish innately weigh the expenditure versus reward of chasing down prey.

Seatrout are always looking for something lively. But what about redfish or any of the other inshore species that are as likely to eat a piece of dead bait as they are a live one? They’ll happily pick up a piece of frozen squid off the bottom, so why would they refuse a sluggish mud minnow on a freeline?

It stands to reason that fish, when they are feeding by sight, sound and vibration—rather than smell—don’t even notice a live bait hanging out in the water doing next to nothing. Or maybe it looks unnatural, as if a shrimp that bad off should be bumping along the bottom instead of hanging in the current?

Meanwhile, the bait that’s frantically trying to escape the hook it’s impaled on is drawing attention to itself. Active live bait plays on the predatory instincts of fish just like artificial lures. It works for the same reason your dog would rather you throw a tennis ball than hand it to him.

The lesson here is to keep your live bait alive. Baitwells that circulate and aerate by pumping water from outside the boat are the best way to keep live bait happy. The water you’re keeping your bait in is the same water you’re fishing.

This is important because sudden changes in temperature or water conditions stuns baits. With a baitwell, when you impale and cast that pinfish, it lands in the same water conditions it just came from. It’s likely to freak out when the world suddenly grows a lot bigger and full of predators, and that’s exactly what you want.

If you don’t have a baitwell, a bait tank that circulates and aerates water is almost as good. You’ll have to watch the temperature, though. Cooler water makes for livelier bait in the tank, but be careful how much ice you dump in.

You don’t want your finger mullet going into shock when it hits the bay.

Finally, smaller coolers or 5-gallon buckets benefit from the addition of a bubbler to add oxygen to the water. These systems are very portable and perfect for kayaks and shore anglers. Remember to change the water every few hours, and don’t overload them with bait to begin with.

With any of these systems, the idea is to keep the bait fresh long enough to fish it. Because if your shrimp are lethargic, you’re better off peeling and fishing chunks of them on the bottom than you are presenting them to fish as live baits.

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MAY 2020

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may 2020 PUBLISHER: Bob Rice

A Free Publication The Angler Magazine Is Distributed Across The Southeast.

The Angler Magazine Is Published Monthly By B & B Publishers P.O. Box 766 Madison, GA 30650 706-614-8231 www.theanglermagazine.com Reproduction Of Contents In Any Form Is Prohibited Bob Rice, publisher The Angler Magazine Fishing, Boating, Conservation “Find your outdoors here”

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Henry Cowen Dr. Andrew Cox Jimmy Harris Capt. Cefus McRae Chris Scalley Gary Turner Noey Vineyard O'Neill Williams Rene J. Hesse Jimbo Mathley James Bradley David HulseY WAYNE WOOTEN jay striker wayNe moore ryan kennedy dicklesby kim nunery Capt. David Hare Graphic Design: Kathleen CARREIRO Photo by Photo by Dan Saknini

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Local Rivers & Fly Fishing he Best Fly You May Have Never Used Contributed By: Jeff “Dredger” Durniak www.unicoioutfitters.com Unicoi Outfitters, Orvis 2018 Fly Shop of the Year

Guided 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!

Want a great pattern that’s easy to tie, easy to fish, and deadly on river predators from trout to bass? Then sit back and enjoy the tale of “Secret Weapon #1.”

Back in my former career, our division hosted the annual meeting of Southeastern wildlife agency trout biologists at Unicoi State Park. When Trout Committee business concluded, our guests had a special treat waiting on them: guided trout fishing on local waters with some of my friends, the best volunteer fishing guides from GA Trout Unlimited.

I had paired up Missouri DNR’s Mike Kruse with The Ole Rabunite, better known as Rabun TU founder Doug Adams, for an afternoon on the Dukes Creek trophy stream.

It had rained the night before and stained the stream, so they quickly departed.

When they returned to the lodge for the evening meal, Kruse sported a big smile while Adams had bugeyes nearly popping out of their sockets.

The Ole Rabunite explained that Mike had laid out the big rainbows on his own home-made fly pattern, the Mike’s Mohair Leech. He said the recipe was on his agency’s website.

Link: https://www.missouritrout. com/mikesmohairleech.htm We looked it up and then cooked it up ourselves. Lo and behold, it worked magically! It was a slinky Woolly Bugger. We held the secret weapon close for a while (actually a long while), and perfected its use on both stream trout and river bass; olive and small (#10) for clear wa-

ter, big (#6 or 8) and black for dingy water, and huge and black (#4) for river bass. It worked dead-drifted, stripped, and even as a dropper behind Craig Riendeau’s Hairy Fodder crawdad fly. It took credit for countless Dukes Creek trophies, hefty trout from the Southeast’s Delayed Harvest streams, upper Hooch shoalies pushing 20 inches, countless NC smallies, my first big Yellowstone Park brown, and an unexpected monster brown from the Smokies that nosed close to 22 inches.

When we were asked how we were catching our biguns, we few Rabunites in-the-know dutifully replied, “I don’t believe I said.” But after a while, the guilt set in and we finally started fessing up. I shared the love on North Georgia Trout Online’s forum around 2007, via a post called “Secret Weapon #1.” Soon leeches of various sizes, shades, and beadheads started showing up in fly boxes and trouting reports across North GA. If you haven’t tried one yet, you should, and then pass it on to that rookie angler beside you. He or she will catch more fish, think you’re a pro, and soon join your conservation army.

If it wasn’t for the benevolence of Mike Kruse and Doug Adams, I might have missed out on this secret weapon. Instead, our trio has enjoyed it and we now pass it on to you.

Give it a try, pass one to a buddy, and have some fun while you adopt and conserve your favorite “home” waters. Good luck. Don’t forget that good buddy, armed with a net and a camera!

Mix it up with light spinning tackle as well for a great combo trip!

Captain Wayne Moore - Oconee On The Fly, Inc (706)-816-4281 www.oconeeonthefly.com / wmoore1700@outlook.com 2 ATLANTA

MAY2020.indd 2

may 2020

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4/21/20 5:32 PM

Local Rivers & Fly Fishing MAY Fly Fishing Report

Contributed By: Henry Cowen www.henrycowenflyfishing.com

So here we are writing a May fly fishing report not knowing if we are still allowed to fish on the lakes.

Let’s assume for now the worst is behind us and we are allowed to fish.

April has been a really good month in that Lanier stripers and spots are not disappointing anyone!

Our water temps the first week of April was 60-61 degrees on Lanier this year. That means that our expected patterns to find the fish are all running about two weeks behind schedule.

May gives anglers an opportunity to catch both striped bass and Kentucky spotted bass on topwater flies and lures and in big numbers!

We just need to hope the water heats up gradually and not go from 60 to 75 degrees in ten days. Then all our patterns start overlapping and the fishing changes from good to great to poor in a flash. However, if the topwater bite comes and lasts, it is positively the most exciting way to fish for our local area gamefish.

There are multiple patterns that may exist in the month of May. First and foremost is the early morning and late day topwater bite. Now is the time to grab a nine or ten weight rod rigged with a floating line and one of Charlie Bisharat’s Pole Dancer flies or Flat Fred flies and have at it. If you have never seen a striper eat a Zara Spook or Top Dog lure off the surface (for conventional anglers), then you have no idea what you are missing.

A Pole Dancer is just that; a fly angler’s Zara Spook. It walks the dog when retrieved and striped bass do not just eat it…THEY CRUSH IT! It is easily THE MOST VISCOUS STRIKE you will ever see from a striped bass. You can also toss other types of poppers, sliders, gurglers and Wiggle Minnows at these fish, but in my opinion nothing works better than a Pole Dancer.

If you want to simply catch lots of fish, then this is the time to toss a Game Changer fly on an intermediate line on the lake’s tapered points.

A Game Changer is one of the best

flies ever as it mimics many types of baitfish, and when retrieved, looks like a living/breathing shad or herring.

After the sun comes up, you can switch over to a sinking line and start tossing either Coyote flies or baitfish type patterns like a Cowen’s Baitfish or Puglisi type fly off the points. The key to this pattern is to keep moving. It’s all about fishing the points! The more points you fish, the more bites you will attract.

While low light (both early and late) is the preferred time to fish rather than the middle of the day, do not discount mid-day when it gets a tad windy. This is also the time of year where fishing a point off the main lake river channel can get a topwater eat from any fly that is slowly worked on the surface and makes a seductive V-like wake.

Conventional fisherman can continue to toss Redfins on all the points (which they should have started tossing in mid to end April).

Fishing big 7” long Redfins can be very effective on windy days.

I always keep a few rigged in my boat for May. On sunny days, use a chrome-sided Redfin, and on cloudy days fish a matt colored Redfin. Fly anglers can use a large slider type fly on a floating line to mimic the action of a Cordell Redfin. A large weightless Bass Assassin can also be a good choice at this time of year.

Finally, keep in mind that the dock light bite is in full swing.

Along with the daytime bite, the mild weather allows for some pretty good fishing for stripers and large spotted bass on dock lights all over the lake. This is easy fishing as game fish seem to get really dumb when fished to on a dock light. While I prefer a sinking line when fishing these fish, it is also fun to toss a slow sinking intermediate so that you can actually watch for the bite when your fly passes over the light. There are lights that might hold twenty to thirty fish on it.

May is a great time to be fishing

the lakes of North Georgia. Short sleeves, shorts and sun block are the dress code followed by social distancing. By the middle to the end of the month, carp will be getting targeted on the Chattahoochee River and others around the state IF the parks reopen for use of the ramps!

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We will discuss that fishery a tad more in detail during next month’s report.

Just as an FYI, I have cancelled ALL guide trips until further notice and am currently booking trips for the fall. See you on the pond and at least six feet away!

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Local Rivers & Fly Fishing oconee on the fly-MAY Forecast

Chattooga River

Changing Tactics for hybrids, stripers and crappie Contributed By Capt. Wayne Moore USCG www.oconeeonthefly.com The changes in our tactics here on Lake Oconee seem to be very pronounced this year. At the time of this writing, I am not taking customers out and still “sheltering in place”. I am one of those older folks with a few “underlying conditions” that made my wife say, “You are solo fishing for while!”

This has turned out to be a benefit as I am taking time to explore new areas and techniques. I am going to move right to the forecast because there is so much to cover.

Hybrids/Stripers – Just a few weeks ago, we were all trolling RatL- Traps and crankbaits running the gas motor at about 2 mph. This bite was off the charts good, but the wise old guide, Doug Nelms (we call him Yoda), said, “Fellas, this bite will end soon.” Sure enough, it did.

After that, we were using mostly bass minnows flat-lining and using planer boards. However, the closer we get to shad spawn, the less effective this will be.

In early May, the shad spawn may still be on. If so, get out at first light and throw a white spinnerbait on shorelines with rip-rap. If you are fly fishing, throw a white Game Changer fly. When the sun comes up, switch over to down-lining threadfin shad.

