The Angler Magazine - October / Greater Atlanta

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GREATER ATLANTA AREA EDITION

Fall Fishing

Froggin' Up Bass

Brown Trout

On The Move

Local

Fishing Reports Catch Photos News & Events VOLUME 23 • ISSUE 284

F R A N C H I S E

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EDITOR IN CHIEF : Ben Martin • camads@coastalanglermagazine.com COO : Tracy Patterson • tracy@coastalanglermagazine.com ART DIRECTOR : Rebecca Snowden • graphics@coastalanglermagazine.com EDITORIAL COORDINATOR : Nick Carter • editorial@coastalanglermagazine.com WEBMASTER : Nick Barna • webmaster@coastalanglermagazine.comw ADVERTISING INQUIRIES: Corporate Headquarters info@coastalanglermagazine.com • 888-800-9794

FRANCHISE DIRECTORY FLORIDA BIG BEND : Mike McNamara • (850) 510-7919 • captmike@coastalanglermagazine.com BREVARD : Chris Milner • (321) 631-1001 • cmilner@coastalanglermagazine.com DAYTONA/NEW SMYRNA/DELAND : Amy Chibbaro • (386) 478-3812 • achibbaro@coastalanglermagazine.com

Chris Chibbaro • (386) 478-9234 • cchibbaro@coastalanglermagazine.com

FLORIDA KEYS : Cliff Lumpkin • (305) 849-9093 • cliff@coastalanglermagazine.com FORT LAUDERDALE : Gene Dyer • (954) 680-3900 • gene@coastalanglermagazine.com FORT MYERS : Nadeen Welch • (239) 595-8265 • nwelch@coastalanglermagazine.com GREATER ORLANDO : Phillip & Giselle Wolf • (407) 790-9515 • phillip@coastalanglermagazine.com GREATER MIAMI : Gene Dyer • (954) 680-3900 • gene@coastalanglermagazine.com LAKELAND & SUMTER : Mary Brasher • (352) 598-4219 • maryf@coastalanglermagazine.com NAPLES : Nadeen Welch • (239) 595-8265 • nwelch@coastalanglermagazine.com NC FLORIDA/NATURE COAST : Cary & Lynn Crutchfield • (352) 372-4237 • crutch@coastalanglermagazine.com NE FLORIDA : Danny Patrick • (904) 742-4696 • danny@coastalanglermagazine.com PANAMA CITY/DESTIN/FORGOTTEN COAST : Randy Cnota • (229) 834-7880 • randyc@coastalanglermagazine.com PALM BEACH COUNTY : Barbara Ryan • (561) 373-8040 • barbara@coastalanglermagazine.com SARASOTA : Phil Prevoir • (239) 257-4684 • pprevoir@coastalanglermagazine.com TAMPA BAY : Chuck Atkins • (239) 464-5153 • chuck@coastalanglermagazine.com TREASURE COAST : Misti & Gary Guertin • (772) 285-6850 • treasurecoast@coastalanglermagazine.com

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SOUTHEAST ATLANTA : Bob & Brenda Rice • (706) 614-8231 • bobr@theanglermagazine.com CHARLESTON : Sam Buckareff • (843) 607-8629 • sam@coastalanglermagazine.com CHARLOTTE/PIEDMONT : Doug Simmons • (704) 361-6189 • simmons@theanglermagazine.com

Juli Simmons • (980) 333-7273 • simmons@theanglermagazine.com

COLUMBIA/MIDLANDS : John Lux • (803) 807-6885 • jlux@theanglermagazine.com MYRTLE BEACH : Mike Masiero • (732) 674-3019 • mmasiero@coastalanglermagazine.com TIDEWATER/OUTER BANKS : Brenda Riggs • (757) 409-7518 • brenda@coastalanglermagazine.com

Mike Riggs • (757) 681-5001 • mriggs@coastalanglermagazine.com

WESTERN NC : Debra & Joe Woody • (828) 775-9663 • woody@theanglermagazine.com

NORTHEAST BOSTON : George Regan • (617) 488-2842 • boston@coastalanglermagazine.com LONG ISLAND : Lisa & Michael Danforth • (203) 321-7635 • lisad@coastalanglermagazine.com CONNECTICUT/RHODE ISLAND : Lisa & Michael Danforth • (203) 321-7635 lisad@coastalanglermagazine.com

GULF COAST MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST : Adam Nelson • (228) 627-5903 • anelson@coastalanglermagazine.com

Toby Nelson • (228) 623-1761 • tnelson@coastalanglermagazine.com

ALABAMA/PENSACOLA : Paul Caruso • (239) 980-7738 • paul@coastalanglermagazine.com

GREAT LAKES WEST MICHIGAN : Phil Belsito • (616) 957-1714 • phil@theanglermagazine.com

INTERNATIONAL VIRGIN ISLANDS/PUERTO RICO : Ace Bassue • (407) 285-9453 • ace@coastalanglermagazine.com COSTA RICA : Mike Erickson • (561) 262-2242 • mike@coastalanglermagazine.com © 2018. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher.

Disclaimer: Coastal Angler Magazine / The Angler Magazine will not be held liable for injuries incurred while partaking in activities described herein, or for claims made against products or services provided by advertisers.

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By CAM Staff • Photos courtesy of Larry McGuire, Show Me The Fish Charters

W

ater temperatures are falling. King mackerel are on the move. Wherever they roam, fall is the time to catch kingfish during their annual migration south.

In the Atlantic, from the Carolinas south along the Florida coast, kings are following bait to warmer waters. The same thing is going on in the Gulf of Mexico. Kingfish that summered in the northern Gulf are splitting up. Some head west down the Texas coast. Others move east along the Panhandle and down the west coast of Florida.

Wherever you fish, the next few months offer the opportunity to connect with the movements of these mercury missiles as they mingle with resident populations. The prospect for drag-burning runs is out there for anglers who pay close attention to water temperatures and stay on the move until they find the fish.

King mackerel are as temperature driven as any fish in the sea. When they’re marauding baitfish, they can be found close to shore on the beaches, passes and jetties, where even shore-bound anglers have a shot at them. But most of the larger kingfish hunt over nearshore reefs in 30- to 60-feet or deeper. Deep or shallow, they’ll seek out 68- to 73-degree temperatures where they are comfortable. Watch the water temperature charts, and fish by them. Find the right temperature and an abundance of baitfish, and putting out a spread of baits will tell you quickly if there are kingfish around.

Live bait is always the best bet, especially for big smokers.

The best bait will depend on where you fish and what baitfish are most prevalent. Pogies (menhaden), hardtails (blue runners), pilchards and threadfin herring are all good baits if they are present. The fall mullet runs offer an abundance of good bait. A lot of tournament and charter boats put a Spanish mackerel in a spread looking for a big bite. Most importantly, baitfish should be fresh.

Catch the bait that is available with Sabikis or cast nets, keep it well-oxygenated and switch them frequently.

Most kingfish rigs will use a mainline of 20- to 30-pound monofilament. Obviously, with those teeth, a wire leader is essential. You should go as heavy as the fish will let you get away with—depending on water clarity—but it must remain light enough for the bait to swim. A 24-inch, single-strand wire leader of 40-pound test is a starting point. Go lighter in clear water or with smaller baits; go heavier in dirty water or if you’re fishing big baits for big fish. Leaders can be made longer for security. Hooks should be matched to the size of the bait, and it’s wise to add a stinger hook on large baits.

Whether anchored, drifting or slow-trolling, a fresh chum slick is a good idea. If a king doesn’t hit within 15 or 20 minutes, pick up and go find some that are biting. They shouldn’t be hard to find this time of year.

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By Greg Hatten etails are important when fly fishing for steelhead and running a wood boat through the rocky rivers of the Pacific Northwest.

It’s the details I obsess about – the knots, the leaders, the water temperature, the boulders that might hold fish or punch a hole in a wood boat.

I am “Obsessed by Details” or OBD. Every piece of gear I carry must pass the OBD test. When I put sunglasses under my microscope, Popticals are my choice. It’s the only brand that provides superior visual performance and a portable design that can be easily packed anywhere to protect the lenses.

Eyewear must cut through the glare and provide clarity to see tiny details like the color of insects hatching, the subtle rise of trout, or the faint underwater shadow of a holding steelhead. Popticals offer a level of detail head and shoulders above other glasses.

When I row, eyewear must give me clarity to see “the safe line” through rocky sections of river as well as in the distance when I am judging obstacles downriver. Popticals are the sunglasses I trust with my boat on the line.

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Popticals are the perfect combination of performance and protection with the bonus feature of folding down so small they fit in the palm of my hand.

Greg Hatten is a professional fly fishing guide and wood boat builder. Check out Popticals at popticals.com.

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9/17/18 1:26 PM

BLUE RIDGE

By Aaron Kephart

S

ummer has drawn to a close, and with its passing comes my favorite fishing of the year: cool-weather stripers and smallmouth. The Murphy, N.C. area has long been known as a beautiful and increasingly popular tourist destination, especially with the construction of a full-service casino, but Murphy is also quickly becoming a destination for hardcore anglers, and there is no better time to visit than fall and winter.

Stripers are a year-round probability on our lakes, but they really get going with the cooler weather of early fall, which often brings a topwater bite. The bite continues all the way through the winter.

The truly appealing thing about cooler weather stripers is that, with higher water temperatures a thing of the past, your probability of encountering one of the gigantic Hiwassee Lake “rogues” increases.

These are striped bass that were not stocked in Hiwassee. The hypothesis is that flood waters bring them in, and they grow to gigantic proportions with limited competition for resources.

In addition to blueback herring, I always try to take along a few big gizzard shad and rainbow trout to try and lure in one of these behemoths. The lake record is 66 pounds, and I have zero doubt that a bigger fish is in the lake. I would love to hunt for it with you.

As good as striper fishing in the cooler months can be on our local lakes, the species that really warms me up in the cold weather are smallmouth bass. We are blessed to still have a viable population of these beautiful, hard-fighting fish, and they seem to be energized by cooler weather.

They also congregate in large schools when it’s cold. It is not unheard of to catch 50 fish in a day, with a day of less than 20 fish being a bit of a disappointment. While tactics vary from hair jigs to Ala-

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bama rigs, a cold water staple is a tank full of lively blueback herring, which I supply for each trip.

Fall and winter are traditionally thought of as football and hunting seasons. But if you put the rods away at the end of summer, you truly miss out on some of the best fishing of the year. In addition to stripers and smallmouth, we also often encounter largemouth, hybrids, trophy spotted bass, walleye, crappie and brown trout.

If any of this interests you and you would like a first-class fishing experience on one of our local Murphy area lakes, give me a call. I have over 30 years of local knowledge, and I would love to put you on a boatload of fish.

Aaron Kephart is the owner of Mountain Lakes Guide Service in Murphy, N.C. He can be reached at (865) 466-1345, via facebook@ mountainlakesguideservice, or by email at mtnlakesguide@outlook. com.

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T

he first step to managing a pond or lake is to inventory the body of water. To give the biologist a snapshot of what is happening underwater, they will perform an electrofishing survey.

Spring and fall are the most productive times of year to conduct electrofishing surveys. Fish are more concentrated in the shallows compared to other times of the year.

Electrofishing surveys are performed from a specialized boat with precise instruments to control volts and amps being sent through the water. Fish that come within the electrical field generated by the electrofishing boat are temporarily stunned, netted and placed in a livewell to recover. When they are inventoried, fish are measured for length and weight. All fish are returned to the lake unless they are underperforming or are considered undesirable fish.

When bass are inventoried, the biologist uses length and weight to calculate the relative weight. Relative weight tells the biologist how healthy the bass are. A healthy bass that is at the proper weight for its length will have a relative weight of 100 percent. Bass that are 90% relative weight are doing OK but could be better. Often, lakes that have not been managed in years will be full of stunted bass with relative weights between 70 and 85 percent. If you’ve fished a pond where you catch a bass with every cast and they are between 8 and 12 inches, then you’ve fished a bass-crowded fishery full of stunted bass.

Analyzing the fishery provides data necessary to determine the health of a fishery. With this data, informed decisions are made on management inputs to improve the fishery toward a goal. Management inputs could include harvest rates for anglers to follow, supplemental stocking and habitat and water-quality improvements.

For fisheries that have never been surveyed, this baseline data can be referenced for many years to come to track the health and improvements of the fishery.

Aquatic Environmental Services provides cutting-edge fishery management services that exceed customer expectations.

Give them a chance to enhance the fishing in your lake and help you grow big fish. They offer lake management services across Georgia and the Southeast. See www.lakework.com.

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9/17/18 1:27 PM

By CAM Staff

T

wo fishing buddies from Pocatello, Idaho recently broke the catch-and-release state record for kokanee salmon twice in three weeks.

