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AREA CATCH REPORTS VOLUME 26 • ISSUE 317

F R A N C H I S E

SCHOOLING SUMMER

BASS

PHOTO COURTESY OF TARA JO SAWYER INSTAGRAM: @TARA_FISHING

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AUGUST 2021

Upper Class Just Got Lower Priced Finally, luxury built for value— not for false status

ntil Stauer came along, you needed an inheritance to buy a timepiece with class and refinement. Not any more. The Stauer Magnificat II embodies the impeccable quality and engineering once found only in the watch collections of the idle rich. Today, it can be on your wrist. The Magnificat II has the kind of thoughtful design that harkens back to those rare, 150-year-old moon phases that once could only be found under glass in a collector’s trophy room. Powered by 27 jewels, the Magnificat II is wound by the movement of your body. An exhibition back reveals the genius of the engineering and lets you witness the automatic rotor that enables you to wind the watch with a simple flick of your wrist. It took three years of development and $26 million in advanced Swiss-built watch-making machinery to create the Magnificat II. When we took the watch to renowned watchmaker and watch historian George Thomas, he disassembled it and studied the escapement, balance wheel and the rotor. He remarked on the detailed guilloche face, gilt winding crown, and the crocodile-embossed leather band. He was intrigued by the three interior dials for day, date, and 24-hour moon phases. He estimated that this fine timepiece would cost over $2,500. We all smiled and told him that the Stauer price was less than $100. A truly magnificent watch at a truly magnificent price! Try the Magnificat II for 30 days and if you are not receiving compliments, please return the watch for a full refund of the purchase price. The precision-built movement carries a 2 year warranty against defect. If you trust your own good taste, the Magnificat II is built for you.

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n the blockbuster film, when a strapping Australian crocodile hunter and a lovely American journalist were getting robbed at knife point by a couple of young thugs in New York, the tough Aussie pulls out his dagger and says “That’s not a knife, THIS is a knife!” Of course, the thugs scattered and he continued on to win the reporter’s heart. Our Aussie friend would approve of our rendition of his “knife.” Forged of high grade 420 surgical stainless steel, this knife is an impressive 16" from pommel to point. And, the blade is full tang, meaning it runs the entirety of the knife, even though part of it is under wraps in the natural bone and wood handle. Secured in a tooled leather sheath, this is one impressive knife, with an equally impressive price. This fusion of substance and style can garner a high price tag out in the marketplace. In fact, we found full tang, stainless steel blades with bone handles in excess of $2,000. Well, that won’t cut it around here. We have mastered the hunt for the best deal, and in turn pass the spoils on to our customers. But we don’t stop there. While supplies last, we’ll include a pair of $99, 8x21 power compact binoculars, and a genuine leather sheath FREE when you purchase the Down Under Bowie Knife. Your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed. Feel the knife in your hands, wear it on your hip, inspect the impeccable craftsmanship. If you don’t feel like we cut you a fair deal, send it back within 30 days for a complete refund of the item price. Limited Reserves. A deal like this won’t last long. We have only 1120 Down Under Bowie Knifes for this ad only. Don’t let this beauty slip BONUS! Call today and through your fingers at a price that won’t drag you’ll also receive this you under. Call today! genuine leather sheath!

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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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ISTIOPHORUS: THE MYSTERIOUS SAILFISH

By Capt. Quinlyn Haddon

he sailfish is one of the most commonly caught billfish. Due to its proclivity for shallower coastal waters and frequency of ascension to the surface, the odds of catching one of these beauties can be much greater than for other billfish. There is little scientific certainty about the mysterious behavior of sailfish. They exhibit a general migratory pattern throughout the year, but they often break their own rules and show up unexpectedly. Summer sailfish catches are generally more associated with the Gulf of Mexico, yet they do appear on the Atlantic coast this time of year, as well. Sailfishing in the Florida Keys is usually a late autumn and early spring

bite. It can be an absolute catching frenzy. However, in July, following the passage of tropical storm Elsa, sailfish were seen tailing at the surface, cruising the waves along a strong current line off of Marathon Key. It was a bizarre and welcomed phenomenon. The conditions that followed the storm created a concise current line, with greener nearshore waters touching the blue water, and a milky powder-blue highway running down the center. Sailfish were spotted swimming east to west at the top of the waves, and seemed to dive deeper to circle back. The locals are no strangers to this phenomenon that occurs in the Keys. Though the time of year may be unpredictable, anglers are always ready to make the most of it. This type of fishing requires polarized sunglasses and a tower boat. Slowly creeping through the powder blue highway, scan the waves for black torpedo shapes or blobs that resemble black garbage bags. Hunt for the opportunity to sight cast live baits. Without the visual vantage of a tower, trolling lures or bump trolling live bait may be more productive than trying to spot them from deck level. Sailfish truly are an incredible and unpredictable species. Very few have been successfully tagged, and few have held a tag long enough to transmit much information. Of those tagged for up to a year, their patterns were generally erratic. They seem to be extremely transient, foraging and spawning in many different coastal regions, predictably unpredictable, like majestic aquatic gypsies. Commonalities in their behavior are that they primarily stay within a water temperature of approximately 80 degrees; they mostly stay near the surface, rarely diving below 300 feet; and they exhibit extremely curious evening routines. All of the transmissions showed sailfish spending the evening within 30 feet of the surface, descending briefly before sunrise and sunset. They were also observed to be active nightly, seemingly unaffected by lunar phases. Help uncover the mysteries of sailfish by reporting tagged fish or by visiting billfish.org to purchase a tagging kit. Remember to handle sailfish with care and revive them before release when necessary. Capt. Quinlyn Haddon fishes with Blue Magic Charters out of Marathon, Fla. Check her out her Instagram @CaptainQuinlyn, her website CaptainQuinlyn.com, or call (504) 920-6342.

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COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THEANGLERMAG.COM

AUGUST 2021

NATIONAL 7

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W N E IG S N DE

The Biggest Event In Silver Dollar History!

he American Silver Eagle has been the most popular silver coin on the planet since its introduction in 1986. Its beautiful, iconic design inspires collectors, and investors love it because it’s struck in one full ounce of 99.9% fine silver, and guaranteed for weight and fineness by the U.S. Government. Now in 2021, for the first time ever, the coin’s design is changing.

The Most Important Coins in the Modern Era

When President Ronald Reagan signed the Liberty Coin Act into law, he didn’t know American Eagles would have the impact they’ve had, year after year. The coins were so popular that between 1986 and 2020, over 535 million were struck. That’s more than HALF A BILLION coins, easily making Silver Eagles the most bought coins in the world. Hugely popular now, Silver Eagles may soon become even more popular!

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new finishes and new designs. Now, for the first time in over three-and-a-half decades, the Silver Eagle is getting a new design, leading to a historic “first” unlike anything we’ve seen. The iconic Heraldic Eagle reverse is being replaced by a beautiful new “Eagle Landing” design. This is arguably a bigger deal than even the actual introduction of the coin because there’s so much more interest now than in 1986, with investors and collectors!

If You Knew Then What You Know Now...

If you’d had a crystal ball in 1986, you undoubtedly would have grabbed every Silver Eagle you could get. Those coins in uncirculated condition continue to be sought-after. Now you’re getting another chance to land a big Silver Eagle first, a Key Date. Additionally, since these newly designed Silver Eagles are only being released during the second half of 2021, it’s quite possible this will be one of the lowest mintages we’ve seen. That’s significant because it could make 2021 a DOUBLE Key Date, with both a new design and a low mintage. Demand for these coins is already sky-high, but if that

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DADDYghter u a DOFF DAYS VIRGINIA BEACH

By Nick Carter

or Matt Metelsky, daddy-daughter time with his 17-year-old is a little more involved than a trip to the ice cream parlor. Matt’s daughter Lily is a rising high school senior. She loves nothing more than waking up at 2 a.m. to run 85 miles off Virginia Beach and troll the edge of the Continental Shelf with her dad. In late June, the duo fished the Virginia Beach Tuna Tournament, where Lily placed second in the Lady Angler division with a yellowfin that weighed 39.9 pounds. But that’s not her biggest tuna to-date. Her heaviest yellowfin weighed 44 pounds. She caught it last summer, and at 5-foot-4 and 115 pounds, it took her about 15 minutes to haul it in stand-up with a belt. “I don’t know. We do wood work on the side, so we load wood, and I guess that gives you some back strength,” Lily offered as explanation for feats of fishing strength. “We always stay active. With Dad, it’s work hard, play harder.” Lily’s strength and stamina are a given considering she qualified and is working as an oceanfront lifeguard at Virginia Beach this summer. Matt, however, has another explanation for his daughter’s skill, as well as her love for this hard-core style of fishing. Lily was 5 years old when Matt purchased his Contender 25 with twin 150s. At a tender age, Lily cut her teeth going toe-to-toe with hard-pulling spadefish in 50 feet of water, 20 miles offshore. “I’m thinking the technique she picked up with those spades when she was little just kind of morphed over into the tuna,” Matt said. “It really amazes

me she is able to battle those things stand-up.” Lily began joining Matt for long days offshore when she turned 13. She was 15 the summer of 2019 when she was first physically able to handle a yellowfin—a 26-pounder—by herself. But pumping and reeling aren’t Lily’s only deck duties. She helps rig and bait and steers the boat while her dad deploys an eight-rod spread on the Gulf Stream. Last Jan. 11, she manned the helm while Matt battled a 550-pound bluefin. When the handle on the 50w reel broke under the stress, it was Lily’s idea to improvise with a screwdriver and electrical tape to eventually land that fish. The peak yellowfin season is June and July out of Rudee Inlet. Matt and Lily make five or six trips a summer, often with friends. Normal days consist of two or three tuna, some bonita and mahi, and occasionally a white marlin. Two or three times a year, January and February bluefin trips are just for the two of them. There aren’t many people interested in waiting on one big bite in brutal mid-winter conditions, anyway. “She’s just tough as nails,” Matt said of his daughter. “I don’t know how else to describe it. She’s just tough.” Lily doesn’t seem to perceive any hardship. She considers herself lucky to be able to spend time with her dad on the water. “When we’re out there on the boat, it’s just so peaceful,” she said. “I pretty much sleep the whole time. When that reel goes off, that’s my alarm.” For more action from Virginia Beach, visit coastalanglermag.com/tidewater-obx/.