(That’s right, you got to get out and throw that cast net.)

By mid-May, the spoon bite will be on. Look for fish on humps in 30 feet of water. You might remember it was very hot in late May last year. If you look at the screen shot here, you will see hybrids stacked up thick on a hump. I used an umbrella rig and caught 5 to 7-pound hybrids every time I came over that hump.

Crappie – Two weeks ago, they were on the bed, or the males were still there protecting the fry.

I got out my Scott fly rod and fished a 1/24-ounce Jiffy Jig in black/pink/chartreuse and fished under a strike indicator and had a blast!

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As of this writing, long-lining in the thing to do. I just re-rigged my boat to make this much easier. To be completely transparent, I get tips from the incredible crappie guides here and have learned a few things; always use a LiteWire hook jig, http://litewirehooks.com/, many times it’s best to troll a 1/16th and a 1/32nd ounce jig, figure out how deep different weight jigs will run at different speeds and run them right over the top of submerged timber. Very soon, guides will be fishing brush piles with minnows.

As this takes some skill, hire a guide to learn how.

Final words – I offer combination trips, so you can try fly fishing, or we can use spinning rods for light tackle fun. Email me at wmoore1700 @outlook.com or call 404-317-9556 and lock in your dates. Tight lines, and God bless.

As we write this article this month, we will have to say it has been the toughest one to write. As we all know, your local fly shops have been temporarily closed due the COVID -19 virus, just like our shop. Some areas may have even been shut down to fishing, boat ramps closed, and no access to your favorite water to fish. Social distance, sure one could find this in the woods along a creek, stream or river, but the “stay at home” policies which have been put into order are not very clear if one should be out or not. All in all, probably the safest place could be the great outdoors, way away from everyone, but if everyone decided to accomplish this feat, this would become a social gathering. Possibly, the lonely place of home is the safest place to be, but we’re not the “know it all’s” about this pandemic what so ever.

We are sure about one thing.

We sure do miss having our shop filled with all of fine folks who have made the journey to the rivers and streams near us. Whether the trek brought an individual through the shop to purchase a few flies for a day on the water, or there was a well planned vacation to explore a new area to fish, or one of many repeat

customers coming through the door to talk about their great experience on the rivers here, all of you are tremendously missed!

Absolutely, there have been fishermen/women, going out on to the rivers, creeks and streams, but we have not been amongst those folks. We have “sheltered in place”, and choose to do so over the next few weeks as we hope that the orders to do so will be lifted. As for a forecast for this month, we do know there are hatches happening, water conditions are good (from the gauge readings), and there are fish in the rivers.

One forecast that may be extremely tough to chew on, is that your local shop may not be there after all of this has subsided. We know this may not seem fair, but this is a harsh reality. All of us can help the small businesses across the area by shopping local with mail orders or possibly a curbside pick-up. Some may say, “My little purchase won’t help”, when reality is if everyone thought that way, these small shops would not be here prior to this pandemic.

In closing this May article, please let all of us try to think positively over these trying tough times, remember your small shops and businesses, and when we are all able to return to the great outdoors, “Leave No Trace”.

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Local Rivers & Fly Fishing THE CASTING CORNER

Improve Your Fly Fishing Game

Contributed By: Rene J. Hesse Certified Casting InstructorFederation of Fly Fishers & Atlanta Fly Fishing and Camping Meetup Organizer

Contributed by David Hulsey International Federation of Fly Fishers Master Certified Casting Instructor http://www.hulseyflyfishing.com 770-639-4001

Small Water Casting

If you are wanting to keep your social distancing, try fly fishing on some of our North Georgia streams.

The waters in North Georgia tend to be less than 20 feet across and are crowded with vegetation along the banks. That makes it difficult to do the traditional overhead cast and roll cast. There are several ways to make a tight quarters cast. They can range from a roll cast, bow and arrow, single hand spey to water tension casts. Try to remember the concept of the cast we are going to talk about and you can use it on any stream.

In small water casting with vegetation all around, we can’t set up much of a back cast. Here is the concept for setting up the forward cast in that situation; EVERYTHING NEEDS TO HAPPEN OUT IN FRONT OF YOU. We have to energize our line, that is, get the line moving. We need to remove as much slack as possible and keep the line moving. The line is not fully energized until the fly is moving.

That’s when we know the slack is out and we can start loading the rod to make the forward cast.

Remember the concept of making everything happen out in front of you? Now that we know we need to energize the line and get the fly moving, the question becomes, how do you turn that into a cast? On a small stream, a twenty foot cast is almost just a flick of the wrist. The following is how you set up that, ‘flick of the wrist’ forward cast.

When your fly is downstream, lift your rod out over the center of the stream and try to position the fly as close to you as possible, out in the middle of the stream. Without hesitating, begin to energize your line by moving it back and forth as your raise the rod tip (keeping it out over the middle of the stream).

When you get to the point that the

fly is moving, bring the rod tip directly away from our target, as if you were doing a roll cast, and then make your forward cast.

You don’t have to bring the rod tip back behind you, but bring it back from the target as much as you can. The water tension on the line will load the rod on the forward cast just like when you form a D loop behind you on a roll cast. Just try to use enough of a casting stroke to load your rod against the weight of the line. Once you start this cast, you can’t stop the line movement.

We might call this a distancing cast, because the further from your body the line is out over the water, the easier it is to get the cast to the target with less of a back cast. You can’t really practice this on the lawn because you need the water tension to make it work.

So check out some of our small streams and give it a shot. This sounds more complicated than it is.

Just remember to make it all happen out in front of you.

At the time of this writing, we are separated from our fly fishing brothers and sisters. Home-based learning our craft is difficult at best.

There’s no better learning environment than the streams, lakes or salt flats that float through our mind every few minutes. There are a few things we can do on the home front to improve our success or enjoyment on the next jaunt we are so fortunate to have.

Of course, gear prep and repair is a good one to start with. Organizing fly boxes, filling or replacing tippet spools, etc., can occupy us for several hours. Going over topo maps in search of a new tributary or spring that may hold a few wild fish is also a fun thing to do. Those type things which are fairly short in duration might get you through the first week or so of social distancing.

What about weeks or months? Stuff that can be a game-changer on the river involves doing different and sometimes difficult activities.

Learning to cast better, in other words, more accurately, farther, or with less effort, can really bring changes to the amount of fish in the net. If you are blessed with a lawn or available open area, you’re in luck. I like a measured off area with a few soccer cones, beer cans or hula hoops spaced at various distances. Include a cone at the longest cast you can crank out. Leave one of your rods rigged and readily available to walk out and grab for a few minutes a day of relaxed practice hitting those targets and besting your longest cast. Try to make the

casts with the least effort as possible.

Put a hook-less fly on there to add some weight a few times. Mix it up!

Watch YouTube or read books on casting, as these will help if you are open-minded. Before long, you will notice improvements and won’t be distracted by those pesky trout.

Learn to tie your own flies or different fly patterns. If you have some basic fly tying tools and materials already or can order some from your local fly shop, you’re in business!

Again, YouTube or tying books are your lifeline. Start off with a simple fly such as a San Juan Worm and gradually build from there. Even if your first few ties of the old San Juan are pretty crappy, they’ll still catch fish. Success with your own flies is very important. It makes you want to tie more. In time, you’ll see great results. If you are already a good tyer, try some other types of flies, maybe saltwater or spey flies.

Of course, when you tie them you have to plan a trip to the flats or the Northwest for steelhead!

Last but not least, if your doctor says it’s ok, get a little exercise. Leg strength and stability in the stream will get you a few more bites and make your days on the water more enjoyable. I find myself avoiding some great water on guide trips simply because the folks I’m fishing with simply can’t get there, or if we can get there, it will be impossible for them to get a cast into the correct drift to get a strike.

I’ll see you on the river on the other side of this!

We have to energize our line, that is, get the line moving. We need to remove as much slack as possible and keep the line moving.

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Local Rivers & Fly Fishing

Fly of the Month

by Eli Crumley Blackhawk Fly Fishing keepemwet94@gmail.com

Blue Wing Olive Parachute

Hook: Tiemco TMC100 size 16/22 Thread: UTC 70 Denier (color) olive Body: Superfine Dubbing (olive) Tail: Dun Hackle feathers Hackle: Medium Dun Post: White poly

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This is a great fly to fool fish with during a blue wing olive hatch. Keep some close by for when the conditions are right and you can match the hatch.

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Local Rivers & Fly Fishing The Guides Angle The natural optimist

Contributed By: Chris Scalley River Through Atlanta Guide Service

Guides, just like farmers, are at the mercy of Mother Nature. We work outside in the fresh air with different seasons along with everchanging river and weather conditions. I know we don’t deserve too much sympathy from our clients who must make long tedious commutes in traffic to only work indoors at the office. Now with the Covid-19 situation, I think all of us could use some empathy.

This idle time has been tough on everyone, and the uncertain outlook has us all stressed. Rather than dwell

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on the negative, I keep reminding myself of what good has come from all of this. The extra time that we now have with family, friends and even pets, whether it’s at home, on the phone or computer, it is all so very precious. Maybe we can realize just how busy we all were before this crisis, and that if things get back to normal, we could make a lot more time to connect with the things we love.

It seems we have turned the corner with this “invisible enemy”, and hopefully, we can get on with the “new normal!”

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Local Rivers & Fly Fishing Guides

Contributed by James Bradley Orvis Endorsed Fly Fishing Guide www.ReelEmInGuideService.com (706) 273-0764 Today with much thought, I decided to write about guides and suicide. I know suicide reaches many more people than just guides. My thought is during this time, I know many of my friends are struggling with many problems due to the COVID-19. Many of us have been out of work since March 18th.

Suicide is defined as the act of intentionally causing one’s death1.

Some suicides are impulsive acts due to stress, such as from financial difficulties, relationship problems such as breakups or even bullying2. Most will agree that there are underlying issues of a mental form that are triggered by the above.

During 2015, suicides resulted in 828,000 global deaths3.

Guiding has very real stressors to our mental and physical wellbeing that many people are simply unaware of. Most people, if you ask them, think that guides have it made. As you read this article, whether a guide or general reader, remember all of your past guides, friends, and especially all of the families who have been traumatized due to the pandemic.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1 (800) 273-8255 Guiding carries its own unique challenges which have been exacerbated by the recent blows to the economy and public health. It is a challenging time for many and one that poses the possible feelings of uncertainty and the unmanageable abilities to perform their jobs. It is vital that we take care of ourselves and our fly-fishing community!