For those unfamiliar with kokanee, it is the freshwater form of the well-known sockeye salmon of the northern Pacific. Sockeye, the salmon you find at the grocery store, are anadromous. They run out of the ocean and into rivers to spawn each fall. Kokanee also make a fall spawning run up creeks and rivers, but their lives are spent entirely in freshwater.

It is thought the two species diverged thousands of years ago when

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ice melt created a system of large freshwater lakes and rivers across northern North America. While the sockeye continued their anadromous lives, kokanee did not to return to the sea. In some regions the two species still interbreed, while in others kokanee have become entirely landlocked. Kokanee exist in lakes and rivers across the northern United States and Canada. They have even been transplanted into systems as far south as North Carolina.

According to the Idaho State Journal, Cody Spencer and Rob Mackesey got onto a good bite as kokanee ran out of Palisades Reservoir and up Elk Creek to spawn in August. Palisades is a 16,000-acre impoundment of the Snake River that sits hard on the Wyoming border near Yellowstone National Park. Elk Creek feeds the northern end of the reservoir just upstream of the dam.

Spencer and Mackesey told the Idaho State Journal they are relatively new to kokanee, but they were actually fishing for the record after they learned the existing catch-and-release record measured just 18.5 inches.

For reference, the IGFA world record kokanee measured 27.75 inches and weighed 9 pounds, 10 ounces. Ronald Campbell caught the world record from Wallowa Lake, Ore. in 2010.

On Aug. 19, both Spencer and Mackesey caught fish longer than the 2-year-old catch-and-release state record. Mackesey landed a 20.08-incher, and on the same day Spencer caught the 20.9-inch record setter. But the story doesn’t end there. On Sept. 8, Spencer went back and bested his buddy with a 21.5-inch male that was dressed in its full spawning regalia.

Part of the allure of kokanee is their unusual appearance. For most of the year, they are silver-sided and resemble a rainbow trout. During the spawn, the bodies of the males turn bright red and they develop a hump on their backs.

The catch-and-release state record is a relatively new program for Idaho that encourages the release of fish by allowing anglers to apply for the record by photographing their catch next to a measuring device.

The official certified Idaho state record for kokanee is a 6.59-pounder that measured 24.5 inches. Jerry Verge caught it from northwest Idaho’s Priest Lake in 1975.

9/17/18 10:54 AM

Photo Courtesy of Silver Sailfish Derby

N

OAA Fisheries recently denied an Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) that would have allowed pelagic longline (PLL) vessels into the East Florida Coast Pelagic Longline Closed Area.

“Angler conservationists can breathe a sigh of relief that the longline EFP application is no longer a threat to the conservation gains in the E. Florida Closed Zone,” said Jeff Angers, president of the Center for Sportfishing Policy. “We will remain vigilant in protecting both this conservation zone we fought so hard for two decades ago as well as this amazing catch-and-release sailfish fishery that has grown off the east coast of Florida.”

On March 6, 2018, leading recreational fishing and boating organizations submitted public comment to the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council in opposition to the EFP. More than two decades ago, swordfish in the Western Atlantic were in serious trouble due to overfishing. The public responded forcefully to the plight of swordfish, and as a result, nursery areas were identified and closed to the United States PLL fleet in 2001.

Today, anglers point to the recovery with pride as a significant conservation victory.

“We greatly appreciate NOAA’s decision to keep the conservation zone off-limits to this destructive gear,” said Patrick Murray, president of Coastal Conservation Association. “Clearly the voices of recreational anglers and marine conservationists were heard. This is a great victory.”

An unintended benefit of the East Florida Coast PLL Closed Area has been the establishment in the region of the nation’s best sailfish fishery. The direct economic benefit to coastal recreational fishing-related businesses and coastal economies has been remarkable.

“Saltwater recreational fishing along the East Coast of Florida supports 35,523 jobs and has a sales impact of over $4 billion annually,” said Glenn Hughes, president of the American Sportfishing Association. “Much of this economic activity is attributed to the tremendous sailfish fishery that has been supported in large part by the East Florida Coast Pelagic Longline Closed Area. The recreational fishing industry is relieved by NOAA’s announcement to not put this conservation success at risk by allowing longlining back into the area.”

Ever since the fishery was deemed recovered, there have been attempts to reopen the closed areas to commercial harvest and expose it to the types of intense commercial fishing pressure that drove it into an overfished condition. The permit denied by NOAA Fisheries would have authorized PLL vessels to make thousands of sets in the conservation zone for up to three years and sell all the legal fish caught.

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OCTOBER 2018

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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: Nick Carter Henry Cowen Dr. Andrew Cox Jim Farmer 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 Graphic Design: Kathleen CARREIRO

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Local Rivers & Fly Fishing Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Amendment

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Contributed By: Jimmy Harris

www.unicoioutfitters.com Unicoi Outfitters, Helen, Georgia

It sure seems the longer I’m on this Earth, the more threats there are to the things I love and cherish.

Growing up for me meant hunting, fishing and generally spending way more time outdoors than indoors.

Having family and friends who shared this outdoor heritage was a key ingredient of life that instilled in me a desire to treasure our natural resources and a moral obligation to conserve them.

I fought this “moral” battle for years on the pure idea that it was what we, as stewards of God’s Green Earth, are called to do. Unfortunately, I was on the losing end too many times. Money always seemed to win out. But now I’m realizing I was fighting with the wrong weapons.

When “Do the right thing” goes up against money, particularly on large scale issues, money wins.

So, we’ve learned to change our weapons. Communities are finally realizing their natural and historical resources have a financial value; a HUGE financial value! Most often it has a higher value than any perceived return on development.

And it typically doesn’t require tax breaks or major infrastructure im-

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provements to benefit from those returns. Oh, and there are no Superfund toxic sites to deal with 30 years down the road.

The State of Georgia is taking a very bold leadership role in this area. This November we will all have an opportunity to vote for approval of the Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Amendment when we go to the polls for the general election. I urge you to go to their website at www. georgiaoutdoorstewardship.org to learn more about it and share what you learn with your friends and neighbors. If you have a QR reader on your phone, simply scan this QR code: In a nutshell, “Amendment 1 will dedicate up to 80% of the existing sales and use tax on outdoor sporting goods to the protection of the state’s lands, water and wildlife without raising or creating any new taxes or fees.”

What a tremendous boost this will be for conserving Georgia’s natural resources! Let’s join together and win this one.

The start to fall fishing here on the rivers around Chattooga River Fly Shop is great! The abundant summer rainfall has had a great effect on the trout survival throughout the summer. The cooler air temperatures will start to cool the water temperatures, and the trout fishing will just keep getting better.

Delayed Harvest season starts here on the South Carolina rivers on November 1 and continues through May 14. This is a great time to get out on the rivers to stretch your line with some fish and enjoy the fall colors in the mountains. The trout have moved out of the depths of the rivers, after seeking thermal refuge from the summer time temperatures, with the river temperatures averaging in the mid to high 50’s now.

Along with the falling water temperatures, the emergence of the fall hatches bless us again. Swinging nymphs and soft-hackles on a deaddrift is essential to a great day on the rivers. An upstream cast, a mend or two of your line, and letting these fine bugs drift freely with no drag all the way downstream, will produce fish. We have noticed with the cooler than normal early fall temperatures that some of the fall hatches are appearing on the rivers a little earlier than most years.

Streamer fishing will be great this fall season as well. There are a tremendous amount of shiners, minnows, and sculpins throughout

A fine Chauga River brown caught

by Heather Powers the watersheds. Targeting fish in the seam lines, just off the big runs of the rivers, will be beneficial. Cast the streamers upstream, dead-drift and twitch through the drift, and then a strip and pause retrieve will be rewarding. For a full line of bugs and streamers, stop by and see us and check out the new arrivals to fulfill your fall fly fishing.

As the Delayed Harvest season arrives, now is a great time to see the Walhalla Fish Hatchery in full swing. If you have never been to the hatchery, you will be able to see the thousands of fish in many sizes getting ready for their journey to the rivers. From fingerlings to show fish, one will be amazed at the variety of sizes of the brook, brown and rainbow trout which the great folks at the hatchery have raised for us to enjoy out on the rivers. Bring along a couple of quarters when you visit to enjoy feeding the large show fish which the hatchery has on display.

After visiting the hatchery, try your hand at fishing the East Fork, a great small water fishery here in South Carolina.

As we travel from one water system to another, let’s remember to give our equipment a good cleaning to avoid any transfer of invasive species. Also, as we are enjoying the scenery and rivers we are fishing on, please “leave no trace”. We hope to see everyone out on the rivers!

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Local Rivers & Fly Fishing

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October weather in the Blue Ridge, Georgia area is favorable to both trout and the folks that pursue them. A wise old fisherman once said if you feel good outside, so do the trout. Cool nights drop the water temperatures down to levels that make cold water loving fish happy and hungry. Right now, anywhere you find trout they will usually eat as long as what you offer them is in the ball park of possibility food wise and your fly doesn’t do crazy stuff it’s not supposed too. The second part of that statement is so true it hurts sometimes.

The Toccoa tailwater should be getting straightened out a little bit by the end of the month. Lake turnover can really screw it up for weeks sometimes. Being patient with this part of the river will pay off if not too much warm water hasn’t come through the dam to harm the fishing.

Decent Blue Winged Olive hatches will be present with the rainy cooler weather and this applies to almost all of the streams in the area. Size 18 patterns of this bug should be small enough to match the hatch most of the time being that I can’t see anything any smaller. 6x tippet should be small enough for the fish to ignore too.

Freestone streams in the area will be good spots to spend a fantastic blue skied fall day if too many leaves aren’t choking down the best pools.

The upper Toccoa River watershed received a great amount of rain

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through the summer and the trout couldn’t be more excited about eating your fly than right now. Just pick a wild trout stream and go at it. Dry dropper rigs with a bushy Wulff type dry fly and a Pheasant Tail dropper should do the trick almost anywhere.

Don’t forget to go big with your flies, a size 12 dry and a nymph in size 14 should work nicely. Orange Stimmies in the same size will turn a few fish also. Always keep an eye out for the elusive October Caddis at this time of year too. These big orange Caddis are about a size 10 and look more like a moth than a caddis. These are for sure on the menu at this time of year.

Then of course you can chuck streamers and nymph fish as well. It’s hard to beat a big rubber legged stone or a 4 inch articulated baitfish pattern for the larger trout in the stream.

Very cold mornings will require you to scrub bottom a couple of hours until it warms up a bit. Once a one or two degree rise in the water temperature occurs, the trout will usually start moving a little farther than two inches to eat, and you might get an up-looker!

Fall private water fishing couldn’t be better right now on Noontootla Creek Farms. If you are into big tackle destroying trout, this is the place. Two miles of the best and most beautiful freestone stream in Georgia are contained in this valley. If you’d like to sample this fishery, just give us a call at 770-639-4001 and we’ll put you on them.

Milledgeville Location

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2912 Deans Bridge Road Augusta, GA 30906-2714

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

OCTOBER 2018

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Local Rivers & Fly Fishing

Fly of the Month

Jackson Lake

By Brian Lee leebrian16 @yahoo.com Water temperature: 82-88 degrees, lake level: 2 feet below full pool, clarity: stained/clear.

The bass are migrating into the creeks as the shad are starting to bunch up. Topwater has been on fire. Early morning run and gun covering water before the sun

comes up is your best bet. Crankbaits are producing some fish as well. Any kind of rock is the primary target when cranking.

As the day goes on, you can throw a C-rigged finesse worm on points with rock or brush. The bite after lunch may be tough, so just pick your location apart. Don’t give up on the afternoon bite as it does pick up later. The bass are following shad, so keep your trolling motor turning. Till next month, tight lines.

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As we transition into cooler weather, I often find my streamer rod in my hand more than any other time during the year.

Streamer fishing can be fantastic as the water temperatures begin to decrease and the trout become more active. Out of all the streamer patterns I use, the Coffey’s CH Sparkle Minnow in Sculpin color produces more strikes than any other. I prefer to fish this fly on a 250 grain Scientific Anglers Streamer Express line, while stripping the fly erratically to entice the strike. This fly can also be used with a swing presentation while imparting a rhythmic jigging action with the tip of the rod whenever trout may be looking for a slower moving offering.

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Local Rivers & Fly Fishing Fall Trout and N.C. Delayed Harvest Contributed by James Bradley

Orvis Endorsed Fly Fishing Guide www.ReelEmInGuideService.com (706) 273-0764

October is usually the start of the fall trout season. Cooler air temperatures will allow those slightly warm streams across North Georgia to fall back down into the safe zone for trout. This is when the water gets somewhere around the 68-degree mark and can hold the maximum amount of dissolved oxygen for trout. This means that all the private waters will be opening back up after sitting silent through the summer months!

