The Angler Magazine | January 2020 | Greater Atlanta Edition by Coastal Angler Magazine

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Winter's

Best Bites Seein’ Stripes!

PHOTO COURTESY OF DARCIZZLE OFFSHORE VOLUME 25 • ISSUE 298

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Photo courtesy of Big Ol’ Fish Guiding Service, bigolfish.com

hether saltwater or fresh, good striper fishing awaits those hearty enough to brave winter on the water. So layer-up, zip into that parka and go. Some of the biggest fish of the year are feeding right now. On the southern end of their fall migration, striped bass are holed up for the winter off North Carolina. They’ll be chowing down and following schools of bait up and down the coast from Wilmington to the Outer Banks. Many years, Oregon Inlet sets up as the epicenter for the bite, but striped bass can be found in most area inlets. The key is to follow the birds and find bass blowing up on menhaden, glass minnows or eels. The action can sometimes come in close enough that surf casters can catch stripers from the beaches of the Outer Banks, but the best bet is to hire a local captain with recent intel and a fast boat. A little farther south, Wilmington offers another option, as stripers pile into the Cape Fear River, where they hold around structure, drop-offs and creekmouths and can be caught on artificials or even flies. These resident fish are a separate group from the highly migratory fish that winter off the Outer Banks. Cape Fear stripers are catch-and-release only, and must be returned to the water immediately. Keep an eye out for tagged stripers swimming these waters. Finally, on freshwater reservoirs across the Southern states and up through the Mid-Atlantic, fisheries stocked with striped bass produce pretty well for anglers this time of year. While smaller schoolie-sized stripers tend to get tough during the coldest temperatures of the year, the larger fish will still feed. The action won’t be as fast as dropping downlines to massive summertime schools, but the fish that do eat tend to be larger. Tactics will vary depending on the fishery, but when water temperatures stabilize or during a warming trend of a few days, the biggest fish in the lake tend to move up shallow—sometimes very shallow— behind schools of small shad. Find the flickering shad, and you’ll find the stripers. Sometimes you’ll see them plucking bait near the surface. Stealth is imperative in catching them, and a soft plastic such as a Fluke will usually out-produce live baits in such situations. It’s easier to cast and slowly retrieve an artificial. Another popular tactic is to cover a lot of water trolling wide spreads of small live baits or pulling an umbrella rig loaded with swimbaits, or both. When prospecting like this, it’s wise to seek out good information on where the stripers are holding. On many lakes they spend winters down by the dam. On others, you might find them way up in the creeks.

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It’s boat show time! And the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA), which produces 18 boat and sportshows across the country, is investing in more experiences and education than ever to meet the desires of attendees and inspire the next generation of the boating workforce. Attendee favorites will return, too, from fishing ponds to Super Thursdays. Here are some 2020 show season highlights. • With a need for skilled workers in the marine industry (more than 31K open jobs), NMMA boat shows are expanding Boating Career Days, offering the chance for students and job seekers to learn more about opportunities in the boating industry, get career advice from marine professionals and check out job openings. Last year the program attracted more than 550 students across eight shows. In 2020, the program is expanding to 14 markets: New York, Baltimore, St. Louis, Kansas City, Nashville, Louisville, Atlanta, New England, Atlantic City, Minneapolis, Northwest, Miami, Norwalk and Tampa. • New for 2020, NMMA is introducing The Discover Boating Experience (DBX), the “Hub for Boaters,” an educational marketplace that provides space to mingle, enjoy expert seminars, explore new products, learn boat care, discover new technologies, learn to navigate a boat show and more. DBX offers a place to relax and have a drink while enjoying a variety of topics, inspirational stories and live music. • The Progressive Boat House features an Occulus Rift Virtual Reality boat race game, the Annapolis School of Seamanship’s expert seminars and a docking pool with a remote-control boat and helm station to master docking skills. • Returning favorites include free fishing for kids and special deals, like $5 tickets after 5 p.m. and Super Thursday, offering deeper discounts, exclusive pricing and incentives. • Ongoing education for boaters and anglers of all skill levels is a hallmark of NMMA boat shows with free daily seminars.

The Progressive Insurance Miami International Boat Show, Presented by West Marine cruises into the docks at Miami Marine Stadium Feb. 13-17. Great deals and hands-on experience with hundreds of boats and the associated gear are the big annual draw. Highlights of the 2020 boat show include:

• Costa Conservation Village will showcase the work of some of Florida’s leading environmental organizations, such as The Nature Conservancy, Captains for Clean Water, and Costa’s Kick Plastic program.

• Presentations on sustainable seafood from esteemed Chef Allen Susser and an opportunity to get a signed copy of his new cookbook, “Green Fig and Lionfish: Sustainable Caribbean Cooking.”

• Junior Captains Program, where kids ages 13-17 can learn to operate a boat with Annapolis School of Seamanship.

• Boat US on-water training with Intro To Boating, Women on the Water and Precision Docking.

• The Progressive Boathouse, offering boating seminars, a remote-control docking pond and an Oculus Rift Virtual Reality boat race game.

• Wining and dining at three full-service, sit down restaurants at

the Show including: Latin Café, V&E Restaurant Group Showcasing menu items from Havana 1957 & La Cerveceria De Barrio and SuViche featuring select menu items from Novecento.

• For more information, visit www.MiamiBoatShow.com.

For more information and the schedule of 2020 NMMA boat shows, visit to www.boatshows.com. 4

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The easiest way to find bait when you’re ready to go fishing is by using the new Baitfinder App, available for free download on both Apple and Android devices. Bait shops are the best possible resource for local information on what’s biting, and on what bait, to ensure you have the right equipment and knowledge before you head out to target a specific species of fish. Everything about Baitfinder is designed for anglers, by anglers, allowing all bait shops in your area to advertise their bait availability in real-time. There’s no more last-minute anxiety about locating bait or driving all over to locate the bait you’re looking for. Anglers can reserve their bait of choice prior to getting to their favorite bait shop to pick it up, and it’s all easily done on the app! Let your friends know of this free app, and encourage all your local bait shops to enroll at: WWW.BAITFINDER.COM

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By Nick Carter

otivating yourself can be tough when daytime temperatures fall into the low 20s and ice forms on the edges of Southern tailwater trout fisheries. Even on these dam-fed systems, where water temperatures remain relatively consistent, trout become difficult when tiny midges are the primary food source. But there’s a phenomenon that occurs on some tailwaters that makes fishing the cold snaps worth sucking ice out of your guides. It’s called a shad kill. When it happens every fish in the river takes part in the feast. Shad kills are caused by extended cold weather. When air temperatures drop into the teens or lower for several days in a row, baitfish in reservoirs that feed our tailwaters suffer from plummeting water

temps. Either stunned and dying or just diving deep to find more comfortable conditions, shad and blueback herring get sucked into dam turbines. What’s washed out into the tailwater is a mix of chopped up, whole dead, and quivering stunned baitfish. “All of a sudden, they get flushed out into the tailrace. It’s like chumming the river in that upper mile or so below the dam,” said Bill Stranahan, who guides with Southeastern Anglers on Tennessee’s Hiwassee River. “Good browns and rainbows will key in on it. The ones you catch are so stuffed they look like they’re about to pop.” Fed by high-mountain winters on Appalachia Lake, the Hiwassee shad kill is a good one. In the Arkansas Ozarks, the White River sees shad kills almost every year. The Cumberland River in Kentucky and Georgia’s Chattahoochee River below Lake Lanier are two other tailwaters where trout put on the feedbag for these events. But shad kills are not like a hatch you can follow by calendar. It takes rapidly cooling water temps to disorient the numbers of baitfish necessary to be noticeable in the tailrace. During the winter’s hardest freeze, intrepid anglers should hit the water near the dam and watch for activity. “You’ll see them floating down the river stunned or dead,” said Stranahan. “Sometimes you’ll see fish coming up to the surface to swipe at them.” White and flashy are the keys to catching fish during a shad kill. White Zonkers or other bunny flies, white Woolly Buggers, anything that looks like a dead or dying baitfish will work. Stranahan said to match the size of the baitfish you see in the water and to experiment with depth and presentation. Sometimes a jerky retrieve is preferred, while other times a dead drift is the ticket. At times trout will feed on the surface, and some days call for a sinking line to get the fly down. Shad kills can be ephemeral or they can last a couple weeks when conditions are perfect. It’s the kind of thing you have to be on the water to encounter, and when it happens it brings out the biggest fish in the river.

Contact Southeastern Anglers through their website at www.southeasternanglers.com.

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after wrestling it from between the pilings, it turned toward open water. As I felt the battle shift in my favor, the line parted, likely from earlier contact with the pilings. “That can happen when you’re fishing up tight like this,” said our skipper, “but some days you have to dig in to get the big ones. Other times we’ll find them in more open water around oyster bars or in the surf.” Captiva Island, on Florida’s southwest coast, is prime territory for snook, redfish, sea trout, tarpon and a variety of other inshore species. “Our waters produce so well because we have a ton of bait, structure and opportunity here,” said Fischer, proprietor of Tarpon Fischer Charters (http:// www.tarponfischercharters.com). “Pine Island Sound, on the backside of the island, for example, has several passes that allow water and bait to flow in and out. The Peace, Myakka and Caloosahatchee rivers also empty into here. I run a lot of my charters out of South Seas Island Resorts (https://www.southseas. com) at the north end of Captiva, and from there you can be fishing in the sound or the open Gulf in a matter of minutes.” Snook and redfish top 40 inches, tarpon range from chickens to 200 pounds and sea trout are abundant. Those species are resident, noted Fischer, but come December and January, offshore action also kicks in with snapper, sheepshead, grouper, kingfish and cobia, among others. For anglers, these waters call for medium-light spinning tackle. Rig a size 3/0 J-hook or a light jighead on a 2 1/2-foot leader of 30-pound mono to freeline live baits around structure, mangroves or the surf edge. Add a 1/2-ounce splitshot two feet above the hook to get down in deeper water or stronger currents, or add a float two feet above this rig to fish the flats. If you prefer to throw lures, toss a 4-inch paddletail, Rapala Skitter Walk or Zara Spook. Fischer favors a 7 1/2-foot, 8- to 17-pound class Bull Bay rod and Shimano 4000 spinning reels for his inshore fishing. Keep in mind this area occasionally suffers from red tide blooms. “It can be here one week and gone the next.” Fischer said. “If it occurs during your visit, simply head for the cleanest water you can find.”

By Tom Schlichter

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apt. Nick Fischer nodded at a boat dock ahead. “There should be a Launching is available at South Seas Resorts (if you are staying there) or good one under there,” he said. “We had a couple there this morning from the Sanibel Island Public Boat Ramp ($5/hr. parking fee: 239-472-6397; but saw a real solid fish just before we left.” 888 Sextant Dr., Sanibel.) Nearby, the ‘Tween Waters Inn is another good spot It didn’t take long to confirm a nice snook was home. I hooked it and, to spend the night. More info at www.fortMyers-Sanibel.com.

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t’s prime time for wahoo in the sparsely populated southeastern Bahamas, where a fleet of boats shows up each winter specifically to target some of the biggest wahoo in the world. Just off San Salvador and Cat Island, precipitous ledge drops within a 15- or 20-minute boat ride from shore are a magnet for wintering wahoo. The prime wahoo season runs from November to about April, when fish are densely congregated. Triple-digit weights are not uncommon, and the average wahoo will tip the scales between 50 and 60 pounds this time of year. High-speed trolling is the name of the game. Pulling lures at 14 knots and zig-zagging along the ledge over depths from 400 to 600 feet is the kind of fishing that produces world records. Five current IGFA line-class record wahoo came from the waters off San Salvador and Cat Island. Two of those weighed more than 150 pounds. When that reel goes off, screaming from the pull of a big fish moving at 60 mph, it’s important to crank down on the drag and power it to the boat as quickly as possible. Oceanic whitetips are thick in the area, and they’re known to show up and rip a trophy fish to shreds.