Risk Factors/Indicators of a Problem: Talking about suicide, either directly or more frequently, through indirect comments/using language such as “you would be better off without me” or “I don’t want to live any more”/increasingly, individuals in crisis might post a disturbing message on social media, such as “I’m checking out”/ engaging in risk-taking behavior where bodily harm could occur this behavior might include reckless driving or placing one’s self in other dangerous situations/increased anger, aggression, or irritability/se-

vere anxiety and restlessness/noteworthy changes in interaction with family and friends - specifically, the at-risk individual might push people away, or seem less interested in communicating with others/lack of sleep, especially if it persists for several days - additionally, a pattern of waking in middle of night without being able to return to sleep/rumination about problems - specifically, over-thinking about problems without being able to let go and get relief from disturbing thoughts/persistent feelings of hopelessness/refusing offers for help from others even though others can see something is wrong/increase in health concerns or perceived ailments such as stomach problems, headaches, loss of interest in food, chronic pain/ increased apathy – not caring about appearance, hygiene, loss of motivation, loss of interest in previously-enjoyed activities - this can also manifest as simply not caring about anything/situational stressors – financial concerns, loss of job, break up in relationship, other losses such as death in family, potential loss of freedom (i.e. going to jail), diagnosis of serious illness, feeling humiliated in front of others/increase in use of alcohol or other substances4.

Self-care and Protective Factors in Times of Stress: Eat healthy, exercise, get 8 hours of sleep per night, and take all medication as prescribed/focus on relationships with others and sense of responsibility for children, partners, family/identify an important immediate life goal to help with motivation/spend time with pets/focus on religious or spiritual beliefs/participate in

fellowship meetings as appropriate (Alcoholics Anonymous/Narcotics Anonymous)/avoid alcohol and drug use/identify a list of problems and prioritize/trying to fix everything at once is overwhelming/work on one thing at a time/seek professional treatment for depression, anxiety, substance use problems, or life stress/if you are feeling stuck, then getting an outside perspective can make all the difference/medications can at times help individuals think more clearly and help with problem solving5.

These are tough times and ones marked by isolation and uncertainty.

Remember that you are not alone. If ever there was a time for this community of guides, outfitters, and outdoorspeople to come together, it is now. There is no shame in being in desolation or having some of those thoughts that all of us probably have at one time or another. The shame lies in not telling someone or simply asking another for help. Be kind to yourselves, your peers, friends, colleagues, and even to your competitors. And know that this storm shall

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pass.

If you are a first timer wanting to learn to fly fish, we have several instructors who have been schooled in the art of teaching fly fishing. The best way to learn is to spend time with those of us who are professional full-time guides. If you are new to the area and do not know where to go, give us a call for info over the phone. If big water is intimidating to you or if the Toccoa River DH section is too rough for you to wade, we float the Toccoa with drift boats.

Give us a call. We’ll hook you up!

Reel Em In Guide Service is an Orvis Endorsed operation serving mainly in North Georgia’s Historic High-Country region. They have been offering their services to fly anglers since 2001. Permits have been granted for guiding in Georgia and North Carolina, offering over 6 miles of private trophy waters across Georgia and operating drift boat trips on the Chattahoochee and Toccoa Rivers in GA and the Tuckasegee River in NC Wikipedia – 1, 2, 3 Mark Besen, Ph.D – 4, 5

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Local lakes and forecast Lake MARTIN Provided By: David Hare Alex City Guide Service 256-401-3089 Water temperature: 70 + or -, lake level: 490.26 (full pool 491.00), clarity/clear.

Where do I start? What trying times we have seen and are still seeing when it comes to the Pandemic/ Covid 19. Our guide business along with thousands of other nonessential businesses came to a complete standstill April 03, 2020 due to a mandatory stay at home and 6 foot social distancing issued by Alabama Governor Kay Ivey.

The good news is our hope is by the time you are reading this, the mandate will be lifted and our business will resume charter trips im-

mediately. We have implemented some guidelines to keep our clients and our guides as safe as we possibly can during these times by limiting the number of clients per each boat, sanitizing each boat and all the fishing gear after each trip, keeping hand sanitizers on each boat, and we are very open to clients wearing personal protective gear (mask and gloves) if they so wish. Our prayers and thoughts have been with our clients and their families during these times.

Please continue to be safe and a BIG THANK YOU to the hundreds that have called, texted or emailed us to just say hello and check on us. We truly appreciate each and every one of you.

Now to fishing. April reported crappie to be some of the best trolling catches as Lake Martin has seen in a while. As I’m writing

this, most are reporting the crappie haven’t moved to the bank yet, but my predictions are when you read this report (May), that they are definitely on the banks and in your favorite brush piles .

Spring bass fishing is continuing to be awesome with most reporting big catches of spotted bass.

Seems like everyone that bass fishes has not had a problem catching a limit.

Stripers have been very unpredictable this spring. I contribute the tough bite to all the rain we had earlier in the year which kept water levels fluctuating continuously which in turn kept a lot of the better springtime areas muddy, or at least highly silty. However, we have caught some pretty big stripers lately including some weighing in above 36-pounds. I predict that May and early June is more than likely going to be the time that the 40-pounders are going to be landed.

Several techniques should be successful in May for stripers. Your best go-to baits are going to be live

shad and live blue back herring.

Local Lake Martin herring are legal to fish with now, however, they must be caught on Lake Martin and fished with without transporting them. In early May, try some of your favorite topwater lures at daylight, then toward the later part of May, you may want to start trolling for the deeper bite.

If you haven’t already rescheduled your charter trip with us, please do so ASAP so we can get you back out on the water to enjoy this great fishery that we have here on beautiful Lake Martin. Stay safe my friends and catch one for me.

GET HOOKED ON LAKE LANIER Lake Lanier is located at the foothills of the Appalachians and offers 38,000 acres of world class fishing, rowing, kayaking and outdoor fun!

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Local lakes and forecast Fishing Changing Water Levels

By Tim Danger ltdangar@tds.net

On Lake Allatoona, my home lake, changing water levels have been a learning experience this spring. Allatoona is one of the state’s flood control lakes, which means in a normal spring one can expect to start crappie fishing in March with the lake still down six or seven feet.

However, this spring has been everything but normal. We saw flood conditions in late February and early March change water levels from five feet low and back to full pool by the end of March. So what effect does that have on the fish? As we try to answer that question, we will find it has little effect on the fish but a greater effect on the fisherman.

As we know, springtime is when fish come into the shallows to spawn. The challenge we fisher-

man face is adjusting to where the shallows are on any given day on Lake Allatoona. Let’s face it, we all have our honey-holes on our home lakes. These are places we can count on catching fish year after year. The kicker for crappie is not only shallow water, but also a lot of structure.

When the water level fluctuates from five feet above full pool to five feet below full pool and back, the structure can be left high and dry or can no longer be in the desired shallow water.

So we started out this season fishing structure in three to four feet of water and caught fish. Within a week’s time, that honey-hole was left high and dry. Now the shallow water is still there, but the challenge is finding the new structure. Our best catch so far this year was eighty-one fish on March 30th with the lake at or slightly above full pool and honey-hole structure galore.

As we try to wrap this up, know

this: desired water temperature for crappie on Lake Allatoona to spawn is 59 to 63 degrees, desired location to fish is structure in three to four feet of water, and regardless of water level, and these principles will not change. Also, keep in mind that prespawn fish and post-spawn fish are an altogether different technique.

We will talk more about that next month. Until then, stay calm and fish on!

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Local lakes and forecast Lake SINCLAIR

Lake ALLATOONA Forecast By: Capt. Robert Eidson First Bite Guide Service 770-827-6282 eidson6260@att.net www.firstbiteguideservice.com Linesides: Awesome! The bite is wide open right now both up the river and on the main lake. Fishing just doesn’t get much better than it is right now.

Shiners, threadfins and small gizzard shad are all working well. Free lines early and down lines after the sun gets up is our best bite. The bite is good from the south end of the lake to the extreme north end of the river.

Grab the kids and get out there.

We are still open and have availability.

Please call me if you have any questions. Small businesses like myself could use your business.

Heron Outdoor Adventures Your Excellent Adventure Awaits

www.heronoutdooradventures.com FB: Heron Outdoor Adventures @heronoutdooradventures

Lake Allatoona Guide Service

Stripers, Hybrids, Spotted Bass, Crappie Nature Excursions, Instructional Trips

Bass fishing is good. Black buzzbaits in the morning and spinnerbaits in chartreuse and white are working well.

Capt. Joseph Martinelli

404-919-4918

Competitively priced full-day fishing charters for all levels of experience, equipment, bait, tackle and fish cleaning provided.

Fish from the most comfortable, safe and stable boat on the lake.

Little River Guide Service is a three boat operation targeting stripers and hybrid bass on Clarks Hill Lake.

Capt Tony Shepherd and Capt Rocky Fulmer.

(706) 210- 3474

Lake Sinclair is down 1.4 feet with the water stained and temperature in the 70s.

Bass fishing is good. Black buzzbaits in the morning and spinnerbaits in chartreuse and white are working well. A buzzbait in the grass early has also been producing.

Little Earl crankbaits and Rat-LTraps are other moving baits to try.

Docks and blowdowns fished with Ole Monster worms in June bug and

black emerald and a trick worm on a shaky head in the same colors are producing.

Also try a Senko in various colors or a weightless Trick worm in methiolate or bubblegum shallow. Use the Realis V-TailShad 3 and 4 inch for spinnerbaits, jigs, Alabama rigs and Ned rigs. A Carolina rig with a short leader and a lizard will be hard to beat. Look for hard sand and hard bottoms as the key to finding the beds. Fishing a buzzbait or spinnerbait is another tactic. If you get a bump or blow up that does not hook up, cast right back with a Senko or Trick worm and let it fall.

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Local lakes and forecast Jackson Lake

lake lanier striperS Forecast By: Steve Scott http://TeamLanier.wordpress.com/menu With the warm April weather, we’ll have some significantly better opportunities to catch stripers in May, especially off both points in the main river channel as well as in the very backs of the creeks. This affords us to use a multitude of fishing techniques like pitching herring to rocky or sandy banks; using planer boards with herring 30 to 50 feet from the board weighted and unweighted; and, if fishing the backs of the creeks, by using medium to large gizzard shad very close to the bank on a short leash with no weight.

If sunny, you could pull umbrella rigs off main lake points near C1, C3 and River Forks Island. Further south, most people usually pass by the Elvis dock which usually has less fishing pressure and is also good for umbrella rigs. LM 29 to LM 31 would be great for pulling planer boards with herring and shad. If your preference is topwater, you could hit the reef poles near deep banks with Zaras and Redfins if early in the day.

Tip of the month: Bring the stripers out of the trees or off the bottom with a billiard pool cue. Tapping continuously on the floor of your boat will fill your blank screen up with fish. The best way to start out striper fishing is to book a trip with a striper guide, Captain Tom Blackburn, 770365-7213. For more info, go to my website at TeamLanier.com - Steve Scott 404-273-3481.