What else is opening up? Yep, you probably guessed it; all the delayed harvest streams in North Carolina will open on October 1st.

Keep in mind that the NC Wildlife Resources Commission doesn’t stock their streams prior to October 1st, but will usually have them all stocked by the end of the first week.

To keep from fishing a possible fishless stream, be sure to check out NCWILDLIFE.COM, then look up their delayed harvest stocking dates. Here are some examples: the Nantahala will be stocked on October 8th and the Tuckasegee will be stocked on October 2nd and 3rd.

It won’t hurt a bit to show up about a week after the stream stocking date. This will allow the fish to get spread out some, and it won’t feel like shooting fish in a barrel, so to speak! These DH sections are catch and release with artificial only until June 1st. When fishing the early part of the DH season, use junk flies like eggs, Y2Ks, San Juan and Squirmy worms for fast hookups. As the DH season drags on, begin switching back to naturals!

Locally, floating the Toccoa will

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see some changes. As of this writing in mid-September, the TVA has been split generating about every day.

We’ve been able to do a few floats in between generations, but it’s difficult to not get caught on high water during either the beginning or the end of the float. And now, the TVA has just begun pulling the lake down in preparation for Hurricane Florence, and they are generating 24 hours a day. As we move into October, she should be fishing pretty well, but once the lake starts its annual turnover, the bite will fall off. As soon as the turnover ends, all should be well on the Toccoa tailwater for the next several months.

Toward the middle to the end of October will begin the spawn for

brown trout. They will start moving into the upper reaches of streams to stage for the spawn. This can be an exciting time to be on the water here in North Georgia. If you want to go after a brown trout of a lifetime, just give us a call and we’ll hook you up!

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Local Rivers & Fly Fishing Short Cast - Short Stroke, Long Cast....

The Guide's Angle

Contributed By: Chris Scalley River Through Atlanta Guide Service

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

Fill in the blank. Long cast - long stroke, right? But what is the stroke in a fly cast? Do you include the ‘lift’ in the ‘stroke’? Is the stroke how the rod moves, or your hand? There are a lot of ways to describe the casting stroke. I will give you my description based on the different things I’ve read and discussions I have had. Why is it important to know more about the casting stroke? Because if you want to catch fish, you need to get the fly to them, near or far, with a presentation that best fits the situation. On a recent trip to Montana, we went from 15foot casts on spring creeks to 50-foot casts with streamers on the river. The casting strokes were vastly different.

Let’s look at the basic overhead cast in these examples. Some casting instructors will include the lift as part of the casting stroke. I choose to exclude the lift in my following description. However, I must stress the importance of the lift, before the stroke.

When you make the lift, it helps do several things. For example, if you strip the line in and only have a few feet of line out of the rod tip, the lift will allow us to slip line out, reducing the number of false casts. The first 30 feet of line out of the rod tip is designed to bend your rod the way the manufacturers wants it to bend. Just use the water tension to pull out the line as you lift the rod tip. The lift also clears some line from the water tension, and puts the rod in position to start the stroke.

Starting the casting stroke. By that I mean the acceleration and stopping sequence. We want to have a smooth constant acceleration to a stop. The distance this is done over is dependent on the distance of the cast. Remember short cast-short stroke. So if

the power application is ‘applied to’ the stroke, what is the stroke? There are things happening in a casting stroke. The distance your hand travels on a somewhat linear path creates the stroke length, and the rotation of the rod creates the casting arc. Why is this important? We need the rod tip to travel on a straight line path in order to form good loops. If we rotate our wrist, the rod tip goes in a rainbow shape. If we just move our hand forward, the oncoming line will hit the rod tip. So to shape a good loop, keep the rod tip behind your hand on the forward cast as long as you can.

That is delaying the rotation. Then at the last moment, rotate and remember the distance your rod tip goes below the oncoming line will determine the size of the loop.

For distance and accuracy, the straight line path of the rod tip is very important. So compare a stroke to a golf stroke. If you putt, the club only moves a short distance and there is very little distance off the grass that the club head moves. So on a short cast, you use very little rotation to keep the rod tip on a straight line path. With a 20-foot cast, the rod tip will not go behind your body on the back cast. The forward cast will be with a downward trajectory with very little casting arc. As you increase your distance you will increase the arc, stroke length, power and change the trajectory.

If you don’t get a chance to go out and fish, see if you can set up targets 20 to 50-feet on a straight line.

Practice your accuracy and note the changes in the variables as you go from short to long casts. Then when you go fishing, remember to apply the concept.

Fall Brown Blitz! How Can This Be? As fall approaches, the fleeting daylight and cooler weather triggers a primordial behavior unique to brown trout. Frosty mornings and the reflection of fall foliage from the river’s surface makes for a memorable day regardless of the fishing success. Most of our clients who really want to target salmotrutta know that autumn can be magical, as brown trout seem to come out of the woodwork, literally. Where you mostly caught rainbow trout during other parts of the year, now is replaced with brown trout. There is a debate among fall fly fishermen whether the vivid colors of the turning leaves or the markings of spawning browns is more exquisite. Vicious strikes on both dead-drifted or streamer flies is what is known as the “BrownBlitz”.

Brown trout were imported from Northern Europe, and it seems that Atlanta on the Chattahoochee tailwater is ideally suited to them. Salmotrutta was originally stocked by the GA DNR over 70 years ago on the river below Buford Dam. Since 2005, DNR made a decision to stop stocking brown trout because they were successfully spawning on the vast gravel bars that exist for 35 miles from Buford to Roswell Shoals. Long story short is that here is a river that runs through a greater metropolitan area of 6 million people and growing.

Despite the pro-growth juggernaut of Atlanta, we must commend the foresight of the powers

that be. Some of the original environmentalists like The Friends of the River and the Atlanta Regional Commission influenced Governor Jimmy Carter who then later as President signed the bill to create the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area encompassing 15,000 linear acres of protected parklands. There is 48 miles of protected river frontage with a 2,000 foot protected corridor on either bank where strict stream riparian areas are enforced along with a 30% impervious surface footprint on all private lands within the ARC corridor. Other influential advocacy and governmental groups that keep watch over our waters are The Chattahoochee Riverkeepers, Multiple Trout Unlimited Chapters, most notably the Upper TU Chapter in Roswell, GA, Trust for Public Land, GA Conservancy, Land and Water Conservation Fund, GA DNR and The National Park Service.

So when you catch that beautiful brown trout this fall, remember you are reaping the benefits of a lot of hard work from previous generations whose hope was to see their grandchildren enjoy this great waterway known as the Chattahoochee NRA.

“There are a lot of ways to describe the casting stroke. I will give you my description based on the different things I’ve read and discussions I have had.”

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9/16/18 4:54 PM

Local Rivers & Fly Fishing oconee on the fly

Fall is Almost Here!

Improvise, Adapt and Overcome

?

By Capt. Wayne Moore USCG www.oconeeonthefly.com Everyone here on Oconee (especially the guides) is anxiously awaiting fall, cooler water temperatures, and hopefully the return of a more robust and dependable pump-back bite at Wallace dam. The past two months, the surface water temperature has been hovering around 84 degrees. While there has been some pumping up from Sinclair at Wallace Dam, it appears that only one turbine has been pumping.

Hybrids – The bite for hybrids and stripers in August and up until the first weekend in September has been almost non-existent. I heard of a few times that a few fish have been taken on spoons, but other than that it has been off. Near the dam, where you would usually find at least five guide boats this time of year, none are there right now. The good news is, as we move into October, this will change. I expect the pump-back bite to be back on for the month. Even better news, as we move past October and the temperature drops further, it will be time to watch for birds coming down to ambush shad on the surface, and this means great fishing!

Crappie – Improvise, adapt and overcome is exactly what many of the guides here have done. That means finding crappie on brush piles in water 15 to 20 feet deep.

The technique can be as simple as dropping a jig down to the structure and working it back up, “pulling” the crappie off the brush pile.

The other option is to drop a min-

now down under enough weight for the wind. Long lining is also effective and a great way to locate brush piles while you are trolling.

Largemouth Bass – Fly fishing for largemouth works at the dam as long as there is some water movement.

They will be right on the bank, especially where you see any rip-rap. Early in the morning, use a Wiggle Minnow, then when the sun comes up, switch to a small Clouser like Henry Cowen’s Something Else fly.

Final words – These past two months have been tough. I have heard that the DNR is looking at installing oxygen pumps at the dam. This could make a huge difference next year.

Thankfully, fall, winter and spring are ahead of us and fishing will be great. I love taking people out in the fall and winter; much more comfortable, no wave runners or jet skis stirring up the pond, and great fishing for hybrids and crappie!

We are booking up November and beyond quickly, so call 706-8164281 or e-mail me at wmoore1700 @ outlook.com and request your dates.

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OCTOBER 2018

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Local Lakes & Forecasts

Autumn Topwater Buzzbait Bass

By Capt. Jake Davis

Lake Oconee

www.midsouthbassguide.com, msbassguide@comcast.net 615-613-2382

Over the years, I have noticed that most bass anglers agree there is nothing more exciting than watching the water explode on your topwater lure. Enticing a surface strike requires you to get their attention. Among topwater lures, few if any, come close to creating the attention and surface disturbance as does the buzzbait! The unique splashing, sputtering and gurgling commotion created by a buzzbait is very hard to resist, even for a bass that is being lazy.

It is most important to use the proper equipment! I use and outfit my clients with 7’0” to 7’6” heavy action Duckett Micro Magic Rods with either a 6.4.1 or 7.1.1 LEW’s Speed Reels spooled with 50 to 65-pound test Vicious Braid.

Having a fast reel with a strong rod and line is a must when fishing buzzbaits. Here are some pointers which should help improve your strike and hook-up percentages with a buzzbait.

I prefer 3/8 ounce or 1/2 ounce buzzbaits made of high quality materials that can take a beating from the largest of fish. Worn-in lures tend to produce a squeaky noise which I believe gives the lures added appeal. One of the “noise” enhancing modifications I like to make is to bend the blade arm slightly downward so that the blade ticks the shaft or head as it rotates.

Another is to drill several holes in the blade so that it emits a “bubble” trail as it moves across the water.

Learning how to present your lure properly is simply a matter of practice and trial/error. One day it may be a fast retrieve and the next it might be just fast enough to keep the lure chugging along the surface.

It is important to engage your reel just before the lure hits the water.

Doing so removes any slack from your line and allows you to start your retrieve before the bait has a chance to sink. During the retrieve, I hold my rod tip up which keeps the bait in proper contact with the water, but not so high as to lift the bait from the water. Steer the bait into objects such as logs, lily pads, docks or rocks. Some of the best action can be just as the bait deflects off an object.

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As the bait approaches the boat, use caution in the last ten feet of your retrieve. A fair amount of the time fish will follow your lure all the way back to the boat and try to take it from you at the last minute.

It’s always a good idea to figure eight your lure just prior to losing contact with the water.

For colors, I prefer white, black/ red best in clear water; in stained water I have been known to tie on a combination chartreuse/white, chartreuse/blue or red. My color choice is usually predicated on the light conditions, water clarity and time of the year. Also, varying the color of the prop from polished aluminum to a black or gold can make all the difference in your fishing trip.

Lastly, let’s talk lure makeup. I like the Boogerman and Assassinator Baits. The heads are turned to the side which adds lift and allows the lure to be worked slower on the surface. With the Assassinator, the primary wire has a 45 degree bend which provides for a better hook up ratio. The Boogerman has to be one of the noisiest buzzbaits on the water. By simply adjusting the blade to strike the head of the lure, you can draw bass from depths of 6 feet or better in the thickest of cover.

Let’s go fishing. Just give me a call at (615) 613-2382 or at msbassguide@comcast to reserve your day on the lake with Capt. Jake Davis, Mid-South Bass Guide.

Lake Oconee is full, the water temperature is 83 to 85 and the lake is clear except up the rivers.

Things are starting to change from the dog days of summer. With the shorter days the water temperature has stopped rising. Bass have started to move out of the deep water and a few are chasing bait into the coves and creeks all over the lake. A buzzbait at first light will still produce for the first hour of daylight. Soft plastics fished under docks and around wood structure in the mouth of the coves mid-lake will produce during daylight hours.

Crankbaits fished around bridge rip-rap will also produce when Georgia Power is pulling water in the afternoons.

Striper fishing is poor. The early morning pump back bite at the dam is the best thing going, and it is only fair at best. Spoons, live shad, small crankbaits and popping corks are all working. This bite will work as long as Georgia Power is pumping back into the lake. The only other bite going on is with the umbrella rig fished off the usual location on humps and points from the pipeline to the dam.

Crappie fishing is fair to good.

Some days you can catch big slabs and other days only the small fish will bite. Long lining (trolling) will produce some nice catches.

Run jigs about 10 to 12 feet deep.

