The heck with summer, y’all; this is too hot! It’s been so hot I saw a bird the other day blow on a worm before he ate it. I saw a hummingbird leave the shade and burst into flames; he was so hot. I saw a road worker actually use the shovel he was leaning on so he could get done faster the other day!
This is bad!
Fishing reports? Are you kidding? Come on, just don’t go during the day. Even the fish are sweating. Yes, people are fishing, but you know what? People stand in line to see Taylor Swift in concert, too. It just ain’t something I’m going to do right now. Let’s be honest, heat ain’t meant for longhaired fat boys. I am just not built for this weather.
But being the good outdoor writer that my momma says I am, I will provide you with a fishing report. That is, if you really want to go outside and use it!
Lake Oconee Bass: The fishing is tough but from what I understand, early and late bites on top water are happening. Also, tossing wacky rigged worms around docks and laydowns – anything with shade – is working, too.
Crappie: My good buddy Richard Malcom with Jigslinger Guide Service says to look for main lake timber and brush piles. Minnows on slip corks are working best and if the group of fish you find don’t bite, don’t hang around. Go find some more – and do that ‘til you find a school willing to cooperate.
Hybrids and stripers: Mini macks on the lower lake from the river bend to the dam. Troll with your big engine and stay deep. Hit the deep end of the main lake points and around the humps. Richland Creek and Lick Creek are holding lots of bait, too.
Striper: Face it, from July through October these fish mostly leave the main lake and run up the river. However, with the introduction of the oxygen system by GA Power you might want to check around the dam and along that pipeline. Now, I’m not saying there are fish there, but there are still some stripers hanging around.
White bass: The evening and morning bites are starting. Look for busting fish around the flagpole, the pump back hole, Sugar Creek, river bend, and all up Richland Creek. Throw a popping cork with a hal fly behind it, rooster tails, small rat-l-traps, a Spot Choker underspin rigged with a fluke or Cast Prodigy, or something like any of those.
Lake Sinclair Bass: Find shade. Use the same techniques for Oconee. The frog bite has been good from what I hear.
Stripers, hybrids, whites: Look for busting fish around river bends at daylight and sundown.
During the day, troll Rapala Shad Raps or Berkley Flickrshads on the light line. At night, toss small crankbaits and stick baits around dock lights.
Now with that out of the way let me ask you something. Have you had some good homegrown corn, tomatoes, or watermelon this year? I have! Man, my wife hit the garden hard this year and we had a record corn crop and that is one of my favorite things!
Tomatoes were hard to come by, though. Seems the rain split a lot of them. Zucchini did well, too. But the star is the corn! Here’s a tip from my kitchen to yours. When you boil corn, use some vinegar in the water.
Maybe a couple of tablespoons per gallon. To me, it adds a little pop to the corn.
Tight lines and following seas, y’all!