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LOCAL STREAM REPORTS PHOTO COURTESY OF LUCKY JACKS FISHING WWW.LUCKYJACKSFISHING.COM @LUCKYJACKSFISHING VOLUME 26 • ISSUE 316

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JULY 2021

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very once in a while a timepiece comes along that’s so incredibly good looking, masterfully equipped and jaw-droppingly priced, that it stops us stone cold. A watch that can take you seamlessly from the 18th hole to the board room. A watch that blurs the line betweens sports watch and dress watch. We’re talking the Blue Stone Chronograph, and it sits at the top of the discerning gentleman’s watch list. Striking in appearance and fully equipped with features, this is a watch of substance. The Blue Stone merges the durability of steel with the precision of crystal movement that’s accurate to 0.2 seconds a day. Both an analog and digital watch, the Blue Stone keeps time with pinpoint accuracy in two time zones. The watch’s handsome steel blue dial seamlessly blends an analog watch face with a stylish digital display. It’s a stopwatch, calendar, and alarm. Plus, the Blue Stone resists water up to 30 meters, making it up for water adventures. A watch with these features would easily cost you thousands if you shopped big names. But overcharging to justify an inflated brand name makes us blue in the face. Which is why we make superior looking and performing timepieces priced to please. Decades of experience in engineering enables Stauer to put quality on your wrist and keep your money in your pocket.

Your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed. Experience the Blue Stone Chronograph for 30 days. If you’re not convinced you got excellence for less, send it back for a refund of the item price. Time is running out. Originally priced at $395, the Blue Stone Chronograph was already generating buzz among watch connoisseurs, but with the price slashed to $69, we can’t guarantee this limited-edition timepiece will last. So, call today!

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n the era of the coronavirus, outdoor recreation has become an important survival tool. Last year, the boating industry saw a record number of new boat owners. Both new boaters and seasoned boaters changed their habits to social distance while making the most of their love for the recreational outlet. According to a survey of 3,500 boaters by Sea Tow Services International, this trend is expected to continue into the 2021 summer season. Pandemic-influenced boating behavior: • 52 percent of boaters surveyed anticipate their boating activity to increase this summer compared to last. • 20 percent cite the pandemic as the reason for extending their boating season again in 2021. • 24 percent plan to vacation on/by boat (versus other forms of travel) because of the pandemic. • 35 percent plan to use their boat primarily for cruising near their home. • 16 percent upgraded to a larger boat in 2020 or plan to do so in 2021. • 52 percent plan to use their boat primarily for fishing (65 percent inshore/30 percent offshore/5 percent freshwater). • 30 percent have found it more difficult to find dockage and/or marina space. “Our member survey has typically been a very strong indicator for seasonal recreational boating trends,” said Kristen Frohnhoefer, President of Sea Tow. “Last year, Sea Tow saw a 34 percent increase in requests for on-water assistance in the summer of 2020, and our nationwide network of captains are anticipating another busy season for 2021.” With the sale of a record number of new boats in over a decade and an influx of new boaters, Sea Tow noted that in 2020 owners of new boats were 142 percent more likely to need ungrounding services, 108 percent more likely to need fuel delivered to them and 11.2 percent more likely to need a battery jump. Alternately, new boat owners are 22 percent less likely to need a tow. “These numbers are very interesting,” Frohnhoefer said, “They reflect the fact that new boaters are not yet familiar with things like shifting sandbars and hard to navigate channels, or how to manage their fuel, like their more seasoned counterparts–which is getting them into trouble and causing them to call us for assistance. But likewise, these stats demonstrate what we’ve been saying all along—that when it comes to new boats, on-water assistance typically is needed due to user error, not mechanical failure, as newer boats and engines are more reliable than ever before.” With the number of new boaters recreating on the water, the need for boating education has never been more important. Sixty-nine percent of boaters surveyed are looking for more advice on local navigational assistance, mishap prevention and general boating basics. “2021 is sure to be another banner year for boating,” said Frohnhoefer, “We’ll find out real soon if these trends for recreational boating activity are in fact here to stay.” For more on Sea Tow, visit www.seatow.com.

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JULY 2021

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TIPS TO DIAL IN RIVER-RUN BASS S

By Nick Carter

triped bass don’t stay in the same place long. Huge spring runs up the Atlantic Coast and into freshwater rivers to spawn is natural behavior for stripers. Even fish trapped by dams in inland reservoir systems retain a strong urge to move. Across the east, wherever reservoir striped bass exist, the movement begins as a spring spawning run. Fish push out of the lakes and as far up creeks and rivers as they can go. This spring run is followed by a larger summer migration, when stripers pile into the rivers seeking more comfortable water conditions. Here are a few tips from the pros for dialing in river-run stripers. • Make Shots Count: “Fish good water, and fish it well,” said Bill Stranahan. Stranahan guides with Southeastern Anglers, and the striper run on Tennessee’s Hiwassee River is a summertime staple. Fishing the Hiwassee run is like deer hunting. You’re fishing hard for a few bites from monster fish that get up into the 40-pound range. “Look for good structure, whether its wood, shoals or rock faces,” Stranahan said. “When you’re on that good structure, don’t rush it. You can spook ’em with a bad throw, so take your time and make good shots.” Whether you’re throwing streamers with a fly rod or swimbaits with conventional gear, Stranahan warned against locking into the big bait, big fish theory. “We all know stripers will chase down big 6-, 7-, 8-, 9-inch skipjack and gizzard shad, but don’t forget your smaller baits,” he said. “A lot of their forage base is 4 inches or less. There’s a time and a place for fishing small stuff.” • Fish it All: Rob “Mustache” Smith, of The Fish Hawk in Atlanta, has guided the Chattahoochee River striper run for two decades or more. He knows all the hotspots where there are always fish. He also knows those spots

PHOTO COURTESY OF GARNER REID

get a ton of pressure. Smith said to slow down and fish all the likely structure instead of rushing to areas where you’ve caught fish before. “If you’re on the river, fish everything,” he said. “Those fish are constantly moving, and you’d be surprised at the fish you’re passing when you’re rushing to get to that one little area. Fish it all, and fish it like you expect a fish on every cast.” • Move Some Water: “When they’re in the river, those fish are laid up in ambush,” said Garner Reid, who made his name guiding fly fishers to big Georgia stripers on the Etowah River. “You’re drawing reaction strikes, and what triggers them is a fly that looks like it’s wounded or fleeing.” Reid said it’s easy to get sloppy with the retrieve when you’re blind casting all day. He reminds anglers that it takes an aggressive presentation to move some water, cause a little commotion and trigger a striped bass’s predatory instinct. “Use the current and the swing to enhance your strip,” he said. “Make that fly hunt for you.” Visit Southeastern Anglers at www.southeasternanglers.com. See The Fish Hawk website at thefishhawk.com. Call Garner Reid at (770) 866-0301.

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JULY 2021

NATIONAL 7

THREE CLUES TO

Mahi Mahi By Capt. Quinlyn Haddon

ahi fishing can be tricky in some places and times of year. They congregate under floating material adrift in the current, leaving them with no fixed address within an area of greatly variable depths. If you are fortunate enough to be able to target dolphinfish along the Gulf Stream this summer, you are in the right place at the right time. You shouldn’t have much trouble filling your cooler and even maxing out on the generous daily bag limit of this species. Head out to target mahi with a full tank of fuel. Assume you will have to run far and wide to find them, but hope to get lucky along the way. Recruit everyone on board to remain on the look out for the three telltale mahi hangouts: weeds, birds and floaters. Weeds can be productive whether they are formed tightly in a line, or even a tight patch. Birds can be a great sign of actively feeding fish at the surface, but they can also just be birds being birds. Learn to read them properly to avoid wasting time. A group of circling birds or diving birds is what you want to look for, and the more the better. Sometimes, a bird that’s on fish will flicker in the sun, reflecting the sunlight in a sporadic pattern as it moves its body to stay on top of something it has spotted under the surface. Circling frigate birds are always a good sign. If you see one even attempt a dive, start trolling immediately. Floaters can be anything floating in the water, from debris to sea turtles. When you find floaters in open water, it doesn’t take long to feel out if it is productive or not. If you happen to see all three of these goldmines come together, with birds diving around debris sucked to a weedline, troll the ever loving shi…mano out of it. When trolling for mahi, you won’t need to run more than four lines. Troll two small lures long, ideally on the outriggers, to draw in smaller dolphin. Troll one medium lure or ballyhoo at mid-length, and one large lure close. Dolphinfish have the mentality of a toddler. When you reel one to the boat, leave the fish in the water, put your rod in the rod holder, and cast out behind the hooked fish. The school should have followed your mahi to the boat, and with their mahi-see, mahi-do mentality, they’ll all want to partake in snack time. Continue hooking mahi and leave them in the water until you run out of available rods to cast. Start by putting one fish in the boat, but don’t take the second out of the water until the first rod has gone back out and hooked another fish. Try switching from live bait to chunk bait to keep them eating. If they don’t slam a bait as soon as it hits the water, try twitching the bait. Even a completely healthy and well-presented live bait sometimes isn’t as enticing as one that’s getting yanked away from them. Mahi will eat nearly anything, especially if you know how to taunt them properly. One of the biggest challenges in catching them is trolling through weeds. Weeds that cling to your lures is a pain to manage on the deck, while constantly clearing lines, and you also miss a lot of opportunities to catch fish. All lures catch weeds, the determining factor is whether they shed those weeds. Deep diving lures that never breach the surface are not your friend in this situation. Lightweight, squid-skirted lures do an excellent job of popping out of the water when bogged down with weeds. Most times, they clear themselves of weeds. Blue Magic Charters makes their own 3D-printed lures designed to troll in weeds. Visit them in Marathon, Fla., and ask us about their DR. BUBBLES lures. Capt. Quinlyn Haddon fishes with Blue Magic Charters in Marathon, Fla. Contact her at (504) 920-6342 and visit CaptainQuinlyn.com.