By Brian Lee leebrian16 @yahoo.com Water temperature: mid 60’s - low 70’s, lake level: full, clarity: stained/clear.

May is a month that can dictate the remainder of the summer on Jackson for any fisherman. The spawn is winding down as the last wave of females take to the shallows and as others are retreating back to their favorite holes to feed up.

Any bait you decide to throw will catch bass this month on

The spawn is winding down as the last wave of females take to the shallows and as others are retreating back to their favorite holes to feed up.

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Jackson. Location is key. Bass will be feeding up because the spawn has taken a lot out of them.

Fry guarders will still be seen throughout this month. These bass are very quick to eat anything that comes anywhere close to these pods of fry. There will be bass in all stages of the spawn but mostly in the winding down stages, and summer hideouts become occupied for many bass. Depths of 1 foot to around 15 foot should be the ideal depth, but don’t forget to keep those deeper fish in mind because they may be there.

Best of luck this month and tight lines.

may 2020

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Local lakes and forecast May on Lake Lanier – Topwater Time Contributed By: Jim “Jimbo” Mathley www.jimboonlanier.com

Lake Lanier is arguably at its very best during the late spring and early summer due to the consistent availability of an aggressive topwater and swimbait bite during this time. This is an excellent opportunity for anglers to catch spotted bass and watch the action as wolf-packs of monster spotted bass chase your topwater plugs! In this month’s installment, you will learn the necessary tackle, equipment, locations and resources to catch topwater fish on Lanier.

Location: At the end of April and heading into May under normal weather conditions, most of the spotted bass on Lake Lanier are finishing the spawn and will begin aggressively feeding to recover from the spawning process.

After a short period of inactivity, the larger female spots will begin their migration from their spawning haunts (both in creeks as well as on the main lake) to key features at the mouths of the major creeks as well as main lake areas, and can be found on or around: long-running points, rocky shoals, and underwater humps/ islands throughout the lake. Locating these areas and the man-made cover that is often found on them will be important to your success. Trust your Lowrance HDS units to find these brush piles around the features mentioned above. Focus in the 20-25 foot depth range.

For topwater action, you should utilize either a medium or mediumheavy bait-casting or spin-casting outfit, rigged with 12 to 17-pound Seaguar monofilament line.

Monofilament fishing line floats, where as fluorocarbon line sinks, which makes either monofilament or braided line the best option for presenting topwater baits correctly.

As far as choosing a rig for fishing these topwater baits, consider the weight of the bait as your deciding factor. Lighter poppers and smaller walking baits are often better presented on spinning gear which allows for easier casting of smaller baits. For swimbaits, I like to present the larger, heavier, mechanical-type swimbaits on a heavy action rod that

is at least 7 feet long. My big swimbait rod is from G-Loomis and is a beef stick! It can handle the biggest of swimbaits or A-Rigs. As far as the many other soft and hard swimbait options, you can scale back to a medium-heavy rod if you prefer, but I definitely recommend keeping the length at 7 feet or more.

Lures and Presentation: Now that we have explored the location that the spots can be found in May as well as the tackle necessary to fish them, let’s examine some of the techniques and lures that can be used to catch these fish. Remember that even though we are discussing topwater and swimbait presentations in this article, when the females first come off the bed, they are lethargic, so the use of more subtle techniques such as a fluke or a Castleberry head and worm combo can be the ticket. As the postspawn period progresses, the fish will become much more active and aggressive as eating becomes a major part of their recovery process from the spawn. The fish at times will feed voraciously, and it is at these times that you should focus on fishing fastmoving baits such as the topwater and swimbait presentations we have focused on through the course of this article.

1. Topwater - Nothing beats being able to watch a fish crush your

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topwater bait! There are many choices of baits here – poppers, walkers, waking baits, etc. The preference of the fish will change day to day, so make sure to experiment daily to identify the mood of the fish as well as their preference in presentation.

Excellent topwater baits for Lake Lanier include: Lucky Craft Sammy, the Heddon Zara Spook, Pop-R, a Storm Chug-Bug, and a Cordell Redfin. All of these lures as well as all the G-Loomis rods and Shimano reels you will need to present them can be purchased at local tackle shops such as Hammond’s Fishing in Cumming, GA. 2. Swimbait – Swimbaits offer great versatility as they can, based

on the model, be fished at any depth you wish. Once the post-spawn has advanced, this becomes a great bait to throw around points and humps in both creeks and on the main lake.

Popular hard and soft swimbaits are made by a number of different tackle vendors, to include many local options. As far as the mechanical type swimbaits, I am a HUGE fan of the Sweet Herring Swimbait, especially the JR, made by Sweet Baits, a local vendor in the Lake Lanier area. In the soft bodied swimbaits, I prefer the Lanier Baits Swimmer and Keitech Swimbait offerings.

3. SuperSpin from SuperFish – When the topwater/swimbait bite is tough, pick up your SuperSpin and go to work. Fish the same areas you would normally present your topwater baits and experiment with different depths of the water column.

Also, work these lures over brush for big spots. Try a fluke, a Lanier Baits Swimmer or Keitech swimbait as a trailer.

I still have some dates available in June 2020 so call me to book a trip today and reserve your opportunity to come experience some of the best spotted bass topwater action in the country! See you on the water!

For more information or to book your trip, contact Jimbo on Lanier!

770-542-7764. Jimbo’s website: www. jimboonlanier.com.

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Local lakes and forecast Kim’s Kitchen

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Sauteed Crappie with Butter Sauce 8 3-ounce crappie fillets skin removed 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon salt 1/2 teaspoon white pepper 1 tablespoon garlic powder 5 tablespoons butter chilled 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/4 cup dry white wine 1 lemon, juice only 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves 8 slices tomato about 1/4-inch thick 1 avocado sliced into 8 thin slices INSTRUCTIONS Combine flour, salt, white pepper and garlic powder in a small bowl. Dust fish with flour mixture. Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter and the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add fish and brown on one side, about 3 – 4 minutes.

Flip fish over and cook for 2 more minutes. Remove fish and keep warm. Add wine and lemon juice and stir to loosen bits stuck to pan. Reduce liquid to just a few tablespoons. Stir in basil and remaining chilled butter, stirring until butter is melted. Remove from heat.

For each serving, arrange 1 slice of tomato on a plate. Top with 1 piece of fish and then avocado slices. Place tomato over avocado, then fish and then 2 mores slices avocado. Drizzle butter sauce over and serve.

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Contributed By: Jay Striker www.jaystriker.com Over the last few months, all of us have been through changes that are unprescedented in today’s modern history. Not In my wildest dream would I’ve predicted that we would be in the middle of a worldwide pandemic under shelter in place orders. I’m sure many of you think the same. When the epidemic started to get severe and bass fishing competitions got postponed, I made the decision that I’m not going to waste one minute and that now is the time.

Now is the time: The time to get out and start practicing to get better at my craft, work on those skills that need improving, and spending time getting my tackle boxes in order, ensuring that all the lures that are out of their place now have a home. Now is the time to work on my trailer, change the oils and fluids, ensuring that I don’t have a mechanical failure and to learn and develop new fishing skills and perfect the ones I know well. The time is now to learn to dial in those electronics, learn to use them in new ways that will give me an advantage over my competition. Now is the time to stay focused.

Now is the time: To get up and put in the work and do the things that you don’t want to do, the things that seem unnecessary, those things that make you stretch.

Getting out of your comfort zone and pushing yourself to higher limits is the key to expanding your potential to compete. No matter the sport, know that the great athletes are putting in the work that their competition is not. Don’t waste one second allowing the pandemic to stop you from working on your growth plan. Plan your work and work your plan.

Now is the time: To do all the

things needed to put yourself ahead of the competition. For me, I know that my colleagues and competetors are sharpening their skills and knowing that the next cast could be the difference in making the check line or not. So why do I pitch that 3/8-ounce practice plugs into that cup 30 feet away, from every angle I can? Not because I like standing in my back yard. Its because my competition is standing in their backyard doing the same thing.

Let me close by saying that I know we are living in different times and the world seems to be out of order. Many will find different ways to cope with the situation, and many will let it consume them.

I chose to work on the skills that bring me to a center space during the chaos; fishing. The world will get back to normal, and the competitions will begin again soon.

Do all you can do to get ready now because great athletes understand that when the lights come on, the National Anthem gets played, and the stage ready, the time for preparation is over. It’s time to compete, and its time to win. So let me encourage you by saying, “Now is the time.”

Thanks for taking the time to read the Angler Magazine and allowing me to take up some of your time. I hope you enjoyed it. Please follow me on Instagram at Jay Striker 52 and come check me out at www.jaystriker.com.

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Local lakes and forecast west point lake

Lanier Stripers Forecast by: Clay Cunningham www.catchingnotfishing.com 770-630-2673 Topwater time is here. It’s time for the surface explosions on Lanier.

Nothing is better than watching your Berkley Surge Shad wake across the surface and it vanish in a swirl as a striper engulfs it. Spool up a seven foot medium-action Abu Garcia Veritas spinning rod paired with a Penn 3000 Conflict with 12-pound Trilene Big Game line and you are ready for action.

Several baits will be needed for casting to the stripers. You will need a wake bait like the Berkley Surge Shad and a walking bait like the Berkley JWalker. Look for the bone color and the chrome black back color and you have the two primary colors in the J-Walker and Surge Shad. Twitch the J-Walker so it zig-zags across the surface. Once you catch one on a walking bait, you will be hooked on topwater stripers for life.

If the fish are wanting a subsurface lure, the Sebile Magic Swimmer is also a great bait. Cast these baits to

points and humps across the lake and be prepared for some explosive action. If you need a more subtle presentation, rig up a 3/8 Berkley Fusion swimbait head tipped with a white paddle tail.

Live herring on a freeline across these same points and humps will also be a great tactic. Spool up a Penn Fathom II Linecounter 15 series reel with 15-pound Trilene Big Game and a Shakespeare Striper Series rod and you are ready for live bait fishing. Be sure to pick up some Gamakatsu 2/0 Octopus hooks, some Trilene 100% Flourocarbon, and some Spro Power Swivels for your leaders, and you are all set.

Pull these freelines across these areas at about 1 mph. As the water temperature increases, do not be afraid to add a little weight to the freeline to get down a little deeper. As the water temperature increases, look for the fish to go deeper.

May should be great weather and great fishing. It is a great month to be on the water before the summer heat. See you on the water.

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Water temps are mostly in the 70s and low 80s. The lake is mostly clear and about two feet below our original full pool level of 635 +-.