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10 NATIONAL

AUGUST 2021

COASTALANGLERMAG.COM • THEANGLERMAG.COM

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he rarity of larimar is legendary. Its exquisite beauty, unique color and scarcity make it a truly treasured gem. Found in only one square kilometer of the world, the ONLY source of larimar lies in the relatively inaccessible Bahoruco’s mountains in the Caribbean. Formed by unique combination of volcanic minerals and geological conditions, larimar is very dangerous to get to and therefore is only mined 5 months out of the year. Because of its rarity, few people have ever seen larimar, and it is only recently that the Caribbean yielded its secret to us. But luckily, the prices are not controlled by a syndicate so this rare stone is still affordable, as long as you know where to look. And, you’ve come to the right place, we are your ticket to paradise. We’ve crafted rare larimar into remarkable jewelry that’s also remarkably affordable. Each stone in our Sea of Love Larimar Collection is a picture of perfect swirling blue. Nature guarantees that no two larimar gemstones will be exactly alike, each has a wispy white swirl that looks like the highest clouds on a sun-filled day. You could spend PRAISE FOR STAUER LARIMAR RINGS well over $1,000 “There are not enough adjectives in for a larimar ring the dictionary to describe the beauty set in sterling silver. and excellence of this ring. Buy it, do But why would you not wait.” — C., Longwood, FL when you can bring her this gorgeous stone for an exclusive Stauer price. Her Satisfaction is 100% Guaranteed. If she’s not swept away within 30 days, simply return your purchase for a refund of the item price. Mother Nature has given us such a small quantity of this beautiful stone and there is no way to replenish the few carats that are available. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to own this captivating gemstone that’s 10,000 times rarer than diamonds. Quantities are extremely limited, so please act quickly!

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AUGUST 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

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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

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LOCAL RIVERS & FLY FISHING AUGUST FLY FISHING REPORT Contributed By: Henry Cowen www.henrycowenflyfishing.com July for the most part has been a fairly comfortable month for anglers this year, so much so that our bass fishing continues to mystify all of us as the topwater fishing remains HOT! Whether on fly or light tackle, Lanier continues to produce both quality and quantity on topwater flies and lures. That has been the biggest surprise for anglers fishing North GA this summer. As stated earlier, topwater spotted bass fishing was very good this year, and it looks like it might continue through August. While some of the big fish have gone deep for the summer, the smaller 1 to 3-pound fish can still be caught on humps and points using poppers on floating lines. Largemouth and even a few stripers could still be in the mix. It’s a great way to have some fun fishing the hottest days of the year. During both the new and full moon periods of August, Lakes Allatoona or Chatuge may be THE HOTTEST lakes to catch hybrids, white bass and spotted bass on the surface. Never a guarantee, but when the hybrid topwater bite is on, you need to just take a day off from work and head on over to either for some spectacular surface feeding. This is usually easy pickings as the fish will blow up all over the lake both early in the morning and again late in the afternoon. If you can find an overcast day coupled with the new or full moon phase, you are going to have the makings for one of the most memorable days of your fishing year. While this bite typically was a June and even July occurrence over the past 10 years, August can sometimes be the most consistent for this event. Fish will be feeding on small 1-1 ½” young-of-the-year threadfin shad. All you need is to toss an intermediate (slow sinking) line and you will be in the game! A floating line will work okay as a second choice, but the slow sinking line is positively your best bet. Look anywhere in the area around the dam. This is usually where the ground zero hybrid bite can be found. 2 ATLANTA

AUGUST 2021

Flies of choice continue to be small shad type patterns. Try any one of the following for success: Albie Anchovy, a small Clouser minnow, Somethin’ Else, small Deceivers and Wiggle Minnows. Try using a 6 or 7 weight rod with 8 to 10-pound test tippet, and you are sure to have a ball. For conventional anglers, try tossing any of the previously mentioned flies (except a Wiggle Minnow) behind either a casting bubble or popping cork rig. A light tackle outfit with 8-pound test will have you matched perfectly for this fishery. Just keep in mind that Allatoona did not produce this epic topwater bite the last few years while Chatuge did. What happens this year is anyone’s guess. August is also a great time to be hitting the Hooch for some striped bass below Morgan Falls Dam as well as the Etowah River. July is typically a great month for this fishery, but for some reason the fishery has just been fair at best. Maybe it will pick up in August. A lot has to do with the release schedule by the Corp of Engineers The river’s water temperature should be at its warmest for the entire year during the month of August, and anglers can toss weighted baitfish patterns on intermediate lines along the banks and in the deeper holes of the river to find the stripers that are summering over in the city limits. If trying the Hooch, the best areas to fish will be well below Morgan Falls Dam. Start at Sope Creek and work towards Cochran Shoals. From Whitewater to Paces Mill is another good area to look at. Another hot area will be below Paces Mill and down toward Peachtree Creek. Once again, fishing both early and late in the day seems to produce the best results. The key is to try and fish falling water levels. For conventional anglers, try tossing ¼ to 3/8 oz. bucktails, weightless Flukes or some 4-5” Rebels, Bombers and any swimbait. For topwater, try throwing a 7” Redfin early or late in the day. As we move toward the end of this month, the fishing will slow

Becca Powell with a Lanier spotted bass caught topwater on a fly. down as the fish move further south toward West Point Lake. If you happen to get there while the river is dropping water, your odds of finding feeding fish are even better. So far, July produced MANY 20-pound plus size fish on both flies and lures. You can also make a trip up toward Helen and ask the folks at Unicoi Outfitters to take you wading for stripers on their part of the Hooch. Finally, carp fishing is still going strong. The fish can still be caught on fly with a little more patience being the key ingredient. Carp are a tough and finicky type fish to get to eat the fly to begin with. Add the pressure of a month of anglers tossing flies to them as well as kayaker and paddle boarders invading their flats, and you can see why they are a bit skittish.

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The Bull Sluice section is still my favorite carp fishing location as well as the Savannah below Lake Hartwell getting a second nod. Crayfish and nymphs will still be your best fly patterns to toss at carp. A 6-8 wt. outfit and floating line along with 10-pound tippet is all that is required. You need to tiptoe around these guys as they are SUPER SPOOKY come August. The past two months have been tough to get river conditions right for these shallow water beasts, BUT when we have gotten out, the fishing has been really good! Get out there and give some of North GA hot summer fishing a try. Next month we will discuss preparing for the fall striper run on the surface up on Lanier again. See you on the pond.

LOCAL RIVERS & FLY FISHING THE GUIDE’S ANGLE SUMMERTIME BROWNS IN THE SOUTH Contributed By: Chris Scalley River Through Atlanta Guide Service Although terrestrial insect populations are at their peak population densities from July through September, anglers should also consider aquatic critters that don’t include mayflies, caddis or stones. Crustaceans are a major year round food source for trout. On the Chattahoochee, we have three species; crayfish, scuds and sow bugs. Crayfish can be imitated with a variety of patterns, but an olive or brown Woolly Bugger is hard to beat with an erratic retrieval with quick consecutive strips with a pause to mimic their odd backward swimming behavior. Scuds and sow bugs are much smaller in hook sizes #20 up to a #16 and are mostly found in or near aquatic vegetation. Dead drifting nymphs under a large terrestrial or attractor pattern can be deadly in the weed beds. Another invertebrate that hatches throughout the

year are black flies or what scientist call simulidae. These critters have a similar life cycle to caddis flies with four stages, the egg, larvae, pupae, then adult, but the trout most commonly key in on the larvae which is imitated with #24 up to #20 olive to black Zebra Midge patterns dead drifted. The last non-terrestrial to match this summer is the BWO or Blue Winged Olive mayfly, otherwise known as “Baetis”. This is the one species of mayfly that hatches year round on the Chattahoochee, and they tend to hatch in higher numbers in the evenings, especially in overcast conditions. More often than not, if you see fish feeding in pods with any regularity, it’s usually BWO’s imitated with #24 up to a #18 dry fly pattern like a Parachute Adams and smaller nymphs like a WD-40. We hope to see you on the river this summer!

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August is a great time to throw the biggest dry flies you have. I’m talking about the biggest and nastiest ones! About anywhere you go around here in the southern Appalachia’s, big dries will work from the smallest streams to even tailwaters. Look to be casting hoppers, beetles, Letort Crickets and any of the biggest terrestrials. Many of our sparse hatches of mayflies and caddis flies have dissipated. If you see a hatch, these insects will be small. Since trout have become accustomed to looking up for their next meal, these larger flies can make it very enticing for trout to engulf them. We have been catching some monster trout lately feasting on what we’ve been offering them! Remember that fishing on a breezy early morning or late evening day will produce these larger terrestrials in our streams. Many will be knocked off due to being careless, the wind or by being on the wrong leaf that becomes detached. One of the best things about throwing larger flies is that most anglers at any age can see them. Here are some tips on how to use that big dry fly. I see many anglers attempting to softly land a large dry fly pattern. Don’t spend too much time worrying about a soft cast. Big bugs don’t land softly. They smack the water. And big trout eat big patterns! We catch many large trout that come up from nowhere to eat these types of flies. First, you must get their attention. A real bug/hopper is heavy, and it’s got some meat to it. They hit the water’s surface with what I would call a blop, and this is the attention getter! If no luck on that big dry, then go with a hopper/dropper pattern with a big number 6 or 8 on top with a small number 16 – 20 as the dropper. Remember, hatches are smaller in the summertime. Good casters can toss these rigs up under the rhododendron canopy where a likely trout will be hiding, and they can put flies where many anglers cannot. One of my favorite sayings and there’s a lot of

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Big into th few cla typical time t the tre corrid River storm tempe low 60 equate the tro Low trout h low te flow le critica tinued lower truth behind this is “Good Casters catch all the Fish”. Anyways, grassy areas along the bank is a surefire place where grasshoppers may find their way into the stream. Casting a beetle pattern above a bank laden log can be another dandy place to float that dry by, and yes, even out in the wide-open middle of the stream. Use caution when casting these big hopper patterns as you may get the shock of a lifetime! Don’t forget about asking us about our float trips. We are currently doing floats on the Toccoa Tailwater. She has been fishing pretty well lately. Casting problems - let us teach you the “Art of Fly Fishing” with one of our schooled instructors! Wanting to catch that trout of a lifetime – Give Us a Call, We’ll Hook You Up! Reel ‘Em In Guide Service is an Orvis Endorsed Fly Fishing Guide based out of beautiful Ellijay, Georgia. They have been offering their services to fly anglers since 2001. Their Special Use Permit for Guiding allows them on the Chattahoochee National Forest, they have licensed guides for North Carolina, offer over 7 miles of private trophy waters across Georgia, and offer drift boat trips on the Toccoa River and the Tuckasegee River in NC.

