North Georgia
(Info provided by fisheries biologist Jeff Durniak and region fisheries staff)
Shoal bass caught in the Chattahoochee on Aug. 3, 2015
No, we did not have another record fish caught this past week. Rather, the weather report and fishing predictions will again sound very familiar. Bear with us as we endure the second half of our summer dog days. There are still some great locales to wet a line at the right time of day and have a blast, so peek at this light summer menu and pick an appealing entrée for Saturday. Don’t miss Patrick’s blog on reservoir profiles. He’ll put you on more fish this summer!
JAWS! – In case some of you haven’t seen the whopper Hooch brown trout video yet, here it is.
Who among you has seven-inch Yozuris in “rainbow trout” attire and six-inch articulated streamers that have a striking resemblance to baby brown trout?
Lanier Reports –
- http://forum.gon.com/showthread.php?t=848232
- http://forum.gon.com/showthread.php?t=848152
- http://forum.gon.com/showthread.php?t=848111
Anniversary trip video: http://forum.gon.com/showthread.php?t=847125
6-pound walleye caught from Carters Lake in Aug. 2015.
Carters Walleye -“Fishing guide Louie Bartenfield holds a nice 6 pound walleye boated this morning at Carters Lake by angler Bobby Steiner (left). They were fishing for spotted bass when the big fish unexpectedly hit a drop-shot plastic worm in 35 feet of water. Bobby is from St. Charles, Illinois and said it was the biggest walleye he’d ever seen. Congratulations on a fine Georgia walleye catch! For those interested in other Peach State walleye fishing opportunities, click here” – Jim Hakala, Fisheries Biologist
“Profiling” Predator Whereabouts – See the forthcoming reservoir profiles, courtesy of Gainesville Fisheries Tech Chris Looney, and locate the best temperature/oxygen combo for your species of interest. Biologist Patrick O’Rouke explains our staff’s reservoir profiling efforts here in a new entry on WRD’s fishing blog: https://georgiawildlife.blog/category/fishing/
It looks like Clay and other savvy Lanier visitors are using those data to their advantage! The strong 2013 year class of stripers is putting a lot of smiles on angler faces.
Stocker Best Bets – WRD stocking coordinator John Lee Thomson steers you toward these weekend waters: Blue Ridge and Hooch tailwaters, Rock, Cooper, Dicks, Wildcat, and Tallulah. Fish the mornings when the streams are cool and shaded.
Tallulah Success! – It sounds like somebody’s been listening to ole John Lee’s advice.
Blueline Jewels – Dredger points forlorn fly flingers, longing for some rises, toward these waters: Overflow, Holcomb, Moccasin, High Shoals, Coleman, Charlies, Corbin, Hooch headwaters, Helton, Noontootla, Logan, Spoilcane, Stanley, and Ridley. Camo, gardening kneepads, sunglasses, stealth, drinking water, bug spray, 7-foot rods, 6-foot leaders, and #16 tan caddis or parachute adams are good ideas. As is a hiking buddy for safety and an audience to brag to. More great tips, including my personal favorite (#10) are here. Enjoy your second chances at memories.
NOTE: Dukes Creek at Smithgall Woods is closed to anglers until stream temperatures cool and the fish can be safely caught and released again.
Beat the Heat
- Ten tips in an hour-long podcast to ease your metro commuting pain.
- Jeff and Asher’s Western Trout Trek – They’ve gone a long way from Clarkesville!
- Warmwater Streams – The lack of rain is a concern for our trout anglers and trout hatchery managers, but it is a blessing to warmwater river fans. Our bigger waters like the Hooch, Chestatee, Etowah, and Chattooga are running low and clear. It’s a great time for float or wade anglers to fish when the sun is low, practice their stealthy approaches, and toss their favorite lure or fly into those slow, deep honey holes. Dredger experimented with some new lines on his floppy trout rods on Tuesday night. To end the evening, he tied on a small chartreuse popper, slung it toward prime shoal bass pockets, and found four willing takers in that last hour od daylight. The best fish, about fourteen inches, was in bream water, right up against the bank at dark. These rivers provide pot luck opportunities for everything from redbreasts, to redeyes, to stripers.
- Bug recipe for tyers who want to spend midday in air-conditioned environs.
- Saturday Fibbing at Blue Ridge TU meeting – Dredger will be telling lies on Saturday morning in Fannin County.
- Race To The Sea – Enjoy this short video of a little guy’s sprint to freedom
- Thanks to all of you for buying those license plates!
SUMMARY OF NEWS RELEASES
- VISIT A PUBLIC FISHING AREA FOR A FUN, FISHING EXPERIENCE
- SUMMER IS A GREAT TIME TO GO FISH FOR CATFISH
Good luck as we all await the departure of these ninety degree days.