Bass: Good - Largemouth are being caught on several different patterns. Topwater baits such as Pop R’s, Zara Spooks and buzzbaits can be extremely effective for shallow and aggressive fish, especially around bream beds. The second pattern that works really well is to look for spawning shad. Try fishing rip-rap around bridges with spinnerbaits, small crankbaits, and Zoom Super Flukes. Additionally, some big tournament sacks of largemouth are still being weighed in by guys who sight fish, targeting fish that are locked on bed. This can be an aggravating way to fish, but can pay off in a tournament win. Lots of spotted bass are caught by casting Spot Remover heads loaded with Shaky Tail worms or just dragging a Carolina-rigged Zoom finesse worm or mini lizard around sloping gravel banks. These tactics normally work very well for numbers.

Linesides: Excellent - Spawned out hybrids and stripers show back up down lake in May. Expect the down-line bite on live bait to be awesome! Some fish have started surface schooling on the main lake and can be caught on small crankbaits, topwaters, pop-n-cork rigs and Storm Swim Shad lures.

Crappie: Fair - Spawned out fish

will typically move out and hold on deeper brush and structure or under docks for a while to recover. Night fishing should also improve in May. Bream: Good - Don’t forget about our bream and shellcracker. Finding an active bed can take a little effort, but when you do, you can have a ball! Bedding usually takes place on the full moon cycles in May. Look for shallow cover in the backs of pockets.

Sandy flats and stump beds tend to draw the fish like a magnet. Use live pink worms, crickets and small jigs for the best results.

Catfish: Good - Lots of channel cats are being caught by the few anglers who target them. Live and cut baits (and worms of course) fished on bottom will catch cats all over the lake, as long as fairly deep water is nearby. Jug fishing is also fun and productive. To target flatheads, go to a larger bait like a 4-5 inch bream or large shiner and fish the same areas.

Be sure to increase the size of your rigs as fish in the 20 to 30-pound range are fairly common.

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Local lakes and forecast Georgia State Parks

by O’Neill Williams OK! School’s out plus restaurants, entertainment parks, theaters are likely closed, and Mom and Dad may be laid off, terminated or otherwise not working every day. That’s bad and unfortunate, but necessary for a while, so let’s take a close look at some entertainment and trips that you can easily substitute for the family. You may determine that these destinations are even better once you’ve given then a proper try.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ State Parks and Historic Sites are easily reached, very inexpensive and are loaded with opportunities for fishing, camping, hiking, scenic vistas, kayaking, canoeing, picnicking, outside grilling or simply sitting in the woods or along the stream or lake bank and doing nothing but listening to the wild critters and birds that live there. See www. gastateparks.org.

Let’s pick out a few of O’Neill’s favorites, spread out across Georgia that your family will find interesting and fun and are easily reached.

Let’s go to the center of the state to High Falls State Park. It’s named for the tumbling cascades on the Towaliga River. Boat rental, ramps and fishing docks provide easy access to the park’s lake, known as one of Georgia’s top fishing spots for hybrid and white bass. I’ve fished there many times with much success. Because of the high volume of water that passes through, the lake has good largemouth bass fishing throughout the hot summer months.

Overnight visitors can choose from a spacious campground or lakeside yurts. These yurts are like canvas and wood tents. Each yurt features a small deck, picnic table and grill outside, plus furniture, electrical outlets and a ceiling fan inside.

During summer, guests may cool off in the park’s swimming pool.

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You and the kids can hike along the river’s edge and through hilly forest to the remains of a hydroelectric power plant foundation. In the early 1800s, this area was a prosperous industrial town with several stores, a grist mill, cotton gin, blacksmith shop, shoe factory and hotel. High Falls fell from prosperity in the 1880s. Find more information at https://gastateparks.org/HighFalls.

Now, let’s head north on the western edge of Lookout Mountain to Cloudland Canyon State Park.

It is one of the largest and most scenic parks in the state. Home to thousand-foot deep canyons, sandstone cliffs, wild caves, waterfalls, cascading creeks, dense woodland and abundant wildlife, the park offers ample outdoor recreation opportunities. This is one of the parks where you hike, look, listen and slow down.

Hiking and mountain biking trails abound. Mountain biking is available at the newly developed Five Points Recreation Area and along the Cloudland Connector Trail.

The park also includes an 18-hole disc golf course, wild caves available for touring during select months of the year, a fishing pond, trails for horseback riding, picnicking grounds and numerous interpretive programs, especially on weekends.

Guests seeking an overnight experience can choose from fullyequipped and comfortable cottages, quirky yurts or several different types of camping and backpacking options. See https://gastateparks. org/CloudlandCanyon.

Fort Yargo State Park is close by, located between Atlanta and Athens in Winder. This popular park features a log fort built in 1792 by settlers for protection against Creek and Cherokee Indians. Today, visitors come to Fort Yargo for its wide variety of outdoor recreation and scenery. Overnight guests can choose from fully equipped cottages, adventure cabins or cozy campsites. For a more unique experience, visitors can reserve lakeside “glamping” yurts which are permanent canvas and wooden “tents.” Each yurt has furniture and electricity inside and a fire ring, picnic table and outside grill.

A 260-acre lake offers a large swimming beach, fishing and boat ramps. Mountain bikers and hikers can test their endurance on 20.5 miles of trails. The park’s wooded disc golf course is exceptionally challenging. Fort Yargo State Park is also a beautiful location for outdoor

weddings, reunions and other celebrations. Visitors have a choice of numerous facilities for all budgets, ranging from group shelters to lakeview pavilions. This is a day trip for most of the Atlanta population. https://gastateparks.org/FortYargo.

Although it’s closed right now, please put Stephen C. Foster State Park on your list to visit and experience North America’s largest black water swamp which is the primary entrance to the legendary Okefenokee Swamp. Spanish mosslaced trees reflect off the black swamp waters, while cypress trees rise upward from the glass-like surface.

Here, paddlers and photographers will enjoy breathtaking scenery and abundant wildlife. Alligators, turtles, raccoons, black bears, deer, ibis, herons, wood storks, red-cockaded woodpeckers and numerous other creatures make their homes in the 402,000-acre refuge. Stargazers will appreciate the particularly dark sky.

Same-day reservations are recommended for guided boat tours of the swamp (closed but will open soon). More adventurous visitors may wish to rent canoes, or kayaks for further exploration of the swamp.

Fishing in the lake is excellent, particularly for warmouth, bluegill, catfish, chain pickerel and bowfin.

Boating is dependent upon water levels.

Perhaps the most famous inhabitant of the Okefenokee Swamp is the American alligator.

Officials estimate that 12,000 live within the refuge. To safely view these creatures, visitors should admire them from a distance and keep hands and feet inside boats.

Here’s something extra special at Stephen C. Foster State Park.

It is a certified dark sky park by the International Dark Sky Association. Located in the middle of the Okefenokee Swamp, with minimal light pollution, guests can experience some of the darkest skies in the Southeast. Stand beneath a sky full of stars and see the Milky Way stretched out above you while watching for the occasional meteor streaking across the night sky. Try to plan your trip around a new moon or when the moon will not rise overnight for the best night sky viewing. https://gastateparks.org/ StephenCFoster.

Allow me one last comment please. Plan this for your family, not just you and your 70 mile per hour bass boat. That’s not a complaint just a recommendation. Your family will appreciate it.

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Local lakes and forecast lake SEMINOLE Forecast By:

by Capt. Paul Tyre paultyrefishing@yahoo.com

15544 Hwy, 515, Ellijay

bait. That’s when I pick up the swim jig. My preference is an Untamed Tackle Punisher swim jig 1/2 ounce in white. The reason I prefer this jig is it comes with a 5/0 Owner Jungle Flippin hook and has a quad keeper that holds the trailer so well no super glue is required and can be fished on either heavy braided or fluorocarbon line.

For a Lake Seminole Fishing Adventure this May for bass or shellcracker, email us at lakeseminolefishingadventures@gmail.com and follow us on Instagram and Facebook @lakeseminolefishingadventures.

The bass fishing on Lake Seminole was excellent in April! We had numerous days where we caught 20 to 30 bass a day and some as big as 10 plus pounds. As we enter into the month of May, the bass will be moving into their post-spawn areas and feeding up for the summer.

The shad spawn will be heating up in May and is a great way to catch bass. Spinnerbaits and swim jigs are an excellent choice to catch bass when fishing a shad spawn.

One of my favorite spinnerbaits is the 3/8 ounce Booyah Covert series with double willow leaf blades and a chartreuse and white skirt fished along the grass lines on the main lake. Remember to cover water quickly to find the shad. If you can find the bait, you will find the bass, and a spinnerbait is an effective way to cover water.

A swim jig is very effective as a Trevor Muirhead with his PB 10+ follow-up bait to the spinnerbait caught while out on a Lake Semiafter the bass slow to the spinner- nole Fishing Adventure

Lake Burton Forecast by: Capt. Wes Carlton Georgia Lake Fishing 770-318-9777 www.georgialakefishing.com Water temperature: 61 degrees, lake level: full pool, clarity: clear.

Bass: The largemouth bite has been really good over the last few days. We have been catching most of our fish on Spooks and plastic frogs in pockets. These fish have just come off the bed and are hungry. The midday bite has picked up on main lake points that have grass or structure.

This bite should continue over the next few weeks as we transition into a late spring worm bite.

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Trout: The brown trout bite has been sporadic lately. We have caught most of our trout on a gold or silver Blue Fox spinners. Keeping this bait moving fast seems to be the ticket.

Look for the brown bite to pick up in the next week or two.

Walleye: The walleye are moving back down the river and creek channels from the spawning grounds and are feeding early in the morning right now. Crawler harnesses and 4 inch herring jerkbaits have been producing a few fish lately. Look for the walleye bite to really turn on in the next week or so. The bite should transition into a bottom stand-up jig bite. Good luck!

The largemouth bite has been really good over the last few days.

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Local lakes and forecast Crappie Fishing Is My Therapy

Contributed By: Dan Saknini Lake Lanier is a little over 37,000 acres, with 692 miles of shoreline at full pool. For some fishermen, it can be quite intimidating to figure out how to fish a lake of this size. Certain parts of the lake on the south end are very deep – up to 160 feet. This is definitely not the best area to fish for crappie, or in general, most other species either. The comfort zone for crappie is generally 35 foot depths or shallower. The depth the fish are found is directly related to water temperature.

Lake Lanier is fed by two major rivers, the Chattahoochee and the Chestatee, and a myriad of creeks.

Fishing in the creeks that feed into the rivers offers the highest probability of finding crappie. Baitfish locations are the best indicator of crappie habitat. Crappie generally feed on threadfins and blueback herring.

The average lifespan of a crappie is five years. An average female will lay 5,500 eggs per season. Less than 5% of the eggs will hatch, and only a small number of hatchlings will survive the predators. That sounds bad, but it is Mother Nature at work.

Although there are predominantly two species of crappie (black crappie and white crappie), there is a third group called black-nose crappie. It looks like you took a sharpie and drew a line from the tip of its mouth to its dorsal fin. I caught two this year, and quickly took a picture and returned each to the water. They

are pretty rare in Lake Lanier.