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LOCAL RIVERS & FLY FISHING

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Big clouds start to billow high into the summer blue sky, then a few claps of thunder, followed by the typical downpour of the summertime thunderstorm. This has been the trend of weather for the river corridors surrounding Chattooga River Fly Shop. Although thunderstorm rains have graced us, the water temperatures have not lowered below 60 for quite some time now. This equates to tough water conditions for the trout to survive. Lower water levels mean that the trout have fewer deep holes to find low temperature water, and lower flow levels equal lower oxygen levels, critical for the trout to survive. Continued storms will help, but some lower temperatures coupled with a

moderate two- day rain event would be very beneficial for all the river corridors. Bass fishing on the rivers has been great with water levels as low as they are. Wading lower sections of the Chattooga has been quite a refreshing treat from the summertime heat. Finding the bass and panfish in the back eddies and slower moving waters using topwater flies has been explosive. There are certainly times where these great fish are not willing to rise to the occasion, therefore, finding a baitfish pattern of their delicacy is in the works. This is a great time of year to take kids out on the river as they can see fish rise to good size flies. It’s a great way to spend a day, especially with school starting just around the corner. Mid-morning to midafternoons has been the productive hours of the day for these fine fish, and this trend will continue until the “Dog Days” of summer subside

into our fall fishing. As we are all enjoying the greater outdoors this summer, whether we are hiking, boating, camping, or fishing, let us all remember everything we brought with us. If we all take back out of the wilderness what we entered with, the greater outdoors

will be a great wilderness for generations to come. We are all guests of National Forests, state parks and private lands, and if we all do our part, our grandchildren’s grandchildren will have as great a place to visit as we do. Be safe, and we hope to see you out on the rivers.

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LOCAL RIVERS & FLY FISHING THE CASTING CORNER

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Last month we spoke of the Cicada bugs and a cast to imitate the fly hitting the water and casting a big floating fly like a black popper or something similar to the actual bug. This type fly is going to dig into the water if you start your back cast while the line and fly are laying on the water, and that will overload the rod. Not only overloading the rod, it will take a lot more effort to make the cast than necessary. After describing the cast last month, I mentioned there is a good way to make the next cast, and it starts with the spiral lift or corkscrew lift. The actual hand movement is so small, but it’s amplified by the length of the rod. Small movements with the hand make a big impact on the rod tip, so start smaller than you think will work. To practice the lift, try pointing your finger up, elbow down (no rod in hand to practice) and palm about even with the top of your head. Start with a very small push of your hand toward the fly while making a very small circle starting from the bottom and going around to the outside of your body and back. Make the circle about the size of a baseball with your hand/fingertip. A right hander will make a counter clockwise rotation as your hand is moving forward about 6 inches toward the fly. A lefty makes a clockwise

rotation. Pretend you are drawing a circle with your rod tip about 10 feet above your fly. Like the speed up and stop portion of a normal cast, use that concept on the acceleration of the circular motion you make with your hand AND the stroke of the hand toward the fly. When you are on the water, lift as much line as you can while getting your hand in the right position, then without stopping, push your hand toward the fly while making the small circle. If you lift and hesitate, the line will sag and lose tension. The energized line that was created by your hand and rod movement will lift the line off the water and when it reaches the fly, start the back cast. So don’t start the rearward movement until the leader/fly are lifted by the spiral. Let the line movement in the shape of a small spiral move down the line to the leader. When it gets to the leader and then the fly, start your back cast. The tension on the line from the line movement helps load (bend) the rod on the back cast. Remember, this is not a lift, spiral and back cast with 50 or 60 feet of line out. You have to be at the belly of the line or at least at the start of the rear taper towards the belly, because as Tom White would say, “The skinny line will not turn over the fat line”. More on line next month.

Cicada bugs and a cast to imitate the fly hitting the water and casting a big floating fly like a black popper or something similar to the actual bug.

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LOCAL RIVERS & FLY FISHING OCONEE ON THE FLYA SPECIAL GUEST AND THE LAKE OCONEE – AUG. FORECAST

Contributed By Capt. Wayne Moore USCG www.oconeeonthefly.com Did you ever meet someone who is always upbeat and happy? This describes our friend Kylie Harris to a tee. Kylie is an adult brain tumor survivor. I met Kylie when she was a teenager (she is 25 years old now) through my wife’s work at the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation (http:// www.curethekids.org/). We have remained friends over the years, and I got to take Kylie, her father and grandfather fishing recently. We caught a lot of nice hybrids and had a great trip, too. I am writing about Kylie because, despite numerous surgeries when she was younger and the challenges that are part of her life now, she is the most pleasant person I know. The next time you have a bad day on the water or at work, remember Kylie. If she can have a positive outlook, you can too! She always seems to catch a lot of fish. It’s probably a

reward for her kindness and positive attitude. August Forecast Hybrids/Stripers – It is just dang hot on Lake Oconee in August, but as I look back at my logs in August over the past few years, there are a few patterns that have emerged. • There can be a brief but good topwater bite in August for hybrids and stripers. Aside from the pump back bite at the dam, it also occurs near many of the islands mid-lake at first light. For anglers using spinning tackle, try a popping cork and a white Betts Pop N’ Stripe Popper. • For the fly fisherman, there is an in-line version of the popping cork, Captain Dubiel’s Pop-N-Fly. Tie it on your leader and tie a small section of 10-pound fluorocarbon to a Pop N’ Stripe Popper, a Wiggle Minnow, or a Cowen’s “Somethin Else” fly. This is deadly on stripers and

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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. I strongly suggest getting a guide for this because there is a lot of skill involved in finding the brush piles and keeping the boat positioned directly above the fish. 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.

hybrids when they are feeding on or near the surface. • Even when Georgia Power is not generating or pumping water, there has been a good live bait bite on humps all over the lake. Downline live shad or small bream. The bream must be caught with a rod and reel. • On most days, Georgia Power generates late in the day. The current will stimulate the bite on the humps. Jigging spoons and umbrella rigs will produce well! August Forecast Crappie – It’s time to fish submerged brush piles. As I mentioned last month, use a single rod. I like an 11 or 12 foot

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August in the South may be a little hard on the trout fishing and the trout due to the blazing hot days and muggy nights. Looking for fun a little further down the river or in the lakes might be a better idea at this time of year. Warm water species such as bass and bluegill can be loads of fun. Bluegill are usually pretty cooperative around brush piles, docks and standing timber. Small chartreuse or yellow poppers will normally keep you busy early and late in the day. During high sun periods, fishing a little deeper might yield larger specimens. Black Rubber Legged Dragons and small Beadhead Wooly Buggers are a favorite for fishing down to about 8 feet or so. Slow stripping these flies will get crushing strikes, and when you find one down deep, he will have lots of friends so work the spot very well. Bass will be most active early

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and late in the day around cover with good ambush points with plentiful bait. River bass will like the deeper holes or steep banks, while largemouth or spots in lakes may be in as much as 20 to 30 feet of water. Fishing deep water with a fly rod requires sinking lines and weighted flies such as Clousers to get down. Electronics on your boat are a very helpful to locate schools of shad or blueback herring down deep. Find the bait, and you’ll find the fish. In summer don’t overlook areas with enough boat traffic to make waves that splash up against the shoreline. There’s a lot of oxygen up close to these areas, and big bass sometimes will be in inches of water on the prowl for an unsuspecting bream or crawfish. We cover fishing for these warm water fighters in our Full Day Fly Fishing Class. Check out our website for more information.

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

Summer is a great time for picnicking. It’s true for our finned friends, too, which look forward to fresh crops from streamside gardens for their summer calories. Here are a few favorite groceries found in our Unicoi Outfitters summer picnic basket, a.k.a. our fly box. First and foremost are ants, both dry and wet. Pick the size and color, black or red, to match the hatch on your favorite waters. We really like a Parachute Ant as the surface pattern because that vertical, white parachute post is easy to spot in pond shadows and creek riffles. Other good patterns are composed of foam and are virtually unsinkable, especially when coated with dry fly floatant. All ants don’t float, and many fish are scared to rise in summer’s clear waters, so go down to them with a sunken ant. This is one of our favorite droppers, rigged two feet under our surface bug. Try a black fur ant in sizes 14 or 16 for soft waters and a tungsten-beaded ant to sink faster in swift or deeper flows. Next up is a nice beetle pattern. Beetles come in all shapes and sizes, but if you arm yourself with black foam beetles in sizes 8, 12, and 16, you’ll have the bases covered well. The patterns with a parachute post or a small strip of bright indicator foam on top will let you track your bug during its float. The bigger sizes have to have rubber legs, while a few winds of black hackle will make the smallest beetle very leggy. A good size 8 beetle will also cover our third picnic basket item, crickets. Toss the

10 ATLANTA

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AUGUST 2021

bigger beetle along shaded, woody banks and let it drift along. Once you’re out of the woods and into the fields, you’ve entered hopper habitat. Hopper fanatics pray for some wind to “chum” ponds and lakes and have fish on the hunt along grassy banks. Grab a few hoppers in size 10 for bream and big trout and size 14 for headwater trout. Most are made of foam and float like a cork, especially when slathered in floatant. For picky fish, I really like the stealthy Schroeder’s Parachute Hopper, so give that pattern a look. We have a few groceries left in our basket. To imitate inchworms, stock a few Green Weenies or green Mop Flies to match this hatch, especially in the first half of summer. And if it rains hard, count your blessings. Be ready for the “spaghetti” hatch as earthworms wash in and stream fish gorge. Try a red Squirmy Worm or hot pink San Juan Worm on heavier tippet in turbid stormflows, and do NOT forget you’re net. Toss in a few #16 Adams dries to imitate mosquitos and a couple of #14 Yellow Stimulators, and your picnic basket is complete. Have a great time picnicking in waters near and far this summer. Stop by either of our UO stores and we’ll help you fill your basket.

Forecast by: Capt. Wes Carlton Georgia Lake Fishing 770-318-9777 www.georgialakefishing.com Water temperature: 79 degrees, lake level: full, clarity: clear. Bass: The bass bite has been great in the morning and a little slow in the afternoon. We have been catching most of our fish on an underspin tipped with a paddle tail in the backs of creeks over the grass. We have had some bigger fish come off a River 2 Sea Whopper Plopper 90. This bite had been really strong between 8-10 AM. Look for the grass midway back in the creeks in 16 to 20 feet of water. Most of these areas are holding good fish! This bite should continue over the next few weeks.

Trout: The brown trout bite has been a little slow the last week or so. The few we have caught have been on small minnows weighted with a split shot. We have been targeting the main river channel. Early morning seems to be the better time. This bite should pick up any day now as we head towards the end of August. Perch: The yellow perch bite is on fire. We have been catching good numbers on the creeks around grass and structure (blow downs). Most of the fish seem to be in the 13 to 18 foot depths. The drop-shot technique has been working best. Small Flukes or Robo Worms seem to work well. Look for this pattern to continue and get better as we progress the summer months. Good luck!

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

lakeandstreamguideservice@gmail.com

Water temperature: 83 degrees, lake level: full, clarity: 15 feet. The summer time bite continues to be good. We are catching walleye daily with some fish in the 25” range, but most running 21 to 22”. Vertical jigging spoons has been the name of the game lately targeting the 50 foot range in the day and about 25’ in the evening hours. Gold or silver is always a good start and experiment with colors day to day. Find the fish holding on structure and present the spoon in different speeds until you get a reaction. I like the Blue Fox Vibrax spoons as they are short and heavy and also are handy to cast at any fish busting on the surface. Who doesn’t like a bonus spotted bass or occasional smallie? The rainbow trout bite has been consistent for the last month with a solid number of fish being caught most days with some fish measuring 20”. They are constantly on the move following schools of

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bait and will usually be not far behind any larger schools of bluebacks. As far as the bass go, the green fish love 2 things: structure and food. If you can find bait near a point, you can bet the bass are staring up at it. Spoons, Shad Raps or even crankbaits fished at the depth of the bait are all effective at drawing the attention needed to get a strike. The magic number seems to be 30 to 35 feet deep for humps or points on the main lake.