Down lining crappie minnows into tree tops and on ledges on the main lake at 12 to 15 feet deep will also produce a lot of fish. Use your Lowrance to locate the fish in the tree tops and then drop your bait down to the fish.

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Local Lakes & Forecasts

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FALL IS HERE - IT’S TIME TO GET OUTSIDE & EXPLORE

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Local Lakes & Forecasts VOTED

Lanier Stripers

Forecast By: Steve Scott http://TeamLanier.wordpress.com/menu Fishing on the south end of Lanier in September was the usual mid-eighties water temperature in the creeks as well as in the main lake. Stripers were caught shallow and deep. The DNR put out its usual dissolved oxygen reports telling us the best depth to find the stripers was around 40 feet deep. Umbrella rigs and lead core trolling seem to be the consistent technique to land a schoolie basically in the 20” to 28” range. Bigger stripers were caught, but you had to get your baits down to the 40’ mark or deeper. I had switched to what I call a deep-water umbrella rig which consisted of adding 9 two-ounce bucktail jigs to my 4 arm u-rig. I let it out 100’ behind the boat at 2.5 mph and had the most success with this method. Lead core was also used with a 4-ounce bucktail jig and a 6” paddle tail bait in lime ice out 7 colors at 3 mph.

October is called turnover month. It marks the beginning of the water at the bottom of the lake mov-

ing upward and the water at the top of the lake moving downward combining the water temperatures into a constant temperature. This process would complete usually around Christmas time. Finding the stripers during this time will be a challenge as the stripers can now move up and down the water column. That being said, the bite could be topwater plugs and Red Fins to downlining herring 80 feet deep. Other techniques to try would be planer boards and freelines using either blueback herring or small gizzard shad.

Up north in the rivers where the depths are shallower, larger baits on planer boards could be the ticket. Go big or go home. Using a gizzard shad from 10 inches to 15 inches should bring you a larger striper.

TIP OF THE MONTH: With the size of stripers not being what we have seen in the past, you should go to a smaller leader like 8 to 10 pound fluorocarbon. You’ll catch more fish without the worry of breaking off even with a slightly heavier striper. Find more details on my website. TeamLanier.com Steve Scott 404-273-3481.

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Local Lakes & Forecasts Lake blue ridge

SEMINOLE By: Shane Goebel Big Ol’ Fish Guiding Service & The Angler Magazine Fishing Team www.bigolfish.com 828-361-2021, 1-844-4-ANGLER

Forecast By:

by Paul Tyre paultyrefishing@yahoo.com Water temperature: 88 degrees, lake level: 6” below full pool, clarity: stained and clearing.

Lake Seminole has been as hot as the weather this summer! As we enter into fall, the bass are starting to move into their fall feeding grounds.

The shad are starting to run on the Flint River, Spring Creek and the Chattahoochee River where they form Lake Seminole, so we are seeing them everywhere. There are some key baits and patterns I like to utilize in the early fall when this happens.

Topwater lures like a Strike King Pro-Model Buzzbait in chartreuse and white is a great search bait when fished along the edges of the grass beds on the main lake. Fish this bait at a steady pace and keep a lookout for shad in the area. If no bait (shad) is present, keep moving until you find some. This technique works really well early and on cloudy days.

Fall on Lake Seminole is great time for crankbaits! As the sun gets up in the sky, one of my go-to baits is a Strike King 1.5 Squarebill in any shad color.

This bait deflects off the grass and has a great hunting action! I like to throw this bait with 14-pound fluorocarbon line on a 7’ medium action rod with a 5:3:1 gear ration reel.

Flipping can be awesome on Lake Seminole in the fall. As the days are getting shorter, the thick grass on Seminole is starting to dissipate under the mats of hydrilla, which creates holes and tunnels for the big bass to gather in. Flipping in this area requires heavy tackle. I like to use a 7’6” to 8’ extra heavy action rod and braided line.

The braided line I prefer is Cortland’s Master Braid 65-pound test. Tungsten is a must for this approach, so I use Strike King 1 to 1 ½-ounce, depending on the thickness of the grass. When flipping and punching thick hydrilla, a quality hook can be the difference between a bite and big bass in the boat.

The Strike King Hack Attack Heavy Cover flipping hook can handle the task. I like to thread either a Strike King Rage Bug or a Strike King Rodent on the hook to land the big ones!

We’ve started to see some crappie coming across the docks at Wingate’s Lunker Lodge the last couple of weeks. They’re being caught on jigs and minnows in 10’ to 12’ of water.

We have been having lots of campers in Bass Island Campground who stay for the month just to fish for them and take a freezer full home.

The bream and shellcracker bedded all the way into September, which was phenomenal. We had a late Mayfly hatch, and they were gathered all around for their fall feed.

We have seen numerous teal coming in on Lake Seminole and the hunters had great success in the early teal season. Make your early reservations at Wingate’s Lunker Lodge for your duck hunting! They love dogs and have no problems with you bringing your hunting dogs along for the trip!

Gator season in late August and September was a nice one for the hunters and the residents on Lake Seminole. Several giants were taken with the biggest being over 13 feet!

For current information on Lake Seminole or to schedule a fishing excursion, please give me a call at (850)264-7534 or email me at paultyrefishing@yahoo.com.

“Lake Seminole has been as hot as the weather this summer! As we enter into fall, the bass are starting to move into their fall feeding grounds.”

Currently, Lake Blue Ridge is 3 feet below full pool. Water temperatures are in the upper 70’s.

Water clarity is clear in the main lake and in the creeks and rivers.

We are still catching substantial amounts of smallmouth and spotted bass averaging 20 to 30 fish a trip.

The majority of our spots and smallmouth are being caught from the dam to all the way back up the Toccoa River. Target these fish off rocky points, ledges, and shallow humps. We are finding larger schools of spots mid-lake and in 25 to 35 feet of water. Downlining live blueback herring seems to be the best technique for the larger smallmouth and spots. Look for large schools of smallmouths in the Toccoa River and Star Creek area.

Live bait is always the key out here to catch a ton of fish, especially if it’s a frisky blue back. Also, this time of year the spotted bass and

smallmouth start to school up and feed heavily on herring. Keep an eye out for the topwater bite, too. When they start busting on the surface, they will hit just about anything you can throw at them.

October is a fantastic month for catching some wicked smallmouth on this lake. Give Big Ol’ Fish Guiding Service a call and let the area’s #1 guide service put you on some of Lake Blue Ridge’s best trophy fish. And for all your live bait and tackle needs, go check out Hughes General Store in Blairsville, GA. They carry everything you need for a successful day of fishing.

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Local Lakes & Forecasts west point

Bass: Good - October usually marks a big improvement in fishing in general. As the days start to get a little shorter and the temps cool, expect a drastic improvement in the bass fishing. As usual, a few largemouth and spots are still being caught on deeper brush piles, ledges and road beds in the main lake area. Try big deep diving crankbaits or Carolina rigged worms. Also, drop-shotting can be effective in these areas. Best fishing is around brush piles or other structure in these areas, if you can find them. Water generation always improves this bite. Downsize baits in these same areas and improve your chances for spotted bass. More fish will move shallow with cooler water temps, and this pattern should improve as the water cools and we move toward fall. Topwater baits such as Rebel Pop R’s, Zara Spooks and Spro Poppin Frogs will

become more effective for shallow fish, especially around grass and weed beds. Try targeting the mouths of feeder creeks north of the 219 bridge in the Chattahoochee. Also, have a jig handy to pitch into wood cover in these same areas.

Spotted bass are still your best bet on the south end of the lake.

Spots are being caught by casting Spot Remover heads loaded with shaky head worms or just dragging a Carolina-rigged Zoom finesse worm or mini lizard around shoal markers.

Also try a small Texas rigged worm or a pig-n-jig around blown down trees. Actively schooling groups of fish will also hit the Flash Mob Jr. rig, a personal favorite in the fall.

Linesides: Good - It has been a mostly disappointing summer in general for schooling topwater action on the main lake. I still expect surface schooling on the main lake at some point this fall.

These fish can generally be caught on Rooster Tails, topwaters, popn-cork rigs and Storm Swim Shad lures. Start early or stay late for the

best results. Expect the downline bite on live bait to continue to improve as we move toward fall.

Trolling with a crankbaits /bucktail combo should also continue to be fairly effective. Try old faithful areas like the railroad trestle hump and the humps out from Amity Park for good results.

Crappie: Good - The fish will typically move shallower and hold on mid-depth brush and structure or under docks as the water temps drop into the low 70s or below. Try drop-shotting minnows or shooting docks in 5-15 feet of water for the best results. You can really do well if you find one of these schools.

Try the cuts and coves in Yellow Jacket Creek and from Highland Marina north to Wolf Creek in the Chattahoochee. Some fish will

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start to move a little shallower as the water slowly cools, maybe by the end of the month. Minnows fished under a float will usually work on them. Any blowdown near deep water is a good starting point.

Night fishing is still pretty good. Try under the bridges with lights.

Catfish: GOOD - Lots of channel cat are being caught by the few anglers that 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 deeper channels north of the 219 bridge. 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 & Forecasts

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Local Lakes & Forecasts

Where Are All the Fish?

By Capt. Cefus McRae Nuts & Bolts Fishing Series

When you consider the size of our regional lakes, coastal areas and the offshore blue waters, there’s a lot of water for fish to be living in.

Someone once said; “100% of the fish are in 10% of the water”. Lake Lanier, for instance, is 38,000 acres or 59 square miles of surface water.

Now try to figure out which 10% of that water is holding fish at any given time.

The next logicial question becomes; “Which 10% of the water holds the fish?” And how many fish of legal size are actually swimming down there?

The opportunity arose recently to take a ride on the Georgia DNR electro-fishing boat with Chris Looney, a fisheries technician with GA DNR. Capt. Mack Farr and I would be the ‘net-men’ while Chris operated the electro-fishing apparatus. This would be a mission to survey the striped bass population in Lanier, and it was quite eye-opening.

We started upriver, working shallow points and humps in the backs of major creek channels. The electrofishing machine has two long probes

which produce an adjustable current that essentially stuns fish within a 12 foot perimeter of the probes. Mack and I had nets on long fiberglass poles to retrieve the fish that came to the surface and place them in the livewell. After a couple minutes, the stunned fish recovered and were happily swimming in the well.

It was amazing to see the quantities and sizes of fish we captured and where they were congregating, many in less than five feet of water. We observed striped bass, white bass, largemouth bass, spotted bass, crappie, bream and a plethora of assorted baitfish like gizzard shad, threadfin and blueback herring. Capt. Mack netted a mondo largemouth bass that tipped the scales at over seven pounds. But today we were on a striper mission, so the other fish (once recovered) went back in the lake.

Once we had a dozen or so fish in the well, Chris would stop the boat to conduct the data entry part of the survey. He examined every fish for condition, length, and weight, and Capt. Mack marked that on the data

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sheets. Then Chris pulled a single scale from each striper. Striper scales have growth rings so they can be accurately aged back at the lab.

Part of the purpose of these surveys is to see how the fish from each stocking year are doing. Are there more three pound fish than six pound fish? That might be an indicator that the stocking from several years ago had more attrition than a more recent stocking. This accumulation of data gives the DNR, and us anglers, a pretty accurate forecast for what we can expect to be catching over the coming years. It also lets the DNR project how they should be conducting future stockings of fingerling stripers. Based on the numbers of fish in the four to six pound

range we observed, Lake Lanier striper anglers should be in for some great fishing, both in weight and in numbers in the next year or two.

After a day on the water with Chris, I asked why he wasn’t a fishing guide. He simply said this is what he enjoys doing, and has a deep commitment to maintaining vibrant fisheries throughout the state. These professionals are out there every day, doing their best to manage our natural resources in a responsible way. It’s often an underappreciated job. So the next time you see a person with a DNR patch on their shirt or jacket, tell them “thanks”, and maybe they will give you some insight on where the fish are too.

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Local Lakes & Forecasts Lake NOTTELY STRIPER By: Shane Goebel Big Ol’ Fish Guiding Service & The Angler Magazine Fishing Team www.bigolfish.com 828-361-2021, 1-844-4-ANGLER

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October in the North Georgia Mountains is a fantastic time to hit the water. With the beautiful views of the changing leaves and the cool comfortable temps, a day on the water seems like a dream come true after a hot summer. Not to mention the fishing is also great. This is the perfect time to hit the lake and experience some extreme striper fishing.

Currently, Lake Nottely is 5 feet below full pool. Water clarity is clear and water temps are in the mid to upper 70s.

Striper fishing has been decent.

After early September’s fish kill and horrible water quality problems, we are starting to catch some nice fish again and in some good numbers.