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Winter can be brutal, but to the saltwater fly fisherman it can be the greatest time of year to catch some quality fish on the fly. The beaches, flats and bays are practically deserted, the “sunshine” fishermen having retreated to their firesides at the appearance of the first raindrop or snowflake. It’s time for the serious fly flingers to put on thermals, grab a fly rod, and head for the water. Two of my favorite wintertime saltwater fish are the speckled trout (or spotted seatrout) and the redfish, two game fish that thrive in cooler water and make for some great fly rod action even “when the frost is on the pumpkin.” The speckled trout is a coastal fish found on the shallow mud flats and sand flats from North Carolina to Texas. A fish generally traveling in large schools, the “speck” is capable of providing fast action on the fly whether you’re wading or fishing from a skiff, kayak or boat.

A proven way to locate the “speck” is to look for depressions, channels, holes or cuts on or along these areas. Once located, cast into them with a floating or intermediate line, a 9-foot leader and a baitfish pattern. A weedless fly like a Bent Back works well. The key to catching speckled trout in cold water is to retrieve the fly sl-o-o-o-wly using short, jerky strips. The strike is often as light as an aunt’s peck on the cheek, so keep close eye contact with your fly. Another worthy wintertime adversary is the redfish, a fish found in the same areas as the speckled trout. Redfish (red drum), can tip the scales from 5-pounds to a heavyweight of 40 pounds. These members of the croaker family take up residence near breakwaters, pier pilings, channels, estuaries and marshes. They are a great match for the fly rod. Redfish can be finicky eaters and sometimes the fly needs to be placed close to their noses, especially in colder water. An accurate cast is essential in fishing for these rascals. Come prepared with a 9- or 10-weight rod, a floating line (weight forward), a 9-foot leader and a pocket full of crab patterns, as reds favor crustaceans. Don’t hang up your fly gear at the first signs of the winter solstice. Winterize yourself and go fly fishing; it beats sitting in a chair and dreaming of warmer weather.

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By CAM Staff

veryone seems to gets excited about those spring runs, when cobia push north in their migration and can be targeted by sight while cruising the beaches. With the run-and-gun nature of these tactics, it’s arguably the most exciting way to catch them. But it’s not the most efficient. Die-hard cobia fans know that wintertime, before the big move, provides some of the best fishing of the year. Consolidated is a good way to describe cobia populations during the winter. On the Atlantic coast as well as in the Gulf of Mexico, fish have moved southward and offshore in search of comfortable water conditions.

At no other time are cobia populations so dense around the Florida Keys, but they can also be found grouped up on deeper wrecks and reefs along both Florida coasts. In the warmer waters of the Keys, deep jigging the ocean-side reefs with butterfly jigs or 1-ounce bucktails will haul up a mixed bag, which will likely include cobia, and chumming them up to the surface is also tried-and-true tactic. Out on the reef line, anchor up and drop a chum bag of chopped-up frozen baitfish and wait for the action to come to you. Cobia will show up with sharks, as well as various mackerel and snapper species. Whether it’s pinfish or shrimp, present your bait weightless, and you might want to add a wire leader for the toothy critters in the melee. Farther north on both coasts, resident cobia are schooled up and easier to locate than they are at any other time of year. Find a good winter day, with warm sunshine and calm seas, and make the run to offshore wrecks or reefs. The key to this is water temperature, so look for temperature bands with surface temps around 70 degrees, and find some good structure with bait present on the sonar. Again, chumming can bring cobia right up to the surface, which leads to fast action on live baits, but jigging is a tactic that is both fun and effective for targeting fish you actually spot on the screen more than 100 feet down. It’s quicker, cleaner and more efficient than live bait. The key to this technique is finding the magic depth where the cobia are schooled up. Drop a 2- to 6-ounce jig, depending on the current and depth, vertically to the depth you’re marking fish. Experiment with the action until they eat. Some pump a jig up with fast, short jerks, others prefer to swing it up high and let it flutter back down. Both techniques will work, and the jig should be sweetened with either a 7-inch soft-plastic trailer or a natural bait like cuttlefish. Some of the biggest cobia of the year come off wrecks and reefs in winter. So head down to the Keys or make the run offshore and catch them before they scatter with the spring run.

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Editor’s Note: Delayed harvest (DH) trout seasons are in full swing across the Southeast. With catch-and-release regulations, streams will stay full of trout through the cool months, providing anglers excellent action. Here’s a quick look at one of Georgia’s best DH streams. This description of the Toccoa River in the mountains southeast of Blue Ridge, Ga. is an abbreviated excerpt from the book “Flyfisher’s Guide to North Carolina & Georgia.”

By Nick Carter

pstream of Lake Blue Ridge, the Toccoa River is large and wide in comparison to most Georgia trout streams. Even high in the drainage, it offers plenty of room for airing out casts. The main river and several of its tributaries are stocked heavily with mostly rainbow trout. There is some reproduction in the river’s tributaries, so the occasional wild fish and a few brown trout might show up. It is a good fishery because it is full of fish, but it is a better fishery during the cooler months when the water is cold and the trout are more active. The upper Toccoa’s DH stretch is 1.5 miles of water on the lower end of the river’s trout water that has been set aside as catch-and-release, single-hook, artificial only from Nov. 1-May 14 each year. From personal experience, it is one of the best of Georgia’s DH streams. Size is one of the main reasons the Toccoa DH is so good. There are good deep holes as well as some runs and pocket water big enough to be considered deep holes on most other Georgia trout streams. Even with just a mile and a half of water, there is a lot to fish. The Toccoa DH also seems to receive stockings of some larger fish through the DH season. On one January trip with snow on the ground,

a buddy and I got into a pod of rainbows in the 14- to 18-inch range that ate flashy egg patterns and San Juan Worms until we got tired of sucking ice out of our guides. The DH section runs from the Sandy Bottom Canoe Access downstream to Shallowford Bridge, which is generally considered the bottom of the decent trout water. A road and a trail run the length of this stretch of river, so access is good, although high water can make it diﬃcult to wade. As with any stream with easy access, the best-looking, most-visible areas receive most of the pressure, so it can be worthwhile to find areas that require a little walk. Or, you can fish from a float tube, canoe or kayak and hit all of the holes. Bring an anchor or the short float will be over before you’ve had a chance to string your rod up. “Flyfisher’s Guide to North Carolina & Georgia” includes maps, GPS access points and detailed descriptions of the region’s best trout fishing. It is available on Amazon, at fly shops or by contacting the author at nsc8957@gmail.com.

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By Jay Striker

hen I go to the lake this time of year, I grab my three favorite rods. They are my jig rod, my other jig rod, and last but not least… my jig rod. Your chances of catching a big fish increase when throwing jigs in the winter. In January, it’s easy to find water in the magic temperature of 55 degrees or lower. That is an excellent time to be fishing. Conditions can also be very calm, and the lake is just about empty most days. Now, don’t get me wrong. I don’t like being cold and uncomfortable when fishing. I’m looking for air temperatures that will rise

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throughout the day, and instead of rushing to the lake at 4 a.m., I arrive at 8 or 9 a.m., relaxed and ready to fish. Bass are easy to predict this time of year. On frigid days, the fish are not active and are usually sitting on the bottom of the lake. I’ve caught fish with mud on their bellies from being on the bottom. A key factor to consider is how bass react to the sun. When it’s bright and sunny, bass tend to move to areas warmed by the sun. On overcast days, they’ll be bunched up near the bottom, and this is when I catch more jig fish. They are more predictable. Minimal movement is the presentation for this bite. Instead of hopping the jig, use a dragging technique that provides full contact from the bottom of the lake to the end of the rod. There might be only a handful of bites all day, and this technique allows you to feel fish when they pick up the bait. I look for water that is not dirty but has a light stain, as bass use sight to verify prey before striking. Black and blue is my go-to color in January, and I use a big chunk trailer to slow the jig’s fall. Watch your line on the fall, especially around sun-warmed rocks. You might not feel the bite, but if your line jumps, set the hook. I fish structure and cover when it’s cold. When fishing docks, I focus on those near steep drops that fall off into a channel. Steep or vertical banks allow fish to move up and down through the day, and they are especially good if there is a nearby flat. I also look for areas with combinations of structure and cover, such a brush, laydowns, metal-roof docks, rocks and grass, but they must be near steep water. When you get the urge to fish in the winter, go out and enjoy it. Take a handful of jigs and focus on slowing down and dragging the bottom. Look for the right water clarity and the right combination of cover and structure. There won’t be many bites, but you just might catch the fish of a lifetime. Contact tournament angler Jay Striker through his website at www.jaystriker.com. Follow him on social media @jaystriker52.

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JANUARY 2020 PUBLISHER: BOB RICE

A FREE PUBLICATION THE ANGLER MAGAZINE IS DISTRIBUTED ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST. THE ANGLER MAGAZINE IS PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY B & B PUBLISHERS P.O. BOX 766 MADISON, GA 30650 706-614-8231 WWW.THEANGLERMAGAZINE.COM REPRODUCTION OF CONTENTS IN ANY FORM IS PROHIBITED BOB RICE, PUBLISHER THE ANGLER MAGAZINE FISHING, BOATING, CONSERVATION “FIND YOUR OUTDOORS HERE”

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: HENRY COWEN DR. ANDREW COX JIMMY HARRIS CAPT. CEFUS MCRAE CHRIS SCALLEY GARY TURNER NOEY VINEYARD O'NEILL WILLIAMS RENE J. HESSE JIMBO MATHLEY JAMES BRADLEY DAVID HULSEY WAYNE WOOTEN JAY STRIKER WAYNE MOORE RYAN KENNEDY DICKLESBY KIM NUNERY GRAPHIC DESIGN: KATHLEEN CARREIRO PHOTO BY WAYNE MOORE, OCONEE ON THE FLY

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TO ADVERTISE IN THE LARGEST FREE FISHING PUBLICATION IN THE U.S. WITH OVER 1 MILLION MONTHLY READERS, CALL JANUARY 2020 ATLANTA 1 706-614-8231

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LOCAL RIVERS & FLY FISHING 20/20 VISION IN 2020 Contributed By: Jimmy Harris www.unicoioutﬁtters.com Unicoi Outﬁtters, Orvis 2018 Fly Shop of the Year

Guided Fly Fishing and Conventional Tackle Trips for Hybrids, Stripers, and Crappie Booking now, novice or experienced anglers. On the water instruction, top of the line fly gear! Mix it up with light spinning tackle as well for a great combo trip!

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

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Heading into the new year, it’s so enticing to write about all the new possibilities we’ll have to get outdoors, but this month I want to help you focus on optimizing your opportunities. So let’s take a look at your vision. Are you NEARSIGHTED? I mean are you prepared for that chance trout fishing trip you may hop on in a moments notice? Where is your winter fishing gear? You don’t want to get all the way to the Chattooga River only to find you’ve got three bottles of Gink floatant but no split shot. Ever spent good fishing time looking for a river pebble that you could tie on your tippet and pray it stays there and helps get your fly to the bottom where the fish are? Uh huh, I’ve only heard these stories myself. Take time to go through your vest, pack or whatever and make sure you have everything you need for winter fishing before you head out. Are you FARSIGHTED? Where and when are you going fishing? As valuable as your personal time is to you, don’t spend days or weeks planning a trip without looking at weather conditions, stream flows and water temperatures. If you have a few hours to fish, don’t waste them getting on the stream at daybreak when the water temp is in the 30’s. Catching is going to be almost non-existent. Time your arrival to get there later in the day when things have warmed up a little. Once that water temperature hits 40°, the bite will likely turn on also. But if it doesn’t hit that magic number until 11:00 and you got on the water at 7:00, you’ve put in a half day of fishing with little to show. Finally, use your X-RAY VISION. Read up, study and find out what other anglers are doing successfully. Best way to optimize your X-Ray vision is to delve into the internet. Locally, North Georgia Trout Online and GNO both have active message boards where you can pick up tips to improve your game. Of course, YouTube is where everyone goes to get their advanced

degree these days, but be warned there is plenty of misinformation there also. It doesn’t take much surfing to find the folks who really know what they’re talking about and truly want to share it with others. George Daniel (the angler, not the drummer) has some of the best information, and he’s a tremendous communicator. Tom Rosenbauer with “The Orvis Guide to Fly Fishing” will keep you entertained and educate you on almost any subject you can imagine. The bottom line is we want to make the best of our time on the water. Sure, getting out there and learning by trial and error is a great way to do it (I personally spent years pursuing this exact technique), but if your time is limited, spend some of it planning your vision. The one where you’re on the cover of a magazine holding a beautiful fish and grinning like a mule eating briars.