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ere’s a memorable beach moment: You’re basking in the warm sun, toes in the sand, letting the gentle turn of the foam-capped waves lull you into a state of complete relaxation. As your eyes scan the endless horizon of blue on blue, you’re rewarded with a school of dolphins making their way across the sea. There’s no denying their signature shape as they leap from the water. If you don’t see anything else extraordinary the rest of the day, you can take solace knowing you’ve witnessed one of nature’s most playful and intelligent creatures in their natural habitat. Why not re-create that special toes-in-the-sand moment with our Blue Topaz Dolphin Pendant? The beloved sea mammal has been captured mid-jump in sterling silver. And, tucked into its fins is a full two carats of shimmering blue topaz. Nothing captures the shimmering color of the ocean in the midday sun like blue topaz. With its sparkling clear blue color and high refractive index, blue topaz is one of the top-selling blue gemstones. And with our special price, you have quite the catch. Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back. Enjoy the Blue Topaz Dolphin Pendant for 30 days. If it doesn’t pass the test swimmingly, send it back for a full refund of the item price.

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RHODAN: TOTAL GAME CHANGER FOR GROUPER

Tim Barefoot

here was a time—not too long ago— when only a select few would consistently come home with grouper, and not just “bottom fish.” There were several reasons for this. First and foremost, not everyone wanted to learn and spend the energy it took to learn to anchor. Anchoring accurately is an art form not mastered by all, but when mastered, it is the gateway to consistently catching grouper. Rhodan trolling motors, with their GPS Anchor systems, have made it so anyone can have a shot at catching grouper and not just all the other species down on the bottom. It’s one thing to have a trolling motor with “Spot Lock” that will hold position in a small bay boat, but Rhodan made the tool for serious offshore

boats to sit on the same place without using the anchor. Partner this Rhodan with a couple 36 volt lithium deep-cycle batteries, like Dakota, Ionic or Lithium Pros on a battery switch, and you have the tools it takes to score. Rhodan is just one aspect of what it takes to go grouper fishing, and not just “bottom fishing.” The way I set the dinner table for a grouper on every ledge is to have everyone on the boat sending down whole squid on the first five or six drops. I don’t care what they’re catching during this “chumming exercise,” because chumming is exactly what we’re doing. We’re getting one spot on the bottom chummed up with little pieces of squid swirling around. The smell and sound of an ongoing feeding

frenzy draws in the top of the food chain in no time at all. This is the point when we start to grouper fish. Yes, I’ve caught a lot of grouper on the whole squid, also, but this part of the routine is strictly to get the party started. Once it’s going, we drop live baits that none of the grunts, pinkies or sea bass can fit in their mouths. The smaller fish just hang out looking at these bigger baits and hoping for scraps. This is when grouper see four or five live baits on the bottom attached to Squid or Crab Decoy Jigs. To them, it’s a no-brainer. The sight of a grass grunt, pinfish or sailor’s choice struggling against the weight of the jig is more than a grouper can understand. They are hardwired to eat these fish that eat their eggs. The live bait and Decoy Jig combo gets the bite because a struggling bait is a “gimme.” Also, while you’ve got those grouper lines on the bottom, don’t forget to send a light out near the surface. Bait it with a live or frozen bait to catch pelagics like kingfish, dolphin, wahoo or tuna that happen to be swimming past. What does this all have to do with the Rhodan? Well, Rhodan’s powerful and precise GPS anchoring eliminates drift without all the aggravation and hard work of anchoring. Let Rhodan change your game by allowing you to concentrate on the fish while it keeps the boat in place! See more from Capt. Tim Barefoot, of Barefoot Cats and Tackle, at barefootcatsandtackle.com.

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NATIONAL 11

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*LIF 16 BREVARD

JULY 2021 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 JEFF DURNIAK DICKLESBY KIM NUNERY CAPT. DAVID HARE GRAPHIC DESIGN: KATHLEEN CARREIRO

PHOTO COURTESY OF JEFF DURNIAK, UNICOI OUTFITTERS

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TO ADVERTISE IN THE LARGEST FREE FISHING PUBLICATION IN THE U.S. WITH OVER 1 MILLION MONTHLY READERS, CALL JULY 2021 706-614-8231ATLANTA 1

LOCAL RIVERS & FLY FISHING JULY FLY FISHING REPORT Contributed By: Henry Cowen www.henrycowenflyfishing.com Summer is on its way as I sit and write this report. With the hot weather getting ready to settle into North GA, we will officially settle into our summertime pattern. Striped bass are going to go deep and while the spotted bass fishing should continue to allow fly anglers to fish to them throughout the summer months. However, it is the carp fishing which holds my interest more than any other fishery. For carp anglers, July can be a wonderful month. The area around Bull Sluice is generally considered some of the better flats for fly rodders wanting to try their hand at sight fishing. A boat of some sort is required in order to paddle or pole the flats in search of common carp. Carp on the Hooch will average 10-12 pounds, and they are as wary as a permit! You must throw the fly almost on top of them if you want to get one to eat. Be prepared to throw to 20 fish before you get a bite! A 7 or 8 wt. rod with a floating line and a long leader is required to hunt for carp. As for flies, anything

dark and small should be good. Size 8-10 trout nymphs and crayfish patterns are the norm. Keep in mind that minimal river flows will surely effect whether the carp migrate up and onto the flats. Lanier may fish well for spotted bass. Fish to 4-pounds should be caught daily on fly rod poppers or either intermediate or fast sinking lines and small Game Changers,

Wiggle Minnows and Clousers. The first half of the month will offer a better opportunity to get your last licks in on a magnum spot or maybe with a little luck a striper on topwater. After that, the topwater action will certainly continue, but it will be with the smaller fish only. Now for a Hail Mary pass. Will Lake Allatoona have their recently departed topwater bite of hybrids going in full force sometime in July? It hasn’t happened over the past 5 years like it used to, BUT that doesn’t mean it won’t fire up again. The key is to get out at either first light or last light and just drive until you see schools of fish feeding on the surface. This can happen anywhere on the lake, but your best bet is to look between Kellogg Creek and the Bethany Bridge for most of the action. Anglers should come equipped with a 6 or 7 wt. rod. I prefer two rods in the boat: one with an intermediate slow sinking line and the other with a floating line. On the floater, I would attach a Wiggle Minnow as my fly of choice. On the intermediate, I would attach either an Albie Anchovy or some super small 2” long fly. Hybrids on Allatoona will average 2-5 pounds and they fight pound for pound harder than any other game fish here in North GA. Anglers who do not fly fish can get the same flies and attach them either behind a popping cork

LAKE MARTIN Provided By: David Hare Alex City Guide Service 256-401-3089 Water temperature: 81 degrees, lake level: full pool, clarity: clear. June produced some nice catches for us as you see in the collage of pictures below. Moving into July, we should still be catching stripers two different ways. One, which is my favorite, is live baiting on huge schools and the other is trolling with our downriggers (Scotty Electric Pro Paks) with a wide variety of artificial lures. I like to troll the deeper parts of the lake in search of that trophy bite. If you choose to try your luck trolling, concentrate where you know summertime stripers hang out and troll about 3 mph. 2 ATLANTA

JULY 2021

Don’t be afraid to keep swapping out lures until you find one that you have confidence in and hopefully had success with in the past. I troll several different lures at the same time, and if I catch 2 or more on one particular lure, then I switch all rods to that lure for the remainder of that day. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t catch anything the first time you troll, because if you go enough, you will have a day where you can’t do anything wrong and fill the box. Once you do that, you will never doubt the trolling method again. If you’d like to learn how to troll or get help setting up your own boat for striper fishing or just want to go and let us put you on a fish of a lifetime, please get in touch with us and let us treat you to a day on beautiful Lake Martin. WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/THEANGLERMAGAZINEATLANTA/

or casting bubble for success. The fish will always surface feed a little more aggressively around the full and new moon periods. Other opportunities for folks wanting to stay cool during July can fish on the river. Look no further than the Hooch for both striped bass action. Stripers can be found from Morgan Falls Dam down through the Peachtree Creek section (below Paces Mill) and everywhere in-between. A slow sinking intermediate line will be your best bet to locate stripers summering over in the city limits. Anglers should fish both early and late day (low light) as your best options for river stripers. Best flies are those that are weighted and in the 4”-6” length. Bright pink over white is a really good color for the river! Baitfish patterns, Coyotes, Clouser’s and Wiggle Minnows (on a faster sinking line in the deep holes) can be effective. An intermediate slow sinking line can also be effective for river stripers. I especially like a Game Changer fly for fishing the banks. Try to hit the banks with your cast as stripers tend to hide in the structure along the banks or are down in the deeper holes of the river. That’s our July forecast fly fishing report. The start of Atlanta’s long hot summer is upon us, but the fishing should continue to prove worthwhile! See you on the pond (or river).

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LOCAL RIVERS & FLY FISHING FISHING AND FUN By Regina Dyer

CVB Sales/Marketing Manager Lake Lanier is known for its world class fishing and species variety, but also for all of the great things to do when wrapping up a day of fishing. We suggest attending one of the many free events that happen in and around Gainesville. Lake Lanier Olympic Park/ Clarks Bridge is the perfect spot to not only catch some whoppers, but also catch a great concert. Food Truck Fridays happen the 2nd Friday of each month and offer a wide variety of food truck selections, live music and vendors. Enjoy a perfect sunset while enjoying local craft beer and great music too. If you’re looking for that perfect date night opportunity, we suggest the Moonlight Paddle events that Lake Lanier Canoe and Kayak Club organize. This 3 hour guided paddle

Best Western Milton Inn takes you along the area of Clarks Bridge while enjoying the sunset and evening moonlight, of course with kayak lights. This event also launches out of Lake Lanier Olympic Park. Another event to catch at the park in August is the 25th Olympic Celebration which celebrates the legacy and spirit of the 1996 Olympic Games. Lake Lanier Olympic Park is one of the last remaining venues of the 1996 Olympics and stills serves the purpose in which it was built. Come out on August 7th to celebrate the anniversary with an Olympic and international themed event/concert. For more information about events happening at Lake Lanier Olympic Park and in Gainesville, go to www.exploregainesville.org!