Most of our stripers have been in the 15 to 20 pound range. The earlymorning and evening bites are your best times to see action. We’ve also had some heavy bites in the midday hours. With the cooling water temps, continue to target creek mouths and points off the main lake channel but also look for schools to move back into the creeks. The majority of our fish have been caught from Point 8 to the dam. In the early morning hours, freelines and planer boards have been working well. As soon as the sun peeks through, we are going right back to downlines. The topwater bite has picked up a lot, so keep a Spook or a Red Fin at the ready to snag surface-busting fish. The fish will start to spread out here soon and move into the creeks. We will

then move to all planer boards and freelines. We will also start pulling bigger baits.

October is a fantastic month for catching some great trophy stripers in the North Georgia mountains.

Give Big Ol’ Fish Guiding Service a call and let the area’s #1 rated guide service put you on some of Lake Nottely’s most explosive striped bass. We are Blairsville, GA’s only full-time guide service, specializing in striped and hybrid bass. We also serve Lake Hiwassee, Chatuge and Blue Ridge. And for all your live blueback herring and tackle needs, check out Hughes General Store in Blairsville, GA. They carry everything you need for a successful day of fishing. So, come fish with the pros for the opportunity to be featured in Angler Magazine, and let us help you get your fish on!

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Local Lakes & Forecasts the flyrod at certain times of the day during this month.

A dilemma is encountered during October and November. Not only does freshwater fishing pick up, Dr. Andrew Cox but inshore saltwater fishing on the Atlantic coasts of Georgia and Florida, and October is one of the best There are also fewer anglers and Florida, Alabama, Missismonths of the year for angling. The other water enthusiasts on our wasippi, and Louisiana Gulf water is beginning to cool down terways, making them less busy.

Coasts also light up with making the fish more active. Fish The personal water craft users for cooler water and more acthat have been hard to come by dur- the most part have ceased their lake tive redfish, speckled trout, ing the summer months can now and river rides for the year. Other and other saltwater fish spebe caught with some consistency. outdoor users have shifted their focies. Accordingly, the angler Crappie, bass, bream, and catfish cus to other activities or interests. with limited time available can be more readily found in shal- Some anglers are now engrossed for fishing has hard decilower water. Even the hybrid and in hunting. Others are spending sions to make as to where to striped bass are more active in their time watching or attending college spend that valuable fishing and professional football on the schooling activity on area lakes. time. I try to schedule sev The air temperature is now weekends. Accordingly, there is less eral freshwater fishing excooler making it more comfortable competition for those prime fishing cursions and at least one inATTENTION: writing interests specialize in angling for anglers ________________________________ spending the day on the spots. shore saltwater trip over the course and travel, human interest, and genwater. These cooler temperatures are A variety of baits continue to eral fishing technique oriented topFORcertainly THE _____________________________ ISSUEthe fall season. of October and November. most welcome. Last year be effective during October and November are ics. He is a member of the Georgia I experienced heat stroke/heat ex- Anglers seem to have more success 770-855-8986 my favorite months of the year for Outdoor Writer’s Association. He haustion while fishing during sum- this time of year using shallow waDATE:_____________________________________ lakecountryshopper@gmail.com angling.

The cooler air and water has been fishing the waters of Geormer’s heat, illustrating the dangers ter baits such as spinnerbaits, in-line BE and RECEIVED WITHIN HOURS OR AD WILL PRINT SHOWN. temperatures, less anglers and boat gia,AS Alabama, and north Florida for spinners, shallow running lures. 24 of fishing andCORRECTIONS other outdoor activi-MUST PROOF IS FOR CORRECTIONS ADDITIONAL CHANGES AVAILABLE FORover A NOMINAL traffic, and more active fish; what forty years. Dr.FEE. Cox financially Plastic baitsONLY. such as tubes, and plasties during hot summer summers. else could an angler ask for. supports his fishing habits as2018ProThough October is cooler, the angler tic worms continue to be effective in ISSUE APRIL Author’s Note: Dr. Andrew Cox fessor Emeritus at Troy University, should continue to take precautions shallow and intermediate 3 rdepth d waPRO O F is a contributing writer to outdoor Phenix City, Alabama. He may be to avoid heat related medical condi- ter off banks and points. Fish can be publications and newspapers. His contacted at andrewtrout@aol.com. caught on topwater baits and flies on tions.

Fall Angling Is Here

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Local Lakes & Forecasts Fishing the Transition – October on Lake Lanier

Contributed By: Jim “Jimbo” Mathley www.jimboonlanier.com October on Lake Lanier means transition. Often you can find fish shallow and in the mid-depth ranges. As well, some fish start to move deep. The lake traditionally begins its turnover/stratification process this month, which provides an additional challenge. This year the lake returned to full pool and actually remained over full pool for the majority of the year. In addition, we had a normal summer in terms of temperatures, so the surface temperatures on the lake are in the average to high range this year. This change from the previous two years should provide some differences in fishing this October and will require flexibility in approach. Let’s dig in and examine how to approach catching spotted bass in this highly transitional month.

Location: As the water temperature cools, the bait, and therefore many of the fish, begin to move shallower in search of the warmer water that remains. As always, staying up with the location of the bait is key to consistently catching fish. To complicate matters, the lake traditionally begins its turnover process in October, which provides an unstable environment for the bait and the fish. The stratified layers of the lake mix at different times in different places. During this time, focus your efforts on the areas of the lake that have not yet or already turned over or stratified.

Look for the clearer water, and avoid water that has a dark, cloudy, or peagreen look to it. Often, you can find fish shallower in the creeks during this period.

However, some fish may also be deeper relating to the brush that had been holding fish through September. Some of the fish may go even deeper and begin relating to the timber edges in preparation for winter. Obviously, there are numerous factors to consider when searching for the catchable fish in October. Examine your options, understand the status of the lake and the effect of recent weather changes, stay flexible in your search, and stay on the move until you find a viable, repeatable pattern during your 22 ATLANTA

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fishing day. Now let’s examine some potential lure choices.

Lures and Presentation – MidDepth 1. Topwater/Swimbait– This bite in October can be outstanding. Large schools of fish can be found around humps and points near the creek or river channel. Experiment with different baits and presentations to match the conditions. A Zara Spook, Chug Bug, and Gunfish are some of my favorite topwater baits. On the swimbait side, make sure to try the Sweet Bait Company Swim Bait offerings. Awesome baits!

2. Chattahoochee Jig – Great bait throughout the fall on Lake Lanier.

Fish the bait around rocky/clay points, on ledges and timber edges.

Lures and Presentation – Shallow 1. Shaky Head – A Picasso Shake Down head with a trick worm can be an awesome bait in October.

Fish shallow around docks and secondary points with this bait for some bruisers.

2. Senko – A great bait to fish shallow around docks as it can be skipped under and around objects with ease. Dead stick the bait and wait for the tick!

3. Crankbait – Tie on a Spro Little John DD and target shallower rock points toward the end of the month. This can be a particularly good approach at daylight.

Lures and Presentation – Suspended 1. SuperSpin – This is an excellent producer on Lanier. Fish the bait at the depth you see the fish suspending near bait balls.

Understand the fall-rate for your rig and count the bait down to the depth of the fish and maintain that depth.

2. Jerk Bait – Another great tool for targeting suspending fish. Chose a bait that suspends at the depth the fish are holding and experiment with your retrieve cadence until you find what the fish are looking for any given day. I really like the SPRO offerings in the jerkbait – both the McStick and the McRip. Start with those.

I still have a few dates available this October, but they are going fast

- call me to book a trip! See you on the water!

Jimbo is a full-time, year-round spotted bass guide on Lake Lanier.

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 & Forecasts

Rob Jordon Is Set For the 2019 FLW TOUR Contributed by Wayne Wooten

I met Rob Jordon in 2015 after I had noticed he was young local guy guiding on Lake Lanier as well as fishing some BFL, BASS Opens and putting some awesome paint jobs on lures. Rob agreed to let me do an article about him.

I have followed him since then, and in 2018 he fished the FLW Tournament Trail finishing 75th out of 150+ anglers, which in my opinion was a great rookie year. Rob still guides on Lake Lanier and custom paints lures in his off time.

I contacted Rob to get caught up on his plans for the 2019 season, and we decided it was time to do an updated article. We picked a rainy day so he wouldn’t miss an opportunity for a guided trip. We met at Pigtails Restaurant on Lake Lanier along with Rob’s Title Sponsor, Chad Brooks with ATS Electrical Enter-

prises.

In 2017 Rob rekindled his relationship with Chad as Chad’s sons were fishing on the North Hall High School fishing team. Chad’s sons were wanting to learn more and expressed their desire to fish with a pro. Chad told them he knew Rob Jordon as Rob’s uncle works for Chad at ATS and that is how Chad knew Rob. Chad then contacted Rob and they took the boys out fishing in the fall of 2017.

Rob discussed his desire to fish the FLW Tour with Chad, but he needed more sponsors. Chad said “When I saw how dedicated and how hard he worked but took time to teach his sons, I just had to be part of that”. So they hammered out a deal. A few days later he added Martin Docks as a sponsor, and in December Rob sent in his applica-

tion which was accepted.

Rob told me of some of the challenges he faced fishing the FLW Tour for the first time. He had to get familiar with lakes he had not fished, where to stay, sleeping in a tent for some events, the road time, practicing and the pressure of fishing competitively with some of the best bass anglers on the planet!

Last, but not least, was his desire to do his best as a professional to represent his sponsors and finish well enough to get in the money.

Chad told me he could see after sponsoring Rob in 2018 that 2019 would be even better and planned

on attending some events to network. Rob said, “One of the first things folks ask me is what/who ATS is”? This gives me the perfect opening to tell them about ATS and the other sponsors.

Chad and Rob both feel thinking outside the box seeking sponsors from outside of the fishing industry is a great idea. The companies inside the industry are bombarded with request and most companies are already committed. One major lure manufacturer said that they average 100 written requests a week!

I wish Rob and his sponsors the best of luck in 2019.

D

S

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Local Lakes & Forecasts

Adverse Conditions

By Billy Darby Adverse conditions can play right into your hands if you adapt to the varied situations by changing your mental approach and taking advantage of the unexpected “ugh-oh”. High water, mud, wind, sudden barometric pressure changes or extreme water flow are only a portion of the variables that can be confronted. Employing common sense and the safety factor are the most pertinent considerations of your approach to fishing bad water.

Here are a few of the adverse conditions that led to some of my most memorable fishing experiences! In April 1973, red water forced a friend and me up the small creek adjacent to the boat ramp. Fresh rain water was pouring across an asphalt road bed that crossed over the mouth of this little branch. This turbulence was a magnet for big bass. A spinnerbait might have been the lure of choice, but on my first cast with a blueberry worm, an 8-pounder made my lure selection for the day.

Eventually, an overwhelming onslaught of trash and debris cut our day short, but 13 bass weighing 104 pounds was not bad for three hours.

See the accompanying photo.

Another day of bad conditions happened in 1978. Wind forced me to stay in a protected area. I hid behind a clay point and cast a Big O into the swells and whitecaps that were washing over the underwater extension to a small ditch. Bingo!

An hour of madness ensued.

Fast forward to June 1994. Lake Eufaula was rapidly receding from the second biggest flood in the lake’s history. A friend’s son and I ventured into an area where a pond drained into the lake through a canal. Every delicacy known to a fish was washing into the mouth of a feeder creek.

We killed them on buzzbaits. As well as I, he had the time of his young life and is now telling his kids about our experience.

These memories are not intended to be bragging material but just proof that with a little forethought, adverse conditions can be an advantage.

Other sour conditions that can ruin your day and lead to learning experiences are motor problems, electronics failure, dead batteries and trolling motor issues, One of these learning experiences is to check your “stuff ” before you leave home.

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Local Lakes & Forecasts Clarks Hill Striped Bass, Hybrids and Crappie

by Capt Tony Shepherd and Capt Rocky Fulmer Little River Guide Service lrguideservice@gmail.com (706) 210-3474 Surface temperature on the south end of the lake is around 84 degrees and the lake is 2.5 feet low. Summer fishing for hybrid and striped bass has been phenomenal. September has continued the summer pattern and currently live bait is still the ticket to a full creel. There are substantial populations of cooperative fish on both the top and lower ends of the lake.

Pre-sunrise, target 30 foot humps adjacent to the river channels. After 8am, move off the primary points in 60 to 90 feet of water and present herring above the depth that you are marking fish. As we progress into fall, keep an eye out for surface feeding fish.

If you would like to learn “how to” target these fish or just simply experience one of the best fisheries in the country, give us a call to check availability.

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Local Lakes & Forecasts lake HARDING

By Steve McCorkle “Colonel” Stevemccorkle61@yahoo.com The first half of September has remained very hot and humid, but that should begin to slowly change especially since we are starting to see a lot of tropical storms in the Atlantic and the Gulf. Looks like it is going to be a very active hurricane season. As we move into October, the water temps will begin to drop into the 60’s and this should move most fish into shallow water and make them very active. Fishing should be very good.