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LOCAL RIVERS & FLY FISHING #1 TROUT DESTINATION IN GEORGIA Contributed By: William Reed Nucanoe National Pro Staff Writer IG: @wde_will, will@nucanoe.com

I know I probably will start a war naming the article “#1 Trout Destination in Georgia”. As a disclaimer, this article is purely my personal opinion. My criteria is based on simple facts: ease of travel, year round water temps to support trout, public water access, and options for weather curveballs. What is surprising is the specific town is not a name that everyone knows. My call is that the number one trout destination in Georgia is a small town in North Georgia called Suches. Suches is located in central North Georgia and meets all of the above critical criteria for trout fishing. Located 45 minutes between Dahlonega and Blue Ridge, Suches allows easy access from either side of the state. From Atlanta, it’s about an hour and a half drive straight up Highway 400. Highway 60 goes through the middle of the town of Suches, and great trout waters can be found all around. Around Suches, the hardest

decision is what body of water to fish. Suches is home to Rock Creek, the Upper Toccoa (Cavender Gap and Deep Hole), Coopers Creek, and Lake Winfield Scott that all offer great public access fishing. My personal favorite is to find small tributaries flowing into the above waterways for native brook trout and wild rainbows that have found breeding areas. Although not the biggest fish in the area, they are the most rewarding for me to catch. Most named areas are stocked weekly by Georgia DNR and US Fish and Wildlife since the Rock Creek Fish Hatchery is close by. Plus, Rock Creek flows right between the Trout Runs. Fishing is great close by the hatchery. Just don’t try to fish in one of the hatchery’s runs unless you want to pay a hefty fine. Before Covid, the Rock Creek Hatchery was a destination site to see and explore as the hatchery allowed public entry. Hopefully, public entry will be opened back to the public soon. To make a weekend out of your trip, there are two options for lodging. Suches is loaded with great campgrounds. Rock Creek, Coopers Creek, Deep Hole and Lake Winfield Scott all have campsites right on the water.

Most of the campsites are located where the stocking truck stops to offload fish, so if you time it right, you can see this wonderful sight. The second option is to rent a cabin through a rental company or one of the online lodging sites like Airbnb. This is a very remote and rustic area, so there are no hotels to stay in. Last on your list is preparing for and gathering your food and supplies. No one can talk about Suches without talking about Coopers Creek General Store. Coopers Creek General Store first opened in 1973, but current owners Toni and Diane took over in 2019. The gen-

eral store is a one stop shop that fits the area perfectly. They offer basic fishing gear, camping gear, supplies and have a ton of local art for sale. They also offer an amazing breakfast and daily smoked BBQ that can’t be beat. They sell live bait, offer stocking and fishing reports and are a DNR licensing agent. Suches has all that a trout fisherman could ask for. The ample hiking, undisturbed wilderness and tumbling creeks make for a great family outing. One could fish this area every day for a year and not fish every run or hole. If you have never been to the area, do yourself a favor and plan a trip soon.

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LOCAL LAKES AND FORECAST LAKE JACKSON By Brian Lee leebrian16 @yahoo.com Water temperature: high 80’s, lake level: full, clarity: stained/clear. Bass fishing has been tough. Boat traffic and high water temps has all but shut down the shallow bite after the first hour or so of the day. The early shallow water bite has been best with a ½ ounce white buzzbait around shallow wood and dock posts. Once the sun is up, the bite is over and becomes tough to generate bites. Flipping deeper docks near channel swings or near deep water will produce bites, but you have to cover lots of water. Another effec-

LAKE MARTIN

tive pattern is looking for schools of spotted bass on ledges or deep points with your electronics. A ½ ounce jig (color depends on water clarity) or a ¼ ounce Ol’Monster worm will get bites. You just have to be patient and work the bait slowly. A Strike King Series 5 crankbait in shad colors will get reaction bites on some schools that aren’t too deep to target with a crankbait. The best bite for me has been a drop-shot rig with a green pumpkin Fluke stick worked extremely slowly. The dog days are almost over, but the bass will eat. Just be patient and put your head down and grind it out. Expect the bite to get better next month as long as the temperatures don’t continue to rise. The bass will start to make their way from the deeper hideouts towards the shallower depths.

Bass fishing has been tough. Boat traffic and high water temps has all but shut down the shallow bite...

Provided By: David Hare Alex City Guide Service 256-401-3089 Water temperature: 83-84 degrees, lake level: full pool, clarity: clear. We are just scratching the surface for summer type fishing due to cooler than normal water temps so far in July. Normally, we would be doing a lot of trolling and some live baiting, but with cooler than normal July weather, we actually did vice versa, and most days it paid off. Now for August. If my clients think we’ve been going early in the morning in July, then August is going to be a shocker. I’m a real early bird in August hoping to be on my favorite spots usually about 1 hour before daylight so I can get those early bites before the temperature starts warming us all up, including the stripers. For me, I like trolling in August and trying to stay in some

of the deeper parts of the lake and searching for huge schools of baitfish. Once I’ve found what I consider lots of baitfish, I continuously troll those areas with my Scotty downriggers that are rigged with 10-pound weights and numerous types of trolling lures including some soft plastics. I don’t worry if I don’t catch every fish I see on my Hummingbird. As long as I know I’m marking stripers, I know it’s just a matter of time before I figure out the exact speed, the exact depth and the exact lure they are the most interested in crushing, then the fight is on. If you fish on your own or fish with us, if you can have enough patience to get zeroed in on them, you’ll love the results. You may just boat your personal best this year in August here on Lake Martin. If you’d like to book a trip or just have some questions, give me a call or text me at 256-401-3089. Until next time, tight lines!

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Barry Cameron catches his personal best 30+pounder with Capt. David Hare.

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TROLLING: STAY COOL AND CATCH MORE SUMMER FISH By Capt. Cefus McRae Nuts & Bolts Fishing Series Hartwell, GA The dog days of summer are upon us. Outside temperatures are hitting the 90 degree mark by mid-morning. Bottom fishing and downlining baits means sitting still on a breezeless ocean or lake, and your favorite fishing shirt is drenched with sweat while you wait for a bite. Isn’t fishing fun! To make the situation a bit more bearable, try setting up your boat for trolling. You’ll actually be covering more water, and you’ll be creating a little bit of a breeze to keep you a lot cooler. In the heat of the summer, many game fish move to deeper, cooler water where they can find higher oxygen concentrations. So trolling becomes an excellent search method, allowing you to explore a lot of water in a shorter time, and it is one of the most effective ways to present a variety of baits (artificial or natural) at dif-

ferent depths. The way you set up your spread can be as simple as rigging a couple of deep diving plugs, dropping them about 50 to 100 feet behind the boat, and set the boat speed somewhere between two and five miles per hour. The species you’re targeting and type of plug or natural bait will dictate the ideal trolling speed. For wahoo, you may be trolling cedar plugs and jet-heads from seven to as much as fifteen miles per hour. For stripers and bass, you may be running from two to four miles per hour. On a perfectly still day, even two miles an hour will help keep you cool. Sometimes, the sea state is just a little too sloppy to comfortably stand at the rail and bottom fish. Trolling eliminates the pitching/ rolling of a boat that can make some folks turn green. Trolling also gives you the op-

portunity to cover a wider swath of water. With horizontal rod holders, you can expand the footprint of your boat by as much as fifteen feet with 7 ½ foot rods extending out on either side of the boat, and you can cover virtually the entire vertical water column by using diving plugs that run at specific depths. But even the largest diving plugs have their limits. That’s why you might want to consider adding downriggers to your boat as well. You can add a manual downrigger that can be clamped to the transom of a jon boat for under $100, or step up to an electric downrigger for around $500. I use my Scotty Downriggers in both fresh and saltwater situations where I need baits to be 10 feet down or deeper. They are easy to mount on the boat, using either a bolt-on base, or a gimbal base that drops into a gunwale rod holder. Once a fish strikes

the bait, you’re free to fight the fish unfettered, because the line snaps out of the adjustable-tension Scotty release clip. Push the retrieve button and the downrigger automatically raises the ball weight to just beneath the surface of the water. It’s simple, and downriggers will definitely help put more fish in the boat. One of my go-to rigs is the Capt. Mack’s Umbrella Rig. These three and four-armed contraptions are loaded with up to nine bucktail jigs, and will run at different depths depending on the weight of the jigs and the speed you troll them. There will be situations where I run an umbrella rig as part of my downrigger spread. Just because it’s hot outside, don’t give up on some great summertime fishing. Set up your boat for trolling and enjoy the refreshing breeze while you’re catching more fish.

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LOCAL LAKES AND FORECAST LANIER IN AUGUST – SURVIVE THE DOG DAYS Contributed By: Jim “Jimbo” Mathley www.jimboonlanier.com

While the fishing generally gets tougher in August on Lake Lanier, there are ways to ensure continued success. In today’s installment, we will review the locations, techniques, and lures to utilize to keep you catching fish during the heat of the summer. Location: Understand that the primary concern of both game fish and baitfish are oxygen and food source, in that order. The fishing traditionally changes in August because the baitfish, particularly the blueback herring, change in response to the conditions. They often go deeper in search of better oxygen content in the water; the depth at which this key oxygen content is maintained is called a thermocline. In August, I normally like to target sharp breaks and deeper water on main lake features such as ledges or sharper breaks on the ends of points and sides of humps and islands. Often

in August we would work depths of 25-45 feet of water, anticipating the thermocline to establish in the 2530 foot range, historically speaking. However, even though there are fish in the deeper zones, there are also still fish located shallow all around the lake. You can find these shallow fish not only on the main lake, but also in the back of pockets and creeks as well. These shallower locations are great areas to target during the early morning timeframe. Later in the day, the “normal” areas with brush are still holding fish, and there are fish starting to move deeper and relate to the timber. When fishing deeper, target timber edges in 35-45 feet of water near the same key features upon which you find the brush. In general, if one type of area is not producing, don’t hesitate to try another location or another depth. Stay flexible and versatile and move around until you

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find active fish. Running and gunning several different types of places can be the key to success during this time of year. Often, many areas will not produce, but if you stay on the move and remain versatile in both your location and bait selection, you can and will find active fish. Lures and Presentation: Now, let’s examine some techniques that can be used to catch fish in August: 1. Topwater and Swimbaits - The topwater bite over the brush can be good still in August, but again, it can be nonexistent if the weather is extremely hot consistently. The fish will let you know if the topwater bite is working. Try using some smaller topwater baits like the Super Spook Jr., which best mimics the smaller baitfish the spots are often chasing during the hot weather months. The swimbait adds another dimension to your game. Work swimbaits fast on the surface or let them sink and work them directly over the brush. Experiment with both the mechanical and soft models at different depths and retrieve speeds to determine which is working best on any given day. A weighted Fluke can be a good option to cast over the brush as well. 2. GA Blade Underspin - This is an excellent producer on Lanier, and August is no different. Fish the bait over and around brush and deeper cover. Vary your retrieve speed, method, depth, and trailer type until you hit on the right combination for that day. 3. GA Blade Flutter Spoon – The flutter spoon can be a good choice to target bigger fish during the summer months. Swim the flutter spoons

