Posts by Brad Bailey
Black Shoals Shellcrackers On The Bed
Tim Vaughn’s float, split-shot and gob of worms on a No. 4 hook arced through the air and plopped down on the surface of Black Shoals Lake. After a moment, the weight of the split-shot righted the stick-float, which bobbed on the surface. We were ready for a shellcracker to hit. On April 18, I…
Read MoreBasics For Catching April Bass At Bartletts Ferry
Dennis Hudson says he used to carry tons of fishing tackle when he went fishing, and most of it he never used. These days, when he heads out on a fishing trip, he is likely to have four rods rigged with just the things that catch fish. On March 18, Dennis and I eased away…
Read MoreHugh Gillis PFA: New Trophy-Bass Pond Potential In Laurens County
For the first 2 1/2 hours that we fished Hugh M. Gillis PFA, we did not catch a bass. On March 12, I was on this brand-new public fishing lake with Ron Davis of Dublin. And while our day started slowly, this 109-acre lake set on a 700-acre Laurens County tract holds the promise of…
Read MoreLake Hartwell In May: Topwater Bass Blast
Hartwell anglers are getting the topwater itch — it’s almost topwater time! Hartwell is famous for this post-spawn topwater bass-fishing blast. After the spawn is completed, the bass move out of the creeks and migrate to deep-water summer hangouts. At Hartwell that means main-lake points and humps that are usually lined with timber. The fish…
Read MoreBlack Shoals Drop-Shot Bass
When it comes to fishing Black Shoals reservoir, David Ruark and Chris York are fishing fanatics. David, who lives in Crawford and works for Weyerhaeuser, and Chris, who lives in Griffin and works for Progressive Insurance, fish together on the High Voltage jonboat bass tournament trail. Their specialty is bass fishing on several of the…
Read MoreEufaula March Bass In The Trees
Our second bass of the day, a bass that would top two pounds, hit Wilbur’s Trick Worm as the worm slid through an open area in the grass. The fat bass, as dark green as a farm-pond fish, splashed across a salad of green weeds covering the water and into the net. “I love Eufaula…
Read MoreChattahoochee River Tailrace Trout
He goes by Rick R — and for good reason. His tongue-twister last name is Rzemieniewski. Whatever you call him, Rick is a trout angler devoted to the Chattahoochee River tailrace below Buford Dam. “The Chattahoochee is one beautiful trout river,” he says. “I’d match it with any trout river on the east coast. The…
Read MoreThe Dingy Side Of Chatuge Spots
If Dwight Dilbeck could fish on one lure at Chatuge in March, the lure would be a crankbait — and the crankbait would be a Shad Rap. In March the spotted bass will move up from deep-water brushpiles to chase shad and blueback herring on the banks, and when they do, the Shad Rap becomes…
Read MoreBig Lazer Creek PFA: Big Bass Farm-Pond Style
If you don’t have access to a farm pond for bass fishing, you might consider trying Big Lazer Creek PFA. Mike Vosler of Riverdale is a small-lake, bass-fishing specialist, and Big Lazer Creek PFA in Talbot County is one of his favorites. The reason is simple: fishing the lake is like fishing a big farm…
Read MoreStrike Fast To Catch Blue Ridge Smallmouths
To the smallmouth, the small red jig darting just off the bottom of a rocky Lake Blue Ridge point must have looked like a crayfish or a yellow perch trying to escape. With a flick of its tail it surged forward and hit the jig. On the other end of the fishing line, sitting in…
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