Well, we made it. 2022 is behind us and some of us are shaking our heads and wondering what hit us.
Others are busy posting on social media the new year, new me BS! Let’s get real… My only resolutions have to do with catching more fish. This past year I got to live out some of my lifelong dreams. Fishing with guys like Capt. Mack Farr and Jeff Horne the owner of Shell Island Fish Camp. I spent more time bass fishing this summer at Lake Lanier than I did at Oconee or Sinclair. I learned so much this year from so many people that I cannot thank all of them enough.
So that’s what we are here to discuss. More fish in the new year. How do we accomplish that simple goal in 2023?
Well, we will start by learning how to use our planer boards better. If you are a striper/hybrid fisherman here in the Lake Country I promise, we can learn more about this technique. Find someone like Capt. Brandon Davis, Mark Smith, Kevin Harris, or Kevin Wahl to show you how to make this work. Spend time with quality guides and PAY ATTENTION to what they do. You can’t learn it all from YouTube, you need time on the water with good fishermen to learn these techniques.
Spoon fishing- are you catching fish on spoons?
Why not? Probably because a lot of us don’t dedicate the time to it.
Spoon fishing is often about turning on a school of fish. What that means is that you have to find the fish, attract the fish, then get them to bite.
My buddy Jimmy and I like to get into a rhythm with spot chasing. We hit productive spots that we know and spend 5-10 minutes at each one. No fish? Move on. When you catch a fish the timer kind of resets ‘til we don’t catch anymore. The other thing is to have plenty of spoons in different sizes, colors, and shapes. They all act different and at certain times one will produce, and one won’t. A good starter pack is a few Capt.
Mack super spoons, War Eagle spoons, and Berry’s Flex-it spoons of several sizes and colors.
Bass fishing- How many of you have ever spent time on the water with a really good tournament angler? It’s time.
Find a guy like Kevin Underwood and fish with him on Oconee. Why?
Because he’s from Lanier and what we all need from time to time is a fresh perspective. New ideas and new techniques that are different than what we ALWAYS do. Can I catch fish pitching shakey heads on docks? Yep. What did I learn last year fishing with Underwood on Oconee? We have a ditch bite… Crankbaits can be thrown into brush piles and swim baits do indeed work here.
Crappie fishing- Have you fished with LiveScope yet? If not give Richard Malcolm at JigSlinger guide service a call and spend some time this year with him. This is a highly productive way to catch crappie. I can hear some of y’all right now saying you don’t need all that technology; you have been catching crappie just fine for 100 years. Yeah well, see you at the weigh in folks! Richard will be cashing a check and those without the knowledge and the technology will be crying. There’s not a better way to target BIG crappie than to use livescope or some sort of forwardfacing sonar. Give it a try this year! You will thank me later.
Saltwater- We are fortunate to be close to some of the best redfish and trout fishing the Southeast has to offer. Book you a trip to Shell Island this year. Go fish Old Florida. Eat at Angelo’s and walk the old fort at San Marcos. Bring your wives in the summer and enjoy the springs in the Wakulla River. Watch the Manatees and tarpon. Sit on the bench at Shell Island with Mr. Jeff and myself and tell lies and eat boiled peanuts. There’s nothing like it, folks.
Well, here’s to a wonderful 2023 and I hope your angling dreams come true this year!