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with a rip, pause, rip presentation, or fast reel the spoon off the bottom for 6-8 cranks, allow it to fall back to the bottom, then repeat back to the boat. The strikes will almost always come on the fall. Fish this bait with no less than 20-pound Seaguar Flourocarbon line to help you retrieve the bait on hang ups that will occur. 4. Drop-Shot - This is a great tool when the fishing gets tough. This presentation can be made vertically into cover or it can be cast toward the feature and slowly retrieved. I prefer the Lanier Baits Drop-Shot worms in Passion, Obsession, and Candy. Light line is a must. I prefer 6 to 8-pound test Seaguar Fluorocarbon in most situations. Light line helps provide a more natural presentation. I also like to experiment with leader length. I will sometimes use up to a 5-foot tag end on my drop-shot depending on the position of the fish and the feature I am targeting. 5. Jig - The jig is a bait that is apt to work through the entire summer, as well as into the fall and winter. August is no time to forget the jig. I prefer GA Jigs, often in a brown and orange combo or in a PB&J color pattern. Work jigs on points and humps, around brush, as well as steep rock. If the Jig is not working, don’t forget to try a GA Blade shaky head tipped with a finesse or trick worm, or a Yamamoto Senko as a back-up. I still have some dates available in August so call me to enjoy some August fishing. 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

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The bass fishing on Lake Seminole has been excellent through July. As we move into August, the bass fishing should continue to be good on Lake Seminole. The topwater action through July has been incredible! The great topwater action will continue through August, especially in the early morning and evening hours and on cloudy, rainy days. Buzzbaits and hollow belly frogs have been very productive through July and will continue through the month of August. A buzzbait is an effective lure to use to cover water efficiently to find the active areas that are holding bass. Once I find a productive area holding bass, the frog is a great option to catch the bigger bass. I prefer the Spro Bronzeye Popping Frog. It has a double 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! We have had numerous customers catch their PB (personal best) through the month of July, creating some incredible memories! Taylor and Grayson Barbaree from Dothan, Alabama had an awesome Lake Seminole Fishing Adventure. They both caught their PB’s.

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Water temperature: mid 80s, lake level: full pool. August has all game fish in their summer pattern. All game fish migrate to deeper water in the summer. Stripers and hybrids migrate to the mid to lower lake in the summer. Some years by August, most large stripers are south of the fork between the Seneca and Tugaloo Rivers where the Savannah River begins. We have had bad water quality for the last three years and the thermocline has made it to the lower lake. The fish biologist says the huge rains have been a problem. Hopefully, the heavy rains will subside. If there is a thermocline,

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fish will be above 40 feet. Bait will die if fished below the thermoclie. If the thermocline does not make it to the lower lake, look for big fish as deep as 120 feet deep. Live herring works great. I add a few pounds of ice in the summer. I lower the bait thru the hot surface water quickly. Power reeling works great on these deep fish. A big 8 to 10 inch spoon or a big jig head with a big swimbait will get bit. When you reel through the fish marked on the sonar, don’t slow down. Reel fast when you see a fish following. Bass and crappie move to deeper water around structure. I think the spots group up more as the water heats up. Look for brush piles 15 to 30 feet deep around points and humps. I will start with a topwater plug and then a drop-shot or a shaky head fished vertically where I mark the spots on the sonar. When you find one, there are usually more.

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LOCAL LAKES AND FORECAST LAKE SINCLAIR

FISHING ACROSS AMERICA Dr. Andrew Cox I recently made a trout fishing trip to the Missouri River in Montana. Rather than taking air transportation with its hassle of airports and crowded flights, I like to drive via automobile. In my travels, I have always been one to look over highway bridges that cross over on-route waterways. On this particular trip, I crossed over many waters within the continental United States. The United States is a vast country with varied landscapes, terrain, and climate. Varied waters are found to include brooks, springs, streams, farm ponds, rivers and both natural and man-made lakes of multiple sizes. My thoughts are that it would be nice to sample these various waters and the fish species inhabiting them. Some of these waters have fish species not found in our local Southeastern waterways. Several family members accompanied me on this particular trip and shared in the driving duties. On this trip, we traveled via a motorized home rather an automobile. To pass time as we traveled through a state or observed a particular body of water, I would look up fishing opportunities and descriptions for the state’s waterways. The internet still amazes me with the wealth of information available through this technological medium. There is much information describing fish species to target, fishing techniques, water access, and optimum time of the year for fishing bodies of water within each state. Over the course of my travel to Montana, I was particularly impressed with Lake Barkley, Kentucky Lake, and the Land Between the Lakes region of Tennessee and Kentucky. These are large lakes with good fishing for a variety of warm water species. On several occasions, I crossed over the Missouri River as we traveled through Missouri and Nebraska. This waterway ranges from a large river surrounded by high limestone bluffs to a flat urban waterway. In Nebraska and Wyoming, we viewed various portions of the Platte River. This river 20 ATLANTA

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has fish species ranging from high caliber trout fishing in Wyoming to warm water fishing throughout Nebraska. Though I focused upon fishing the Missouri River headwaters in Montana, I was able to sample a variety of waters within this state. This state has both mountainous and flatland rivers and streams as well as large lakes suitable for angling and other water sports. Each state through which we traveled had multiple fishing opportunities. These included the rugged, flowing mountain streams, and alpine lakes of the Rocky Mountains, the large reservoirs of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and South Dakota, and the lakes and rivers of Mississippi and Alabama. Even New Mexico has beautiful flowing streams with desert views interspersed among snowcapped mountains. This trip through a large swath of south, middle, and western United States impressed me with the fact that fishing opportunities exist virtually everywhere in the United States. There is obviously more water than one can visit and fish in a human lifetime within this great country. Though I like to sample new waters and catch fish species that I have never or rarely caught, this trip made me realize that I do not have enough years left to sample fishing opportunities available in even the thirteen plus states that I traveled. What about the fishing in all the other states? Good fishing and be safe. Author’s Note: Dr. Andrew Cox is a contributing writer to outdoor publications and newspapers. His writing interests specialize in angling and travel, human interest, and general fishing technique oriented topics. He is a member of the Georgia Outdoor Writer’s Association. He has been fishing the waters of Georgia, Alabama, and north Florida for over forty years. Dr. Cox financially supports his fishing habits as Professor Emeritus at Troy University, Phenix City, Alabama. He may be contacted at andrewtrout@aol.com.

Forecast By: Ken Sturdivant kensturdivant@att.net Lake Sinclair is down 1.6 feet with the water temperature in the 80s. Bass fishing if fair. The morning bite is crucial with the sun getting up very early during the summer months. Covering water quickly with a buzzbait seems to generate a majority of the quality bites and helps pick off a few active fish that are ready to bite first thing in the morning. Once the sun is out, docks seem to be the significant pattern and should stay consistent all the way through August. Use the Lowrance electronics offshore to find any cover or

structure that may be holding a fish in 15 to 25 feet of water. Megabass Vision 110+1 jerk bait is tuned to match the action of a real baitfish. Its sister bait, the Megabass Vision 110 jerk bait, is already a legend, and this bait will ride its coat tails. Get out the checkbook for these, but they are worth every dollar. A Carolina rig, crankbait and jig are all good choices for targeting these deeper areas. Fishing can be tough being in the wrong area. Move often, especially early and late, and try another location. Find a location, and when getting a few bites, slow down and cover the area to catch a decent limit of fish. A drop-shot or shaky head are both good options if the fishing is extremely slow.

LAKE CHATUGE Eric Welch Welch’s Guide Service www.welchsguideservice.com 706-455-2323 Water temperature: 80-82 degrees, lake level: 6” above full pool, clarity: clear. The bite has been good on Chatuge. At daybreak we’ve been having some topwater action happening on the main body and in pockets. My baits of choice are a Strike King Sexy Dawg, Whopper Plopper and 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 is so 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 trying to target the ones that have a drop or access to deep water. Fish these with a shaky head, dropshot or jig. Then you can just target points. There is some kind of brush on about ever point on the lake. Sometimes there will be

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shallow brush in 12’ to 20’, then on out you will find the deep summer brush in the 25’ to 35’ depth. 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 ounce Carolina rig with a Senko. This is the best time of year to use your electronics, and if you have the new Garmin Live Scope or Lowrance Active 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. Good luck!

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Forecast By: Joseph Martinelli 404-919-4918 Lake Allatoona is fishing fantastic again this month, and we are so blessed to have this wonderful fishery in our backyards. You will note that water levels have remained at full pool level overall this summer, and current surface temperatures are still mild coming into August The best bite is steadily from 5-8/9 a.m. daily through today. It’s real nice to be on a fishing hole before sunrise and get off the water by eight or nine when you can to maximize your early morning hours before work or other daily tasks. The evening bite is beginning to shape up nicely, and we’ll concentrate our efforts in the early evening hours, especially when the linesides start boiling on the surface later in August and September. Let the topwater shad-chasing and feeding begin! Downlining threadfin shad and small gizzard shad has been the most productive technique, but we are also hooking a lot of good quality fish on freelines. We are finding a lot of nicer fish on our adventures lately. An absolute key to both techniques is matching your hook size and line diameter to your bait size for best results. Sure, we’ve had some fish that were hard to tame on the light line, but we sure hook up a lot! The early morning working of a topwater lure has also been showing us some love with quality fish. The larger ones are fewer and further between, but the “swirl” is worth the time spent no matter the

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size of the fish that hits. Spooning has its moments too, but it’s a lot of work though. We are primarily using a Capt. Mack’s Super Spoon or the Flexi-Spoon. With a lot of the bait holding on the upper 20 feet of water, trolling a u-rig or casting the Alabama rig/Mini Mack’s across points has also begun producing. This pattern will continue to increase in effectiveness as we transition into a late summer striper pattern. The Gar-gantuan bite will begin here shortly, and we are excited for the early afternoon sight-fishing adventures targeting these river/reservoir monsters. If you think you’d like to experience hooking into one or more of these 36-60” gar, let’s get together. The spotted bass bite has definitely been wonderful, particularly in the early morning hours. Just before sunrise, we have continually watched these fish break chasing bait on points each and every morning. When we can reach them, they are typically quite willing and able to give you a run for your money. We’ve been seeing increased numbers of 2 and 3 pound spots this summer. They’ve grown a little from the 3/41.5 pounders, and we had a great crop/spawn this year to strengthen the population. Okay, so here’s the thing. Take the kids fishing! Maybe it’s just you and your best friend, or maybe it’s a solo excursion, but do get out and enjoy the sounds of nature here on lively Lake Allatoona when time and space permits this summer. If we can help facilitate your great adventure, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at 404-919-4918. Tight lines, friends!