The crappie population in Lanier is predominantly black crappie.

Our black crappie have variations in color. In the winter when they go deeper to escape the colder surface temps, they become much more pale.

However once you put them in your live well, they quickly regain much of their color. The same thing happens if you catch them in shallow, muddy water.

In spring, when the surface water temps reach the upper 50’s to mid-60’s, the female crappie begin to spawn. This does not happen all at once, but occurs over about a month, with some spawning earlier than others. The females will hit the spawning grounds in the backs of the creeks, lay their eggs and pull out. The males will fertilize and guard the eggs.

That’s when you see fishermen catching the dark black-purple crappie on the banks of the lake.

There’s an old myth that circulates that says “when the dogwoods bloom, it’s time to go crappie fishing!” Here at Lanier, when the daffodils are blooming, I have great luck with crappie fishing. But like any other species, fish have to eat, and if you know where to look, you can catch them all year long. I fish them ten months out of the year, with the exception of July and August when they go deeper into the natural timber of our lake.

If you’ve ever been to Bass Pro Shop and seen the fish swimming in the fish tank, you will notice most of the species roaming the tank, with the exception of the crappie, which are almost always in the corner hiding at the log.

That is the perfect example that CRAPPIE RELATE TO STRUCTURE. They will roam in pursuit of food, but always come back to the brush pile they call home.

Many homeowners choose to live on the lake because they enjoy fishing, and many will sink their Christmas trees under or near their docks. It is important to find those submerged trees or brush piles that have bait nearby. That is where you will likely find

crappie. In the winter months, some crappie will move away from docks to seek shelter in stand-alone brush piles. Your electronics play a key role in locating those brush piles.

Many fishermen prefer using live bait, which is very effective in spring, but I prefer using jigs. Bobby Garland soft body grubs and Jiffy Jig hair jigs are my “go-to” baits. If you are fishing stained or heavily stained water, always go to darker jigs.

Just like any other species, we go

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through a cycle where there is a setback in the overall crappie population. I’m happy to say that 2019 was an incredible year for crappie fishing on Lanier, and 2020 is starting off strong. Networking, time on the water and interaction with other crappie fisherman are the best ways to keep up with the latest fishing conditions. Lanier Crappie Angler’s Club is a great resource. See our club’s website at www.laniercrappieanglers. com

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Local lakes and forecast An Unusual Spring Angling Season Dr. Andrew Cox

The Covid 19 pandemic has made for an unusual spring fishing season. For a considerable part of March, and all of April, the pandemic has limited angler’s access to waterways in much of the United States. Georgia and Alabama declared emergencies and stay in place orders that may have limited your access to fishing waters though many fishing areas in these states were not locked out. When you read this article during the month of May, the remainder of the spring fishing season is unknown.

Though I did do some fishing over the spring months, I attempted to limit my interaction and presence around other people, practicing social distancing to the best of my ability. Though I did not entirely give up my angling pursuits, they were chan-

neled into different avenues, many of these not directly associated with access to the water or engaged in the practice of fishing.

I spent some of my time engaged in angling activities that I did not have time to complete during other years due to being on the water.

Some of these included reviewing YouTube instructional videos with an attempt to improve my angling skills. Some of these videos promoted practicing these skills in the yard or on the small pond that is located on my property. These videos included information to improve my fly casting, learning new fly casting techniques, reading water, and tips in locating fish.

As I also tie flies, I reviewed several YouTube videos to improve my existing fly tying skills and also

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an inventory of waters that I would like to fish when travel resumes; reading and studying about these waters; and making some plans as to when and where to travel to these locations.

The status of travel and general life in the United States for May and even into June, July, and August are unknown at this time. Our ability to continue access to our waterways is also unknown. However, this uncertainty does not mean that we have to give up angling pursuits.

There are plenty of angling related activities that you can engage in if the social distancing and shelter in place restrictions continue over future months. Hope each of you remain healthy and safe.

Author’s Note: Dr. Andrew Cox is a contributing writer to outdoor publications and newspapers. He is a member of the Georgia Outdoor Writer’s Association. He has been fishing the waters of Georgia, Alabama, and north Florida for over forty years. Dr. Cox financially supports his fishing habits as Professor Emeritus at Troy University, Phenix City, Alabama. He may be contacted at andrewtrout@aol.com.

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expand the repertoire of flies that I could tie. My pre-pandemic inventory of flies that I could tie was around ten to twelve flies. With two months of reviewing YouTube videos, I now have expanded my fly tying inventory to around twenty flies. I also have a library of fly tying books and spent time rereviewing these references.

Other angling activities that I engaged while sheltering in place included repairing old lures to include cleaning them, replacing hooks, etc. I find old lures in the water or on shorelines while fishing, putting them into a box with plans to repair them later. Unfortunately, much of the time I fail to get around to this lure repair. This time, I was able to spend time refurbishing these lures. Some are classic lures to include original Big O’s, Bagley B’s, original Rat-LTraps, and some may remember the Hellbender. They are like new lures with new hooks, some have new hardware, and cleaned up with toothpaste and a toothbrush.

Some other pandemic fishing activities was like compiling a fishing wish list. This included making

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Local lakes and forecast Lake Chatuge

Lake ALLATOONA Eric Welch Welch’s Guide Service www.welchsguideservice. com 706-455-2323

By Joseph Martinelli What a fantastic fishery we are able to enjoy here on Lake Allatoona.

Spring is in full swing and the hybrid and striper bite is phenomenal as expected. May always brings about big fish and wonderful schooling fish. The lake is teeming with activity from all species, and we aim to concentrate on targeting a select few while that fishing is prime.

Down-lining fresh threadfin shad is always a great method here on Allatoona for targeting the hybrids and stripers. We typically like to work these on an 8-pound fluorocarbon leader with size 2 or 1 octopus hooks running 4-6 feet behind a 1 to 1 ½-ounce weight on ml action trolling rods with line counter reels for depth control. Sure, you can use heavier and sometimes you will want lighter. If your fishing buddy is outcatching you 2:1 while using lighter line, consider adjusting accordingly, especially in clear water.

We are starting to see some topwater activity, and there is little out there more fun than catching the hybrids and stripers on topwater. There is a phenomena that all should have the opportunity to witness and fish amongst at least once in their lifetime; the boiling waters!

That’s when the hybrids and stripers (as well as white bass and spots) begin churning the water surface, sometimes even sending threadfin shad into the open air. If you are right in it, a kitchen spoon would work if you fashioned a hook to it. Ideally, we love to have a Flexi spoon or a good topwater artificial ready to cast. My heart beats faster in anticipation of it. Until next we meet, good old topwater boil.

The crappie fishing is good most of the year here on Lake Allatoona, and late spring is no exception. These fish have spawned out for the season, but you can still find them sitting on the brush piles in the coves and backs of creeks all warm weather seasons at full pool. We personally like to concentrate on the resident marina schools when the weather is ideal for such.

The spotted bass bite is on and popping! These critters are eating all kinds of presentations from live shad and shiners to finesse worms and spinnerbaits. They are hot on the banks and a straightforward presentation of anything appearing to fall down the ledge is fair game right now. When in doubt, try a minnow on a hook with a small split shot. Locate and then don’t stop using the minnows if they are working! We wish you the warmest of springtime greetings. If you are in this neck of the woods, we would love for you to give us a call and set up your own personal Adventure with us.

Let’s go fishing, friends!

Water temperature: 61-63 degrees, lake level: 1.5 feet below full pool, clarity: clear.

The lake is almost at full pool and water temps are warming up. We’ve been catching some largemouth on beds, and the spotted bass are locked down bedding on long rocky flats and points. My baits of choice for the spotted bass bedding areas you can’t see are a Strike King 3.75 Rage Swimmer, Shaky Head and ZMan Ned Rig. For largemouth on bed, I will pitch a 3.5� tube, swimbait and a white Strike King craw.

Most of the spawn swill be over by the end of April, and the fish will start moving their fry back around brush and docks. Good bait to use at this time is a trick worm or a fluke. After a couple weeks, the fish will start gorging trying to get their

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weight back on they lost during the spawn, Topwater baits like Pop R’s and a Sexy Dawg Jr are good baits to try.

Once they move back out to their summer patterns, it’s time to start throwing the drop-shot and shaky head around brush, docks and points.

On windy days, I’m going to throw a 3/8 ounce spinnerbait in white.

Maybe everything will get back to normal and all our ramps will open back up. We guide on 8 different lakes, so if you’re looking for some great fishing, give Welch’s Guide Service a call. We’re your #1 guide service, and we’ve been doing this since 2001. Good luck.

may 2020

ATLANTA 27

4/21/20 5:33 PM

Local lakes and forecast Lake Eufaula

By Capt Sam Williams hawk184@earthlink.net 334-687-6266 Water temperature: upper 60’s – low 70’s, lake level: 189.48 msl, clarity: heavy stain.

The recent storms have dirtied up the water a little more and the winds have left more debris floating in the river. Be aware of where you are running your boat as some of the logs are just under the surface. These cold spells and fronts are going to have the fish spooky again. We never know what the weather has in store for us until after Easter here in the South. Hopefully it will begin to settle down and the fishing will become more consistent.

The bass are still trying to work the shallows. If you see bait or bird activity, work these areas out with different baits until you get a strike.

Try to match the bait with like lures and size. The fish will need to be finessed, so be patient. If the area is still really muddy, choose noisy lures like buzzbaits, spinnerbaits over the top or chatterbaits ripped on the edges. The deeper fish are still hitting crankbaits and Carolina rigs with big soft plastics.

Crappie are hitting minnows on the ledges in the creeks, so work these areas slowly. They are scattered right now. Try the grass edges as well, as you will find them in these areas too.

Cats are also in the creeks and are doing well on the jugs baited

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Nicole Norman and Tamika Craig with a nice mess of cats and crappie fishing with Capt Sam Williams. with cut bait. Some are also in the grass edges and hitting.

We are still planning on our scheduled dates for the Scott Woodruff Heart Transplant Tournament May 23 and the Alabama Children’s Classic Bass Tournament June 13. Please watch our website and newsletters to keep abreast of our latest updates. We pray all this confusion will be over by then. Sign up for our newsletter at www.alabamachildrensclassic.org.

Enjoy an outing on the lake with your family. It’s a good way to get out of the house and provide some great food for your table. Enjoy what God has provided for us. Be safe and pray for our doctors and nurses as they stand on the front lines to protect us from this virus.

Pray for our leaders as well.

God Bless and good fishing.

TM

y ualit atters!

Q e M r WheSTEEL 28 ATLANTA

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may 2020

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Local lakes and forecast carters lakE 3 mph, you can really start to cover areas of the lake pretty quickly.

The spot bite has been downright ridiculous at times. Some mornings, the bite is solid for hours.

We are pitching live baits on light line into 15 feet of water and letting the baits take off on slack line.