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LOCAL RIVERS & FLY FISHING THE GUIDE’S ANGLE SUMMERTIME BROWNS IN THE SOUTH Contributed By: Chris Scalley River Through Atlanta Guide Service Most avid fly anglers head out to the Rocky Mountain states or even Alaska for phenomenal fishing during the mild days of the summer season. I can’t tell you how many of our clients think that it’s too hot in the South to trout fish. We sort of laugh and say “oh yeah the fishing is dismal and who wants to harass those poor fish in this southern heat!” I also think many of our avid angler friends get their fix and use up those already limited “fishing hall passes” from the family on their big annual western trip. All I say is “winter-storedwater” below some of the dams in the South! First they think I’m crazy, but when I describe the size and elevation of Lake Lanier, it begins to sink in. Then when we talk about seasonal and temporal trends within the reservoir strata, it starts to make sense. Water temps in the high 40’s F in July and August below Buford Dam begins to sound nice, and not just for the fish, but

also for the angler! So everyone, please continue to head out west every summer to fly fish. We will gladly sweat it out all summer long on the Chattahoochee.

LAKE BURTON Forecast by: Capt. Wes Carlton Georgia Lake Fishing 770-318-9777 www.georgialakefishing.com Water temperature: 78 degrees, lake level: full pool, clarity: clear. Bass: The spotted bass bite has been off the hook! We have caught fish on every lure imaginable. Most of our bigger fish have come off jerk baits (black/silver). We have caught most of our fish the last couple of days mid-way back in the creeks near rocky points. The early bite seems to be in the secondary pockets mid-lake. The largemouth bite has been good also. We have had good success with morning dawn finesse worms in the grass in the backs of creeks. Look for this bite to continue for the next week or so as the water

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JULY 2021

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temps stabilize. The fish will be a little deeper as we head towards July. Brown Trout: The bite has been good the last few days. We have caught most of our fish mid-lake near the herring schools. We have had our best success with Johnson Silver Minnow spoons and Panther Martin spinners. The smaller bait seems to be the ticket lately. This bite should continue for the next several weeks and get better in the early morning as we head into July. Yellow Perch: We have been catching some big yellow perch the last week or so. The fish will eat about any size crappie jig. The key to catching perch is finding the grass in the back of the creeks and pockets. Look for the perch bite to get better and better. Good luck!

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• • • • • •

LOCAL RIVERS & FLY FISHING

NG CHATTOOGA RIVER

A happy July 4th to everyone out there from all of us at the Chattooga River Fly Shop. Luckily, some afternoon thunderstorms have graced the river corridors, and this has kept the river levels at a reasonable level, although the river temperatures are a little higher than we would like for this time of year. How to know when it is too warm to fish for trout? With water temperatures less than 64 degrees, the trout are just fine and can recover quickly. Practice catch and release with wet hands and limit handling. Minimal time out of the water and rubber nets will aid in the fish having another day to fight again. With water temperatures between 64-67 degrees, fish with caution. Keep the fish wet

at all times, and fish with heavier tippet (3x or 4x) to minimize fight time. Fish in the early mornings or late evenings and avoid the hottest part of the day. For water temperatures above 67 degrees, do not fish for trout! Trout cannot recover in warmer water temperatures. Let’s go fish for warmer water species of fish. If we all practice this, our trout fisheries will have a healthier population when the water temperatures cool off in the fall months. As for the red eye bass and panfish, topwater and streamers are working great! Fishing the back eddies and slower moving water has proven to be the key to successful days. Mid-morning throughout the day has been better fishing than very early mornings or late evenings. This is a great time of year to take the kids fishing! School is out for the summer break, water temperatures are great, and there are

plenty of fish to be caught. We had the pleasure of participating, as a volunteer with the Kid’s Fishing Rodeo at Burrell’s Ford Campground this past month. Introducing kids to the greater outdoors and nature is a wonderful time, and catching a few fish will add to the experience for all. Many thanks to the Walhalla Fish

Hatchery for providing a great amount of fish for the kids! As we are all guests of the forest, let’s remember to “leave no trace”, and pack out what we bring in on our trips to the rivers. Keeping the forests clean will add to the enjoyable experience for all. We hope to see everyone out on the rivers!

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LOCAL RIVERS & FLY FISHING CICADA FLY FISHING

THE CASTING CORNER Contributed By: Rene J. Hesse

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What is the buzz about the bugs? It’s time for fly fishers to cast some big bugs under trees with a plop. Yep, not that gentle presentation that we often practice, but we want a plop. Now that doesn’t mean the line plops, but the fly plops. With that being said, what would change in our cast to get the fly to land first with a downward thrust rather than the line and fly landing at about the same time? What variables (power, stroke, timing, tragectory) would we change from a normal cast to deliver the fly first? Let’s talk about the fly to begin with. It is a large floating fly, generally a black body, red wing and red eye that has a large profile about the size of a large bass popping bug, so it has some mass to it and a bit of wind resistance. Next, let’s talk about the leader that is going to carry the fly to the target. It needs to have a large mass profile to carry the energy from the fly line to

the fly. Using a 1X or 0X is a good choice in a 7-8 foot length. Thrown on a 7 or 8 wt. rod and you are in good shape with a weight forward (WF) floating fly line. Back to the cast. If you make a normal overhead cast with a few adjustments, you can get the fly to hit first. That plop imitates the cicada falling from the trees. To do that, increase the line speed to overcome the wind resistance of the fly and transfer more energy. Aim about 4 feet over the target. Stop the rod with a solid stop to get the line to kick over using the momentum of the fly and the resistance of the rod leg of the loop in the line to turn it over or ‘kick’ over. Then hang on. It could be a bass, carp, sunfish or catfish. Hint; when you get ready to make your next cast, it will be easier to do if you use a spiral lift. Wondering what that is? Check out next month’s Casting Corner in The Angler Magazine.

It’s time for fly fishers to cast some big bugs under trees with a plop.

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LOCAL RIVERS & FLY FISHING OCONEE ON THE FLY-JULY FORECAST TIPS FOR SUMMER FISHING ON LAKE OCONEE – JULY FORECAST

Contributed By Capt. Wayne Moore USCG www.oconeeonthefly.com The hot weather is coming in quickly, but there are a few things you can do to beat the heat and still catch fish. First, we must remember we share the lake with recreational boaters, many of whom do not know the “rules of the road” and do not have the experience on the water that a year-round angler does. So here are a few suggestions: • Start your trip at 6:30 AM and plan on being off the water by 9:30. • Use extra caution coming around bends in the lake and expect the unexpected. • Do not go out at all around the 4th of July. • Hydrate well the night before your trip and bring plenty of cold water. • If you are planning on keeping fish, bring a cooler and put them on ice immediately. • Stripers and hybrids that are re-

leased may not survive. Catch a few for the grill and switch to another species. • Crappie will bite extremely well IF you can locate a brush pile or submerged treetop in deeper water and stay right on top of that brush pile. I strongly recommend hiring a guide for this. • Little changes in your presentation make a big difference. I’ll list them below by species you are fishing for. July Forecast Hybrids/Stripers – As of this writing, the famous “pump back” bite has not fired off. This is when Georgia Power leaves the pumps on at the dam for the first hour or so of daylight and the baitfish get pushed to the surface. By July, this will be pretty much done. Here are my suggestions for when they are not pumping: • Tackle – Use a striper rod with a

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tip that will bend easily. I like pairing this with an Okuma Coldwater reel with a linecounter. Spool up with 12-pound mono and tie on a 2-ounce swivel sinker. Then tie on a 5 to 6 foot leader of Seaguar 10-pound fluorocarbon. Use a Gamakatsu Octopus circle hook in size 2 or 4. • Bait - Here’s the hard part: use live shad. You will need a bait tank with circulation, filtration and oxygen. You will also need a treatment like “Shad Magic”. Blake Jones can hook you up with this at shadmagic@yahoo.com. • Downline live shad on the hump. Drop the bait to the bottom and reel up 3 or 4 turns. Do not pick up the rod. When a bite happens, wait for the rod tip to touch the water and turn the reel handle a couple of turns then gently lift the rod and

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

Captain Wayne Moore - Oconee On The Fly, Inc 404-317-9556 www.oconeeonthefly.com / wmoore1700@outlook.com 8 ATLANTA

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fight the fish. • Fish humps from the dam north to the Ritz. July Forecast Crappie – Submerged brush piles are the ticket. Use a single rod. I like an 11 or 12 foot spinning rod with 10-pound braid, a half ounce swivel sinker, a 6-pound fluorocarbon leader and a #2 crappie hook. Small minnows work as well or better than large minnows. Long line trolling will work well in the mornings. Use Jiffy Jigs in a 1/16th or double 1/32-ounce size. Troll over submerged timber at .9 mph. Final Words - I am now taking trips during the week and on weekends. Email me at wmoore1700@ outlook.com or call 404-317-9556 and lock in your dates as far in advanced as you can. Tight lines and God bless.

LOCAL RIVERS & FLY FISHING

NG SUMMER TROUTING

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Summer in the Southern Appalachians is a land of nice, quiet, comfortable mornings followed by booming thunder and dodging flashing lightning bolts in the afternoons. These almost daily occurring deluges provide just enough fresh cooling rainfall in the hills to help our trout populations to survive the heat. In the mountains of North Georgia and Western North Carolina, tailwater fishing below our dams and high elevation small stream fishing will be the best and safest methods of catching trout. Always check the water temperature before fishing in the summer to prevent harming any fish. Water temperatures over 67 degrees is a no-go. Terrestrial patterns usually rule the day in July and August with beetles, crickets, inch worms and ants being the most productive for us. All four ride low in the water, so adding a small piece of yarn or red foam will

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LOCAL RIVERS & FLY FISHING THREE LAKES IN ONE DAY By Tim Dangar ltdangar@tds.net There is something I have learned about fishing lakes for trout. If the bite is not happening, change lakes. That is what my twin grandsons Chase, Tyler and myself did on this particular trip, and it payed off. With both boys playing two high school sports and summer travel baseball, it gets extremely hard to carve out a day to go fishing, so when it happens, I try to take full advantage. We started out the trip on the most northern lake and worked our way south. We caught five fish on the first lake with Chase boating four out of five. Needless to say, Tyler and I were not doing something right! We decided to change lakes and maybe change our luck. The second lake just a few miles over the mountain proved to be a skunk for us all. I did catch one yellow perch, which the boys immediately said did not count.