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LOCAL LAKES AND FORECAST CRAPPIE CHRONICALS PART 5: JULY 2021 by Dickelsby Dickg@Theanglermagazine.com Welcome to the latest chapter of the North Georgia Crappie Anglers club who once again hosted and directed and provided special honors for seventy-eight very special veterans with a fulfilling day of crappie fishing and picnicking and fellowship on beautiful Lake Lanier. The club members provided thirty three of their fishing boats to help guide the vets from early morning safe light to lunch time! Mark down this website: https:// fishingwitheverydayheroes.org if you please. Captain Josh Thornton is the operator of this fantastic fishing oriented mission to provide veterans and service providers with complimentary fishing trips on Lanier.

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RED SNAPPER AND BLUE ANGELS By Chuck Alford, ASWSC, chuckalford@comcast.net

He seeks sponsor help to bring the fishing experience to our everyday heroes! Please reach out to him at 770-530-6493. Many thanks go out to Capt. Thornton for completing this event and planning for many more! The club directors led by Woodie Malone and special photography by Gary McDonald of DGM Images (404-771-9613) is a wonderful backdrop to the contributions of these generous Fishing Guys! Stay tuned as the next invitational outing will be announced soon. To reach The Angler Magazine for more information, please contact me at Dickg@theanglermagazine.com or call 404-427-3286.

June finally arrived, and this year the Gulf of Mexico red snapper season is actually a couple of weeks longer than it has been the last few years. Additional scientific studies have been conducted showing there are quite a few more red snapper than the Gulf Fisheries Management Council thought were out there. It has been quite obvious to those of us actually on the water catching them. Now if the same studies are done on the Atlantic side, maybe there will be more than a few days open there each year. Each year the club holds our most anticipated tournament in Apalachicola to coincide with red snapper season. It is a great red snapper fishery along with grouper and other species, but this year the weather predictions were wild and woolly. A week out it looked to be awful with the wind howling up to 30 mph and 6 – 8 foot waves, so the tournament was cancelled. A couple days out, the weather prediction suddenly got much better and the tournament was re-instated, but better was relative. The conditions still were fishable, but not very good, and many of the boats had also changed plans, so only three boats fished the tournament. Everyone who fished dealt with rough conditions, but the snapper were on fire and everyone loaded the boxes and had a great time. Another one of the club’s favorite events each year is our week in Orange Beach Alabama. While we have a great fishing tournament, it is so much more. We fish a few days and spend the others rafting up on Robinson Island or taking the boats to the local on-the-water restaurants, and we always schedule for the week prior to the Pensacola Blue Angels air show. This is the only tournament that ends on Friday instead of Saturday so we can all make the 20 mile run to Pensacola and raft up to watch the airshow. This year the tournament was three days long. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday were selected

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because the weather on Monday and Tuesday was pretty bad. Unlike Florida which has it’s red snapper season June 4 to July 28, Alabama opens their red snapper season on four day weekends (Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday) for the equivalent number of days. We would have preferred to hold the tournament on Monday and Friday and one other day to take advantage of the season, but Monday just looked too bad. The fishing was a little off, maybe from the volatile weather from tropical storm Elsa that had just died off. A large variety of fish were caught. Along with red snapper, there were gag, scamp and strawberry grouper; cobia, almaco jack, vermillion snapper, red porgies and mahi, and everyone wrestled with several very large sharks. It was a good time and lots of tasty fillets were packed away. Saturday was a special day. We had eight boats from the club head to Pensacola along with a few other boats (actually a few hundred) from the Orange Beach/Gulf Shores area. It was about an hour and half ride down a very crowded Intracoastal Waterway, then we popped out to the ocean and anchored up with all our hundreds of other new friends in their boats, most with American Flags flying. The Blue Angels air show is awesome, but when you are on your boat and they are low level right over you it takes it to a whole new level and an experience everyone should see. The Atlanta Saltwater Sportsman Club (ASWSC) is for saltwater lovers in the metro area (and beyond).For more information about ASWSC: www.aswsc.org, info@aswsc.org, and like us on Facebook “Atlanta Saltwater Sportsman Club”.

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LOCAL LAKES AND FORECAST

ST JULY CRAPPIE ON ALLATOONA By Tim Dangar ltdangar@tds.net

Lake Allatoona has finally settled down to a somewhat normal summer pool level. However, it has bounced a foot or two, according to what the tropical bucket-an-hour rain storms do. The water has maintained a clear to cloudy color for some time now. On Friday, July 2nd, I decided to give it a try before the July 4th boat traffic hit the water. It turned out to be a great day on the lake, and I found some hungry crappie. One of the places I like to fish is on a point which has high boat traffic and can be a little rough to hang on, if you know what I mean. I have found some fish half way back in deep coves which helps shield from main lake boat traffic, but for whatever reason, the fish are bigger on the main lake points. The secret to any of these spots is, of course, COVER. Some of the cover I fish is man-made consisting of a lot of Christmas trees, and other

July crappie on Allatoona. My two favorite grubs are Kalin’s 2 inch Triple Threat Grub in Red Hot Mama and Green Weenie colors. I use a 1/16 ounce red head Bass Pro jig. When you thread your grub

onto the jig, make sure the tail ends up down just like the hook. Please see picture for example. Hope everyone is having a great summer. Until next time, stay calm and fish on!

spots have natural cover consisting of big pine blow downs due to spring storms. You need at least 15 feet of water covering the trash and try to work the jig right across the top of the trees as crappie always feed up. Please note that jig fishing these trees requires patience due to hanging up and breaking off. Y’all have heard the old saying: “if you are not getting hung up, you are not where the fish are”. Well, this is so true when it comes to

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LOCAL LAKES AND FORECAST FISH A JIG AND PIG IN THE DEAD OF SUMMER By Ken Sturdivant www.southernfishing.com 770-889-2654

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The bass angler knows how to fish a jig and pig, but many miss a great opportunity each year. Since there are no rules in fishing, why not fish the jig and pig in the heat of the summer? Bass are very active all summer. After all, they are a member of the sunfish family. The bass gets hungry more often during warmer months, and they use a lot of energy. They will need to eat a lot more food. If they see a crawfish, they will eat it. Tournaments for bass anglers are held year round. The jig and pig or the jig and plastic trailer has won many events for years. But why do professional anglers use this bait in the largest tournament of their lives? Bass love crawfish, and this is an easy meal for a bass. This is a small freshwater crayfish that all bass, largemouth, spotted and even smallmouth will hardly ever pass up. With more nutritional value in the small tasty creature than anything in nature, the crawfish is great food. Start with a 3/8 ounce jig and be sure to use the lure that has a fiber weed guard. These tiny fibers can be cut and trimmed to suit the cover being fished. Stanley and Bulldog are name brand jigs that are tournament tested. Buy three colors: black, brown and blue. Next, select the number 11 Uncle

Josh pork trailer. Yes, pork! Mix and match the colors and look closely at the head of the pork. Notice that the hole in the jig is really a slit. With the fat part of the pork down, run the hook through the pork. If the pork trailers are tough to use, find the plastic imitations and mix and match colors. Once the plastic trailer is added to the jig, take a round tooth pick and poke it right through the plastic in front of the hook. Go all the way though and then trim the toothpick on both sides. This will help reinforce the plastic, and it won’t rip off easily. Add a glass rattle in this plastic lure. Why not? Rig this bait up with a bait casting rod and reel and 12-pound test line. Cast this lure and let it settle to the bottom. Now work the bait with the rod tip and slowly hop this bait across the bottom. Strikes will be a solid thump and then jerk real hard. Try this bait this summer and the largest fish of the year is a possibility.

The bass gets hungry more often during warmer months, and they use a lot of energy.

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LOCAL LAKES AND FORECAST DOWN THE TOCCOA IN SEARCH OF MONSTERS By Gary Turner

With my knee finally feeling like I could get back on a boat, I called my good friend and guide Joe Dipietro and asked if he had any days open. He said he didn’t and that he was fully booked. With a dejected tone in my voice, I told him that it was awesome he was so busy. I also told him that if he had a cancelation to let me know. Two days later he texted and asked if I could do an early trip the next morning. My reply was “Sure! Where and what time?” He said we were going to wait and see the generation schedule, and he would let me know that evening. I called Stacy Fleming to see if he could get off work, but he didn’t think he could. I told him it was a fishing trip with Joe on the Toccoa. He said “Ok, I’ll make it happen!” Joe messaged me later and said let’s meet at Curtis Switch at 6:00 AM. At 3:15 I’m in my truck messing with the GoPro my kids got me for Father’s Day. Stacy rolled in and we started the run up to Blue Ridge, then over to the park. We rolled in at 5:57 AM, and Joe was sitting there ready. We loaded up on the boat and started catching up like we always do with old friends. Whether it’s around a campfire, a dinner table or on a boat, it’s always great to catch up. We shoved off and Joe showed us the spot where he hooked the River Monster. At 18 pounds and 32 inches long, it was the River Monster for sure! All the little trout trembled when he swam by, and all the anglers who have caught glimpses of him over the past few years have thrown everything they could at him trying to elicit a rise. Stories like that always put a giant, stupid-looking smile on my face. After a few casts, I had a brown on the line. No, it wasn’t 32 inches, but it was fun! Stacy hooked several browns and rainbows as we worked our way down the river. I caught a couple more browns and several rainbows. All we both lacked for the Toccoa Grand Slam were the brookies! Probably one of the several fish I missed were brookies. Yeah, I missed a bunch that day. I 26 ATLANTA

AUGUST 2021

had one brown that ate three times, and I finally hooked him. He just wasn’t going let me miss. One thing I do know is the more you fish, the better you get. I don’t get a lot of trout time in, so I get a little rusty. We had an awesome time with Joe. We were so thankful he was willing to take us on the early trip that morning. A trip down the Toccoa is all about the fishing, friends, beauty of the river and the ambiance! If you want to learn more about fishing the Toccoa, give Joe a shout. He will show you how to use fly rods and go over the basics of what you need to do to catch fish. He will also show you spinning rod techniques, fly fishing using nymphs or how to catch them on ultra-lights. He has you covered. Joe offers a great day of fishing for a great price. A day trip from Curtis Switch Park to Horseshoe Bend Park is about 7 miles, so figure 6-8 hours. You can get more information on fishing with Joe DiPietro by calling 706-851-4001, emailing him at FanninTrout@gmail.com, or at Facebook.com/TroutFishingNorthGeorgia, and tell him Gary sent you. His website is http:// NorthGeorgiaTroutFishing.com. If you want to fish the Toccoa River on your own, wading is the favored way, but please read all of the warning signs that are posted along the river. They tell you how long after the generation times the river will rise at what distance from the Blue Ridge Dam. Prior to setting out on a day of fishing, remember to always check the dam release schedule @ 1-800-2382264, then 4, then 23 or www.tva. com or the Blue Ridge Dam on this page: http://www.tva.com/river/ lakeinfo/index.htm. Unscheduled water releases are common, so be prepared at all times. Even for the most experienced fisherman, trouble can be right around the corner. A quick rule of thumb about the rising river is to mark a rock that is 1-2” out of the water, and when that rock gets covered up, you will know the river has begun to rise. If you find yourself trapped out in the

river, let your gear go and float down current like you are sitting in a chair, working your way to an eddy or bank, and get out. No gear is worth your life. Do not try to swim against the current. You will tire out fast or hit a rock that could injure you. The best thing to do is always wear a PFD (Personal Flotation Device).