Bass should be chasing shad in shallow water along the bank or on flats near deeper water. Many different types of baits will work well during this time.

Try using a lipless crankbait like a RatL-Trap or a swimbait. Topwater baits will also produce during this time. Trick worms and jerk baits can also produce.

The key is to cover lots of water. Find the baitfish and the bass will not be far away. You can also catch bass on Texas

rig worm, so have a rod with one tied on in case you find the bass are not as aggressive as they should be. Fish the same banks and structure that you fish the lipless crankbait. Nighttime fishing will still produce well during this time of year. At night, bass can also be caught fishing the lights on docks, especially the submerged lights. Best baits for nighttime are Texas-rig worms, trick worms, swimbaits and rubber shad baits.

Striped bass and hybrids should start to feed on shad and should be able to be caught in the same manner as largemouth bass using a lipless crankbait or swimbait. You will find stripes and hybrids either in the back of coves or along shallow points near deeper water. The key is to locate the shad, and wherever they are is where the fish will be. Stripers can also be caught using live minnows or shad.

The crappie bite should begin to improve as the weather cools.

Crappie will still be able to be caught under the bridge or around deep docks with lots of deep cover using minnows. Crappie should start to

move into shallow water following the shad and can be caught around brush piles and blowdowns in coves, creeks and up the river. Best baits are minnows and small curly tail jigs.

Bream, shellcracker and other sunfish should still be biting. Target the back of coves, around docks and in the backwaters upriver.

Live bait works best with crickets and earthworms being the best all around baits. If you prefer to use

artificial baits, use small spinners in either chartreuse or yellow or some green color.

Catfish will also be biting well on Lake Harding. Catfish can be caught during the day or at night around docks and other deep-water structure. Best baits are chicken livers, stink baits, and dough baits.

Fish for catfish by using a bottom technique where you use a ¾ to 1-ounce weight to hold the bait near the bottom similar to a Carolina rig.

“...this should move most fish into shallow water and make them very active. “

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Local Lakes & Forecasts Patience, Patience, and a Little More Patience By: Ryan Kennedy YouTube: Ryan Kennedy Fishing Instagram: ryankfishing ryankfishing@gmail.com

A lot of people think they have patience until it comes time to use it.

Patience is one of those things that applies to every outdoorsman out there. Whether you are a fisherman, a hunter, or enjoy anything else outdoors, we all have to have patience in different situations that we encounter. Talking to my fishermen out there first, how many times have you been going down the bank and seen a gorgeous looking tree laying in the water to flip into? That situation is pretty common, but the temptation to not have any patience in that situation is the real kicker. Let’s take a look at that situation from a bigger picture; two buddies fishing down a bank in a boat see a good-looking laydown ahead that looks like a dream to flip a jig into. No harm, no foul… yet.

Stepping back even farther to get a different perspective shows us that there is so much more going on. Both fishermen’s minds are wondering who

is going to flip first because they each want to be the one to catch the fish that is potentially in that laydown, but they also don’t want to lose their cool by flinging a rocket launcher cast at it before they get within flipping range.

Well, the lack of patience takes over and sure enough the guy up front has had enough and flings that jig as hard as he can right into the middle of the laydown. Keeping a long story short, the lure gets caught up in the tree and just like that, no patience in one situation leads to another by jerking the rod around violently trying to get unsnagged before getting closer, and finally… POP! The last one of “the only jig they’ll bite” is at the bottom of the lake and the laydown is ruined. No patience, no fish.

The hunting side of patience isn’t that much different. There are plenty of hunters out there that are determined to get a shot on a deer the moment that the first, slightest opportunity arises.

These are the guys that usually tell you a story about the one that got away or the ones who have the tracking dog owner on speed dial every year. They get into a rush and try to take a shot on an alert deer instead of waiting for a perfect broadside relaxed shot. Well, if you make a bad shot, you’ve got a heck of a tracking job ahead and a bill to pay for the tracking service. If you missed, then that deer is going to

be blowing enough to make sure you don’t see another thing for the rest of the day. Now I know that situation doesn’t apply as much to hunting with a gun, but my bow hunters know this all to well. Wait for the right shot, folks!

Just remember, patience is like a good financial investment; the more you put into it, the more you are going to get out of it. God Bless!

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Local Lakes & Forecasts Walking the Dog in the Fall Contributed By: Jay Striker www.jaystriker.com Topwater fishing is one of the best ways to catch fish in the fall. When the water temps start to fall and the leaves begin to turn colors, all I think about is throwing topwater baits and waiting for some of the most explosive strikes that make me fall in love with topwater fishing. Let’s consider some of my go-to baits, where I like to target topwater bass and those high percentage areas where you will most likely get bit this time of year.

Topwater Baits: Getting bass to bite a topwater bait is all about cadence and rhythm, meaning how I work my bait back to the boat. However, what baits I throw is key. I will primarily use two types of topwater baits to get strikes. One is the Fish Head Primal Buzzbait, and the other is a stick bait such as a Zara Spook.

When the water in the fall begins to get a little stained, I know that the fish will need a little help keying in on my baits, so I will always throw the Primal Buzz to help the fish tune in on

the bait and locate it really well. One trick I use on my buzzbait is to cup the blades out a little bit more to displace a little bit more water and cause the fish to track it faster.

The old tried and true topwater plug to throw in the fall is a big Zara Spook. I like to throw it on a 7-foot medium heavy rod with a fast tip so the bait won’t get slung out of the fish’s mouth when the bass jumps.

Use a cadence when working this bait, because the cadence is what dials the fish in on the bait from long distances.

Areas to Target: When locating the right places to throw topwater baits in lakes such as Lanier and Hartwell, I find points close to deep water, rip-rap near deep water, laydowns and in open water over brush.

If I get a good bite, I want to see what type of cover or structure the fish is relating to. However, topwater baits do have their limitations. All topwater baits can’t be used everywhere. I

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can’t throw my Zara Spook in grass that is out of the water as it will get hung, but I can throw it over grass that is submerged just below the surface and have some heart stopping strikes, many of them right at the boat. The buzzbait can be thrown in places that I could not get away with using the Spook. The Primal Buzzbait only has one hook, versus the Spook with six. I can get the buzzbait in more places and can cover a lot of water.

Fall is here and this is the time of year where you really only need a few baits in your boat to be successful.

The Fish Head Primal Buzz and a big Zara Spook are my favorites this time of the year, hands down. If you throw them in high percentage places, you will find that this time of year can be the best time to catch some big fish.

Be sure to follow me on social media; Jay Striker on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and at jaystriker. com. I’ll see you on the water.

“The old tried and true topwater plug to throw in the fall is a big Zara Spook.”

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Local Lakes & Forecasts Lake MARTIN

Lake chatuge Provided By: David Hare Alex City Guide Service 256-401-3089

Eric Welch Welch’s Guide Service www.welchsguideservice. com 706-455-2323 Water temperature: 81 degrees, lake level: 2.5 feet below full pool, clarity: clear.

The lake is starting to drop some and the cooler nights have helped the water temps drop. The bass are still scattered, but we’ve started seeing some topwater action the first couple hours in the morning.

The spotted bass have been mixed in with the hybrids and have been feeding in pockets on the main body.

The baits I’m using are a 90 series Whopper Plopper and a Strike King Sexy Dawg. When the fish calm down breaking and are waiting on the schools of bait to regroup, try throwing a 4.5” to 5.5” Sexy Spoon and a Silver Buddy. You can also catch these fish that are suspending waiting on baitfish with a Strike King Rage Swimmer on a 3/16 jig head just swimming it around. I will start working points with access to deep

water with a dropshot with a 4.5” Roboworm and shaky head with a Strike King 6.5” finesse worm.

There has also been some fish hanging around docks, so try a jig or a Strike King Ocho wacky rigged with a nail weight in the head. The topwater bite should get real good this month with cooler nights.

Give Welch’s Guide Service a call. We’re your #1 guide service and we’ve been doing it since 2001.

Good luck!

Water temperature: 84 degrees, lake level: 490.00, clarity: clear.

I am very proud to be able to say that August, and so far September, has been one of the best years for striper fishing in many years. The bite has been on fire, and to top it off, the catch and release has been (for us here at Alex City Guide Service) basically 100% successful. I’ve never seen the stripers in August and September as healthy as they are this year. In fact, one of our most popular conversations this entire year back at the dock is how strong the stripers are fighting and how unbelievable healthy they are. If you enjoy fighting strong sport fish, then you need to be on Lake Martin fishing for stripers, and we’d love to carry you out on one of our charters.

Last year, October was by far the best October striper fishing on record

for us. With this year being such a good catching year already, we are on pins and needles with excitement for October fishing. October for Lake Martin stripers in previous years normally was considered as a transitional month, but I am seeing signs of transitioning for several days as I am writing this, so my prediction is that you’ll find the stripers from middle of the lake and north, instead of middle to south end. Of course, don’t overlook any of your favorite places to fish for the beast. We will be trolling and live baiting this month and definitely be ready for the occasional topwater explosion. From the middle until the end of October will just get better and better because the fall bite for sure will be on.

If you are in the area on October 20th with kids or grandkids and want to impress them after you get off the water, take them to Wind Creek State Park for the famous Fall Festival and largest trick or treating in this part of the state. My grandkids (and I) look forward to this event every year.

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Local Lakes & Forecasts Kim’s Kitchen

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Mix the Worcestershire sauce and water together in a bowl with a lid.

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Melt a stick of butter in a saucepan and season to taste with garlic powder. Stir well Cut the bacon into pieces that cover the tops of each breast, usually 4 – 5 pieces Coat each breast with the butter and sprinkle on some lemon pepper seasoning. Liberally or sparingly, your choice.

Place on cooking sheet covered with foil. (Helps with cleanup.)

Place a piece of bacon on each breast. Bake at 250 degrees until the bacon is cooked. When the bacon is done, the dove is done. Remove and let set a couple of minutes if you can. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce and enjoy.

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Local Lakes & Tournaments Lake SINCLAIR

Lake Sinclair is down 1.76 feet with the water stained and the temperature in the 80’s.

Bass fishing is fair. The shallow bite is the dominant pattern right now. The fish are really scattered as this water temperature is cooler than normal for this time of year. Fish in the backs of creeks and pockets, all the way out to the main river sea walls and points. Covering a lot of water is the best way to get numbers of bites from these scattered fish.

Topwater baits are still producing early and late in the day. Try the Excalibur Zell Pop back in the pockets where the bream are present.

Fish these baits aggressively to get a reaction strike. A small Lucky Craft Sammy in a shad color has been working best across the points and shallow flats near the mouths of creeks.

The mid-day bite has been best with shaky heads and jigs.

A Buckeye Spot Remover with a green pumpkin Zoom trick worm has been hard to beat in shallow brush piles around docks. The spot remover will get numbers of bites in the middle of the day and has also been catching a few quality fish. A Buckeye Mop Jig in green pumpkin color will get fewer bites during the day, but the bites you get will be quality. Fish this jig around blow downs and docks near the main river for best results. The Oconee River arm seems to be best right now for consistency.

“Topwater baits are still producing early and late in the day. Try the Excalibur Zell Pop back in the pockets where the bream are present.”

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Local Lakes & Forecasts carters lakE

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

lakeandstreamguideservice@gmail.com

Water temperature: 80 degrees, lake level: full, clarity: 3 feet.

Carters is still in full summer mode with temps near 80 and the lack of rain keeping the fish down deep.

The past few weeks have been the same without much change from any species. Our best bite is at night under the Hydro Glow lights still. Midnight to 7am is about the most consistent lineside bite on this lake right now. Hybrids and stripers are willing to come investigate the commotion caused by putting these green lights in the water and attracting massive schools of bait. Downlines about 20 feet off the bottom and flatlines with split shot fished outside the green glow is the way to get bit. Light leader and small hooks have made quite the difference the last few trips. Having to drop to 10-pound leader one night before the fish would eat was a major game changer. Don’t be afraid to change it up till something works.

The daytime bite has been better, trolling then sitting still with live baits.

The fish are a little more eager to eat

something they think is getting away versus just sitting there. Look for fish near submerged timber, river bends and down by the dam this month.

Smaller schools seem to be giving up more action then bigger schools of fish. Look to the hybrids for a more consistent bite on striped fish. Backs of the creeks early and late in the day is the place to be. The schooled up hybrids are chasing bait in the 25-foot range, and if you can find the school, it’s a fun time. Most fish are in the 5 to 7-pound range with the occasional 10 to 12-pound fish mixed in. Areas in Camp Branch, Fisher Creek and Doll Mountain are key.