We all three tried different lures until we found one that was working and then everyone went to that lure. We managed to finish up our three limits right at dark and left fish still biting. It was a fun day and made that 8 mile dirt road drive well worth it. One trick that works well as wa-

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We moved on to the last lake of the trip which required driving 8 miles on a dirt road. We got there with about two hours of daylight left and very calm conditions which proved to be on our side.

ter temps warm up is trolling something down deep. We were using a 5 speed 50 pound thrust electric motor set on speed 2 with 30 yards of line out which seemed to get the lures down where the fish were. Hope everyone is getting out and enjoying the great outdoors. As always, stay calm and fish on!

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LOCAL RIVERS & FLY FISHING

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THE CURE FOR SSA

Contributed By: Jeff Durniak www.unicoioutfitters.com Unicoi Outfitters, Orvis 2018 Fly Shop of the Year

What’s your favorite fly fishing trinket? Mine might be my scissor/ forceps tool, which works almost as hard as my fly rod. Most anglers enjoy its traditional uses like unhooking fish and crimping split shot on their leader, but the multi-tool has extra utility and exceptional healing powers, too! First, check out the scissors. When my dry fly is riding too high to match drifting naturals (emergers and spinners), I give it a haircut or a shave. I can cut the Mayfly’s thorax hackles shorter to lower its profile. I can also “shave” the abdomen hackles on an Elk Hair Caddis to ride it in the film, like a spent bug, or just under the surface, like an emerging pupa. If Stoneflies are sailboating and I’m short on that pattern, I’ll craft one from a Caddis. By pushing down the elk hair to splay it and then trimming each side, I’ll create a long, narrow stonefly wing. I can also cut my tippet

when I can’t find my nippers or it’s too dark for my aging eyes to find their narrow bite. Second is the hook-eye cleaner, that small needle in the handle. Indeed, it punches through head lacquer well so you can thread your tippet through the tiny hook eye. But it also has medicinal value, as it cures a common ill among the majority of fly anglers: SSA. You know, Split Shot Aversion! SSA affects an abundance of fly flingers, forcing them up and into shallow, fishless drifts and eventual long faces. Do not fear, the cure is here, as the tool is a great split shot REMOVER and keeps me fishing longer and better each trip! I can easily add and subtract shot from my line to work each pool more effectively. I grab the leader and turn the shot slit-up, then insert the needle point carefully into the closed slit. Once the slit opens slightly, the forceps or my fingernails can finish the pry

job. I feel the freed tippet for nicks and, if none, I’m ready to fish slower or shallow water. In the winter, I often change from 2 to 5 size BB shot while indicator-drifting the Chattooga depths. During spring, I may change or remove tiny size 6 and 8 tin shot so the nymph dropper below my Stimulator drifts at fish-eye level, whether that’s at the surface or three feet below. During summer river bassin’, I’ll add and subtract a big #7 shot from a foot above my

#4 black Woolly Bugger to swim it at the right depth. Unhooking a 1/0 Clouser from a striper is also easier with this device’s thicker handle and stronger jaws, when compared to flimsy trout tools. Drape a scissor/forceps on your slingpack to stay in the water and into more fish this season. Stop in either of our two stores if we can help your “accessory adventure” and guide you toward more fish tails and tales. Good luck!

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LOCAL LAKES AND FORECAST LAKE JACKSON

LANIER STRIPERS Forecast by: Clay Cunningham www.catchingnotfishing.com 770-630-2673 Lake Lanier is down about a foot and the water temperature is just above 80 degrees. June has seen a mixture of spotted bass and striped bass. As the month has progressed, the stripers have separated from the spotted bass. The stripers have moved deep and the schools are getting larger and larger each week. Typically, July is one of the best months for numbers of stripers. This year looks to be the same. The schools will be on the south end of the lake mostly in the creeks and large bays. Keep the boat in at least 40 feet of water. With the schools of stripers being deep, good electronics and great bait are the essential ingredients to success. With the new graphs like the Humminbird Solix units, you can see your baitfish get devoured by stripers as they feed deep. You

should be able to see your bait swim on the hook. After picking up blueback herring at the local bait stores Hammonds, Sherry’s, and Oakwood Bait, you just need a few key items. The key setup is a Shakespeare Striper rod, a Penn Fathom II Linecounter reel, Captain Mack swivel sinkers, Berkley 100% fluorocarbon leader material, and Gamakatsu red octopus hooks. You should be able to see your sinker drop into the schools of stripers. If you want to try artificials, spool up another Penn Fathom Linecounter with 15-pound Trilene Big Game line and tie on a Ben Parker spoon or a 2-ounce Capt. Mack bucktail. Use the Linecounter to drop to the correct depth and reel the spoon or bucktail up past the stripers. Many times they will try to rip the rod out of your hands. Give it a try and you will be hooked as well. The last two years the spoon bite has been slow, but every year is different. We are due for a good spoon bite. See you on the water!

By Brian Lee leebrian16 @yahoo.com Water temperature: high 70’slow 80’s, lake level: full, clarity: stained. Bass fishing is good considering the hottest part of the year. Early morning topwater is producing some good quality fish. Run and gun the most productive water that you can throwing a Spook, Pop-R and a Rico. As the sun gets up, run all the shade that you can with a topwater as these areas will still hold bass. Once the sun is up and the shade has decreased, concentrate on long tapering points with a C-rig and shaky head. Watermelon and green pumpkin colors are best depending on the water clarity. Slow down during the hottest part of the day as bass will tend to not want chase a bait too far. Docks in or near deeper

water will hold fish as will docks next to the channel swings. Deeper structure and humps will be a good place to pick up a few bass, but this is where you’ll need good electronics. A drop-shot will catch a few if you prefer this rig over others. The evening bite isn’t as good as it has been in the past, but it’s producing fish. Just remember to concentrate on high percentage areas with the same baits as the morning and mid-day bites. The dog days of summer are in full swing and the fish can be affected by the different pressures from being brought up to the surface quickly. Please remember that fish care is important and fizzing a fish that has air in its swim bladder may be needed, so please educate yourself on how to do this properly. If you are fishing a tournament, ice and any type rejuvenating supplements will be helpful to the fish while being in the live wells. Until next month, be safe and remember to always use the proper PFD’s for each person aboard.

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LOCAL LAKES AND FORECAST

T WHERE DID ALL THE FISH GO? By Capt. Cefus McRae Nuts & Bolts Fishing Series Hartwell, GA Summertime is here! It’s hot for us humans, and it’s hot for the fish too. For us two-legged critters, we can seek the comfort and cooling of indoor air-conditioning. For fish, that’s not exactly practical, so they have to look for cooler water temperatures that deep water can provide. First, let’s get down to the basics from a fish’s perspective. For the most part, fish have four priorities, and they all center around survival. 1. Oxygen – Fish have to breathe, even though it’s through their gills. Cool water can hold a higher concentration of dissolved oxygen than hot water so fish will naturally go to depths that are cooler than the warmer surface temperatures. 2. Food – Just like us, fish have to eat to survive. Their natural food sources are going to usually

hang out where the water temps are comfortable to them. An active striped bass will eat almost half its body weight in food every day. 3. Safety – In the world beneath the waves, it’s eat or be eaten. Topof-the-food-chain predators like striped bass will consume just about anything that represents a tasty meal, including smaller stripers. Baitfish spend the majority of their lives hanging around cover, or schooling up because there’s safety in numbers. 4. Make babies – Although the preceding three items have the highest priority, there are times when all that goes out the window in order to propagate the species. Just before the spawn and just after the spawn are the times when most game fish get really hungry because they know it could be a few weeks before their minds return to eating again.

In the hot summertime, you should shift your fishing gameplan to locating the top two items: oxygen and food. That can mean fishing deep, or it can mean fishing early or late. A cool night can cool down the surface water temperature and encourage the baitfish to move to shallower humps and creeks. Nighttime fishing around dock lights that attract baitfish is also a good bet. By the time the sun touches the treetops, most big fish are headed to deeper water where they can get plenty of oxygen. Fish are cold-blooded critters, so as the water heats up, they will become a little more sluggish and not as eager to chase a fastretrieved bait, so slow down your presentations a bit. Try using live bait or cut natural bait, and fish it on a downline or very slow retrieve. A big striper or bass that’s trying its best just to survive is less likely to expend a lot of energy to dart after a fast-trolled spoon. In our deeper reservoirs, like Lanier, Hartwell and others, if you adjust your sonar sensitivity up higher, you should be able to see the thermocline. It will look like a thin line that’s kind of ‘fuzzy’, somewhere between 25 and 40

feet down. This is a layer of water that sets up in the summer months separating the warm water above from the cold water below. Above the thermocline, the water is warm and doesn’t hold as much dissolved oxygen. Below the thermocline, the water is much colder and there’s virtually no oxygen. The thermocline becomes the ‘sweet spot’ where most fish will find comfortable temperatures and more oxygen, and that’s the thought to keep in your mind regarding depths to fish. The moral of this story: the fish haven’t left the pond. They’ve just relocated to places where they can survive. Keep this in mind on your next fishing trip, and you’ll probably put a few more fish in the boat.