I’m not sure what next month’s article will be on, but remember, if you have an empty seat on your boat that needs filling, shoot me an email and maybe it will be about fishing with you! You can reach me at gary@purgeright.com. Please remember, if you are not going to eat it, don’t kill it.

CARTERS LAKE being caught both early morning and even mid-day, targeting them in the deeper, cooler water on the edges of timber with a variety of taclakeandstreamguideservice@gmail.com tics. It’s an expensive way to fish at times with the fish being so tight to Water temperature: 84 degrees, cover, but it’s just part of it. Live bait, spoons, and crawler harnesses are lake level: full, clarity: 3 feet. It’s definitely summertime on all catching fish. My starting point Carters Lake right now with deep fish, on most trips has been 60 to 70 feet. deep bait and deep presentation. The striper bite has been super early with the fish primarily feeding a few hours before and up to daylight. After sunrise, the bite lasts about an hour and fish move down to deeper water. Fishing under the Hydro Glow lights has been good for both stripers and hybrids and the occasional walleye. Catching live bait is your best bet, and the light will bring them in. The umbrella rig bite has been pretty good. Capt. Mack really sells a quality product that puts fish in the boat. Experiment with speed and distance until you find the sweet spot. The walleye bite has gotten better in the last 2 weeks with some nice fish

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

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Sauteed Crappie with Butter Sauce Servings: 4

Ingredients

• • • • • •

8 3-ounce crappie fillets skin removed 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon salt 1/2 teaspoon white pepper 1 tablespoon garlic powder 5 tablespoons butter chilled

• • • • • •

2 tablespoons olive oil 1/4 cup dry white wine 1 lemon juice only 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves 8 slices tomato about 1/4-inch thick 1 avocado sliced into 8 thin slices

Instructions

• Combine flour, salt, white pepper and garlic powder in a small bowl. Dust fish with flour mixture. • Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter and the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add fish and brown on one side, about 3 – 4 minutes. Flip fish over and cook for 2 more minutes. Remove fish and keep warm. • Add wine and lemon juice and stir to loosen bits stuck to pan. Reduce liquid to just a few tablespoons. Stir in basil and remaining chilled butter, stirring until butter is melted. Remove from heat. • For each serving, arrange 1 slice of tomato on a plate. Top with 1 piece of fish and then avocado slices. Place tomato over avocado, then fish and then 2 mores slices avocado. Drizzle butter sauce over and serve.

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Largemouth and Spots: Fair August is usually a tough month for bass fishing on most lakes, but there are a few patterns that can still produce. Try pitching jigs or Texas rigged worms around blown down trees or under boat docks. This pattern seems to work best when the sun is out. The fish like the shade and coverage just like we do. Old road beds and pond dams, especially those with cover or man-made brush piles, can produce some good fish. Try big diving crankbaits or Ol-Monster worms dragged through the thickest cover you can find. Some decent fish can still 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 a jig around thick cover or aquatic grasses. Hybrids and Stripers: Good - 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. If we have a tropical depression come through, they usually go nuts on top. Trolling big plugs with a bucktail in front, especially in the late afternoons during periods of water generation, can be very effective as well. Crappie: Good - 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, putting out brush piles and downlining with live minnows in the thick brush, do very well. Another pattern that works is shooting docks or pitching to docks. Crappie like the shade, and often a single dock can produce a limit of fish. Also, night fishing is normally very good during the summer months, and it keeps you out of the heat. Catfish: Good - Although they’re kind of overlooked, catfish provide a steady bite all summer. Try using live worms, cut bait or chicken liver fished on the bottom. Jug fishing is also really productive and a fun way to get the whole family involved. Best of all, catfish are really tasty!

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LOCAL LAKES AND FORECAST

BROKEN FOCUS Contributed By: Jay Striker www.jaystriker.com It has been said that the number one reason people do not meet their goals is broken focus. This statement is one of the truest I have taken to heart. As I reflect back on my life and fishing career, I can pinpoint my level of focus was directly related to my outcomes in life. I am who I am today solely due to the choices I made in my past. I believe we all are. I genuinely believe that life’s outcomes come down to two things: choices and consequences. You may be wondering why this would be so important today in developing, building, and maintaining a career, especially a fishing career. Competing in tournament fishing takes a great deal of focus, and good choices often lead to good outcomes. However, today’s anglers deal with a world surrounded by powerful distractions such as technology, self-insecurities, validation and many, many more. We are all human and have our own distractions that take our minds off what is essential. Let us look at how focusing on your strengths, changing bad habits, and developing a balance in

life will keep you on track to meet your goals. Focus on your strengths: Often, as an angler, it’s easy to get distracted by doing something you know that may not be a strong suit. If you have never fished a drop-shot rig, a tournament may not be the best time to try the technique. You may find it very difficult to keep your line out of the trolling motor, which can get really frustrating. It is equally important to eliminate things around you that you know will be distractions and holding you back from your goals. Make a decision straight away about the action you will take and do it without a lot of pauses. This action will allow you to remove any fears or doubts in your mind that could arise if you don’t take action. If you are good at cranking, then crank. If you are good at jig fishing, then do that. However, avoid introducing stress into the situations by procrastinating and working outside your strengths. Change bad habits: Robins stated: “You don’t get out of life what you want. You get out of life who

you are.” If you are doing the same things expecting different results, yes, that’s crazy. It’s hard to meet your highest potential when you have bad habits. I will not get better at skipping a jig under a dock if the only thing I did is fish soft plastics baits in fishing. Failing to break old habits will stunt your growth if you don’t change them. When fishing in a bass tournament, it’s easy to get stuck in a rut and start to fish a lake off of memory. However, I have witnessed time and again where local anglers lose to the guy that lives 200 miles away due to not making changes in their habits. Balance Life’s Priorities: I can speak for myself that there is no way I can just fish all the time. I would like to, but I do not. Why? Because I have a life to live with a family to raise. However, this is where I see a lot of anglers miss the mark. Countless times, anglers sacrifice everything to chase their passion. Family, kids, work, friends, etc. have all been the offering at the altar of this sport. Anglers, if you don’t get anything else from this article, please understand that your family, kids, and friends must be a priority in your life. The lakes and the streams will always be there, but those closest to you will not. I encourage you to prioritize balancing life’s priorities. You will be amazed at how much

better an angler you will become. Let me close by stating that life will always be standing by to throw you a curveball, and in the world of fishing, it’s no exception. Life’s design will cause you to lose focus at times. However, the choices you make will directly give way to an outcome that can be in your favor or not. Staying focused is one of the greatest strengths you can have when tournament fishing. If focus is something that you struggle with, as I did in my past, I invite you to focus on your strengths and take action, Change bad habits, and balance your passion in a way that includes the ones you love the most, and you’ll be on your way to keeping on track and staying in the game. As always, I thank you for the support and for allowing me to engage you and continue to follow me on Instagram, Facebook and at www.jaystriker.com.

creeks. Cut bait and shad are a great choice. These river cats can’t be beat if you want a good catfish supper. Bottom fishing on the creek drops using worms are catching the pect some misses. Throw another “squealers”. These little fellers are bait or a different colored plastic really sweet and good with cheese in the same spot, as she is liable to grits and a fresh biscuit. hit again. Unweighted Flukes and Be sure to visit www.alclassic. Senkos are doing well. A buddy has com, sign up for our newsletter and been doing great on white Flukes sign up for the October 16, 2021 with chartreuse tails. Chatterbaits tournament. Thanks to Alfa Insurand spinnerbaits are good also. The ance for guaranteeing our first place frog bite is on early and late on pads team a $5,000 check and increasing and broken cover. Deeper bass are our total purse to $15,000 for the scattered on ledge cover and man- top 15 teams. All the details and made structure. Carolina rigs are contact info are on the website. good when worked slowly in these Please be safe in this heat. Keep areas. plenty of sunscreen and water and Crappie have settled in on the enjoy what God has provided for deeper trash piles. Minnows are us. School will be starting soon, and good, but the jig worked just above fishing is the perfect way to spend them is really getting a good mess family time and create memories right now. Panfish are holding near your kids will share for generations the bank lines. Crickets and wigglers to come. Pray for one another and are your best choice now. for our military, police and border Catfish are doing great. Lots patrol agents. God Bless and good of jug fishermen are working the Fishn’.

LAKE EUFAULA By Capt Sam Williams hawk184@earthlink.net 334-687-6266 Water temperature: upper 80’s, lake level: 190.31 msl, clarity: slight stain. The river is finally back up to normal summer pool, and with the prediction of upcoming daily rains, it promises to stay this way. That being said, the shallow bite is good again as the baitfish are in the grass now. The bass are in the patchy cover just offshore. Work your bait behind or deep into the cover, let it settle for a minute and begin the retrieve. When you reach an opening or the outside edge, let it drop again and slowly bring it back. They are still short striking a lot, so ex-

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AUGUST 2021

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

What is your favorite lake to fish this time of year? We are often asked this question, and we’ve also covered this topic many times. I guess we can’t let it go, so I’m going to write about it again. The answer is straight up, Lake Chatuge, especially in the months of July, August and September. The fish on this beautiful mountain lake really turn on during these summer months, and I mean turn on. It’s not uncommon for us to catch 30-50 fish on Chatuge in just a couple of hours. It truly is an amazing lake to fish for the month of August. Currently, Lake Chatuge is at full pool. Water temps are in the mid 80s, and water clarity is clear throughout the lake. Hybrid and spot fishing has been pretty phenomenal lately. Late summer patterns are in full swing. The fish are schooling in large numbers, and we are catching some big quantities (30 to 40 a morning.) Most of our hybrids are averaging 5-10 pounds. These are some of Lake Chatuge’s hardest-fighting fish, and we’re having a blast wearing them

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out. The early morning and mid-afternoon bite has been prime. Look for schools of fish along the main channel and off points. Downlining 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 has slowed down considerably but you can still find a few busting. When these fish start busting on bait, it’s always a good idea to have a plug, Spook, or Red Fin at the ready. Look for this same pattern to continue for the next month or so until water temps begin to fall. August 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 and Nottely, and Lake Blue Ridge in Blue Ridge, GA. 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 It’s hard to believe August is already here. The end of summer is right around the corner however, its hot temps will be with us for the next couple of months. This only means our deep mountain lake stripers and hybrids will stay schooled up and feeding like crazy, and Lake Nottely is a perfect place to catch some of those late summer monsters. This is really is a great time of year to catch tons of those schooling fish, and there’s no better way to do that than by booking a trip with Blairsville, GA’s #1 striper guide: Big Ol’ Fish Guiding Service. Check us out on Facebook and see for yourself. Currently, Lake Nottely is at full pool. Water clarity is clear throughout the lake, and water temps are in the mid 80’s. Striper fishing was excellent in the month of July, and August should be even better for us. Currently, we are catching some decent fish in good quantities averaging 20-30 stripers a morning out here, with the majority of them being in the 10-15 pound range. However, we have caught some very nice 15 to 20 pounders here lately.