The spots are stacked in the creeks near the schools of fry bait just pigging out on 1-2” baits all day. We had 13 fish the other day over 3 pounds all in one creek, all puking up small shad about an inch long. Live bait, small spoons, jigs and scroungers are all catching nice spots right now. On the main lake, they seem to be a bit deeper at 40-50 feet, though small baits in their face is the way to go. By the end of the month, we are hoping to see the summer pattern dissipate and the cooler fall weather move in and draw the bait and fish up shallower. Until then, keep summer fishing and good luck.

“Our best bite is at night under the Hydro Glow lights still. Midnight to 7am is about the most consistent lineside bite on this lake right now. Hybrids and stripers are willing to come investigate the commotion caused by putting these green lights in the water and attracting massive schools of bait.”

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Local Lakes & Tournaments Cloud Fishing

Contributed By: Noey Vinyard

611 Old Phoenix Road Eatonton, GA

Hook Line and Sinker: Catch Their Attention Early If you’ve read any of my previous articles, you know how much fun families can have together fishing. You know that I’m very big on teaching kids not only how to fish, but teaching them to respect the outdoors and Mother Nature.

Children will eventually develop their own view of Mother Nature and what aspects they appreciate most. Getting them started fishing is a good way to begin, but unfortunately, just taking them fishing is not enough to spark their interest. You have to catch fish. Later in their life the actual catching of fish may not be that important, but to get them started you have to catch fish.

I believe it must be documented that a five-year-old with a fishing rod that is not catching fish has the attention span of 23.5 seconds.

Trust me on this. When the interest in fishing is gone, that’s when little fingers start exploring all the colorful things in the tackle box when you are not looking, usually with bad results, as most of the colorful things in the tackle box have very sharp hooks.

When you take kids of different ages fishing, their attention span varies. So to avoid juggling fishing with the kids that are still interested and chasing the ones that aren’t, simply catch fish. I can think of no better candidate for this than the sunfish a.k.a. bream. Shellcracker and bluegill are just a few of the names for the same fish. These fish can be found in literally every body of water and have voracious appetites. They will bite any time of day

and almost any kind of weather and are extremely abundant.

There also very durable which is good since kids seems to think that it’s necessary for the fish to flop around on the ground a little bit before being released. They will take almost any kind of bait to include crickets, worms, dough balls and a variety of artificial baits. I have even caught them on bits of chewing gum and tinfoil. To top it off, they make excellent eating, battered and pan fried in peanut oil, when you catch them big enough (appx 8-10 inches.) You can catch these fish right from the bank using any type of light tackle or even a cane pole if you prefer.

So give the reliable old sunfish a try. You will find him just as willing to bite as you are to catch them. But best of all, when your kids start catching them, they will think you are the greatest, and in today’s world, anything you can do to bring your kids closer to you is a good thing. I don’t know about you, but I like the way I feel inside when one of my kids looks at me in awe when I show them the little fishing tricks I’ve picked up throughout my life. I like the way that they ask me questions and are ready to believe any answer I give, because they trust me, and the way that they are not disappointed when I don’t know.

So, take your kids fishing and you might just catch your child’s imagination as well as their trust.

Once you’ve done that, all things are possible. Good luck and see you next month, Blue Ridge.

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Local Lakes & Forecasts lake lanier striperS

Lake Alatoona

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Forecast by: tons of stripers over the past decade.

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Fall is showing up here on Lanier. Liner. As mentioned last month, Trolling is good! The trolling The gulls are starting to show up another topwater bait to try is the Lineside fishing is getting better. bite has been my go-to bite after the and the loons will be here soon as Berkley J-Walker 120 and the Berkley The lake temperature is starting to sun comes up. I am pulling nothing well. We need one cold front and Driftwalker. These two baits are new stabilize, and the bite seems to be but umbrella rigs right now. Color we will see more and more surface and just hitting the market. Pick a shad as good south as it is mid-lake. The doesn’t seem to matter. It is more action. Herring will continue to based color or a bone color and you are last few days we have been marking of a reaction bite right now. I have be the primary bait in October. Rig good to go. Look for schooling fish and really good schools of fish from been having my best luck at 145 feet the herring on a freeline which is cast right in the middle of them. This is Clarks Creek to Kellogg’s Creek. behind the boat at speeds of 2.4 - 3.1 basically a 1/0 Gamakatsu Octopus usually the most exciting month of the These schools are a mixed bag of miles per hour. hook, a section of 10-pound Trilene year on Lanier. Do not miss it. I’m so stripers, hybrids, whites and spots. I’m really encouraged with what Big Game 100% Flourocarbon and glad the summer heat is gone.

They will eat almost anything when we’re seeing out there, and I expect a Spro 120-pound Power Swivel. they come up. Our better fish are one heck of a fall. We still have A quality swivel is important. Use coming on threadfins and small availability for this weekend. Call me the same Shakespeare gizzard shad fished on freelines. at 770-827-6282 if interested.

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Local Lakes & Forecasts Lake Eufaula

Forecast by: Capt. Wes Carlton Georgia Lake Fishing 770-318-9777 www.georgialakefishing.com

By Capt Sam Williams hawk184@earthlink.net 334-687-6266 Water temperature: upper 80’s, water level: 189.87 msl, clarity: slight stain to clear.

Steady water levels are keeping the early pad bite active for you topwater fishermen. Weightless Fluke’s are doing well as the frog has been seen so much by the bass over the summer. Jigs and trick worms around the edges of cover are good choice as well. Blade baits on top are getting a quality bite early too.

Deep fish are holding on trash piles and structure in 12 to 20 feet. Big, deep cranks are your best bet here or heavy jigs. The bait needs to be worked slowly through the targeted areas to annoy the bass into a strike.

If you cannot get it deep enough and keep it slow, rig the lure on a Carolina rig, and it will allow you to slow it to the speed you like and keep it

Lake Burton

down.

Crappie are also on the deeper structure. Jigs are the trick here. Tipping with minnows will entice a bite.

Bream are shallow around cover and on the flats. Crickets and wigglers are your bait here. Beetle Spins and in-line spinners are working if you do not want to go with live bait.

Catfish are really a lot of fun on jugs baited with cut bait. Some really nice ones are coming in now.

Please visit our foundation web site www.alabamachildrensclassic. org and help us with the fundraising opportunities found there. Amazon Smile is a great way to support us, and it will not cost the shopper a cent.

God Bless and good fishing

Water temperature: 75 degrees, lake level: full, clarity: clear.

Bass: The bass bite continues to be great! We have caught some really nice

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oct2018 ATL.indd 35

largemouth over the last few weeks.

These fish seem to be mid-way back in the creeks holding close to structure.

Try using a Sebile swimbait over the top of this structure before working in close with a jig. Try finding the yellow perch and the bass will be nearby. This pattern should continue for the next few weeks. The pre-fall topwater bite should be kicking off soon!

OCTOBER 2018

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Wall of Fame

Win A Free Angler Magazine Cap! A Angler Magazine cap will be given away each month for the best reader submitted photo!

Tony Adams and Duck Sneed with some good Eufaula crappie Tyler Gingrich from Panama City, FL with a big Seminole bass

Brianna Kim reeled in this 16-pound striper from Etowah River on live shad

WINNER!

Six-year-old Bryant Nicholson caught this 18-pound striper fishing with his dad on the Etowah River

Tyler Baer caught this gorgeous brown on the Chattooga River

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Jamie Harkey of Vale, NC with a 13 pound hybrid caught with Big Ol Fish Guiding Service

Here is young Bryant Nicholson with another trophy, a 8.3 pound largemouth from a Hancock County farm pond

Bud McDaniel of Lake Martin lands this 30-pound trophy striper fishing with Capt David Hare

9/16/18 4:55 PM

E

ight years ago, Jeff Kolodzinki spent 24 grueling hours on the dock of a Minnesota pond to break the Guinness World Record for Most Fish Caught in a Day. With a 10-foot pole simply rigged with a float, fluorocarbon line and a barbless hook holding live bait, he yanked 2,649 fish from the water in a single day.

Dubbed the Marathon Man, Kolodzinki will attempt to break his own world record on Sept. 11-12, 2018 at Giant Goose Ranch in Canton, Ill. Kolodzinski already has his spot in the record books. This time he’s doing it to introduce people and families to fishing and to increase awareness and financial support for the Fishing For Life, a non-profit, tax exempt charitable organization whose Next GEN program finds mentors for children of families in need. A special focus within the program serves families of veterans who have lost loved ones while serving our nation.

Not only is Kolodzinski the current world record holder for fish caught in a 24-hour period, but he also represented the United States seven times in international competition at the World Championship of Freshwater Fishing. He currently serves as the Fishing Brand Manager for Johnson Outdoors and is a longtime fishing industry professional with many awards.

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9/17/18 10:54 AM

History’s Alive

on Palm Beach’s Wrecks

By Andrea Whitaker • Photo by Andrea Whitaker

B

elow the ocean’s surface rest giants, the wooden and steel beauties that once demanded the sea’s attention.

Lying there quietly, patiently suspended under the weight of water, what secrets do they hold? What lost memories are kept in their walls at the bottom of the sea?

There is a calming silence as a diver approaches these giants. In the middle of a sandy desert, a diver approaches a dark shadow. As the current pushes them closer, the shadow grows and the shape of a bow or stern emerges. Then the sheer size of the sunken vessel towers overhead. It is dark and mysterious, yet full of life... and forgotten memories.

Many wrecks off the coast of Palm Beach were sunk in the 1960s and now sport coats of sponges and coral growth, surrounded by underwater life. One in particular, the Mizpah, is a popular wreck to dive. Once a private Greek luxury liner, she was commissioned by the U.S. government for service in WWII, her rails outfitted with guns to patrol the coast for German U-Boats. After decommission, she sat in a storage yard for some time before being re-discovered. Her original family could not bear to see her wither on land, so they cleaned her up and gave her a burial at sea.

I had the honor last August to dive with a granddaughter of the family who purchased the Mizpah and made an artificial reef out of her. My dive buddy showed me photos of the vessel in her prime and shared stories of childhood on the boat. It was an incredible experience to watch her eyes light up when she first saw the Mizpah underwater... how it had become a beautiful habitat. Seeing her excitement and, post-dive, her quiet reverence, made me realize there are secrets and lost memories in the walls of these sunken vessels and that these forgotten walls now have new purpose and life.

Once at the bottom of the sea, these sunken giants attract life quicker than you might expect. In Palm Beach, from mid-August through October, wrecks are surrounded by Goliath groupers. Their favorite places to aggregate for spawning is around wrecks.

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Photo by Devon Kinney and family

Dive operators have created The Palm Beach County Diving Association (PBCDA) to give divers and dive operators a bigger voice in local ocean-related issues, and to aid in the sinking of other ships as part of an active artificial reef program. On Oct. 6, the PBCDA is hosting its annual Artificial Reef Fundraiser at the Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach. All proceeds go to the creation of artificial reefs in Palm Beach County. Tickets include an evening of entertainment, delicious food and beer, and a plethora of raffle and silent auction prizes. Tickets are available for purchase online at www.divepbc.com/participate. All are welcome to attend and be a part of the local underwater history.

9/17/18 10:54 AM

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orth Carolina’s delayed harvest trout waters opened Oct. 1, marking a day trout fishermen have been awaiting throughout the long hot and wet summer.

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is stocking designated sections of 34 trout waters across 20 western North Carolina counties in preparation for the season.

Delayed harvest waters will be managed as catch-andrelease-only until they open under regular hatchery regulations in June 2019.

Under delayed harvest trout waters regulations, no trout can be harvested or possessed from these waters. No natural bait may be possessed, and anglers can fish only with artificial lures with one single hook. An artificial lure is defined as a fishing lure that neither contains nor has been treated with any substance that attracts fish by the sense of taste or smell.

The Wildlife Commission stocks delayed harvest trout waters from fall through

Augusta, GA (706) 738-4536

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spring with high densities of trout to increase anglers’ chances of catching fish. Delayed harvest trout waters, posted with diamond-shaped, black-and-white signs, are popular fishing destinations for anglers who enjoy catchand-release trout fishing.

The Commission reminds anglers fishing Delayed Harvest Trout Waters to help prevent the spread of aquatic nuisance species, such as whirling disease, gill lice and didymo, by: • cleaning equipment of all aquatic plants and animals and mud; • draining water from boat, live wells and equipment; • drying equipment thoroughly; • never moving fish, plants or other organisms from one body of water to another.

For a list of delayed harvest waters, see the trout fishing pages of the NCWRC website at www.ncwildlife.org.

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OCTOBER 2018

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OCTOBER 2018

By CAM Staff

O

ctober is a magical time on a trout stream. In preparation for the spawn, hormones flood a brown trout’s body to change its colors in time with the leaves on the trees.