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LOCAL LAKES AND FORECAST JULY ON LAKE LANIER – WHAT TO EXPECT Contributed By: Jim “Jimbo” Mathley www.jimboonlanier.com

Depending on the water temperatures, there are several techniques you can utilize to stay on top of the fish, sometimes literally, and remain successful on Lanier during the hot summer months. Let’s review the locations, techniques and lures you can utilize to ensure you keep catching fish in July. Location: By July, the majority of the spotted bass are normally in their traditional summer patterns. While some fish will be relating to key features at the mouths of the major creeks, you will begin to find more and bigger spots active on the main lake. The fish tend to relate to either schools of bait or to some of the hundreds of man-made brush piles that can be found around the entire lake. Look for brush and other fish-attracting features around the steeper side of long-running points, rocky shoals, steep rocky ledges as well as underwater humps throughout the lake. Locating these areas and the

man-made cover that is often found on them will be important to your success. Contact me directly through my website, jimboonlanier.com, to discuss the purchase of key waypoints for fishing Lanier in the summer months. Lures and Presentation: Now that we have explored the location that the spots can often be found in July, let’s examine some of the techniques and lures that can be used to catch these fish. 1. Topwater/Swimbaits – These lures remain a viable approach until the surface temperatures hit the mid 80’s. At this point, the majority of the bait goes deeper as do the fish. Gunfish and Chug Bug are two of my favorite topwater lures. When the fish are stubborn, try a weighted Fluke as a great second option on missed fish. Swimbaits such as a Sebile and the offerings of the Sweet Bait Company are two of the best choices for the hard swimbaits.

2. GA Blade Underspin – When the topwater/swimbait bite is tough, pick up your SuperSpin. Tip the SuperSpin with a Super Fluke Jr. trailer and fish the bait over and around brush for your best success. Vary your retrieve speed and depth until you hit on the right combination for that day. 3. Worm and Jig - When you see fish in brush on your Lowrance, try the worm and jig. I like the Georgia Blade Shaky head. Explore different worm sizes, shapes, and colors when you are fishing. Something different presented appropriately can make a big difference on certain days. Georgia Jigs in 3/8 oz. are my favorite jigs on Lanier. A PBJ

color pattern is often a good bet. 4. Drop-Shot – This is a great tool when the fishing gets tough. I opt for this offering when fish are suspended in or around brush or suspended on points or humps. This presentation can be made vertically or it can be cast toward the feature. I prefer the Lanier Baits options. Check them out at LanierBaits.com. I still have some dates available in July, so call me or drop me a line to have some fun! See you on the water! For more information or to book your trip, contact Jimbo on Lanier! 770-542-7764. Jimbo’s website: www. jimboonlanier.com.

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LOCAL LAKES AND FORECAST LAKE SEMINOLE Forecast By: by Capt. Paul Tyre paultyrefishing@yahoo.com The bass fishing on Lake Seminole has been GREAT through June, but July is a great month to bass fish on Lake Seminole. The topwater action through June has been incredible! The great topwater action will continue through July, especially early and on cloudy days. As the grass gets thicker in July, the hollow belly frog becomes my go-to topwater bait. I prefer the Spro Bronzeye Popping Frog. It has a double heavyweight Gamakatsu hook that is extremely sharp and heavy enough to get the big bass out of the grass! I like to fish the frog over the grass and through holes in the grass. Rod, line and reel choices are very important with this technique! A high-speed reel is a must, at least 8:3.1, and a heavy braided line. I prefer is 65-pound Cortland Master Braid on a 7’3” XH Temple Fork Outfitters Tactical Bass Rod. This rod has a fast tip and has the backbone to get the biggest bass out of the grass! The flipping bite starts heat-

ing up in July as the grass is getting thicker. Rod choice is critical when flipping big bass out of the grass. My go-to rod is a TFO Tactical 8’ extra heavy, moderate action rod that has the backbone to get the biggest bass out of the thick hydrilla. Line is critical, and braided line is a must. I prefer 65-pound Cortland Silent Flip braid. It is a 16 strand that is very quiet going through the vegetation which will get you more bites! For a Lake Seminole Fishing Adventure this July, give us a call at 850264-7534 or follow us on Instagram @lakeseminolefishingadventures and Facebook @ lakeseminolefishingadventures!

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

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Water temperature: 82 degrees, lake level: full, clarity: 3 feet. The striper bite was tough last month with a few fish here and there but no wide open bite for the most part. The good news is we are seeing bigger summer schools of fish already and that means action. The best bite is still early morning till about 9 AM. Live baits caught fresh are going to be the best option. After the early morning bite slows, we are pulling Capt. Mack’s U-rigs in the creek mouths and over shallow timber edges for hybrids. The walleye bite has increased daily since the full moon. They are up shallow early in the morning and

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move offshore just after first light to 45 to 55 feet of water. Spoons, live minnows, shad, or small alewives will all work at times. These fish are picky as can be day to day. The area around the shoal markers on the lower end of the lake has been holding fish. The early morning bite over the Hydro Glow lights has been getting better as the water warms up. As usual, there’s tons of baitfish around.

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Forecast By: Joseph Martinelli 404-919-4918 Summertime fishing on Lake Allatoona can be some of the very best fishing found in the region. The fishing has been stellar through June and expected to possibly only get better into July. Seasonal boating activities can be expected to make some of the favorite points and funnels a tad difficult to fish in on the weekends, but these are easily fished during the early morning and evening hours. We also find many a good weekday bite in the heat of the day fishing the bottom edges off main and secondary channels where the stripers stack up and can be easily enticed with a shad, bream or even a swimbait presentation worked just off the bottom. As the temperatures continue to rise, we see a favorite phenomenon - the topwater boiling of hungry stripers, hybrids, white bass and spots chasing shad schools to the top for a feast. During the morning and evening hours, this topwater activity can take place most anywhere, including being found in the flats near Galts Ferry to over 80-100’ of water around Stamp Creek, the dam and other deeper water areas. Running downlines and freelines with frisky threadfin shad on a size 1 or 2 octopus hook is a staple technique. There are times that the fish may respond better to larger bait, and it is not unheard of for us to go through several dozen small to medium gizzards in a few hours of catching. Adjust your hook sizes accordingly. In conjunction with this, setting out one or several freelines with a small split shot may prove very effective. The artificial bite is heating up and casting smaller umbrella rigs, Flexi spoons, Redfins, assorted topwater lures and even a float and fly can produce the same to better results as live bait on many days. We have been implementing braided line into the lineup for the bait chasing topwater events. Remember to have a full spool of line as you will want not only maximum casting distance, but also maximum line capacity for what might be a once in

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a lifetime fish that will try to spool you. Lake Allatoona offers great fishing for spotted bass and crappie year ‘round also. For the spots, you will find that they like to chase the bream and shad as their primary food source. The areas where they hold can be worked with an Alabama rig, spinnerbait and green pumpkin lizard or finesse worm with good results. We have had great success in June already with smaller stick baits such as the Berkley Hit Sticks and Mega Bass 110’s. The crappie are always eating, too! Think deeper water access points where brush has been submerged. Jetties are a favorite as are many of the marinas. These summer months are prime time to target the channel, flathead and blue cats here on Allatoona. We are once again beginning our Catfish Adventures in full force starting this month, and with the help of our seasoned catfish pro-staff, we will be offering nighttime Adventures for these river/reservoir monsters. We have recently added 2 additional boats with experienced striper fisherman and guides to the fleet so that we may better accommodate the increased demand for excellent adventures on Lake Allatoona. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us directly at 404-919-4918 to set up your own personal adventure for stripers and hybrids, spotted bass or catfish this summer. Tight lines and God bless you all!

LOCAL LAKES AND FORECAST INCLUDING FISHING IN YOUR FAMILY VACATION PLANS Dr. Andrew Cox From all reports, it appears that Americans are traveling in record numbers this summer. Gasoline, hotel/motel rates, restaurant and meal expenses are all up from last year. There seems to be shortages of camping spaces and in some locales, hotel/ motel rooms that are available for travelers. Careful planning may be in store for those of you planning trips across the United States. You are likely to experience increased costs as well as some difficulties in obtaining lodging. I am planning a trip to the Missouri River in the Helena, Montana area during July. Part of my trip to this region will include travel to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, the Little Bighorn Battlefield, Mount Rushmore as well as some other Western attractions. Even with advance planning, lodging appears to be at a premium and difficult to re-

serve in these areas. If you and/or your family are traveling this summer, you could include some family fishing time at the locales to which you are traveling. Plan ahead and take some fishing equipment with you that may be appropriate for the type of waters and fish species that you may encounter over the course of your travels. Better to have some equipment on hand rather than having to purchase complete fishing outfits as an afterthought. Do some internet exploration regarding fishing opportunities available at your travel locations. Looking at state natural resources/wildlife resources departments for those states to which you are traveling will provide information regarding fishing opportunities, tips on fishing techniques and equipment and other necessary information. Travel information/visitor centers located in cit-

ies/towns/states in which you will be spending time are other sources of angling information. Advance preparation for angling trips can make the trip enjoyable or a source of irritation. A friend of mine who is a backpacking enthusiast shared a useful tip. He made extended backpacking trips on the Appalachian Trail and other wilderness areas where convenience stores and other commercial outlets are not readily available to essential items. He prepared packing lists stored on his computer and later his cell telephone with required items to take on a hiking trip. These lists aided in packing essential clothing, camping, and food items that may be needed over the course of the trip. I adapted these lists for fishing, storing them on my computer and telephone for preparing for a particular fishing trip. I have several lists to accommodate both freshwater and saltwater day, overnight, or extended fishing trips. I also include lists where food preparation will be an aspect to insure the inclusion of cooking utensils and items. With these packing lists I can now pack in short period of

time and minimize forgotten items. As they are stored on my computer and cell telephone, I can continually update the packing list to reflect changing fishing preferences and destinations. I have also developed some specialty tackle boxes prepared with fishing items that may be needed during my trip. Use of these packing lists and specialty tackle boxes have customized and streamlined my fishing preparations. I usually have everything I need on the water rather than making a side trip, wasting time and money to locate forgotten items. With these lists I can optimize my time on the water and make the difference between a good or bad fishing excursion. Author’s Note: Dr. Andrew Cox is a contributing writer to outdoor publications and newspapers. He is a member of the Georgia Outdoor Writer’s Association. He has been fishing the waters of Georgia, Alabama and north Florida for over forty years. Dr. Cox financially supports his fishing habits as Professor Emeritus at Troy University, Phenix City, Alabama. He may be contacted at andrewtrout@aol.com.