It doesn’t take long if fish are there.

Keep moving and hitting different areas as the sun rises.

Walleye are heading back to main lake points and timber to feed. Low light situations are always better, and that’s been true as of recent weeks. I like 10-pound line, #1 hooks and a small split shot with medium size live baits. Cast the baits over the fish and let them sink down.

Not all the walleye are on the bottom. A lot of fish are suspended quite a bit off the bottom, as much as 6 to 10 feet sometimes. So if you’re fishing downlines on the bottom, they will never see it. Bigger fish have been at 16 to 24 feet and moving up shallower at night.

As far as baits go, I only fish fresh caught bait. The alewife and threads are super thick this year. A Hydro Glow light and a Humpback cast net and you’re on your way to fresh bait.

Forecast By: Eric Crowley Lake & Stream Guide Service (706) 669-4973

lakeandstreamguideservice@gmail.com

Water temperature: 65 degrees, lake level: full, clarity: 6 feet.

The spring bite has been great the few times we have been out.

We’re looking forward to being back on the water this month with things hopefully getting a little more normal.

Stripers have been in a great spring pattern eating big baits early up high in the water column. Fishing around halfway back in most of the creeks has been productive in the 15 to 35 foot range. If you’re marking fish and not getting bit, simply try stopping the boat and letting the baits swim freely. This has produced on more than one occasion in the past few weeks. All the typical areas like Worley, Fisher and Woodring all have roaming small schools of fish. Most seem to be in schools of 6 or less.

If live bait isn’t your thing, the Capt Mack U--rigs will almost always draw the attention of a few fish on this lake. Adjust color for the day and start covering water. At

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by Capt Tony Shepherd and Capt Rocky Fulmer Little River Guide Service lrguideservice@gmail.com (706) 210-3474 May is always a transition month and the bite can be excellent. The beginning of the month will be dominated by the tail end of the blueback herring spawn. You can expect to catch multiple species early and often on shallow clay points, shoal markers and shallow blow throughs between islands. Present a live herring in 3 to 5 feet of water and hold on.

As we transition to the later part of the month, spawning activities have ended for

most species except catfish. The herring and hybrids will gather around the most comfortable water zone they can find. They can be as shallow as 12 feet out to 40 feet and are best targeted by fishing down-rods or cut bait on the bottom. Fishing will be fast and furious and will provide lots of action and smiles.

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may 2020

ATLANTA 29

4/21/20 5:33 PM

Local lakes and forecast

Capt. Bill Wheeler (706) 914-9859 roadmap to fishing (706) 444-6365 success Capt. Bill Wheeler (706) 914-9859 • (706) 4

By Capt. Cefus McRae Nuts & Bolts Fishing Series

The other day, Buck the Wonder Dog told me he wanted to do a little fishing, so we loaded up the boat and headed out to chase down a few stripers. I knew the general area where I wanted to start trolling, so I really didn’t pay a lot of attention to my chartplotter on the way there.

Instead, we just enjoyed the sunrise and the brisk ride about four miles up the lake.

My Simrad was set to display DownScan full screen, and when we arrived in the vicinity, I switched over to my multi-window view which shows Down Scan, Side Scan and the chart. Oops! No chart chip!

I had removed it a few days earlier to download some screen captures and forgot to put it back.

I still had all my waypoints, but I was just looking at the ‘base map’ on the screen with no contours, no creek channels, navigation aids, etc.

Nevertheless, we fished over several of my favorite marks (I name most of my good waypoints so I can easily see which ones are the ‘go-to’ spots), and caught some nice fish.

When I got back home, I dropped in my chart chip to note exactly where we had been catching fish. Interestingly, those spots were very close to creek channels and the convergence of creek channels. I’ve known those places are usually likely spots for fish, but it became even clearer to me just how important understanding bottom features are to a productive day on the water.

I’m convinced game fish, both fresh and salt, use underwater channels, ledges, and other distinctive features as highways and travel routes, much the same way that offshore pelagics use currents and water temperature to guide them on their migratory paths each season.

Once I saw the overlay of my waypoints on the chart, it was eyeopening. I even scrolled around to

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other fishy spots on the lake, and the vast majority were either right on top, or very close to, these kinds of features. I know this may seem quite elementary to a lot of anglers out there, but for me, it was a reminder of the significance of underwater highways.

It also lends some insight on how to fish a body of water for the first time. Get the chart, either digitally on your electronics, or a paper chart of the area. Plan out your stops for the day and make your initial stops at the aforementioned places. You’ll be pleasantly surprised, just like me, how helpful an underwater roadmap can be to catching more fish.

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Local lakes and forecast FISHING and the Covid -19

By Gary Turner

As I sit here on the couch, I am wishing I was in West Palm Beach fishing with Jimmy Dean or in Santee with Dewayne Profitt and not quarantined at home. We had trips planned for months, but as the outbreak progressed, I knew those were going to be postponed.

My solution to not being able to go was to hit local spots. Well, that sounded great until I got over to my favorite park in Jackson County and the park was closed.

I called a friend with a private pond, and he said to come on over and fish all we wanted. We caught some nice crappie, bream and bass but no catfish, which is unusual.

Like Eric Crowley likes to say, I’m a catfish magnet, because no matter what we are fishing for, a catfish usually shows up.

My daughter, Tori, said “Well, that was real fun. What other lake can we fish?” The next day, I called

another friend and asked if we could come fishing on Friday. He said sure, help yourself and have a good time. Thursday night a front pushed through and we dropped into the high 30s, and I thought oh no, not another front fishing trip.

My experience fishing right after fronts has not been spectacular, but we loaded up and went anyway.

We arrived to a cool spring breeze. I rigged up some Zebco 33 micros, and we were all catching bream, so I got out an 808 on a Bottom Dwellers rod and put a bream out 5 feet deep on an 8/0 circle hook with a 3 inch float. It wasn’t long before I saw the bobber dancing then disappear. The five pound channel cat wasn’t much of a match for the rig I had, so I cranked him up to the bank and released him.

A few minutes later Dedra,

fishing with a micro 33’s, set the hook on what she thought was a bream. When she set the hook, it took off with the little reel squealing loudly. After tiring out the channel cat for about 15 minutes, she pulled it to the bank. Just as she said she wanted a picture, I released it.

She put another red wiggler out and in a few minutes the line took off again. The fish was peeling line off the little reel, so I told her to let it run because this fish seemed big-

ger, and we were using long shank bream hooks. As it turned in the water, we could see the flash. It looked really big, and the light belly of the fish looked like it was possibly a 10 or 12 pound cat.

As it wore down and she gained a little ground, I got a better look at it. I said that is an albino cat. Sure enough, after several more passes, it got close enough I could pull it to the bank. This was one pretty albino channel cat. I went to pick it up and it bit down hard on my thumbnail. I tried again and this time he tried to chew off my thumb, but I had him.

We snapped a couple of quick pics and released it back. Another day of fun pond fishing went in the books.

I hope you all stay well and we are out of this quarantine and Covid-19 mess soon. Stay safe.

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Cydney and Carter Cunningham with a pair of Lanier stripers caught onboard Catching Not Fishing.

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Bryant Nicholson age 8 caught this big flat head in the Oostanaula River weighing in at 22 lbs. Courtesy of Gone Fishing Guide Service.

Cole Frame, an up and coming member of the North GA Crappie Anglers, with his first crappie caught with grandfather Steve Nichols..

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Polly Williams with a nice Eufaula bass.

Marco and Tamika Craig with some nice crappie caught on Lake Eufaula with Capt Sam Williams.

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Max Selke and his dad Matt had a great day crappie fishing on Oconee with Jody Stephens of Crappie Daze Guide Service..

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ith grouper seasons opening in federal waters and Gulf red snapper fishing not too far away, now is a good time to start tinkering with a jigging technique that’s created a bit of a buzz in the charter industry.

Slow pitch jigging has been around for well over a decade, but its effectiveness in U.S. waters is only now being realized. As more captains adopt and adapt the technique to different species and conditions, it has gained traction as a proven fish-catcher. In the Gulf of Mexico as well as in the Atlantic from South Florida, through the Carolinas and up into the Northeast, it’s being used to catch anything that eats crippled baitfish.

Groupers and snappers, amberjack, mackerel and tuna, they’ll all take jigs slow pitched over hard bottom, and so will rockfish and cod.

The technique evolved in Japan and was popularized in a series of Japanese-language videos by Norihiro Sato. Sato promoted it as a way to catch fish even when they’re not actively feeding. With conventional jigging techniques, the idea is to rip a lure off the bottom and let it flutter down, enticing reaction strikes from aggressive gamefish. Slow pitch is slower, more seductive, a finesse tactic to present what looks like an easy meal.

Anyone who has ever fished a jig knows the bite almost always comes on the fall. The idea behind slow pitch is to maximize the time a jig spends in freefall. With specialized gear and a cadenced technique, the jig remains in the strike zone and presents both vertical and horizontal action. A slow pitch jig is supposed to dance like an injured baitfish struggling to stay off the bottom.

The technique requires a specialized rod. Slow pitch rods look like buggy whips when compared to conventional short and beefy jigging rods.

They are 6 to 7 feet long with a slow action. With a quarter or half turn of the reel, the weight of the jig loads the rod, and as the rod straightens the jig accelerates smoothly upward before hesitating and kicking to the side.

The angler then begins the process again, with a rhythm that keeps the jig moving.

By varying rod action and cadence, the angler can impart varied presentations. All of them are physically easier than the grueling labor of conventional deep jigging with heavy tackle.

The drawback to the technique—which might be attractive to folks who love shopping for new gear— is you’ll need a whole new arsenal. The rods are thin and designed to bend evenly from handle to tip. The reels are small but geared-up to take the brunt of the fight off that bendy rod. The jigs are specially shaped and weighted to impart the right action. You’ll even need new spools of braid and new terminal tackle.

Like any new technique, slow pitch jigging requires some research and practice to execute effectively. Take some time to figure it out, and you’ll be showing wary fish something they’ve likely never seen before.

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Some Thoughts On

Crappie

C-HAWK 23 CUSTOM

By Dan Saknini

T

he comfort zone for crappie is generally 35 feet or shallower. The depth fish are found is directly related to water temperature. Baitfish location is the best indicator of crappie habitat. Where I do most of my fishing, crappie generally feed on threadfins and blueback herring.

The average lifespan of a crappie is five years. An average female will lay 5,500 eggs per season. Less than 5 percent of the eggs will hatch, and only a small number of hatchlings survive predators. That sounds bad, but it is Mother Nature at work.

There are two species of crappie, black crappie and white crappie. It’s pretty rare where I fish most, on Georgia’s Lake Lanier, but there is also a group called blacknose crappie. These are black crappie with a naturally occurring genetic variance that gives them unique markings. They look like you took a black Sharpie and drew a line from the tip of the mouth to the dorsal fin. I caught two this year.