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LOCAL RIVERS & FLY FISHING THE COLD AND FAMILY OUTINGS Contributed by James Bradley Orvis Endorsed Fly Fishing Guide www.ReelEmInGuideService.com (706) 273-0764 As I write this article in early December, Old Man Winter has been playing peek-a-boo with us lately. Just a short while back, we had temperatures in the teens. The other day we were in the 60-degree range. Hard to tell if he’s ever going to arrive. I’m certain though, that he’ll be right around the corner sooner or later! Many anglers simply stop fishing this time of year due to the cold. They hang their gear up to stay inside. This is a plus for those of us who are resilient enough to get out and brave the cold to fish. Less anglers on the streams mean less pressured fish. This is usually a bonus to those that venture out to wet a line! Fishing for trout is normally good until the water temperature falls to around the 40-degree mark. Once it stabilizes around this temperature, trout will become lethargic and no longer have the need to feed as much. Lethargic fish can still be caught, but you must have patience and be well dressed to match the conditions. Prime hours to be on the water are from 10 am to 4 pm, or whenever the sun is up and warming the valley floor. Fishing can be a fun way for families to enjoy the great out-

doors. Our guides have always prided themselves in sharing their knowledge about the fish we chase. Some families have no idea about fly fishing but want to learn or try something outside of the box. It’s not only a great way to build rapport with each other but can lead to numerous outings to share with one another. We take many couples on their first outings. Some will bring their children to learn this sport. Others may bring their entire family. No matter how they come, we are always willing to teach the art of fly fishing to those wanting to learn. Here is a family that fished with us toward the end of November. I want you to notice not so much the trout they are holding, but the smiles they are wearing. Reel Em In Guide Service is an Orvis Endorsed operation serving mainly in North Georgia’s Historic High-Country region. They have been offering their services to fly anglers since 2001. Permits have been granted for guiding in Georgia and North Carolina, offering over 6 miles of private trophy waters across Georgia, and operating drift boat trips on the Toccoa River in GA and the Tuckasegee River in NC.

January 21 Wolf Moon

Competitively priced full-day fishing charters for all levels of experience, equipment, bait, tackle and fish cleaning provided. Fish from the most comfortable, safe and stable boat on the lake.

TROPHY FLY FISHING ON THE BEST TWO MILES OF THE SOQUE RIVER

Little River Guide Service is a three boat operation targeting stripers and hybrid bass on Clarks Hill Lake. Capt Tony Shepherd and Capt Rocky Fulmer.

(706) 210- 3474

9400 Highway 197 North Clarkesville, GA 30523

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LOCAL RIVERS & FLY FISHING JANUARY FLY FISHING REPORT

Contributed By: Henry Cowen www.henrycowenﬂyﬁshing.com

THE ATLANTA FLY FISHING SHOW BEGINS NEW YEAR, JAN. 31-FEB. 1 Both fresh and saltwater anglers from throughout the southeastern United States are waiting for the unofficial opening of the 2020 season – the annual Atlanta Fly Fishing Show, Jan. 31-Feb. 1 at the Infinite Energy Center, 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway, Duluth. The two-day festival of all things fly fishing will feature wall-to-wall displays of new rods, reels, fly lines, fly tying material, boots and boats, clothing and accessories along with non-stop fly-tying demonstrations, casting classes, seminars and workshops. Lodges and resorts from Alaska to Patagonia will display trip-of-alifetime destinations and exotic flyfishing vacation opportunities. The 2020 International Fly Fishing Film Festival will have its southeastern premiere Jan. 31 at 6:30 p.m. Amateur and professional short films make up the nearly two hour Fri. night showing. Tickets are $15 at the door, $10 in advance or with a paid Fly Fishing Show admission for that day. Film festival attendees are eligible for free fly fishing door prizes and give-aways. Seminar or workshops are to be conducted by Tom Boyd, a fishing researcher and consultant, instructor, outdoor writer, editor and lecturer with more than 50 years experience as a catch-and-release fly fisherman. His accomplishments include a 340-pound blue marlin on 20-pound tippet along with black marlin and giant sailfish; a 40.5-pound roosterfish on a 10-pound tippet and a 9-pound, 10-ounce Labrador brook trout. Bob Clouser, who was inducted into the National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame as a Legendary Angler. He has been featured in fishing and fly tying videos and DVDs and has authored two books, “Clouser’s Flies,” which includes 16 of his world wide recognized patterns and “Fly Fishing for Smallmouth in Rivers and Streams. Among his flies is the Clouser Minnow, claimed to be the most effective underwater fly ever developed. George Daniel, who earned a spot on Fly Fishing Team USA and remained on the team for seven seasons. During that time, Daniel was on the U.S. Youth Fly Fishing Team’s coaching staff, including two years as head coach. He is a contributing

December was one of the toughest months I can remember as I sit and write this report on December 11. The last 4 weeks have been terrible for fly anglers as the fish and the bait remain DEEP. This should change as the weather gets colder. This year the warm and cold weather changes seems to have made our water temps slightly warmer than normal. The fish like consistency, and we have had anything but that. January normally could be a very iffy month if the weather turns super cold and remains cold. Last year January proved to be the best month of the entire year. If the water temperatures continue to hover around 50 degrees or go just a tad lower, fishing will probably be very good, and we will continue to see fish feeding near the surface and on the banks for a few more weeks. If however, we get a colder than normal spell and the water temperatures drop into the mid-forties, the fishing will shut down. Everything this time of year is predicated to water temperature. It is best to start looking far north in all the area lakes as the shad migrate north and especially into the backs of the coves looking for warmer water. As the surface water temperatures drop, the shad will go to the backs of the cove seeking to find the warmer water temperatures that the afternoon sun throws off into the shallows. Mornings can be exceptionally productive as the stripers come searching for an easy meal in the skinny water. Small flies and intermediate fly lines are called for in this instance. Anglers need to just find the coves that are stacked with shad. Helpful signs are a blue heron standing right at the water’s edge or loons seen going under the water in a cove are sure signs of a school of shad being present. Finally, look for kingfishers diving on the surface and squawking all the while. Dur-

ing low light levels in both the AM and PM there is a good chance you will find stripers blowing up on the surface and running shad up and onto the banks in fear of their lives. It truly is one of the most compel-. ling of all the feeding frenzies anglers will see on a lake. Anytime you toss flies to shallow feeding fish, your chances of hooking up are greatly increased. If you do not find fish in the backs of the coves, then you need to look at the mouths of the coves for large schools of fish bunched together in about 15-25 feet of water. Now is the time to employ a fast sinking line and use a countdown method in order to elicit a strike. This is an extremely effective method used to take stripers in the dead of winter. Our most effective flies will still be the Somethin’ Else as well as a small Polar Fiber Minnow. These two patterns tied 1 ½” to 2” in length will out fish all other artificial baits you can throw. Another pattern you can count on in January is dock light fishing. While most sane anglers prefer to fish lights in the spring and fall, inthe-know striper anglers can wear out fish on dock lights either after dark or in the wee hours of the early morning. Give it a try next time you are out prowling the northern breeches of our area lakes. Happy New Year to all our Angler Magazine readers. Hope to see everyone at the Fly Fishing Show @ Infinity Center on Jan 31st and February 1st. We will be giving seminars and tying flies all day long!

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editor for Fly Fisherman Magazine. Colorado native Pat Dorsey has been guiding for more than 25 years. Dorsey spends approximately 200 days a year on the water, guiding clients of all abilities. He is the head guide and co-owner of the Blue Quill Angler fly shop in Evergreen, Colorado and oversees and trains more than 25 guides. Dorsey also maintains an online stream report that monitors stream flows and conditions for the Blue, Colorado, South Platte (Cheesman, Deckers, Spinney Mountain Ranch, and Elevenmile Canyon), North Fork of the South Platte, and Williams Fork rivers. He is the Southwest Field Editor for Fly Fisherman Magazine. Ed Engle, whose fly fishing articles have appeared regularly in newspapers and magazines for more than 30 years. His interest in tying and fishing small flies led to the publication of the books “Tying Small Flies” and “Fishing Small Flies.” Jen Ripple, publisher and editorin-chief of DUN Magazine, the international fly-fishing lifestyle magazine. She has been seen on NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt, featured in Outside Online, The New York Times, Trout Magazine, Blue Ridge Outdoors, which named her one of six women who are revolutionizing the fly-fishing industry and Southern Living Magazine, which named her Tennessee Southerner of the Year. Other demonstrations or classes will feature Jeff Currier, Landon Mayer and Steve Woit. Admission to the Fly Fishing Show is $15 for a one-day pass, $25 for both days. Children under age 5 are free; under 12 are $5. Scouts under age 16 in uniform are free. Military with an ID are $10.

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JANUARY 31 & FEBRUARY 1

Infinite Energy Center Atlanta, Georgia

0 2 0 2

Fly Fishing is NOT part of the show

IT IS THE SHOW!

flyfishingshow.com PHOTO COURTESY OF LANDON MAYER

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LOCAL RIVERS & FLY FISHING OCONEE ON THE FLY- JANUARY FORECAST JANUARY MEANS LONG LINING FOR HYBRIDS AND STRIPERS

CHATTOOGA RIVER

Contributed By Capt. Wayne Moore USCG www.oconeeontheﬂy.com Looking back at last December and January, we had a strong bite here on Oconee for hybrids and stripers, and that is the typical pattern here. We had a monsoon last December, but not so this year. At the time of this writing, the gulls are on the lake all the way up to Sugar Creek. As the old saying goes; find the birds, find the fish! Hybrids / Stripers –Every guide on Oconee knows I’d rather catch one nice hybrid on a fly rod than 10 using any other method (although I am happy to have customers using any method). Many times, the fish are not on top, and when that’s the case, I long line a large bass minnow behind the boat. But wait, more about fly fishing and topwater on spinning tackle first. Look for the birds. When you see them, approach carefully as to not spook the fish or tick off the other anglers. Then, if you are fly fishing, USE SINK TIP! It casts much better than any other line in the winter. Drop a Henry Cowen’s Somethin Else fly in where the birds are, strip 5 short strips and let it drop for 20 to 30 seconds. Repeat all the way back to the boat. I have included some pictures of hybrids taken last December when I had the pleasure of taking the guys from Angler Magazine out. That day, flies outfished live bait! For spin fisherman use a Sassy Shad, two inches, on a DOA jig

head (get them at Sugar Creek Marina). The key is long casts and stealth. As we move on into January and the water temperatures drop, I switch to long lining. It’s a simple set up. I use 12-pound test, a swivel, a #4 sinker above the swivel, a 10-pound fluorocarbon leader about 2 to 3 feet long, and a #4 hook. I just troll about 7/10 mph near the dam and up Richland Creek. You will see lots of boats, so always maintain a polite distance and be considerate of other anglers. Crappie – Right now, the crappie are making their way up the lake. You will see boats above highway 44. By January, many guides will switch over to pushing out of the front of the boat for a slower presentation. The fish will be above I-20, and larger fish will be in shallow flats because the afternoon sun warms these areas up first. Final words – This time of year, guides are usually booked well in advance. If you are planning on doing January or February fishing, call now. It’s not too early to book March trips. Email me at wmoore1700 @outlook.com or call 404-317-9556 and lock in your fall and winter dates. P.S. Please wear a life jacket. Take a dry sack of warm clothes, and use extra caution this time of year; a fall overboard could be fatal. Tight lines and God bless.