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LOCAL LAKES AND FORECAST CLOUD FISHING Contributed By: Noey Vinyard

FESTUS

It’s the things that he can ‘almost’ still do that matter. He can almost make a squirrel make a mad dash for a tree. He can still almost catch a chipmunk before it finds one of its many hideaways. He can still almost convince the rabbits that he has a bead on one and is about to chase it down. And he can almost sit on his side of my recliner and let Pinball the cat have the other half peacefully, almost. The most important things however, are the things he can still do. He can of course still take up the biggest part of the king-size bed, while giving Pinball a loaf of bread size area to curl up and sleep on in the days they actually managed to do it together. He can still spot the deer and turkey at a distance and let them know with that signature bark that no matter what they are up to, and no matter what their intentions are, they will not bring them around his master.

EST.

He is carrying a good 20 pounds around his middle which of course is 100% my fault, and maybe in a show of solidarity, I carry them also around my own middle. His shoulder bothers him more often than not, and he limps quite a bit, but it does not stop him from wanting to accompany me on every walk I take. His name is Festus and he has been my best good friend for over a decade now, and it saddens me to think that perhaps this will be the last time that we enjoy Mother Nature’s beautiful fall color display together. He is mostly terrier with a good dose of I have no idea mixed in with it. I like the way he stands next to me and leans against my leg. I find it comforting, and if such loyal brave companions such as himself could admit it, I think he finds it comforting too. Festus was not put on this earth to be a lap dog. In fact, he gets

1976

downright uncomfortable when you try to put him in your lap and pet him. But the one thing he has that is second to no other, is to embrace that role of protector of man. He can still walk to the end of the driveway, squaring his shoulders to the world, lift his nose up into the breeze and point his radar like ears in all directions at once, ready in a second to issue that challenge bark to tell me something is there. And when Festus keys in and decides he will not be moved, seven polar bears and a lion together cannot make him back down. That comforting bark tells me there is something there, something I cannot see, and I have never seen him be wrong. I can think of nothing more comforting than at night to be sitting in my recliner with Festus in the recliner next to me, but I cannot help but wonder how much longer I will have that. If you are a dog per-

son, you know as well as I do that more than likely we are going to outlive our four-legged friends. While our lives will be the richer for it, our emotions will suffer greatly. I intend to take advantage of every second of it and I intend to love him for every moment he has left on this earth. He was a rare breed of dog, and he knew his role here among humans. He did not seek petting and coddling. He would rather be looking for a threat somewhere, and in that department, the old boy had no equal

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Wit sunny water bass fis rising, makin ing day to this Smallm select summe them. roadm then w The a “sma gressiv Smallie all bas least on the Mi nessee not w Georgi tablish in Fann

LOCAL LAKES AND FORECAST

ST ROADMAP TO A SMALLMOUTH

Contributed By: William Reed Nucanoe National Pro Staff Writer will@nucanoe.com IG: @wde_will

With the warmer weather and sunny days, everyone is hitting the water in search of great fish. For bass fishermen, the water temps are rising, and the bass are going deep, making for a slower, more challenging day on the water. The exception to this rule is the smallmouth bass. Smallmouths are only found on select waterways in Georgia, and summer is the perfect time to target them. This article will serve as your roadmap on how to find them and then what lures and tactics to use. The smallmouth bass, often called a “smallie”, is the muscular, hyper aggressive cousin of the largemouth. Smallies are a sought-after game fish all bass fishermen should pursue at least once in their lifetime. Native to the Mississippi River basin and Tennessee watershed, the smallmouth is not widely distributed throughout Georgia. For lake fishing, the only established fishery is Lake Blue Ridge in Fannin County. Although fishable

on the lake, the far more successful approach is targeting smallies in moving water on the Toccoa River (above and below Lake Blue Ridge), the Augusta Shoals section of the Savannah River in Columbia County, and the Chattahoochee River northwest of Atlanta. For targeting tactics, do not let the name mislead you! Pound for pound, a smallmouth will beat a largemouth any day, hitting huge lures with blazing speed and force. Once hooked, they will peel your drag with ease. I cannot give much insight for lake fishing, but on the river, target the smallies directly in the shoals or a deep pool directly below. Being an opportunistic feeder, they sit on the edges waiting for baitfish or other forage to get swept by so they can dart out into the current after their prey. Do not shy away from using huge jigs, spinnerbaits and jerk baits. Sometimes, I will throw lures up to an ounce, trying to keep the

lure down in the current dragging the bottom. For color selection, natural colors like shad, brown and silver work best for me, but in stained water, gold or chartreuse would probably produce. Lastly is how to cover the waterways. Bank and wade fishing can be done on all waterways, but a boat or kayak will greatly increase your odds of landing the coveted game fish. On the Toccoa River, it’s way too shallow to hit by boat, so a kayak or drift boat is required. There are several public put-ins and takeouts on the upper and lower section. As you are drifting, make sure to schedule a shuttle or have a friend help pick you up. The Chattahoochee and Savannah Rivers can be fished by either boat or kayak. For boats, a jet motor is preferred, as the water can get very shallow and rocky. On the Chattahoochee, you can launch at Azalea boat ramp. For kayaking, launch at Morgan Falls, the Chatta-

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hoochee River National Recreation Center or Cochran Shoals. On the Savannah River, wade and kayak fishing is easy along the Savannah Rapids. To launch a boat or kayak, the Augusta Marina off 5th Street is located right below the shoals. Once you launch, head straight upstream. Overall, smallmouth bass fishing can be a rewarding experience for all fishermen. It will make your day well worthwhile if you make sure you are prepared and scout out the best location.

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LOCAL LAKES AND FORECAST THE TRICK WORM TECHNIQUE By Ken Sturdivant www.southernfishing.com 770-889-2654

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Innovations often come about by accident. It happened 65 years ago when Nick Creme, an Akron, Ohio machinist invented a game changing fishing lure. Creme decided he was tired of digging for earthworms to use as fish bait. This is where it all began. The Crème Bait Company invented the rubber worm, and they still make them today, but now they are made with soft plastics. Back then, Crème had the only “rubber worm”, and since the company was and is still based in Texas, so came the name the Texas rig. Their original Sportsman’s Super Floater worm started the revolution, and anglers started using the floating worm technique to catch lots of bass. Now comes the fun part. After years of catching a lot of bass on the floating worm, anglers began using small sinkers to make the worm sink. Now the market is loaded with all sorts of plastics both floating and sinking. Anglers began using a variety of hooks in these worms, and now the standard is an offset worm hook. With a 7 inch worm and a size 2/0 offset worm hook, the secret is out. Today’s worm hooks are super sharp, so there is no need to take a file and sharpen them. Using light 8 to 10-pound test line, tie a Palomar knot on the 2/0 offset worm hook. Thread the worm on the hook by sticking it ¼” into the top of the worm and pull the hook out. Twist the worm and pull at the same time and make sure the worm hook comes out and the

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worm hangs straight on the top of the hook. Now “tick” the hook into the side of the worm and stick the tip of the hook into the worm. Do not bury the hook into the worm. Be sure the worm and hook are all straight. Do not use any weight. The hook and the worm will fall slowly making it an east target for bass. The trick worm can be fished three basic ways: Floating, subsurface and them let it sink to the bottom. Start out by working this worm on the surface and keep the line tight and the rod tip down. DO NOT PULL THE WORM. If you pull the worm, it will corkscrew in the water and twist the line. Make the worm stay right up on the surface and even make it jump over the surface. The subsurface technique is just a little slower than having the bait on the surface. Let the bait sink 3 to 7 feet deep and slowly twitch the rod with the tip down. The last technique is called “dead stick”. Just let the bait sink to the bottom and work it very slowly. With no weight, the bait is very hang free in grass, wood and all sorts of underwater structure. As for colors, start out with a bright color so you can see how the bait swims. The right hook in the worm will allow it to swim evenly, and you can see the hook as like a keel on the lure. In stained to muddy waters, use black or June bug so the bait creates a shadow. A bright worm in off colored water is hard for the fish to see. The trick worm technique can work year round in all conditions: hot, cold, fast, slow, clear or dirty. Just fish with it.

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LOCAL LAKES AND FORECAST PEACOCK BASS CHECKED OFF THE LIST! By Gary Turner

Last month Dewayne Proffit, Stacy Fleming and myself made plans to go to West Palm Beach to do a little deep sea and canal fishing if we had time. For those of you that have read my articles about my trips to West Palm Beach, you know we will probably do some canal fishing. Jimmy Dean tells me every time I come down I bring the wind and rough seas, and this time was no exception. After two weeks of great weather and fishing, we showed up and the weather turned. The seas were too rough for Jimmy’s boat, so we caught up with another friend of mine, Joey Fago, and took his boat. Jimmy’s first words were “It’s going be rough”, and it was! In spite of that, we managed to land several kings and cobia as we worked our way back south. Then Stacy set the hook on what seemed like a good cobia. He was making progress when all of a sudden, the rod was nearly pulled out of his hands. We knew he had been sharked! The rod and reel were not what you really want to catch a shark on, but we decided we would try. After five guys each took a turn reeling in and then losing all they gained, we started each taking another turn. This shark did not want

to come in. After two hours, we saw the first large gray area off the side of the boat. When it saw the boat, it dove again. Another 30 minutes of reeling finally brought it boat side. We pulled a tape at 9’ 4” and Joey cut the leader. That was FUN! Yes, something that we could eat might have been better, but that was fun bringing up the beast on a king setup. We headed back to Burt Reynolds at a little after 10:00. My stomach growled, and I realized Charlies Reef Grill was closing. With all the action I had somehow forgot about eating. Those of you that know me know that’s nearly never! Jimmy called the next morning to say the wind and waves were up. We were going to see how it went and make a decision. Dewayne and I grabbed a little breakfast and headed for R&L Baits on Military to get some shiners. We figured we would hit this place I knew for peacock bass. Todd at Juno Bait and Custom Rods told me about this spot a few months back, and I had been there several times catching Mayan cichlids, alligator gar, Florida gar, big bream, largemouth and Oscars, but no peacocks. After picking up Stacy, we headed to the canal.