Big browns go on the move, abandoning deep undercut banks to push upstream with the urge to reproduce.

Fall is when butter-bellied bruisers are most susceptible to anglers, and rainbow trout will also be feeding up as days get shorter and stream temperatures fall.

It’s one of the happy designs of nature that the October caddis also makes its appearance this time of year. With bulky tan to orange bodies, big tent wings and measuring over an inch long, the adult October caddis is often too much for even big trout to resist.

The October caddis of western states is actually a different bug than what eastern anglers frequently refer to as October caddis. Although the two are so similar they are interchangeable, the more appropriate name for the eastern bug is great autumn brown sedge.

Wherever you fish and whatever you want to call them, October caddis show up during the low flows of fall when leaves begin dropping to the water. Late evenings are when most of the activity occurs. On some flows this hatch happens so late in the day as to be considered a nighttime event.

From all the hype this hatch receives, it might seem as easy as grabbing a handful of big orange Stimulators and hitting the water. And sometimes it is that easy. On some streams, on some days, trout will key in and be looking up for orange bellies all day long. But on most days stubbornly insisting on the dry fly will lead to frustration.

Most of the feeding, and especially the daytime feeding, occurs subsurface, when caddis are in their larval or pupal stages.

It might be disappointing, but this requires an angler to resort to nymphing with imitations that represent the subsurface stages of the bug’s lifecycle. There are some good October caddis pupae, larva and emerger patterns out there than can be run in tandem to cover a wide swath of the water column. This is an excellent strategy that spoon-feeds tasty morsels to big browns that would not be out and about during the day at any other time of year.

Of course nymphing is a practice many of us undertake only because it catches trout when they are not looking up. Go to the river enough and there will come a late afternoon in fall when trout are picking off October caddis as they flutter on the water’s surface. There’s nothing more fun than those evenings when skittering a big bushy dry fly actually works.

COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THEANGLERMAG.COM

9/17/18 1:27 PM

By Capt. Randy Cnota

W

hile the majority of anglers prowl the waters off Franklin County, Fla. using spinning and casting gear with live bait or artificial lures, fly fishermen here are quietly stalking their prey with consistently outstanding results.

There’s not likely any species of fish here (and there are MANY) that won’t fall for a fly. Tarpon, for example, can be had on a variety of presentations, but the fly is far and away the most productive approach to getting bites. When chasing big schools of them in the clear Gulf water, you can forget about big jigs or other clunky lures.

The tantalizing subtleness a fly offers can, at times, be the only thing that triggers a feeding response. This same concept can hold true with many other fish.

As we approach fall, redfish, Spanish mackerel, bonito and drag-ripping jack crevalle are just a few of the species that fly fishers can expect to see all the way through December.

Chris Robinson, of Robinson Brother’s Guide Service in Apalachicola, has been putting clients on the fly bite for many years and is your go-to guy for everything fly. He said that when the north winds blow, look for bait balls close to shore in the Gulf waters; birds will usually point them out for you. There, you’ll find Spanish mackerel, bonito and jack crevalle. A small baitfish-imitating fly works best here.

In the bays, redfish, trout, flounder and jack crevalle are the primary targets. These marshy waters are abundant with forage.

All those species are sure to eat a shrimp-imitating fly.

Most species can be had using an 8- or 9-weight rod, but when targeting the jacks, Chris suggests you step up to an 11-weight. These critters are flat out savages and will test the mettle of fishermen and their equipment.

Some can top the 20-pound class, and that’s a fight you’ll never forget!

Chris claims the best place to learn how to fly fish is on the water.

He’s always eager to teach folks all they need to know about this artistic form of angling. So don’t feel intimidated if you have no experience.

His skiff is loaded with all the latest quality equipment anyone could need.

Hiring a guide like Chris is highly encouraged for several reasons: you don’t have to travel with gear, you don’t have to guess about flies and other tackle, and you get to put wear and tear on his equipment, not yours.

If you do choose to haul your boat here, this place is user friendly with plenty of launch sites, outfitters and friendly locals with lots of fish tales to share.

For a complete list of rentals, charters, supplies and more visit www.floridasforgottencoast.com.

Photo Courtesy Robinson Brothers Guide Service

COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THEANGLERMAG.COM

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OCTOBER 2018

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9/17/18 1:26 PM

r spread

By Nick Carter

P

oling mangrove edges and flats in search of tailing and belly crawling reds is as much hunting as it is fishing. When the target is sighted and it’s time to take a shot with an 8-weight fly rod, your aim better be on target.

Gillz pro staffer Noah Miller, of Melbourne, Fla., has spent the on-the-water hours it takes to consistently take reds on the fly. He’s one of those anglers who knows there are still plenty of fish in the famous inshore waters around Titusville. The Indian River, Banana River and Mosquito Lagoon might be facing water quality challenges, but the fishing remains good.

Right now, during the fall mullet run and lasting into February is prime time on Florida’s east coast.

“There’s lots of forage, and the fish are happy,” Miller said of current conditions. “They’re very opportunistic this time of year and will eat almost any fly, as long as it is presented correctly.”

The redfish display a lot of schooling activity in preparation for a late fall spawn. These fish are resident to their respective waters and remain there through the seasons, even during the spawn. They can be encountered in large schools of 100 fish or more, and finding them is the key to catching them.

“Put in the time on the pushpole,” Miller coached. “These fish do move, but they might only be 200 yards away from where they were yesterday. If things look right and you think there should be fish around, don’t leave an area until you’re certain they’re not there.”

If the fish are not visible, it is tough to catch them on a fly. With conventional gear, an angler can make long searching casts to cover water for fish that are not showing themselves. With a fly rod, you’re better off holding the fly on the deck until you spot a fish. Seeing the fish and which way it is headed allows for presentation of the fly. You want it to plop down in front of the fish and close, but not too close.

“About 40 feet is the cast I like to make,” said Miller. “You’ll be able to tell if he’s seen it and is interested right away… as soon as the fly hits the water. Then you want to start stripping it away from the fish to make it look like a fleeing crab, shrimp or whatever fly you’re fishing.”

Miller caught the redfish on the cover of this month’s editions of Coastal Angler Magazine in stained water with a Seaducer pattern that had purple and black hackle feathers for a tail, a black EP Fiber head and bead chain eyes. That fly worked for the 26-incher on the cover, but this time of year presentation is much more important than fly selection.

Noah Miller is a Gillz (gillz-gear.com) pro-staffer and is co-owner of Florida Fly Co., which provides the things fly rodders need to fish Florida’s waters. Check them out on Instagram @FloridaFlyCo and on Facebook.

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OCTOBER 2018

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9/17/18 10:45 AM

By Tom Schlichter Photo by Paul Dixon

M

ontauk, NY. It’s known locally as “The End,” and it’s marketed as “The Fishing Capital of the World!” It can back up both claims.

“This is an awesome place for fly- and light-tackle fall thrills says charter skipper Paul Dixon of To the Point Charters (516-314-1185; www.flyfishingmontauk.com). “During October, the inshore action with speedy false albacore, stripers and monster bluefish absolutely sizzles.”

Dixon has been fishing Montauk waters for 25 years, loading customers aboard his Contender Tournament 25 and working anywhere from the shadow of Montauk’s iconic lighthouse at the tip of the South Fork to Orient Point at the eastern terminus of Long Island’s North Fork.

In the winter months, he charters out of Key Largo to fish the Everglades and Florida Keys.

“It’s in the rips and coves at Montauk that the fall mayhem really

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comes together,” said Dixon, who loves targeting albies with fly rod in hand. Through September, you’ll find pods of Fat Alberts scattered across Long Island’s East End, but once the rainbait exits the bays, Montauk explodes with fish.”

According to Dixon, at the height of the run so many bay anchovies stack up in the rips surrounding Montauk Point that the water actually appears brown with the immense schools.

“At that point,” said the skipper, “the albies feed in two ways. They’ll cruise through the densest baitfish schools in tight packs, turning on their sides with their mouths open and simply strain anchovies as they move along. They are tough to hook under those conditions since they aren’t singling out specific targets. Wait a little while though, and they’ll begin to bust up the baitfish schools. That’s when the fishing absolutely breaks loose and every cast has the potential to connect.”

While light-tackle fans can hook-up using small tins like a Deadly Dick or a white 1-oz. Panther Martin Big Fin swimbait, Dixon prefers the long wand when sea conditions allow.

“These fish hit hard and run fast, so go with the best fly fishing gear you can afford,” he suggested. “I use Cortland Compact floating/intermediate lines, Rise fly rods and Tibor reels. For patterns, 2- to 3-inch Epoxy Minnows get the job done most of the time.”

Dixon pointed out that it’s important to know exactly what you are casting for each time you let your line fly. “The albies will be slicing right through the baitfish schools, and it’s important to lead them by several feet,” he said. “The bass, meanwhile, stick close together and plow through the schools like they are mowing a lawn. For these, bring your fly right across the front of the pack. Either way, stay in the bait with each cast. If your offering lands outside of the baitfish school, it’s going to get slammed by a monster blue.”

Launch your own boat at Montauk for $25 at Gone Fishing Marina (www.gonefishingmarina78.com). For overnight stays, Montauk Harborside Resort Hotel and Snug Harbor Motel and Marina (www. montauksnugharbor.com) offer suitable accommodations at reasonable prices. Plan your visit with the Montauk Chamber of Commerce (www. montaukchamber.com).

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TIPS FROM A PRO

FRESHWATER

14

BRANDON LESTER

O

ne of the best parts of summer ending is the beginning of fall fishing and FROGS! I love to fish topwater frogs over grass, and this time of year is prime time. I live about 45 minutes from Lake Guntersville in Alabama, and there’s no place better, or more famous, for frog fishing than Guntersville. In the parking lot this time of year, there’s no telling how many different states you will see license plates from.

I’ve fished all over this country and Guntersville definitely doesn’t have a monopoly on the frog bite. It has more matted grass than other TVA lakes, but fisheries up north have loads of grass too. And the bass up north seem to be more eager to bite. I think it’s because they aren’t targeted as heavily as they are down here.

If I had the opportunity to take someone out and try to get them fired up about bass fishing, I think fishing a frog over matted vegetation would be my choice. If that person’s heart rate didn’t spike when a big bass blew up through the mat on their frog, then they would be better off doing something else.

And then once they’ve seen a blow-up, the excitement level for the next one is all the higher. I get a huge smile on my face every time I see it happen no matter how many thousands of times it has happened.

Just watching a fish blow up on a frog is exciting, but you also need to get him in the boat for that all-important photo op or weigh-in stage. For that you must have the right

NATIONAL

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OCTOBER 2018

CANGL_NAT3-NAT18.indd 14

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gear. If you throw a hollow frog like the one in this photo over matted grass and he bites, you probably won’t get him in using monofilament line and a rod and reel from the department store.

My setup for frog fishing is a sure-fire winner. Rod: MHX FP885 with Winn split grips and Winn Grip Sleeves | Daiwa reel | 60 lb. Vicious braid | Spro frog.

Give it a try this weekend. I know it will work for you.

Watch Lester fish a frog at

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OCTOBER 2018

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CANGL_NAT3-NAT18.indd 17 hft_coastalangler_1018_M-REG152006.indd 1

9/17/18 11:33 10:45 AM AM 8/29/18

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CANGL_NAT3-NAT18.indd 18

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AUTUMN SALES EVENT JUST IN TIME FOR THE FALL BOAT SHOW SEASON Your Suzuki Marine Dealer has exceptional deals in store for you when you purchase a new Suzuki outboard from 25 to 350 horsepower this fall. Get Suzuki’s 3-Year Limited Warranty plus 3 years of Extended Protection at no extra charge.There are Instant Savings on select models, and Low-Rate Financing is also available.

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Gimme Six Extended Protection promo is applicable to new Suzuki Outboard Motors from 25 to 350 HP in inventory which are sold and delivered to buyer between 10/01/18 and 12/31/18 in accordance with the promotion by a Participating Authorized Suzuki Marine dealer in the continental US and Alaska to a purchasing customer who resides in the continental US or Alaska. Customer should expect to receive an acknowledgement letter and full copy of contract including terms, conditions and wallet card from Suzuki Extended Protection within 90 days of purchase. If an acknowledgement letter is not received in time period stated, contact Suzuki Motor of America, Inc. – Marine Marketing via email: marinepromo@suz.com. The Gimme Six Promotion is available for pleasure use only, and is not redeemable for cash. Instant Savings apply to qualifying purchases of select Suzuki Outboard Motors made between 10/01/18 and 12/31/18. For list of designated models, see participating Dealer or visit www.suzukimarine.com. Instant Savings must be applied against the agreed-upon selling price of the outboard motor and reflected in the bill of sale. (Suzuki will, in turn, credit Dealer’s parts account.)

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