We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and are ready to do some winter fishing. Cooler temperatures through December have pushed water temperatures down to the low 40’s. Wearing an extra wicking base layer, a beanie and a pair of gloves for the day will make for an enjoyable experience. Please remember that wearing cotton clothing will keep body moisture close to you, and in return result in a cold day, so leave the blue jeans for the drive home on your way to dinner. Enjoying a 50-60 degree in January is not uncommon here, and some dry fly fishing may be on the menu. Usually these days have “gin clear” water, so adding a little extra length to the leader by adding some 5x or 6x tippet to slide through the eyes of these small little dry flies will do the trick. For the days where the temperatures do not exceed the 50 degree range and there is no topwater activity, nymph fishing will be your main attraction. Remembering that the warmest part of the river is at the bottom at this time of year, delivering a cast upstream, mending the line and a dead-drift will be essential to catching fish. Concentrating casts in the deep runs along the seam lines will be critical. In these areas, running heavy point flies with small trailing nymphs will be a great choice. If no success at first, do not give up, simply do one of two things. Adding a piece of split shot or two to the tandem fly rig will help get the flies deeper in the water column, or changing the point fly to a heavier one will get these flies down to where the fish are holding. We have been having great success of late throwing streamers, and this trend will continue throughout the winter months. Colder water temperatures slow down the retrieval rate, so fish lower in the water col-

umn. When fishing on days after big winter rains, the use of sink tips will aid in keeping streamers lower in the river. No need of purchasing full sink lines, as we have a wide array of sink tip leaders in different sink rates which easily attach/ detach to your floating fly line. As we start a new year, resolutions always seem to be broken, although we keep one each and every year. Each year we try to remind everyone about “leave no trace”. This year we hope that everyone visiting the rivers here in South Carolina, along your home waters or wherever your travels take you, let’s pick up a little more than we walked in with so generations to come may enjoy our beautiful outdoors. Happy New Year from all of us at Chattooga River Fly Shop.

“Each year we try to remind everyone about “leave no trace”-” 6 ATLANTA

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LOCAL RIVERS & FLY FISHING THE GUIDES ANGLE BLAST AND CAST THIS JANUARY! Contributed By: Chris Scalley River Through Atlanta Guide Service

Looking for some action this winter? RTA Guide Service has offered guided waterfowl hunting for 20 years and fly fishing trips for 25 years. If you’re really ambitious, we could do both in a single day with a dawn local duck hunt and then hit the river for some trout fishing. New for this year in Georgia and Alabama, the duck season will run through Friday, January 31st. Our brown trout spawning season on the Upper Hooch from Buford Dam to Morgan Falls Dam and the “delayed-harvest” from Morgan Falls Dam to Paces Mill Park are in full swing all of January. This late winter window can be cold, but now with excellent layering clothing systems and breathable shell garments along with thermocell heating insoles, hunters and anglers can keep comfortable in the extreme elements. Because of our southern latitude, duck mi-

FULL SERVICE OUTFITTER

gration occurs later and so does the trout spawning cycles. Get outside with us this winter to pursue those feathers and fins folks!

• Fly Fishing Trips • Rentals • Clinics & Classes • Apparel

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LOCAL RIVERS & FLY FISHING THE CASTING CORNER

WINTERTIME STUFF TO DO

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

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

WINTER TROUT FISHING

I would like to talk about two things that may help you catch more trout in the cold months. Although there are a lot of methods to pursue trout such as nymphing and swinging wet flies, my favorite is streamer fishing. All of them have their place. Just like fishing casts, we have to adjust to the situations. Let’s look at the streamer fishing in cold water. What is a streamer? Generally, it is a fly that has the resemblance of a small minnow, sculpin or fish in general. Wooly Buggers, Rolex’s and sculpins are in that family. With that being said, my favorite way to fish for trout is to swing streamers across and downstream. The hit from a trout is like a shockwave going through your body. There is little guessing if you got a hit. Try using a ‘tuck’ cast when using a weighted fly. This will get the fly deep faster than any other method I know of, and when the water is cold, the trout tend to hold deeper in the water column. The tuck cast is utilizing a more horizontal back cast, sweeping up in the back then send the forward cast way above the target. I mean WAY above the tar-

get and then stop the rod abruptly. This will make a weighted fly kick over the line and head straight down into the water before the line falls. Put your rod tip in the water and keep it there the whole time you are retrieving the fly. Now that the fly is lower in the water column, remember the fish are a little slower in the cold. So moving the fly long distances while stripping it in may reduce your chances of getting a hit. Here are a few thought processes. Fish tend to react like a dog. If you set a ball down, a dog may go after it or may not. Throw that ball, and I bet he will chase it. My thinking on a steamer is a fish will react to a ‘dancing’ fly more than a steady retrieve. So when you ‘strip’ the fly in, use more of a wrist movement like a guitar player on a rock song than a violinist. Short choppy strokes of an inch will give the fly a lot of movement without taking it out of the strike zone. Keep your rod tip in the water and hang on. Don’t forget to bring a complete change of clothes on your fishing trips. Maybe not for you, but someone may need it.

Fly of the Month

by Eli Crumley Blackhawk Fly Fishing keepemwet94@gmail.com

If you’re a fly fisher, there’s always stuff you need to do in order to make yourself more productive for the upcoming spring trout season. I’ve been doing this trout thing for a long time, and there’s always things I need to work on to make guide trips easier or more successful for my clients. Finding new access points on the river that are less likely to end up in a swimming lesson is always a good thing. Fly patterns that can be dragged around, hung on the bottom, etc. and still catch fish too are great. Leader construction that will turn over a concrete truck help with the worst of casters to keep me from losing my mind! Fly line cleaning and sending off broken rods for repair will too land in the top ten. Sharpening my teaching skills will make both of our lives complete. You really have only about eight or ten weeks of slower time here in the Southern mountains to get ready for the onslaught of folks wanting it to be spring. These are the things a guide thinks about. Coming next is a list of things you should consider if you want to catch a few more fish this year and keep your favorite guide out of the crazy house! • Scout out a few new spots to fish. Winter is a great time to find

“Winter is a great time to find new holes on your favorite river and also totally new watersheds to fish.”

Prince Nymph

ALLATOONA

Hook: Tiemco TMC3761 size 14-18 Thread: UTC 70 denier (color) Light Brown Body: Peacock Herl Tail: Goose Biots (brown) Ribbing: Fine Wire (gold) Collar: Brown Hackle Fibers Horns: Goose Biots (white) When the water temperature is a little colder than ideal, the Prince Nymph is one of my most productive winter patterns when fished deep and slow. 8 ATLANTA

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new holes on your favorite river and also totally new watersheds to fish. Usually no snakes will be about. That’s a biggie for me. I’m a snake hater. Access points will be more visible due to the lack of vegetation. • Learn to tie a few new fly patterns or get with a friend who actually knows how to tie flies. Better yet, attend a real fly tying class at your local fly shop. Stock up on simple patterns like San Juan Worms and Wooly Buggers. • Learn to tie your own leaders. This will save you some cash and get you great performance if you tie them right. Again, try your local fly shop or trusted fly friend. • Clean or replace your fly lines. Check your lines and leader connections for damage. Just don’t destroy your fly line coating with too much scrubbing or the wrong cleaner. • Consider a new fly rod purchase. I see this all the time. Somebody shows up with an old piece of junk with some kind of sentimental value. Catching fish is much more important than that. Get a 9 foot 5 weight and be done with it. • Take a freaking fly casting lesson or two! Bad casting is the most detrimental thing to an otherwise great fly fishing trip!

Forecast By: Capt. Robert Eidson www.ﬁrstbiteguideservice.com eidson6260@att.net Linesides fishing is good! The turnover is done and the bite is starting to get good. Anything is working right now including live bait, spoons and umbrella rigs along with the A-

Rigs. The north end of the lake is our better bite from the mouth of Kellogg’s to as far north as Fields Landing. Most of the fish we have been catching have been in water less than 20 feet deep. Bait in the area is key. The birds are starting to show up. Hopefully, they will be here in bigger numbers soon. This will make locating the fish a little easier.

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ur sh.”

LOCAL LAKES AND FORECAST GAME SHOW FISHING By Dickelsby

Happy New Year to our readers. We value your participation with the Angler Magazine professionals who provide monthly fishing information and invitation to join in the fun. We thank you and appreciate you and hope you experience a really fruitful 2020. We got a chance to take advantage of the changing November weather one beautiful Sunday afternoon to join Capt. Wayne Moore of www.oconeeonthefly.com. My son, Rich and Angler Publisher, Bob Rice made up the crew as we ventured to produce a“Fishing with the Stars”show. Wayne and Bob were the stars while Rich and I were the judges. The net score was a perfect 10 as we indeed captured 10 beautiful fish in the net and introduced them to the photo op and cooler! You may remember from previous Oconee stories that I felt privileged to watch this great body of water form back in the late 70’s. We almost weekly motored east on I-20 and crossed over the bridge in Buckhead to observe the lake filling up! We lived in SW DeKalb County at the time and headed to Wrightsville, GA to quail hunt. Yes, we were very aware that a certain high school footballer was beginning to attract a lot of attention on weekly game days down there. Lake Oconee soon became a Georgia Power fishing sensation with an abundant crappie popula-

tion along with big bass and then home to striper and hybrid action. Marinas opened across the miles of waterfront and boat-launch parks were created as far down as the dam. Back to the fabulous four fishermen. We were hoping to get some fly rod action going as we thought the birds and baits were coming to the surface. Didn’t happen! Our Simrad electronics indicated a 30 foot depth was where the action was, so we went spooning! Bait size metal jigs/spoons were employed, and we all enjoyed bouncing off the bottom and hoping for the best. It soon happened! The hybrid and striper bite began in earnest, and we were pretty busy till we weren’t! Next a location change proved successful as we put out the downlines baited up with lively herring. Our keeper cooler was coming along nicely with only the most qualified allowed to become our dinner! Then a real surprise occurred. How many of you have actually caught an extra-large crappie? You know the largest percentage of this species is around the 1-pound range, so imagine our glee with boating a 2 plus pounder! Yep, thought sure it was going to be a striper or a hybrid, but this flounder size creature was a real catch! The sun was beautiful that afternoon and the golf courses were active on both sides of the lake. As the

sun started to settle, we moved to a different location where the birds were active. Before you know it, Rich was spooning again and boom, another 2 plus pound crappie! Unbelievable but true, this was some great fishing, and you are invited to share the experience by contacting Capt. Wayne Moore at 706-8164281 or email wmoore1700@outlook.com Thanks for reading, and if you are interested in advertising or just chatting about the Angler Magazine, contact me at Dickg@theanglermagazine.com or call 404 427-3286. Happy 2020 fishing everyone!

When you visit or call one of our advertisers, or fish with one of our captains, make sure to tell them you saw their ad in:

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LOCAL LAKES AND FORECAST LAKE ALLATOONA

WEST POINT LAKE

It is truly starting to feel a lot like winter. Bundle up and let’s go fishing! Lake Allatoona will continue to drop from the current 828’ to the winter pool of 820 with water temps dropping well below 50 lake-wide. While December/January rains are the norm here, we shall see what the Good Lord brings forth. This much we know; the winter linesides will be providing plenty of action for the dedicated fishers. The stripers, hybrids, spots, crappie and white bass are biting being pretty good now. While the fish can sometimes have a little lockjaw, persistence will pay off while we find what they like on any given day. There are good concentrations of bait and fish (all species) from Bartow Carver to Kellogg Creek and all the way along the route to Little River. This heavier concentrations of fish is starting to ‘thin out’ in areas, and we can expect a good migration into the south end for winter. Every stretch has its own great holding and transition holes, but overall, you will be working the channels for locating the fish. Downlines and freelines are producing, and the fish are foraging on smaller baits consistently. We still like to pull a big bait or two when committing to a stretch. With winter patterns, there are days that pulling the big baits will get the big bites all day. The threadfins are thick in places along with the small gizzards in the

mix. You have to dip your nets a little deeper for the bait or simply pick them up at your favorite bait shop. Minnows are also hearty and can be dynamite. Trout can be a great winter bait for those that can procure them, and there will be days you wish you had 30 or so for a trip because that is what they really want on select winter days. Trolling has been effective, especially when you find a hole or channel ledge holding fish and get that mini school of shad down to them. Mini Macks and 2-3 ounce total weight rigs at 100+ back and bigger U-rigs at 60+ feet back might be a good starting point. Adjust for your boat’s idle speed, wind conditions and so on as needed. Coming into January, we will be exploring the effectiveness of Bomber Long-A’s and similar baits for these deep holding fish that are triggered by such a presentation. Casting the A-Rigs into these same fish holding holes as well as working an area fan-casting spoons, rigs and crankbaits can be very productive when the fish are active. Vertical jigging a Flex It spoon or similar spoon might just trigger the bite even when a slow rolling shad might not. We welcome you to enjoy a lovely Lake Allatoona striper fishing adventure with us. We are a full-time guide service, and we fish year ‘round to keep our fingers and boats on the pulse of the fish. Should you live in the area or plan on visiting, please feel free to contact us directly at 404-919-4918 or through any of our channels to discuss your ideal trip. Heron Outdoor Adventures – Your Adventure awaits!