The early morning and late afternoon bites are your best times to see action. Target creek mouths and points off the main lake channel. The majority of our fish have been caught from Point 9 to the dam. Down lining live blueback herring over a 30 to 60 foot bottom has been the best technique, but we’ve actually had a pretty good topwater bite lately as well. Keep that Spook or Red Fin at the ready to snag those surfacebusting 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. August is a great month for catching a lot of schooling 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 (in North Carolina), 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!

Forecast by: Clay Cunningham www.catchingnotfishing.com 770-630-2673 After a cool early July, the summer heat has arrived on Lanier, and the stripers have moved south on the lake. The water temperature is in the mid-eighties, and the water is clear. Also, the average size of fish has increased since last year. The best fishing is on the south end of the lake due to deeper, colder water which means higher oxygen levels for the stripers. Look in the creek channels near patches of timber. The primary pattern is the downline. The primary setup for the downline is a Shakespeare Striper Rod paired with a Penn Fathom II 15 Linecounter reel spooled with 15-pound Trilene Big Game line, the Captain Mack 2 ounce swivel sinker, a 6 foot section of Trilene 100 percent Flourocarbon and a 1/0 Gamakatsu Octopus hook. Add a live herring to the hook, and you are good to go. Take plenty of herring as they will not live long on

the hook. Great electronics like the Humminbird Solix are the keys for success right now. Be sure to use your side imaging to find the fish. The trolling bite is also picking up. Talk to your local tackle store like Hammonds or Oakwood Bait and Tackle for the specific rod and reel needed. Look for a Penn Fathom reel paired with a Shakespeare Tiger rod. Once you are set up, tie up one rod with a Ben Parker spoon, one with a Georgia Blade spoon, and one with a 1 to 2 ounce white Berkley Fusion bucktail and troll at 2.8 mph. Tip the Berkley Fusion bucktail with a 6 inch Capt. Mack chartreuse trailer. Let the first couple bites tell you which one is hot. It can vary from day to day. Also, keep white Capt. Mack trailers, pink trailers, and all bucktail sizes on hand. Be sure to release fish as fast as possible. Every second out of the water in the hot summer months increases mortality. If you are taking pictures, have everything ready for a quick release. See you on the water.

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AUGUST 2021

ATLANTA 31

Wall of Fame

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

WINNER!

Joseph Clark Joseph Clark with a nice striper caught and released during its summer vacation in the cooler Chattahoochee River above Lake Lanier.

Unicoi Outfitters Helen shop manager Wes McElroy with a huge gar caught on the fly during its Chattahoochee River spawning run up from Lake Lanier.

Ryan O’Neal with a couple of giant Lanier spots taken topwater on a CAST Fishing Co. OG Herring Stickbait.

Aelynn Pulliam and Avery Altman show off their cats fresh from Lake Lanier.

Mike Brown with his 20 pound snapper fishing with Capt Dwayne Coulter in Apalachicola, Florida.

Mitch Muring used a popper on his flyrod to land this huge largemouth from a central Georgia private lake.

Kenai Castllo from Tifton, GA caught this nice bass on Lake Eufaula with guide Joe Dudewitz.

Tony Maddox with the North GA Crappie Anglers with his 25 pound triple tail caught in Apalachicola.

Retired Buford High School head basketball coach Paul Knight caught this nice striper while fishing with friends on Lake Lanier.

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urf Expo is a lot more than surf. As the largest and longest-running watersports and beach lifestyle tradeshow in the world, the show is about watersports; it’s about boating; it’s about everything that has to do with the coastal lifestyle. Surf Expo’s “Bluewater” category caters to the fishing lifestyle that is an inherent part of the “waterman” lifestyle of today’s watersports enthusiast who lives on, in and for the water or just aspires to the lifestyle. Surf Expo caters to all things water, from surfing, to fishing, and paddling on a SUP, kayak or canoe, or just a day at the beach or on the lake. For apparel and accessory brands and manufacturers, Surf Expo is the ideal place to promote products to a new audience of buyers searching for products to cater to the “waterman” customer. AFTCO’s Chairman and CEO Bill Shedd said, “We’ve been coming to Surf Expo since the beginning, and we were one of the first to be in the Bluewater section—where we’ve found a new home. There’s a whole lifestyle around saltwater, offshore and big game fishing that’s bled off into inshore fishing and more of an outdoor activity in the broader outdoor world. AFTCO fits into that.” For buyers, it’s the ideal way to conveniently shop top fishing apparel and accessory brands and source from the show’s 10 other water-related categories to fill shelves with everything from sunglasses and sunscreen to towels, footwear and sportswear. Tackle dealers who don’t take advantage of the crossover between fishing and the overall watersports lifestyle are missing out on a powerful revenue stream. Owner of Sarasota fishing and boating landmark CB’s Saltwater Outfitters, Aledia Tush said, “We’ve been attending Surf Expo for many years. We’re always looking for new products, T-shirts, sportswear, suntan products, towels, sandals, shoes and sunglasses. Being a Florida retailer, Surf Expo is a show not to be missed!” Brands you’ll find in Bluewater at Surf Expo include AFTCO, Deep Blue Gear, Fish Hippie, Habit Outdoors, Jeep by Buck Wear, John Boy Brand, MANG Gear, Marsh Wear Clothing, Reel Life, Reelhead, Salt Life, The Qualified Captain, Unsalted Coast and WTF-What The Fin. Other core brands to be found across the show include Costa, YETI, Salty Crew, Avid Gear, Hook & Tackle, Reel Skipper, Beach and Barn, Bimini Bay Outfitters, Unsalted Coast, Skinny Water Culture and many, many more. Surf Expo’s upcoming show stages September 9-11 at the Orange County Convention Center’s West Concourse in Orlando, Fla. Registration is free for qualified retailers, at surfexpo.com or contact steven.fisher@surfexpo.com.

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NATIONAL 17

CAMP FOR TROUT DEEP IN THE SMOKIES By Nick Carter

hen the boat dropped us off Friday morning, it was with an understanding someone would return for us Sunday afternoon. We debarked into two nights and three days of camping and trout fishing deep in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. With no cell service or road access for miles in any direction, we were about as disconnected as you can get in this part of the world. It was a glorious feeling. Actually, one of our guides, Jake Tallent, of Fish Tales Outfitters in Franklin, N.C., had a satellite phone/EPIRB “for emergencies.” Around the campfire one night, he admitted using it to text his girlfriend. Guess the whole out-of-touch and roughing-it fantasy is a little outdated these days. We weren’t really roughing it much at all. Tallent and our other guide, Nick Potts, rolled cartloads of gear up the trail to our campsite near the mouth of Hazel Creek. Three other clients and I sat in camp chairs and got to know each other while the guides set up camp. That set the mood for the weekend. The camping was comfortable, everything was provided for. All we were expected to do was fish hard, enjoy ourselves and return to hot meals around a campfire each evening. Hazel Creek flows through high mountains on the north shore of

North Carolina’s Lake Fontana. Road access to the north shore was completely cut off in the 1940s, when TVA flooded this impoundment of the Little Tennessee River. Abandoned, the communities that existed there returned to the forest. In three-quarters of a century since, it has become one of the most beautiful and historically intriguing areas of the Smokies. The best access is by boat across the lake. Proctor, N.C. is the ghost town on Hazel Creek. The town’s main drag, Calico Street, is now the gravel trail that parallels the creek for 15 miles up into the hills. Ruins of Proctor are hidden everywhere in the creek and up steep wooded hillsides. Tallent regaled us with history as we passed landmarks hiking upstream in search of good trout water each day. The creek itself is on the large side of typical for the park. It is cold and clear with a relatively flat gradient that makes for easy streamside hiking. A mix of boulder-strewn stretches and bedrock shoals create interesting holding water. There are also some deep, dark pools. Hazel Creek is loaded with beautiful 7- to 12-inch stream-born rainbow trout. There are also some big browns lurking in the deep holes. Over three days of fishing, we caught good numbers of fish with simple dry-dropper rigs on 3- and 4-weight fly rods. There’s nothing more fun than wading up a mountain stream to toy with wild trout that are eager to jump on a dry fly. Hazel Creek is a gorgeous place to do it. For a guided backcountry trip into the Great Smoky Mountains, check out Fish Tales Outfitters at www.fishtaleswnc.com.

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AUGUST 2021

NATIONAL 19

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This fixed 316 stainless steel bowsprit features a self-launching design to ensure your anchor always drops. Universal mounting holes make it easy to install yourself with just a few bolts. If you’re looking for a self-launching bowsprit that not only looks great but performs flawlessly every time, you can’t go past the Swivel Arm Bowsprit! Designed to be adaptable to most boats, marine grade 316 stainless steel and a self-launching design ensure your anchor always drops and self rights the anchor on retrieval. The large is perfect for any vessel up to 45’ / 15m while the small suits boats up to 27’ / 9m.

THE STRAIGHT BOWSPRIT The Straight Bowsprit is a fixed 316 stainless steel bowsprit featuring a fixed design with angled rollers that ensure almost every anchor drops freely. Universal mounting holes make it easy to install yourself with just a few bolts. If you’re looking for a timeless, reliable bowsprit for your boat, you can’t go past the Straight Bowsprit. Marine-grade 316 stainless steel and a fixed design with angled rollers help self right the anchor on retrieving. It is designed to be adapted to most boats. The large is perfect for any vessel up to 45’ / 15m while the small suits boats up to 27’ / 9m. “For a while, we’ve identified ourselves as the drum anchor winch experts. But really, having dealt with various consultations and unique boating experiences over the years, we’ve really become boat anchoring experts along the way,” said Sara Hitchins, Trade Show and Office Manager, of the expanded inventory. She said it only made sense to begin selling all components of boat-anchoring configurations. E-Z Anchor Puller will attend the in-person IBEX show in late September, Booth 3-2130. The “Trade Only” Tampa-based event caters to marine industry professionals and is “dedicated to advancing the business of boating.” E-Z Anchor Puller Mfg. Co. will showcase their winch series along with other products in its expanded catalog. Customers can call 1.800.800.1640 to place EZANCHORPULLER.COM their order.

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