LAKE EUFAULA By Capt Sam Williams hawk184@earthlink.net 334-687-6266 Water temperature: 80’s, lake level: 188.35 msl, clarity: muddy/heavy stain. The heavy rains this week have brought the water level closer to normal. If the level holds steady, we will be able to access the areas along the flats and cover again. Working a Texas rig or shaky head from the bank back to the first drop has been getting a lot of action. June bug, watermelon red and 26 ATLANTA

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watermelon candy soft plastics have been the trick. Now that the water is coming back up, look for the offshore grass patches and use a light Carolina rig with a short leader. Throw it beyond the cover and work it back through. The same color worms and creature baits are working here also. Chatter baits and Rat-L-Traps are doing well on the outside edges of the cover. Crappie are on the deeper structure. Minnows and jigs tipped with minnows are getting a good mess for the supper table. Look for the manmade and natural cover on the ledges. Catfish are eating well. Jugs are al-

We could see fish everywhere. We pitched shiners on bobbers and worms. The jumbo Mayan cichlids were hitting the worms like crazy. Dewayne decided to tail hook his shiner and put it on the bottom. He lifted his rod tip and BAM! The next thing we saw was a peacock bass flying out of the water! Stacy hooked one next, but it broke off. I caught one, then Dewayne, then Stacy. After several more fish, Dewayne caught one and said, “Look, it has a hook in it already.” It was Stacy’s fish from earlier. We caught several more each before it slowed down. Then we wore out the Mayan cichlids for a while longer. That was a blast! We all caught our first peacock bass and Dewayne’s first cichlids. Jimmy called and said that he and Joey were getting a 48-footer to fish the rough waters. We met

up with them and caught some nice kings. Despite the rough seas, it was a beautiful day to be on the water. We headed in around 4:00 and took Dewayne to the airport. That was an awesome trip, and I hope to be back on the water soon. I’m talking with YouTube star Johnny Stabile of South Florida Fishing Charters about a Lake Ida trip for big clown knife fish. I got my meniscus surgery done and now am just trying to get back going! 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 Please remember, if you are not going to eat it, don’t kill it.

ways fun and you can cover a large area with them. The bottom cats are eating worms in the ledges. You can get into a good bed of squealers on the first drops in the creeks. Bluegill are all over the banks, and crickets and worms are a good bet for this action. The shellcrackers should be on the flats on the next full moon. Always be aware that this Lake Eufaula is really a river and the currents can be tricky and dangerous. We have heard news reports of the lives lost on the river this summer. Be safe and keep life jackets on the youngsters. We have moved the Alabama Classic Bass Tournament to the third weekend of October from now on. Please go to www.alclassic. com and sign up for our newsletter and keep up with the latest news. God bless and good fishn’.

Al Cathey and grandson fishing with Captain Sam Williams.

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LOCAL LAKES AND FORECAST

ST NIGHT FISHING IN JULY Contributed By: Jay Striker www.jaystriker.com Fishing in July can be some of the most challenging times of the year to catch fish as a tournament angler. The conditions can be harsh on the fish as well as on the angler. However, catching fish in the middle of July is not impossible. My recommendation for filling your live wells is to not change the locations you fish, but change the times you fish them. I recommend fishing at night, and here are some things to consider when night fishing. What are the fish doing? Where are the fish located? What is the best time to catch them? What are the fish doing in the middle of July when the temperature outside is 90 degrees? The answer is not complicated; bass in the summer need access to quality levels of oxygen. They find it by moving to areas where the current is present. Fish shut down almost entirely to conserve energy during the day, unfortunately, this is when tourna-

ments tend to occur and when fishing is at its most challenging. However, at nighttime, especially a few hours after sundown, catching fish is much better. Where are the fish located? Fish will find the thickest cover and stay there all day until it’s time for them to start moving up in the water column to feed. One place I like to find if I am fishing during the summer is current. If you can find current, you will find bass in July. The current provides fresh oxygen and cooler water and provides food for bass without spending a lot of energy. Fishing near these areas at night can pay big dividends. The best time to catch bass at night is when the sun has been down for several hours. This gives bass time to adjust to their night vision and become nocturnal feeders. It’s a time when fish are in search mode and use the backdrop of the night sky to look up for easy meals

that may come by them. I believe that bass use the night as a strategic advantage to ambush prey. One key element to this is the moon phase. It allows the fish to see the silhouette of what they are feeding on and gives them the best chance to eat. Another key is to fish at night three days before the full moon. This period is when bass tends to stalk surface baits, so throwing a topwater lure can get those nighttime giants to bite. During this time, I like to use a ¼ oz. black Fish Head Primal Buzzbait at night, which does well when the bass are using the moonlight to find the bait.

You can catch fish in the summer during the day, however, switching to fishing at night will allow you to catch fish that were not biting during daylight hours. When fishing at night, remember to get an idea of what the fish are doing, look for locations that have cover and current, and know the best times to fish. If you do these things fishing in July, it will provide you an opportunity to really have a great fishing trip. As always, thank you for taking the time to read The Angler Magazine, and please take some time to follow me on Instagram and Facebook under Jay.Striker.52. See you on the water.

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INGREDIENTS • Three 2 to 3-pound cleaned whole striped bass • Accompaniment: chimichurri sauce, or use your favorite sauce PREPARATION Prepare grill. Pat fish dry and season generously inside and out with salt and pepper. Grill fish on a well-oiled rack set 5 to 6 inches over glowing coals 8 to 10 minutes on each side, or until just cooked through in thickest part. Serve fish with chimichurri sauce.

a jig around thick cover. Hybrids and Stripers: I am expecting a really good topwater bite this summer because of all the newly hatched shad. Have a popping cork ready and watch for schools of fish on the surface. Trolling, especially in the late afternoons during periods of water generation, can be very effective. Crappie: Good catches of crappie should continue all summer. Most people kind of forget about them this time of year, but the guys who do their homework by putting out brush piles and down-lining with live minnows in the thick brush, do very well. Another pattern that works is shooting docks or pitching to docks. Often a single dock can produce a limit of fish. Also, night fishing is normally very good during the summer months. Catfish: Often overlooked, catfish provide a steady bite all summer. Try using live worms, cut bait, and chicken liver fished on bottom. Jug fishing is also really productive and a fun way to get the whole family involved. Best of all, catfish are really tasty!

After an unusually comfortable spring, it looks like July and the heat are here. Fishing can be tough during the summer months. One factor in particular could make it extra tough is that we had a tremendous hatch of threadfin shad this year. Predator fish are kind of spoiled; there is just too much of the real thing. Largemouth and Spots: Try pitching jigs or Texas rigged worms around blow-down trees or under boat docks. This pattern seems to work best when the sun is out. A deep water pattern can still produce some good fish. Old road beds and pond dams, especially those with cover, can produce some good fish. Finally, some decent fish can be caught above the 219 bridge in the Chattahoochee by fishing the grass beds, especially if the lake remains full. Try a frog style bait or

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Forecast By: Ken Sturdivant kensturdivant@att.net Lake Sinclair is down 1.2 feet with the water temperature in the 80s and the water stained. Bass fishing is great. The shallow bite is the dominant pattern. The bream are still bedding in the pockets, and the mayflies are starting to hatch in the rivers causing the bass to stay up shallow. Topwater baits such as the Bass Hound prop bait and the Spro Bronzeye frog are catching fish consistently around grass, lay down trees and sea walls around points and channel swings. Texas rigged soft plastics and shaky heads will also catch fish around the docks in these same areas. Strike King Hybrid Hunter and

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a small size Strike King Hybrid Hunter I, a flat sided crank bait with a unique L shaped 90 degree bill, will also work. It can be a jerk bait, crankbait or a trolling bait. It runs 1 to 5 feet deep for the shallow water anglers. A Buckeye Lures spot remover with a Zoom trick worm is hard to beat under these docks. For those that prefer to fish deep, there is a decent offshore bite going on as well. Look for offshore humps and long points in the mouths of creeks and near the river channels for the best results. A cell mate colored Spro Little John DD and Buckeye Football Mop jig fished on these offshore spots will catch fish right now and for weeks to come. Look for hard bottom or stumps when fishing offshore. This bite is best when Georgia Power is moving water.

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CHATUGE HYBRIDS AND SPOTTED BASS 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

In July, fishing on Lake Chatuge, which borders Western North Carolina and North Georgia, really gets fired up, and I mean FIRED UP! With warmer water temps, the hybrids and bass school up, which means we are able to load the boat with tons of trophy hybrids and spotted bass. Currently, Lake Chatuge is at full pool. Water temps are in the low 80s, and water clarity is clear throughout the lake. Hybrid fishing is explosive for us right now. The fish are really schooling in large numbers and moving to deeper water. We are catching some big quantities, probably averaging between 25 and 35 hybrids and bass in just a couple of hours. Most of our hybrids are averaging 7-10 pounds. The early morning bite has been prime. Look for schools of fish

off shallow humps along the main channel, clay banks, and off points. Down-lining live blueback herring has been the best technique. Search out your areas and watch your electronics. When you mark fish, drop your lines. Fish will be slightly shallower in the early morning hours and will move to deeper water by mid-morning. Topwater bite remains very good as well. When these fish start busting on bait, it’s always a good idea to have a Spook, or Red Fin at the ready. July is a fantastic month for catching a lot of trophy hybrids and spots 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 Chatuge’s best trophy hybrids during the fishing trip of a lifetime. We are Blairsville, Georgia’s premier full-time guide service, specializing in striped and hybrid bass. We also serve Lakes Hiwassee, Nottely, and Lake Blue Ridge. So, come fish with the pros for the opportunity to be featured in Angler Magazine, and let us help you get your fish on!!