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Contributed by Joseph Martinelli Heron Outdoor Adventures www.heronoutdooradventures.com 404-919-4918

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Bass: Fair - The shallow bite for bass is only fair right now but could improve quickly in late January, especially with a warm rain and extended warming trend. Stained water, higher than normal lake levels and water temps in the low 60’s will turn things on quickly. Baits such as crawdad Shad Raps, Rat’l Traps and chatterbaits will produce on these shallower fish. Try to fish these baits in coves and pockets with small feeder creeks or around schools of baitfish. Keep a jig or shaky head handy to pitch around any wood cover. Fishing rip-rap can also produce good results this time of year. The rocks warm quickly and retain heat. Yellow Jacket and Whitewater Creeks should continue to produce. On the other hand, a snow or ice storm in January could shut the bite down completely! Water temps in the 30’s and 40’s make it super tough. If the lake stays cold and clear, go deep! Big schools of spots mixed with hybrids, white bass and stripers can be caught on jigging spoons and drop-shot rigs and shaky head rigs on humps and drop-offs. Target deeper offshore structure like brush piles and old road beds in 20-30 feet of water near the mouth of most major creeks for the best results. Linesides: Good - The downline bite with shad or bass shiners has improved as the water has cooled off and should stay good

all winter. Most of the fish seem to be holding 20 to 30 feet deep when they are not schooling on the surface. Expect the topwater fishing to be sporadic. Gulls and loons usually show up, which makes it easier to pinpoint schooling stripers and hybrids. Keep your eyes open! The popping cork rig has still been working on schooling 1 to 3-pound fish with an occasional bigger one mixed in. A 3/8 or 1/2-ounce white Rooster Tail, a chrome C.C. Spoon and a number of other small shad imitators have also been producing, and the colder it gets, the better the fishing usually is (within reason of course). In cold water, a bucktail jig becomes very effective as well. The mouths of most creeks anywhere south of the Highland Marina area all the way to the dam and Maple Creek have been holding fish. Trolling with mid-depth crankbaits and Alabama Rigs also continues to produce some linesides in these same areas. Crappie: Fair - Try tight line fishing with minnows or a 1/16-ounce or 1/8 jig around bridge pilings, brush piles, and blow-downs in 15 to 20 feet of water. Concentrate on trees and brush that are close to the old creek channels. Pitching or shooting deep water docks with small tubes or feather jigs around or under the docks can still produce this time of year. Yellow Jacket, Wehadkee and Whitewater Creeks are still producing some crappie. Spider trolling usually works well in January as well and can be very effective. If January turns unusually warm and wet, the crappie can show back up surprisingly shallow very quickly!

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LOCAL LAKES AND FORECAST THE ATLANTA SALTWATER SPORTSMAN CLUB By Chuck Alford, President ASWSC chuckalford@comcast.net

A Family Oriented Fishing Club Proud Sponsors Of

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Saltwater fishing is a complicated and demanding sport, especially when it is undertaken on a do-it-yourself basis. Most people who participate in this activity do so as a result of growing up in a coastal community where fishing is a tradition, but Atlantans are not that lucky. For most people, learning about saltwater fishing involves a lot of reading, asking questions, and a lot of painful trial and error, especially since Atlanta is 277 miles from the nearest body of saltwater. This was the situation that faced Leon Brown, an Atlanta public relations executive. Although he had grown up fishing the inshore waters around Panacea, FL, Leon had little experience in deep water fishing and boat handling. It soon became evident that reading, asking questions and trial and error left a lot to be desired as far as really learning about the sport. Leon knew that there had to be others in the Atlanta area who shared these frustrations. He began to wonder what would happen if he were to get all of these people together to network information about the sport in an atmosphere of fun and camaraderie. Thus, the idea was born for the Atlanta Saltwater Sportsman’s Club. With the promotional help of the two largest saltwater tackle stores in the Atlanta area, the first meeting of the Atlanta Saltwater Sportsman’s Club was held in April of 1987. Attending that meeting were 80 Atlantans with one thing in common: a love of saltwater fishing and a desire to learn more about it through networking with others. The basic groundwork laid at that meeting still guides the ASWSC today; that the best way to promote and learn about fishing is to fish. For this reason, the format of putting on “fun” tournaments was adopted. This accomplished the goal of getting people out on the water with a bonus of the safety of a group environment. The first ASWSC club meeting was in April of 1987 with the first tournament held at Destin, FL in July 1987, and the club has been holding monthly meetings and 6-8 tournaments a year ever since, along with many other local social

events. The ASWSC club meetings provide a forum for members to get to know other salt lovers and to learn and exchange knowledge about saltwater fishing. The club is also involved in promoting conservation and the preservation of recreational sport fishing. The tournament destinations read like a sport fishing travelogue with events being held in places like West Palm Beach, the Keys, Fort Pierce, Homosassa, Destin, Panama City Beach, St. Augustine, Apalachicola, Steinhatchee, Pensacola (all in Florida); Orange Beach, AL; Savannah, GA; Georgetown, SC; Venice and Grand Isle, LA; and the Bahamas. The basic format of subsequent tournaments has remained the same: we fish only for fun, with winners receiving awards and accolades – never prize money. We encourage family participation; we promote conservation; and we put safety first. Junior angler participation is also an important focus. In addition to club-sponsored tournaments, many members share their experiences with the club as they fish “on their own” both at the nearby locations and many world class destinations. The ASWSC has promoted and sponsored many ‘salt-free’ events over the years such as picnics, swap meets, striper tournaments (freshwater), camping trips, cruises and get-togethers at various restaurants. The ASWSC is always looking for new members, and if you don’t own a boat, it is a great opportunity to meet captains who need crew members for the tournaments. The Atlanta Saltwater Sportsman Club (ASWSC) is the largest inland saltwater fishing club in the US and has been active since 1987, and today is accepted as the foremost authority on saltwater fishing in the Atlanta area. For more information about ASWSC: www.aswsc. org, info@aswsc.org, and like us on Facebook “Atlanta Saltwater Sportsman Club”.

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LOCAL LAKES AND FORECAST

WRAPPING UP THE YEAR By Gary Turner

As I sit here on the couch with the flu, I can’t help but think of some of the great fishing trips I had this year and day dream about the ones coming in the new year. As the year comes to an end, I realize just how many great fishing buddies I have. Maybe it is just an age thing that makes us fonder of our fishing friends. I started out learning to fish with my original fishing buddies, my Grandpa Turner and Grandpa Winebrenner. They were both lifelong fishing enthusiasts. They taught me the ropes at an early age. My dad didn’t love fishing nearly as much as my grandfathers or me, but nonetheless bought me a jon boat when I was young and would row me around for hours while I wailed on the bream. An older friend of ours would accompany us many a Saturday morning as we navigated the lakes around Lakeland, Florida trying to catch tons of bream while avoiding the alligators. There were gators there bigger than our boat. Dad’s job was simple; put us on the fish, avoid the gators and not let me get close enough to hook every tree. We had no trucks back then so we were quite the sight when we loaded the 10 foot jon boat into the trunk of my mom’s Olds 98 and tied it down. It was one big boat hauling another. I loved that old car. I learned to drive in it. Fishing is a kindred spirit that crosses many generations and walks of life. I have more fishing friends than I could ever count. We all have a special bond, even if we don’t see eye to eye on all aspects of fishing. That’s uncommon in many sports. Every time I message or ring up a friend to ask if they can go fishing on this date or someone calls me and invites me fishing, it is an exciting prospect of what’s to come. Some of you reading me may think this is ridiculous, but you will see if you fish long enough that it becomes more about the camaraderie and less about the fish. Now don’t get me wrong, I still love to catch fish and will race you to the rod, but whether we catch fish or not is not always the most

important thing. Often, the day is just about being with good friends doing what we love. My good friends Vic and Leon Higdon have invited me fishing several times this past year, and every time I have had prior commitments. It’s my loss because they have wore out the big cats in Alabama and Tennessee. We have had some very memorable trips together over the years, as I have with lots of my friends. This pic is of Leon holding his new personal best blue. See that smile. That’s a lifetime memory smile. Hopefully in 2020 I will find time to get out with them and even more of my friends than I did in 2019. Like many of my fishing buddies, they just love being on the water. There are so many beautiful places to fish and so many amazing species of fish to catch. People always ask me how I catch so many big fish, and the truth is lots of days on the water. Sure, there have been days I’ve caught several good fish, but there have been the dinks days too. If you have read this far, I hope you got the message I am trying to leave you with. GO FISH, TAKE FRIENDS, MAKE MEMORIES. After all the fish are filleted or released, what remains is the energy and memories made on those trips. Take lots of pictures and down the road when you fish again with those same friends, you will always be talking about the memories while you are waiting for the next bite. Gone but not forgotten: John Turner, Nelson Winebrenner, Tom Franklin, Steve Leblanc, Lenny Benak and Troy Jens. Make 2020 your best fishing year yet! Hopefully, my next article will be about all of the fish we caught on some of my upcoming trips, so remember, if you have an empty seat on your boat that needs filling, shoot me an email and maybe I will come fishing with you! If you want more information about fishing, you can reach me at gary@purgeright. com. Or check out my Hub pages at GoneFishinClub.hubpages.com. Please remember, if you are not going to eat it, don’t kill it.

JACKSON LAKE By Brian Lee leebrian16 @yahoo.com Water temperature: mid 50’s, lake level: almost full pool, clarity: stained. The bass are schooled up in areas while some are still roaming around chasing bait. The best bite is down lake toward the dam for spotted bass. A Lucky Craft Pointer 78 in natural colors is catching fish. The bass will be 1220 feet deep. For the deeper fish, a Fish Head Spin with a white Zoom Super Fluke Jr paddle tail or a Keitech 2.8 is the go-to on the Fish Head.

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Largemouth are hard to find as the water is getting cooler, but they can be caught. You just have to set your mind to chasing the largemouth bite all day. Just brave the weather and dress warm as the bass are still biting fairly well. I’d like ask for everyone to keep a close friend, Blake Tomlin, and his family in your prayers. His little brother recently passed away for reasons still unknown, Jeremiah Johnson was only 13 years old. Jeremiah was going be a force to be reckoned with in bass tournaments in the near future. The Good Lord called him home to join an elite group of anglers that we all used to watch. RIP Jeremiah. Until we meet again, keep chunking and winding.