Black crappie have variations in color. In the winter, when they go deeper to escape the colder surface temps, they become much more pale. However, once you put them in your livewell, they quickly regain much of their color.

The same thing happens if you catch them in shallow, muddy water.

In spring, when surface temps reach the upper 50s to mid-60s, female crappie begin to spawn. This does not happen all at once, but over about a month, with some spawning earlier than others. Females hit spawning grounds in the backs of the creeks, lay their eggs and pull out. Males fertilize and guard the eggs. That’s when you see fishermen catching dark black-purple crappie on the banks.

There’s an old Southern myth that “when the dogwoods bloom, it’s time to go crappie fishing.” I actually have my best luck when the daffodils are blooming, which can precede dogwoods by a month. But like any other species, fish have to eat. If you know where to look, you can catch them all year long.

If you’ve ever been to Bass Pro and seen the fish tank, you’ll notice most of the species roam the tank, with the exception of the crappie, which are almost always in the corner hiding by a log. That is the perfect example of how crappie relate to structure. They roam in pursuit of food, but always come back to the brushpile they call home.

Many homeowners live on lakes because they enjoy fishing, and many sink Christmas trees under or near their docks. It is important to find those submerged trees or brushpiles that have bait nearby. That is where you will find crappie. In winter, some crappie move from docks to seek shelter in standalone brushpiles. Electronics play a key role in locating those brushpiles.

Many fishermen prefer live bait, which is very effective in spring, but I prefer jigs. Bobby Garland soft-body grubs and Jiffy Jig hair jigs are my “go-to” baits. If you are fishing stained water, always go to darker jigs.

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H

ow’s this for the proverbial bad apple?

In a time when lawabiding anglers are saddled with strict regulations in attempts to bolster flagging Atlantic striped bass populations, a pair of yahoos were recently caught in New Jersey with 66 undersized rockfish.

The two men face a variety of charges after being caught by New Jersey conservation officers when they returned to a private Atlantic City dock on March 30. They had been night fishing, and drew attention to themselves by “running their vessel at high rates of speed from various fishing locations under the cover of darkness and fog without any navigation lights,” according to a press release.

The harvest allowance at the time was one fish with a 28- to 43-inch slot limit and one fish longer than 43 inches per person. On the boat, the officers found 66 stripers between 13- and 24-inches.

The men face a penalty of $100 per fish, or potentially $12,800 for each angler. They were also charged with unsafe operation of a vessel, operating a power vessel without valid registration and failing to have appropriate vessel safety gear.

Authorities seized the anglers’ fishing gear for evidence and will seek forfeiture due to the severity of the violations, the release said. The seized fish were given to the Atlantic City Recuse Mission.

The current recreational limit is one fish per day, within the 28- to 38inch slot.

COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THEANGLERMAG.COM

IT’S DRY FLY TIME On North Carolina’s

TUCKASEGEE

T

By Nick Carter

he delayed harvest sections of the Tuckasegee River, at Sylva and Bryson City, N.C., are some of the most famous trout fisheries in the Southeast. With regular stockings and catch-and-release regulations through the cool months, the Tuck holds incredible numbers of healthy rainbow, brown and brook trout.

Because it fishes so well, it sees a ton of fishing pressure, but Shannon Messer, of Tuckaseegee Fly Shop, has noticed an interesting pattern from the anglers.

“In April and May, almost every day from about 5 p.m. until dark, fish are rising all over the river. Most people miss the best part of it because they’re off getting a burger and a beer,” he said.

“For people who want to experience dry fly fishing and casting to rising fish, that’s the place to be and

the time to be there.”

The Tuckasegee is a tailwater, wide and flat, with bedrock ledges and shoals that channel water into obvious holding water. The caddis hatches can be huge, and trout line up in lanes to feed on the surface. Casting to individual rising fish is a challenge dry fly anglers relish on the Tuck.

Early spring brings on enormous black caddis hatches, which give way to tan and then olive caddis as the season progresses. Messer likes a beefy Corn Fed Caddis or a simple Elk Hair Caddis in sizes 12 to 16 to match what he sees on the river. There will also be mayflies and midges mixed in, so a double dry fly rig is a good idea.

Try trailing a Blue Dun, size 14 or 16, or a size 18 Griffith’s Gnat behind the caddis.

One thing about having so many bugs on

the water is fish become finicky. The trick is to make them choose your fly over all the real ones.

Good presentation is paramount, and Messer recommends long 9- to 12-foot leaders to cut down on micro drag that leads to refusals. Another trick if you notice your caddis being snubbed is to trim the hackle so it floats lower in the water.

For information, see Tuckaseegee Fly Shop’s website at www.tuckflyshop.com, call (828) 4883333 or e-mail info@tuckflyshop.com.

For maps, GPS coordinates and tactics for the Tuckasegee and all of the area’s best trout waters, get a copy of Nick Carter’s book “Flyfisher’s Guide to North Carolina & Georgia.” It’s available on Amazon, and autographed copies are available by emailing the author at nsc8957@gmail.com.

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MAY 2020

NATIONAL 19

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S

everal weeks ago, my 6-year-old son asked me to take him fishing. To say I was excited was an understatement, since he typically doesn’t ask to go. Now the pressure was on for me to make sure this was more of a catching trip than a fishing one.

His request piqued my curiosity as to why he had the sudden interest, so I ask him.

His response: “I want to catch a redfish and have my picture in a magazine!” Ok, now the pressure just went off the chart! Not only do I need to make this a great catching day, but we have a specific fish and a great photo to capture.

The day began at 3 a.m., and we made the three and half-hour drive to one of my favorite redfish spots. We were on the backside of a full moon, so I knew I had my work cut out for me. We made two quick stops to pick up some fresh dead shrimp and some donuts, and then launched the kayak.

My son was extremely excited and full of questions, which I was pleased to answer. The 30-minute kayak ride felt like hours for my little man, and he wanted to cast a line.

When we finally arrived, the tide was higher than I had anticipated. This area doesn’t generally produce well under these conditions, but we were already there and needed to figure it out. The plan was to bait him up for pan fish, while I get my fish fix with lures. As soon as his cork settled, he was hooked up! He had nonstop action on a variety of fish, but no reds. My rod stayed in the holder because I was busy being the happiest deckhand around.

He had his heart set on catching a big red and started to ask where they were.

We drifted to a shallow bar where the reds typically hang out. We switched to a larger hook and shrimp while we drifted. We fished the bar from different angles, moved to an area with wind-driven current between two small patches of land, and to the area where his older brother smoked the reds on our previous trip. Nothing! At this point, I was contemplating heading home. However, he was determined to stay until he caught a red, so we fished on!

We started to fish our way back to the truck and the wind drifted us to an island that I’ve wanted to try but just never have. Since we already used all of the shrimp, I decided to make long cast with a soft plastic rattling tail swimbait and then hand my reel to my son to work the lure back on a steady retrieve.

BAM! Redfish on! The look on his face when that red hit was priceless! He ended up catching two reds before we headed home. Mission accomplished!

Capt. Michael Okruhlik is the inventor of Knockin Tail Lures, Controlled Descent Lures, and the owner of www.MyCoastOutdoors.com.

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Compare to Ryobi BD4601G $149

Item 5154 64778/97181 shown

Use Online & In-Store

* 54050673* 54050673

LIMIT 2 - Coupon valid through 7/3/20*

At Harbor Freight Tools, the “Compare to” price means that the specified comparison, which is an item with the same or similar function, was advertised for sale at or above the “Compare to” price by another national retailer in the U.S. within the past 90 days. Prices advertised by others may vary by location. No other meaning of “Compare to” should be implied. For more information, go to HarborFreight.com or see store associate.

4/15/20 5:49 PM

1782-20C Coastal Angler.indd 1

4/2/20 11:10 AM

Flip Flip Hooray!

A perfect symbol of fun in the sun for only $79

H

ere’s a memorable beach moment: You’re basking in the warm sun, toes in the sand, letting the gentle turn of the foam-capped waves lull you into a state of complete relaxation.

As your eyes scan the endless horizon of blue on blue, you’re rewarded with a school of dolphins making their way across the sea. There’s no denying their signature shape as they leap from the water. If you don’t see anything else extraordinary the rest of day, you can take solace knowing you’ve witnessed one of nature’s most playful and intelligent creatures in their natural habitat.

Why not recreate that special toes-in-the-sand moment with our Blue Topaz Dolphin Pendant? The beloved sea mammal has been captured mid-jump in sterling silver. And, tucked into its fins is a full two carats of shimmering blue topaz.

Nothing captures the shimmering color of the ocean in the midday sun like blue topaz. With its sparkling clear blue color and high refractive index, blue topaz is one of the top-selling blue gemstones. And with our special price, you have quite the catch.

Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back. Enjoy the Blue Topaz Dolphin Pendant for 30 days. If it doesn’t pass the test swimmingly, send it back for a full refund of the item price.

A full two carats of shimmering blue topaz set in sterling silver

Limited Reserves. A full two carats of genuine blue topaz set in sterling silver for this price is as rare as a dolphin sighting. We cannot guarantee availability for long. Call today!

Limited to the first 1900 responders to this ad only!

To show exquisite details, pendant shown is not exact size.

Chain sold separately.

“Enormously popular, significantly intelligent and scientifically sophisticated, dolphins are amidst the most beloved animals among people.”

— Dolphins-World

Blue Topaz Dolphin Pendant non-offer code price $395 † Offer Code Price Only $79 + S&P Save $316!

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You must use the insider offer code to get our special price.

“This sterling silver dolphin is absolutely beautiful and the blue topaz is like the color of the ocean”

— Vivian, Cabool, MO

† Special price only for customers using the offer code versus the price on Stauer.com without your offer code.

Stauer

1-800-333-2045

Your Insider Offer Code: DPP279-01 Please use this code when you order to receive your discount.

® 14101 Southcross Drive W., Ste 155, Dept. DPP279-01, Burnsville, Minnesota 55337

www.stauer.com

Rating of A+

• 2 ctw blue topaz; ½ ctw Ultimate Diamond Alternative®, DiamondAura® • .925 sterling silver setting • Sterling silver chain sold separately

Stauer… Afford the Extraordinary.®

You didn’t see it coming.

Neither did the fish.

Discover the unique FISH PRO™.

The world’s first personal watercraft designed for fishing will bring you closer to the action for an experience like never before.

Discover yours at Sea-Doo.com

®

© 2020 Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. (BRP). All rights reserved. , TM and the BRP logo are trademarks of BRP or its affiliates. In the U.S.A., products are distributed by BRP US Inc. Carefully read the operator’s guide and safety instructions. Observe applicable laws and regulations. Always wear appropriate protective clothing, including a personal flotation device and wetsuit bottoms.

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3/25/20 8:32 AM