Beaver Hunting With The Dog Whisperer

Editor’s Note: This article originally was published in the July 2012 issue of GON, and it was written by the late Glen Solomon. Scanning chocolate waters of the beaver pond, I saw Burtis Taylor whip the old weathered Ruger 10/22 to his shoulder. Looking in the direction he was aiming, I noticed a trail of…

Read More

Seminole Tilapia Getting Big

Mike Spampinato, of Valdosta, and Cecil Bodrey, of Sycamore, were fishing a Southern Angler Series bass tournament July 21 on Lake Seminole when Mike caught a 4.8-lb. tilapia on a wacky-rigged Senko. Cecil, owner of Rippin’ Lipz Custom Lures, said he lost a much larger one on a Texas-rigged Zoom lizard. “We were fishing in…

Read More

Mudfish Mayhem In The Okefenokee Swamp

“I got one!” Oh yeah, my favorite words to hear on the water. I wheeled around to see George’s rod bent over double. Seconds later, a dark fish rocketed out the water and did a 5-foot tailwalk across the top of the black glass.  I was hollering, “Reel, reel, reel! Keep him tight!” I coached…

Read More

Lady Catches 16 Pound Georgia Bass

Telfair County, Georgia — home of the world-record George Perry bass and the Georgia state record non-typical buck. Decades of unsurpassed fishing and hunting. Surely this must be some of the most fertile waters and woodlands in the state. Now, for the most recent outdoor milestone. Enter a south Georgia country gal nick-named “Lil Bit,”…

Read More

Blackwater Redbelly Slam

A quick flick of the wrist and the underhanded toss sent the tiny spinner sailing under a low-lying bough of a bell-bottom cypress, bumping a root lying at the edge of the black water. A glimpse of the small, gold blade spiraling down and BANG!  The little whippy rod instantly bent to the water, the…

Read More

Suwannee River Warmouth

Tap, tap! The underwater thumps on my little plastic 4-inch offering resonated down the graphite rod to my hand. I pointed the rod tip to the water, took up the dip in the line, and drove the thin-wired, razor sharp 1/0 Gamakatsu home. Shortly after crossing his eyes, and sharp as a ray of sunshine…

Read More

Etiquette And Tips For WMA Hunters

You’ve just settled in your stand. In a few moments the grayness of dawn will bring the woods to life. For a while, maybe since last season, you’ve been longing for this moment, this spot. Comfortably you await, and then you see it—a flashlight approaching. You flash back, but it comes nearer and nearer. Less…

Read More

Public-Land Hog Hunting In August

Yep, sure is hot. August is always a scorcher. But, how much do you love hunting? Aug. 15 is the opening day of WMA squirrel season, and wild hogs are also legal to take. I consider this to be the easiest time to fill my freezer with wild pork or bag a trophy boar. In…

Read More

Ocmulgee River Cats With “Catfish T”

Flashback. The mid 90s in Jeff Davis County, Ocmulgee River. A gangly 10-year-old kid is sitting at the front of an old yellow fiberglass boat, busily setting bush hooks. In the back, Uncle Buddy is maneuvering the Johnson 25 among the mazes of fallen tree tops and logjams, holding the boat in the swift current…

Read More

Georgia’s Big-Fish Recognition Programs

GON and DNR offer opportunities for anglers to set records and receive rewards for their achievements. Do you love the rush of competitive tournament fishing? I still remember the adrenaline rush and highs of being in a tourney, that extra drive and aggressiveness it spawns for that coveted spot at the weigh-in. Casting and reeling…

Read More