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LOCAL LAKES AND FORECAST LANIER STRIPERS

DITCHES AND POCKETS – LANIER IN JANUARY Contributed By: Jim “Jimbo” Mathley www.jimboonlanier.com

Many anglers underestimate the viability of winter fishing. While the outside elements are not always favorable, January can offer some outstanding angling on Lake Lanier. Let’s explore some tactics with which you can approach Lanier in January. Ditches: As we discussed a recent installment, a ditch can be defined as a significant depression which offers a sharp depth change of 2 feet or more from the surrounding structure. These features exist many places on Lake Lanier, and they hold fish during the winter months. I shared a comprehensive article in December that focused completely on ditch fishing. Take the opportunity to go back and review this information. It could continue to play a key role in January this year. Your Search: Use your Lowrance HDS electronics to find creek arms or pockets just off of the main creek channels that offer a deep vein extending back into the arm or cove/ pocket. When you enter these areas, search for the presence of baitfish in and around the timber which you will find in the deeper water portions of the ditch. If you do not find bait, you will not find fish. Also, look for the ditches that have timber at the mouth. The presence of the timber represents the appropriate depth for a potentially productive ditch. Also, key in on special features within the ditch, such as a point or secondary ditch that may intersect with the main ditch. Technique: While our focus is on fishing deep, understand that a shallow bite often exists in these same ditches, even in the dead of winter. Often, these shallow fish in the winter mornings are monsters. Try these areas with a SuperSpin, SPRO jerkbait, or SPRO crankbait. Also, a Keitech swimbait on a ¼ ounce Picasso Swim Head can be a good option. Your presentation speed should vary directly with the water temperature. The colder the water, the slower your presentation should be. Also, with the SuperSpin, crankbait, and Keitech, your bait should maintain contact with the bottom as much as possible. Begin your search shallow in the backs of the creek arm, as at daylight this will be the warmest water in the 16 ATLANTA

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lake. Often, the active fish will be in 10 feet of water or less right at daylight, so get out early and be ready for some action right away! After the early morning bite, switch your focus to the deep areas of the ditch. Start with the first area of naturally occurring timber you find as you move from shallow to deep in the ditch. An isolated tree can be excellent, but thick timber can hold fish as well. The timber edges are often the most productive, so focus on those areas first. Cast and drag a Georgia jig through the timber the same way as you would work shallower cover. Slow and methodical is the key. Develop a keen sense of feel as the bites are often very light. If the jig is not productive, fish a shaky head tipped with a finesse or trick worm in the same fashion. Another option is to jig a spoon vertically over fish you see on your Lowrance electronics. A drop-shot can also be an effective presentation. Experiment daily as fish preferences change like the wind. I guide year ‘round on Lanier and I would enjoy the opportunity to help you with your winter fishing. We can focus deep or shallow and help you learn the techniques you need to stay on fish all year! For more information or to book your winter trip, contact Jimbo on Lanier! 770-542-7764. Jimbo’s website: www.jimboonlanier.com

Forecast by: Clay Cunningham www.catchingnotﬁshing.com 770-630-2673 A new year is upon us and fishing has been pretty good leading into the new year. As always this time of year, the weather is the big factor. Many times, this time of year the best fishing is in the afternoon. Let the sun warm the water even a little. The other key to the stripers this time of year is finding the bait in the back of the creeks. Every creek on the lake will have some stripers in it. Another huge advantage this time of year is the bait being in the back of the creeks which narrows your search immensely. Most of the time in January, the fish will be in the last third of any creek. Once you find the bait in the back of the creeks, several patterns can develop. First and foremost is pulling live bait on a freeline. The freeline is basically a hook and a live bait back behind the boat. Spool up a Penn Fathom 15 Linecounter paired with a Shakespeare Striper Rod and you are ready for action. Be sure to use a premium swivel like the Spro Power Swivel, a Gamakatsu Octopus hook, and flourocarbon on the leader like the Berkley 100 % Flourocarbon. So far this winter, trout and herring have been the best baits, and hopefully, this will continue. That be-

ing said, the number of fish caught on the freelines have been low in number but better in size. Early in the morning and during any time of low light, pull the trout on a freeline somewhere around a 100 feet behind the boat. This is the best way to catch a big fish most days. Try to stay away from other boats and keep your baits fresh. The other pattern is the downline bite right on the deep schools of bait. This pattern is accounting for much better numbers with a few good fish mixed in the catch. Find the bait and drop the smaller trout and herring right on top of the bait. Start with a five foot leader, a Gamakatsu Octopus size 1 hook, and a Capt. Mack swivel sinker. Do not be afraid to shorten the leader. With the colder water temperature, the stripers may not want to chase the bait. If you do not want to use live bait, be sure to try a spoon as well. The most popular spoons on Lanier are the .6 white foil Flex It Spoon and the 1 ounce Captain Mack Super Spoon. You should be able to see your spoon bounce on the bottom on your electronics. This is my favorite way to fish in the winter. Great electronics like the Humminbird Solix are critical for seeing the spoon. Many times, you can see the fish eat the spoon. Give it a try and see you on the lake.

“Many times, this time of year the best fishing is in the afternoon. Let the sun warm the water even a little.”

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LOCAL LAKES AND FORECAST KIM’S KITCHEN

LAKE MARTIN

www.poundersseafoodmarket.com

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

Grilled Venison Backstrap

• 2 pounds venison backstrap, cut into 2-inch chunks • 1 quart apple cider • 1 1/2 pounds thick sliced bacon • 2 (12 ounce) bottles barbecue sauce, your choice Place chunks of venison into a shallow baking dish and pour enough apple cider in to cover them. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. Remove and pat dry. Discard apple cider and return venison to the dish. Pour barbeque sauce over the chunks, cover, and refrigerate for 2 to 3 more hours. Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat. Charcoal is best, but if you must, use gas. Remove meat from the refrigerator and let stand for 30 minutes, or until no longer chilled. Wrap each chunk of venison in a slice of bacon and secure with toothpicks. Brush the grill grate with olive oil when hot, and place venison pieces on the grill so they are not touching. The bacon will kick up some ﬂames, so be ready. Grill, turning occasionally, until the bacon becomes slightly burnt, 15 to 20 minutes. The slower, the better. Dig in, and prepare to want more!

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Water temperature: 56 degrees, lake level: 483.7, clarity: clear to slightly stained. Happy New Year 2020! I hope everyone had a great holiday season. Each new year brings with it some of the best boat shows around the country. Two of the best boats shows are The Atlanta Boat Show at the GWCC January 16th thru January 19th. See Alex City Guide Service at Booth # 141 and then my next one is The Birmingham Boat Show at the BJCC January 23rd thru January 26th. I personally will be working our booth along with some of our best guides will be with me to answer any and all questions for you concerning Lake Martin. Believe it or not, winter fishing on Lake Martin has always been very good. If you’re not an early riser, then you’re in for a treat this month because the bite is great all day long. Whether you’re fishing for stripers, white bass, spots or crappie, you will have fun. Large schools will be found in the deeper areas around the lake, and I promise they are just waiting on you to drop your favorite jig, spoon or live bait in front of them. Taking a little time and watching for gulls or scanning the lake with your electronics will help find them. Say that you don’t like sitting still, well

put your downriggers on and do some trolling and it will pay off for you. Say deep water fishing is not your thing either, then put some planer boards out with live bait or some shallow running crankbaits or some topwater baits pulled behind the boards at 1-1.5 mph. When using the planer board technique, work long shallow points, underwater islands, creek channels, or some flats. Blue Creek has all these features along with other areas of the lake. I personally like pulling boards when I’m working water depths of 25 feet or less. As always, you need to wear your PFD, but most definitely during the winter you need it due to hyperthermia setting in fast if you were to somehow become overboard. Keep some extra dry clothing in your boat, a fully charged phone on board, tell loved ones where you intend to launch from plus what areas you more than likely will be fishing. Even though my wife might not know where I’m talking about when I text her the locations I plan to be while out on the water, she will have a copy of the text and definitely can forward it to friends, or God forbid, first responders if I fail to come in at the end of the day. It’s very critical that rescue squads and first responders at least have an area to begin searches from. There is no need to be nervous about fishing at any given time, but it sure doesn’t hurt to be prepared for an emergency if it were to come up.

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LOCAL LAKES AND FORECAST

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LAKE CHATUGE HYBRIDS AND SPOTTED BASS Report By: Darren Hughes Owner: Hughes General Store & Bait Shop The Angler Magazine Fishing Team & Big Ol’ Fish Guiding Service www.bigolﬁsh.com 828-361-2021 Fishing has been awesome out here lately. The spotted bass and hybrids have settled into their winter patterns. If you can deal with the cold, it’s a perfect time to be on the water. Currently, Lake Chatuge is 8 feet below full pool. Water clarity is clear in the main lake and the creeks, and rivers are stained due to the recent rains. Water temperatures are in the upper 40’s. Spotted bass have been very active, and we are catching a ton (3040) of nice fish. You can still find these bass schooled up all over the lake from shallow to deep. Focus on shallow humps and points around the lake that hold a lot of bait, then work your way out to deeper water. Most of the creek mouths and rivers have been holding some nice fish. Pulling planer boards and free lines with live bluebacks will work great for covering good ground and catching quality fish. Watch for an early morning topwater bite. Casting jerkbaits, spoons and Spooks will also produce quality results. This bite should get even better in the upcoming months. The hybrid bite has also been

pretty good. These hard-fighting hybrids have been on the move and headed for the mouths and backs of creeks in search of warmer water. Pulling planer boards and free lines with live blueback herring should land you some nice fish. Vary your lines behind your boards. Set your bait about 20 feet behind your outside boards along the banks and 30 to 40 feet on your inside boards. Keep your free lines around 80 to 100 feet behind the boat and maintain your trolling speed at .5 mph. It’s also a great idea to set out a few down lines as you troll. January fishing on Lake Chatuge is always exciting. The bigger fish start feeding more aggressively, and for us, it’s a great time of year for some great topwater action. Remember, live bait on this lake can be the difference between a successful day of fishing and a horrid one. Hughes General Store in Blairsville, GA carries a wide range of bait and tackle. It’s the only place around for quality live blueback herring. For guided fishing trips on Lake Chatuge, Hiwassee and Lake Nottely, or questions about the bait shop, call Darren Hughes or Shane Goebel at Big Ol’ Fish Guiding Service. Whether you’re a seasoned angler or just starting out, give Chatuge a shot for some of the best spotted bass and hybrids in the area. Good luck, and get hooked!

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LOCAL LAKES AND FORECAST LAKE SEMINOLE Forecast By: by Paul Tyre paultyreﬁshing@yahoo.com The bass fishing on Lake Seminole has been fantastic this November and December. The water temperature has been averaging in the upper 50’s to low 60’s. Shad is the key to finding and catching bass. They have been gorging on shad, and the bass are very fat and healthy. Shad imitating lures have worked best like spinnerbaits, crankbaits and jerkbaits. When choosing a spinnerbait, a tandem double willow leaf is a good choice when the bass are keying on shad. One of my favorites is a Strike King Pro Model ½ ounce in chartreuse and white with silver and gold blades. This color and blade combination has been very productive fished around the grass lines on the main lake. Jerkbaits and crankbaits have also been working well in the Spring Creek arm of Lake Seminole. Spring Creek has remained very clear this fall. Shad color jerkbaits like a Spro McStick in Ayu Shad worked at a fast erratic pace has worked well over the deep grass flats in 10 to 15 feet of water. As we move into January, lipless crankbaits will become very productive fished over and around the grass lines on the main lake. Stripers and hybrids are being

caught on the main lake and in Spring Creek. Umbrella rigs and spoons have worked well with some stripers as big as 30 pounds! The crappie are schooling up on structure in 10’ to 12’ of water. Minnows and jigs are both working with some crappie as big as 3 pounds! For a Lake Seminole Fishing Adventure this fall, give us a call at 850-264-7534 or follow us on Instagram @ lakeseminolefishingadventures and Facebook @ paultyrefishing!