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LOCAL LAKES AND FORECAST

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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 If slaying schooling summertime stripers and hybrids is what you want, then look no further. Lake Nottely offers some of the best striper fishing in the Southeast, and we are so privileged to be slap-dab in the middle of it all here at Big Ol’ Fish Guiding Service. July’s warm summer temps really get these deep mountain stripers schooled up. It’s definitely the time of year to catch tons and tons of hard fighting fish. Check out our Big Ol’ Fish Guiding Service Facebook and Instagram and see for yourself. Currently, Lake Nottely is at full pool. Water clarity is clear throughout the lake, and water temps are in the low 80’s. Striper fishing has been excellent. We have been loading the boat with some big fish in good quantities, averaging 20 to 30 stripers a morning. The early morning and evening bites are your best times to see action. As far as technique, it’s been all down-lines for us. With water temps on the rise, the fish are

moving to deeper water. Target creek mouths and points off the main lake channel. Also, during the hot sunny days of summer, search out areas with some good shade. The majority of our fish have been caught from Point 7 to the dam. The topwater bite has been great as well. Keep a Spook or a Red Fin at the ready to snag surface-busting fish. The fish will continue to school up through the next couple months and will move to even deeper water. Just remember to keep an eye on your electronics and watch for schools of stripers when cruising the lake. Also, remember to try to get the fish back into the water as quickly as possible after they are caught. July is a fantastic month for catching a lot of trophy 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, Georgia’s premier full-time guide service, specializing in striped and hybrid bass. We also serve Lakes Hiwassee, Chatuge and Lake Blue Ridge. So, come fish with the pros for the opportunity to be featured in Angler Magazine, and let us help you get your fish on!

Eric Welch Welch’s Guide Service www.welchsguideservice. com 706-455-2323 Water temperature: 72-74 degrees, lake level: full pool, clarity: clear. Summer time is finally here and the lake is full pool, which means the bass have moved out to where they will spend the summer. When fishing Lake Chatuge, you need to make sure you have a topwater bait tied on all day. You never know when the bass might start chasing bait. At daybreak, there is normally some topwater action happening in the pockets and flats. My baits of choice are Strike King Sexy Dawg, Whopper Plopper and a Barkley Cane Walker. Chrome color or white is hard to beat. If it’s a cloudy day, you can fish this pattern all day, but once the sun gets up, it’s time to start fishing deep. There are many different ways to target fish on Lake Chatuge. You can just run banks fishing

laydowns with a Texas rig finesse worm in green pumpkin or watermelon. You can fish docks and try to target the ones that have a drop or access to deep water. Fish these with a shaky head, drop-shot or jig. Then you can just target points. There is some kind of brush on about every point on the lake. Sometimes, there will be shallow brush at 12’ to 20’, then on out you will find the deep summer brush in 25’ to 35’. Target with the same lures. Then you have your offshore fishing, looking for humps and brush that have access to deep water. Target these areas with some of the same lures, but try throwing a 1/2 oz. Carolina rig with a Senko. This is the best time of year to use your electronics, and if you have the new live scope or live target, it’s like watching a video game. Good luck, and remember 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.

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Wall of Fame

WIN A FREE ANGLER MAGAZINE CAP! One will be given away each month for the best reader submitted photo!

WINNER! Dean Mangus with a 7-pound carp caught on 4-pound test while fishing Lake Eufaula with Capt. Sam Williams.

Brenda Bryan with a big slab caught on Lake Eufaula.

85-year-old North Georgia Crappie Club Angler Joe Phillips with a couple of big Lanier crappie. Jack Rubey and family from Forsyth County with some quality walleye and trout caught with Lake and Stream Guide Service.

Anya Turner caught this nice striper on the Coosa River in Rome GA.

Unicoi Outfitters assistant manager Wes McElroy with a nice fly-caught carp during June’s Brood X cicada mania hatch. Unicoi Outfitters manager Jake Darling with a hefty, fly-caught carp during June’s Brood X cicada mania hatch.

Thomas Harden with a big striper caught on Lake Hartwell.

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TIPS FROM A PRO

Re-Discover Old Florida

COVERING WATER WITH A BLADED JIG

TYLER WOOLCOTT

s you approach a new lake or even one you have been to a thousand times, it’s always a good idea to throw a confidence bait you know will get bites. The bladed jig, aka chatterbait, is my confidence bait. It is extremely versatile and can be thrown around any type of cover. It allows you to cover a vast amount of water and locate bass that might take days to find with other tactics. The market is flooded with different brands, sizes and colors of the bladed jig. I have experimented and found the Z-Man Jackhammer is the best performing bladed jig out there. In a variety of colors and sizes, they run perfectly out of the package every time. To me, it’s worth the expensive price tag. Let’s talk about matching the chatterbait to natural forage. Depending on the time of year and what kind of bait the bass are feeding on, there is a color to match the hatch. If shad is the prevalent forage, I stick to a white or a baitfish-color like pearl and silver with a silver blade. If its bluegill, you can get by with a green pumpkin or anything with some yellow and orange mixed in with a darker blade color. Sometimes water color can play a factor in color choice, as well. If the water is very dirty, use a color that will stick out so fish can see it coming by. Something like a white and chartreuse with a white blade, for baitfish imitation, or even a bright orange with a black blade, for crawfish imitation, can do the trick. Sizes and weights are important, as well. Ranging from ¼ oz. up to 1.25 oz., the depth you are fishing should decide what you tie on. I typically start with a 3/8- or a ½-oz. jig, which allows me to cover water depths from 1 to 10 feet, depending on the retrieve. If I find some deeper cover, I will go a little heavier. Attaching a trailer enhances the allure of a bladed jig. I try and match the color of the trailer to the color of the skirt. The type of trailer can be more complicated. When fish are aggressive, I use a swimbait-style trailer with a boot tail like the 13 Fishing Pleasure shad. When they want something more subtle, I use a twin-tail trailer like the 13 Fishing The Jerk. When throwing a bladed jig, it’s important to have the correct gear. I use a 13 Fishing Omen Black Chatt-R-Crank rod paired with a 13 Fishing Concept A 6:8:1 reel. I spool up with 17-lb. Seaguar Abrazx line. This set up is perfect for the job! All across the country, I rely on a chatterbait any time of year to put fish in the boat. Next time you hit the lake, tie on a chatterbait to cover some water. Tyler Woolcott is a professional tournament angler and guide. Check out his website at www.tylerwoolcottfishing.com.

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t hardly seems worth the boat ride to catch one red snapper per person, but if you happen to be out bottom fishing in federal waters of the Atlantic and catch one, there are three days this year when you’re allowed to keep it. NOAA Fisheries Service, the federal entity tasked with setting seasons and limits, announced in early June that it will allow recreational harvest of red snapper on July 9, 10 and 11, 2021 in federal waters of the Atlantic (3-200 miles) off the coast of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. This year’s season is a day shorter than last year’s because anglers exceeded the total allowable catch last summer. The bag limit is one per person, per day, with no minimum size limit. Anglers are required to use dehooking tools to minimize damage when unhooking snapper and grouper species. A descending device is also required to be onboard and readily available for use. Hook requirements north of 28º North Latitude, which is a line roughly between Vero Beach and Cape Canaveral, Fla. are for non-offset, nonstainless steel circle hooks. South of that line, anglers may use any style hook, as long as they are not made of stainless steel. The season for the commercial sector opens July 12 and will remain open until Jan. 1, or until the annual catch limit is met. That occurred in about a month and a half last summer. For more information, see www.fisheries.noaa.gov.

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STRIPES ARE BLITZING OFF MASSACHUSETTS

ack Murphy, of Lucky Jacks Fishing, said the season for striped bass started with a bang and is progressing well off the coast of New England. “There have been and will be larger striped bass on pogie schools in Buzzards Bay,” he said. “The similar schools of striped bass will soon be harassing offshore pogie schools, and the resident striped bass will be moving into their nearshore haunts chasing mackerel and smashing lobsters.” The offshore bite is where many of the monster 40-plus-pound stripers are caught each year. In low-light conditions, pods of big fish harass big schools of pogie found 5 to 10 miles offshore of Massachusetts, both north and south of Cape Cod. If you want to get in on the action, you need to make plans now. Check out Lucky Jacks Fishing at www.luckyjacksfishing.com.

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Y EARS ANNIVERSARY

PHOTO COURTESY OF ROSEMARY J. WHITE

TARPON NOW CATCH-AND-RELEASE IN NORTH CAROLINA

ffective immediately, tarpon fishing in North Carolina state waters is now catch-and-release only. The new regulation was implemented after an appeal from North Carolina pier operators failed during the legislative review process. North Carolina now joins Florida as Atlantic states with no-keep regulations for the highly migratory species. Florida sells a permit that allows anglers seeking a state or world record to keep one tarpon for that purpose. South Carolina has a limit of one tarpon per person per day with a 77-inch minimum length limit. Georgia allows angler to keep one tarpon per day with a 68-inch minimum length limit. “Protecting this magnificent fish while it spends time in our North Carolina waters is a great move by the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries Commission Board,” said Capt. Jot Owens, who is a guide and BTT Conservation Captain. “Thank you to everyone who supported this amendment and a special thanks to the commission board members who voted in favor of this ruling.” For more on North Carolina marine fisheries, visit http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/mf/home.

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Sizzling Hot Deals From Suzuki’s Summer Sales Event Suzuki’s Summer Sales Event is finally here! It’s time to get to your local Suzuki Marine Dealer for a sizzling hot deal on the Ultimate Outboard Motor. You can get Low-Rate Financing on the all new DF140BG with Drive by Wire Technology, or our Flagship DF350. Get all the details at your participating Suzuki Marine Dealer.

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*REPOWER FINANCE is available through Synchrony Retail Finance, as low as 5.99% APR financing for 60 months on new, unregistered Suzuki outboard motors, subject to credit approval. Not all buyers will qualify. Approval, and any rates and terms provided, are based on creditworthiness. $19.99/month per $1,000 financed for 60 months is based on 5.99% APR Hypothetical figures used in calculation; your actual monthly payment may differ based on financing terms, credit tier qualification, accessories, or other factors such as down payment and fees. Offer effective on new, unregistered Suzuki outboard motors purchased from a participating authorized Suzuki dealer between from July 1, 2021 through September 1, 2021. †5 YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY applies to qualifying purchases of Suzuki outboard motors sold and delivered to the retail purchaser, for pleasure (non-commercial) use only, from April 1, 2021 through March 31, 2022. See Suzuki Limited Warranty for additional details. The Suzuki “S” and model names are Suzuki trademarks or ®. Don’t drink and drive. Always wear a USCG-approved life jacket and read your owner’s manual. © 2021 Suzuki Marine, USA, LLC.

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