Posts by Capt. Bert Deener
Crooked River State Park Saltwater Fishing Vacation
All of us like a good deal. Whether it’s a good price on your buddy’s boat or a BOGO on your favorite lure, we perk up when we see a money-saving opportunity. For anglers, one such vacation opportunity exists in the southeast corner of our great state at Crooked River State Park. The combination of…
Read MoreEarly Spring For Okefenokee Trophy Fish
Chain pickerel, warmouth, flier, bullhead catfish, bowfin… not exactly the who’s who of well-known sport- fish. But, in southeast Georgia, they are a unique assemblage of species, which make up the potential new lake-record list of fishes for the Okefenokee Swamp in GON’s Georgia Lake and River Records. While the various species can be caught…
Read MoreOcmulgee PFA Re-opens To Anglers
The sound of casts whizzing through the air and anglers setting the hook can once again be heard at Ocmulgee PFA near Cochran. The area re-opened to the public on Oct. 27, after repairs were made to the lake bottom and the lake refilled. To celebrate, local and state officials, media and anglers gathered at…
Read MoreBank Hotspots For Beach Vacation Fishing
Our coast has a cornucopia of fishing opportunities, and having a boat is not a prerequisite. Our marshes and beaches are teeming with fish that pull hard and eat well. While growing up, my family camped regularly at the coast. Some of my fondest memories were loading a rod, dip net and chicken necks on…
Read MoreMarch Is Time For Giant Georgia Bass
What do an 11-lb. largemouth bass from a major reservoir caught by a tournament angler, a personal best largemouth of 7 pounds caught from a south Georgia river and a 3-lb. largemouth caught from a pond by a beginning angler have in common? They are trophy bass! Each angler has to define what a trophy…
Read MoreLake Mayers Wintertime Crappie
One of the first articles I ever wrote was more than a decade ago and was about a small, 170-acre public lake named Lake Mayers near Baxley. Before the trip I had never met him, but during the day on the water, I began a life-long friendship with Tommy Davis and his family. Tommy fishes…
Read MoreCatch Satilla River’s Coastal White Catfish
When you think of the most popular fish to catch in Georgia, I doubt a white catfish will be high on your list. In fact, you would probably have to dig deep to even describe what the species looks like… if you know. That is a shame, as the lesser-known whiskerfish is extremely abundant in…
Read MoreThe 100-Fish Days On The Okefenokee Swamp
How many locations do you fish where it is common to catch more than 100 fish in an outing? How about a four-hour outing? Believe it or not, those are typical numbers when fishing in one of Georgia’s most unique resources, the Okefenokee Swamp. But you cannot show up with baitcasting gear and your favorite…
Read MoreTarget Bowfin, The Bait-Crashing Bullies
Whether you call them bowfin (the American Fisheries Society accepted common name), mudfish, grinnel, cypress bass or the whole host of other monikers, this feisty predator is highly underrated. They have a nasty disposition, a face full of teeth and a penchant for ruining fishing lures. What more could you want? OK, so their flesh…
Read MoreAltamaha’s Bull Bream & Giant Shellcrackers
If you have ever pitched a cricket to a blowdown tree with a bream buster, reared back, and listened to the line singing as it cut back and forth through the water, then you need to perk up. Some of the finest panfishing that Georgia has ever seen is getting ready to bust wide open…
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