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LOCAL LAKES AND FORECAST Capt. Bill Wheeler (706) 914-9859 (706) 444-6365 Capt. Bill Wheeler (706) 914-9859 • (706) 444-6365

LAKE CHATUGE

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

Water temperature: 56 degrees, lake level: 6.7 feet below normal, clarity: clear. The lake temperature has finally started to drop and is getting right for big North Georgia spots. The lake level is down over 6 1/2 feet, and there is not much structure or laydowns on the banks that you can see. I’ve not seen much topwater action going on, and most of the fish we have been catching have been in the 8’ to 45’ range. only We’ve been targeting rocky points and steep rocky bank lines. I’ve been using a drop-shot with a 4.5” red crawler Roboworm, shaky head with a 6.5” Strike King green pumpkin finesse worm and a Ned Rig with a green pumpkin Trd worm. These baits have been good for bites all day long. If it’s a sunny day and you do find a laydown with about 3 feet of the tree in the water, there should be some fish staged out in front of the tree. If you mark a bunch of fish in one area on your depth finder, try dropping a

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½ ounce Flex It Spoon down on these fish. If you like throwing the Alabama rig, now is the time to start throwing it. I like using 1/8 ounce swimbait heads with Strike King 3.5” Rage Swimmers. The float-nfly is also working now using shad colors on bright days and bright colors on cloudy days. We guide on 8 different lakes, so if you’re looking for some great fishing, give Welch’s Guide Service a call. We’re your #1 guide service, and we’ve been doing this since 2001. Good luck.

LAKE HARTWELL By Preston Harden Bucktail Guide Service www.bucktailguideservice.com (706) 255-5622

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Water temperature: upper 50s, lake level: 5 feet below full pool. Fishing is good on Lake Hartwell. It got tough with the turnover, but now the water quality is good and fish are feeding. Most fish have moved up the lake and into the major creeks and up the rivers. Most fish are preferring small threadfin shad to large herring. They will key in on smaller shad as the water cools. I used to say that hybrids and stripers slow down in January, but after the last two mild winters, the

fish have kept feeding all winter. If the water goes below 48 degrees, most game fish do not eat much as their metabolism slows. Who knows what this winter will bring. If we have a warm winter, fish will feed all winter. If the water gets cold, the best option is crappie. They will feed no matter how cold the water gets. They taste better from cold water. I like to work a 1/32-ounce jig and a soft plastic very slowly under shade. Bridges and docks 15 to 30 feet will hold schools of crappie in January. It helps to have some brush. Side scan shows the schools clearly. Pick your days in January with nice weather. Wear a life jacket as the water will cause hypothermia in seconds.

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LOCAL LAKES AND FORECAST FISHING IN JANUARY Dr. Andrew Cox

This month you are probably using those angling items and gadgets that were received as gifts over the Christmas season. Some of you probably received traditional fishing items such as lures, rods and reels that have a limited learning curve to use particularly if you have been fishing for some time. Others may have received some high tech type angling gifts which seem to be popular today in the fishing world. These include high tech fish finders and trolling motors that virtually operate themselves. If you fall into the later camp and have new high tech fishing aides, hopefully you kept the manuals for these items or are adept enough to go to the manufacturer’s website and download instruction manuals and

FAQ’s for your particular item. Possibly your new fishing toy will include some YouTube videos to help you in mastering the use of your new angling item. Though I have my fair share of angling technology that supposedly assists me in locating and catching more fish, I have recently become rather leery regarding high tech angling gadgetry. A point comes to mind. Last year, I purchased a high tech, top of the line electric motor for my boat. This has a multitude of features to include spotlock to keep you on a particular fishing location, virtually hands-free operation, and a self deploying feature. The latter I thought would be very useful in easing stress on my worn out body joints. The motor comes with either

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nology experience and grew up cutting their teeth on using technology may have better success in using such fishing gadgets. I can see how these items can improve your angling skills and boat maneuverability. This month, many of you will spend time practicing and mastering this technology. On the other hand, I am from the old school, believing that fishing is a skill using tried and true angling techniques to locate and catch fish. A return to basics appears to be in my angling future. The best of luck in learning and enjoying these new angling technology items. Author’s Note: Dr. Andrew Cox is a contributing writer to outdoor publications and newspapers. His writing interests specialize in angling and travel, human interest, and general fishing technique oriented topics. He is a member of the Georgia Outdoor Writer’s Association. He has been fishing the waters of Georgia, Alabama, and north Florida for over forty years. Dr. Cox financially supports his fishing habits as Professor Emeritus at Troy University, Phenix City, Alabama. He may be contacted at andrewtrout@aol.com.

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foot pedal operation or remote operation modes which allows the angler to operate the motor from anywhere in the boat. I took time to read the manual which was difficult to comprehend with the different operation menus and practiced on the water. I would operate the motor with manual in one hand and remote in the other. The long story is that the motor appears to be more trouble than it is worth. On my last angling trip, the motor once again failed to deploy, obviously aggravating this angler, as this has happened on several occasions. I thought to myself that fishing is supposed to be pleasurable, not a source of aggravation. Accordingly, I have decided to replace this high tech trolling motor with a good basic foot control motor with simple features and no extravagant bells and whistles. Such a motor should be dependable, being able to deploy it into the water and operate as long as there is power in the batteries. Someone will be able to get a good deal on a lightly used high tech motor on Ebay in the very near future! Those anglers with more tech-

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LOCAL LAKES AND FORECAST BEST BAITS AND TIPS FOR WINTER BASS AND CRAPPIE by O’Neill Williams Will the following conversation get you a limit of bass or crappie when you have been catching only a few? Certainly not, however, you will get bit more and catch more. The thing to remember is that you can’t just practice these suggestions for an hour or two. You have to schedule a day or two sticking with it and see what happens. When the water temperature gets below 55 degrees, the bass and crappie angler should change their techniques and lures to accommodate. One can still catch big bass and hundreds of crappie with a few short and well defined suggestions. Bass: 1. Lighten your line. The strike or bite will become very soft. Lighter line and smaller lures will make the strike detectible. Say you feel and stick 4 more bass bites in a day because of this change. Worth it? Would be to me. 2. Slow down and give them a chance to take a good look. When tossing into a deep tree, brush pile or stump field, leave your bait there and let it sit. Just pick it up between the limbs or over the stump and let it fall back. You should not ‘swim’ it

over or through the target. I know of a very successful tournament veteran on Lanier who told me that some of his casts would last 30 minutes before he reeled up. Worth copying his technique? I’d say so. 3. Use scents liberally. You may have gassed up on the way to the lake or had breakfast and eaten the bacon by hand, then you hook up your lure. Your hands will smell accordingly. Are the bass repulsed? I don’t know, but I do know that a scented spray on the lure before making your casts can’t hurt. 4. Finally, what is your chosen lure? The number one big bass artificial lure during these times is a crawfish imitation. Natural prey like bream, smaller bass, shad and other critters are all ‘hunkered’ down and in hiding, but crawfish are not. They are actively feeding on the rotting growths on the limbs and other deep water objects. When choosing that hair or rubber skirted imitation, pick one with rattles and has an extra sharp large hook. Crawfish do make a sound when swimming in the branches. Copy it. Crappie: In water below 55 degrees, crappie gather in huge numbers under the deep water

marina docks, often under deep water docks out in the lake with brush piles underneath and in the standing trees out in the lake. They are catchable by the thousands. Best baits? Again, extremely light line with three or four small drop-shot rigs tied in stages down to a Road Runner at the terminal. It’s better than minnows because you get to present the bait to more crappie than fooling around with live bait. Use a red hook and try and keep the bait still. I know you can’t, but it’s better that trying to send action down the

line. Simply hold it still. I was taught this by a friend years ago. He took me to Lanier, arranged permission from a dock slip renter at Bald Ridge who had anchored brush under his leased space, and we caught a 35-count each limit in less than three hours with a few crappie over 2-pounds. Also, when you hook one, because you have multiple lures on the line about 12 inches apart, don’t be in such a hurry to reel him in. Many times a second or third will hook up because of the activity of the first.

LAKE EUFAULA By Capt Sam Williams hawk184@earthlink.net 334-687-6266 Water temperature: mid 50’s, lake level: 188.29 msl, clarity: stained. These winter cold fronts and barometric swings have the fish totally confused, and considering the last great shad hatch, they are full. It takes a slow and patient presentation to aggregate a bite. Texas rigged green pumpkin and red shad worms worked near wood and rocks are catching some fish. Blade baits in the grassy areas after the sun gets up are still getting hits from bass and jacks. The deeper fish are hitting jigging spoons. They can be held in the school and bounced to finesse a strike. Crappie have moved to the deeper cover where the natural and man-made structures are located. Minnows are getting some strikes. The smaller spoons worked horizontally just above the schools are working better. The ones being caught are nice sized slabs. Catfish and bream have slowed as well. Cats are very slow but a few are coming in off cut bait on jugs. The weather patterns will settle down in a few weeks as winter sets in and the fishing patterns will be-

come a little more stable. Be patient and keep fishing. Visit www.alabamachildrensclassic. org and get signed up for our newsletter. The changes for the 2020 tournament have been posted. We still need volunteers and business support for Scott Woodruff and his journey for his heart transplant. You can contact Capt. Sam Williams at 334-355-5057 for information about the National Transplant Foundation and how you can help our local hero. God Bless and good fishing.

“These winter cold fronts and barometric swings have the fish totally confused, and considering the last great shad hatch, they are full.” 24 ATLANTA

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LOCAL LAKES AND FORECAST LAKE LANIER STRIPERS Forecast By: Steve Scott http://TeamLanier.wordpress.com/menu The January striper forecast is a mix of the usual winter patterns beginning early in shallow areas to later at deeper targets. With the colder water temperatures in the upper 40s, we generally start out in the back of the creeks. As the morning progresses, the stripers begin to leave those areas and head out to the deeper water and concentrate on deep water humps, roadbeds and any kind of concrete structure that will heat up as the sun rises more. Early morning, we should be using planer boards with a large bait on a short leash right up against the bank. Trout should be on a short leash as they can outrun the stripers every time. Smaller hooks and 10-pound test lines should be considered with smaller bait like crappie minnows. Targeting sunny banks early in the day is also a plus. After the morning bite is over by 9am, you should change to smaller baits and artificials no larger than ¼ ounce. You could also try spooning a War Eagle jig or a Bladed Mini Mack as a transom

bait as well in downlined positions. Overall, January’s presentations should be small and slow as the day progresses and varying your speed from .2 to .8 for the trout and crappie minnows. You can’t go wrong throwing Capt Mack’s ¼ ounce jig using a spinning rod dropping it just under the surface near a reef pole using a small count-down to ensure a below surface strike. Downlines should be used with your smaller baits like bluebacks and crappie minnows. As always, look for birds. Even if you see them just sitting on the water, try to target the nearby smaller coves and fingers. The birds may be waiting for the stripers to move the bait back out from the shallower water. Birds usually don’t like to get too close to land. If you see some stripers on your side imaging, drop down some of those smaller baits then start tapping on the floor with your rod butts. The noise should draw the stripers in. Tip of the month: Look for elongated bait layers to see if there are stripers below the layer. Target a depth using 10-pound leaders with medium light rods and no drag on the reels to just above the bottom within the layer. See other tips at www.TeamLanier.com. Steve Scott 404-273-3481.

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LAKE BURTON Forecast by: Capt. Wes Carlton Georgia Lake Fishing 770-318-9777 www.georgialakeﬁshing.com Water temperature: 50 degrees, lake level: down 7 feet, clarity: clear. Bass: The bass bite has been on fire the last week or so. We have been catching a lot of fish on topwater plugs. Lucky Craft Sammy’s have been working best. We have been reeling these with an extremely fast action and we have caught some toads (spotted bass in the 5-pound range). Look for this bite to transition into a deeper crankbait or spoon bite over the next few weeks as we head into midJanuary. Look for most of the spots

to be on a 30 to 50 foot bottom. They will come up sporadically during the day to feed on the surfacing blueback herring. Trout: The brown trout have been biting decently lately. We have been catching a lot of smaller fish trolling Ugly Ducklings in the 18 to 29 foot depths. The bigger fish seem to be still holding in the creeks over a 10 to 15 foot bottom. Look for these fish to fire up in January. They will show themselves throughout the day feeding on the small herring fry this time of year. Try matching the hatch with small spinner type baits (Rooster Tails or Blue Fox). These fish like a speedy bait and will react to a quick retrieve. The brown trout bite gets better and better throughout January and February! Good luck! COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THEANGLERMAG.COM

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LOCAL LAKES AND FORECAST CARTERS LAKE

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 Lake Nottely offers up some great wintertime striper fishing, and January can be an exciting month to catch that big trophy. So, grab that gear, bundle up and give Big Ol’ Fish a call. It’s time to get your fish on! Currently, Lake Nottely is down 17 feet below full pool. Water clarity is clear in the main lake and slightly stained in the backs of creeks. Water temperatures are still in the low 50’s. Striper fishing has been EXCELLENT lately! We’ve been catching some awesome fish. The majority of our stripers have been in the 15 to 30 pound range with the exception of a few small ones here and there. We’ve even had a few close to the 40 pound mark! Most of our fish are being caught early in the morning on planer boards and free lines with live bluebacks and shad in the mouths of creeks. Believe it or not, the smaller bluebacks have been doing great! On the other hand, big shad have been producing some nice stripers as well. In the upcoming month, look for stripers to be searching for

warmer water, especially on cold sunny days. You can catch these fish in the backs of creeks, around shallow humps and in the river. Pulling planer boards and free lines with live blueback herring and gizzard shad will be your best technique for landing these wintertime monsters. Keep an eye out for seagulls and schools of baitfish. It’s not uncommon to see stripers crushing bait right under those birds. I like to cast a Red Fin or a fluke right into these guys for some nice topwater action. January is a fantastic month for catching some huge monster stripers on this North Georgia lake. 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 best trophy stripers during the fishing trip of a lifetime. We are Blairsville, GA’s premier full-time guide service, specializing in striped and hybrid bass. We also serve Lakes Hiwassee and Chatuge and Lake Blue Ridge. And for all your live bait and tackle needs, check out Hughes General Store in Blairsville, GA. They carry everything you need for a successful day of fishing and have the best live herring around. So, come fish with the pros for the opportunity to be featured in Angler Magazine, and let us help you get your fish on!

foot range. We are usually pulling 4 to 6 baits at a time covering water at 1.5 mph till about 10am. After that, we are switching over to artificials and trolling the mouths of the creeks with crankbaits, chipmunk jigs and Capt Mack’s U-Rigs. Look for schools of bait in open water and cover the area thoroughly at different speeds with 2 to 3.5 mph being pretty standard. As far as the spot bite goes, look in the creek channel bends or depth changes and watch your electronics. We have been finding decent schools of fat, healthy fish in 25 to 35 feet of water. Doll Mountain, Worley and Woodring Creeks are all still holding bait and fish.

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

lakeandstreamguideservice@gmail.com

Water temperature: 50 degrees, lake level: down 6 feet, clarity: 10 feet. The striper bite has been pretty good. Big fish eating big baits is what it’s all about this month. If you’re looking for an upper teen to mid-twenty pound fish, now’s the time. Our morning routine consists of pulling our biggest baits on planers and flatlines and some medium size baits on 2 downlines in the 20 to 35

“As far as the spot bite goes, look in the creek channel bends or depth changes and watch your electronics.

CLARKS HILL LAKE by Capt Tony Shepherd and Capt Rocky Fulmer Little River Guide Service lrguideservice@gmail.com (706) 210-3474 We hope that all of you had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I know our clients have been happy. The fishing this winter has been some the best in recent years. We are chasing schools of hybrids and stripers in the river arms and dropping herring on down rods to fill the coolers for

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our clients. The key is to locate the largest concentration of baitfish and the predators will not be far behind. The sea gulls and loons can provide a clue as to where to start looking. The early mornings can be a bit cold, but it typically warms up fast and the bite is not dependent upon pre-dawn setups. We can wait until 8am or so to get the chase going. Enjoy photos of some of our recent catches, and if you would like to join us, give me a call at (706) 2103474. www.littleriverguideservice. net

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LOCAL LAKES AND FORECAST NOBODY SAID IT HAD TO BE FAIR FOR THE

NEW YEAR NEW BOAT By Capt. Cefus McRae Nuts & Bolts Fishing Series Now that the holidays are over, it’s time to start seriously investigating your on-the-water transportation for 2020. Regardless of whether you plan to buy a new boat, a used boat, or spruce up your existing boat, you should thoroughly examine the pros and cons of the path you choose. Boats come in literally hundreds of styles, sizes and quality levels. There are budget-oriented models, and there are models that feature luxury accoutrements and super high-tech construction methods. To be perfectly clear, a budgetoriented boat doesn’t necessarily mean poor construction or inferior components; and similarly, a toptier boat can also experience some issues over the years. There’s an old saying that he best two days of boat ownership are the day you buy the boat and the day you sell the boat. That doesn’t have to be true. The way to get the most from your new or used boat is to be armed with knowledge before you commit to a purchase. The boat buying journey should be a fun one. With so many manufacturer and model choices today, you want to make the correct decision. Before you pull out your checkbook, here’s a couple things to consider. • Do your best to buy the boat that’s right for you. Contemplate how you’ll be using the boat. Unfortunately, I see a lot of new boat owners who are aggravated because they purchased an under-powered boat. They thought they would only be using it for slow sunset cruises. Then the kids come along and wanted to ski or go tubing, but the outboard wasn’t strong enough to do the job. It’s critical to examine everything you expect from your

boat. You may want to increase the horsepower to the maximum shown on the boat’s capacity plate. • When you’ve narrowed down the brand and style, try to locate that same model in a used boat for sale, and around four or five years old. See how well it’s held up over the years. Look at the wiring in the console, the hatch hinges, the gel coat in places where there are sharp bends or curves. Essentially, what you’re looking for is just how well the boat has held up over the years. This research will help you understand how well it will stand up to the rigors of a harsh marine environment. If you’ve buying a used boat, I strongly suggest engaging the services of a certified Marine Surveyor to provide an unbiased report on the condition of the boat and motor. It’s a couple hundred dollars and it could very well keep you from buying a ‘problem’. If you’ve buying new, then the best place to explore all your options is at a NMMA boat show like the upcoming Progressive Atlanta Boat Show at the Georgia World Congress Center, January 16-19, 2020. You can compare models, prices, options and get some of the best deals of the year. Buck the Wonder Dog and I will be there every day conducting seminars at the Fishing Center, so come by and say hi. When it’s time to make the decision for a new boat, there’s a lot to consider. Shopping for a boat can appear to be overwhelming, and it doesn’t have to be. We have a downloadable document to get you started on the right track. Just download our Boat Buyer’s Guide from NutsAndBoltsFishing.com or visit DiscoverBoating.com to find a wealth of boat buying tips. So, do your homework. Ask questions. Talk to owners of the boats you have on your short list. Spend some time with the dealer and their mechanics, but most of all, have fun with your boat buying experience.

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Wall of Fame WIN A FREE ANGLER MAGAZINE CAP! Hamed Bahmancheh with a big carp caught on Carters Lake.

One will be given away each month for the best reader submitted photo!

Dale Burrell with the North GA Crappie Anglers traveled down to Pensacola to take this big redfish.

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Megan Freed with her first ever trout on a fly caught at Nacoochee Bend.

Jessie Walton from Atlanta fishing Lake Eufaula with Capt Sam Williams.

Phillip Parker with an 8 pound bass caught from Lake Eufaula

Steve Spell landing a nice Toccoa River rainbow on recent float with Reel Em In Guide Service.

Stone and Marc Nerves fishing Lake Eufaula with Capt Sam Williams.

John Laymac with a nice trout caught at Frog Hollow.

Unicoi Outfittersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Jeff Durniak with a nice striper on the fly from Lake Lanier.

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By Michael Okruhlik • Capt. Michael Okruhlik Photo courtesy of Controlled Descent Lures.

or those who enjoy targeting speckled trout of larger proportions, we know they are not easy to come by. The majority of trophy trout hunting is done in cooler water temps and below normal feeding patterns. Utilizing solunar tables for feeding times can improve your hookup ratio and help you get the edge on gator trout. When I was a child, I would look at the calendar on the wall and see how many fish were on the day I had a trip planned. Multi-fish days built the excitement and anticipation while zero

fish still left me wanting to go, but lessened my expectations. During my younger years, I also found no consistent correlation between my success and the number of fish on the calendar and soon felt no reason to review it. I felt it was more of a folktale than a tool. As I matured into a somewhat better angler, and started spending more time saltwater fishing, I once again started to study the solunar tables along with the tides. To be clear, these tables are not a magic act, nor do they place fish where they are not, but I am a believer that if you are on fish, they will be more aggressive during the feeding times specified in the tables. Many people misinterpret the major as the better bite. This is not necessarily the case. The major vs. the minor is the length of time the bite will last. The major is typically two hours long while the minor is about an hour and a half. Both can share the same intensity of the feeding period. I plan each trip around the bite times. Naturally, I fish more than the two hours of the major bite, but I place myself in what I feel is the prime area during the bite. One rule that I stick to is to fish during the feed times rather than travel from one spot to another. On a recent trip, I wasn’t having any luck and considered moving locations. I checked the time and realized the bite was approaching. I decided to not move during the bite and continued to fish the once non-productive area to realize an aggressive feed during the specified time slot. I find this approach especially true when hunting gator trout. They do not feed that often and are difficult to catch, therefore utilizing the solunar can give you the edge for catching these larger specks. As I stated previously, these solunar tables do not guarantee you will catch fish. However, if you have the correct conditions of tide, wind, water clarity, temps, bait and most of all FISH, giving it your best during the feeding times greatly increases your odds of catching fish, and gator trout. Capt. Michael Okruhlik is the inventor of Controlled Descent Lures and the owner of www.MyCoastOutdoors.com.

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ll of us have enjoyed those rare days when fish would ingest virtually any lure or bait tossed in the water. Those experiences are certainly the exception, because fish are selective about their diets and seldom vary extensively in their choice of foods. Only when they cannot find enough of their standard fare will they range in their choice. Let me share a few examples: It was a beautiful day on the offshore grounds with a strong current that should hold fish. As the hours passed, our frustration increased. We couldn’t even raise a fish. Finally, the captain told us to reel in the lines. It seemed obvious he was going to try another spot, but that wasn’t his intention. Instead of moving, he took the trolling lures off the rods and rigged them with a single hook. One of the outfits had a sinker so it would go deeper. Then he turned the boat broadside to the current and cut the engine. We were now being pushed by the natural flow of water. A live baitfish was put on each hook and then streamed off the starboard side of the boat. He chopped up dead bait and threw a handful overboard as chum every couple of minutes. It didn’t take long before the big guys hit the live bait, and it suddenly became a banner day because the skipper did something different. More than 50 years ago, the late Joe Brooks told me no

one to his knowledge had caught an Allison (yellowfin) tuna on a fly, and he was sure I could do it. Joe set up a trip for me to Bermuda, where yellowfins responded to chum. I had fished chum slicks with a fly with my father since I was a young boy, and we simply cast in the slick and retrieved the fly. I can’t remember ever having a problem with that method. We were anchored on the edge of a bank in Bermuda, with the current taking chum off the edge into deep water. Tuna were devouring chum, and I was sure it would only take a cast or two to hookup. To say I was wrong was an understatement. The tuna ignored the fly as I retrieved it. They swam around it and kept eating chum. Finally, in desperation, I dropped the fly into some chum that lingered on the surface and did not move it. To this day, I can see that tuna inhaling the fly. It weighed 53 pounds and 6 ounces. The point to remember is that if the more common method isn’t working, try a modification. A friend and I were both fishing the same plug. He kept getting strikes, while nothing touched my offering. Finally, he showed me how he periodically vibrated his wrist. It made the lure flash, and that’s all it took. In a similar situation, another friend and I were using diving plugs. He kept hooking fish while I couldn’t buy strike. While I followed a standard retrieve, he would pause for an instant periodically. That allowed the plug to float upward before diving again. Simple, isn’t it? Before you claim there are no fish where you are fishing, try a few variations to standard practice. You might be surprised with the results.

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