QuestionQUESTION: Mr. Gaither, Hello, my name is Jason Crenshaw. I am practically new to fishing and I have been searching the internet for fishing tips, techniques, reports, etc. for the Lake Seminole area and I have seen your name come up quite a few times on several different websites. I recently bought a boat and my two sons (ages 5 & 3), my wife and I have started fishing on a regular basis. We have never fished on the lake itself, but we have been fishing on the Chattahoochee River, we put in at Parramore Landing and stay in that general area because I do not know my way around as of yet. My wife and kids generally fish big reds worms and we have been successful in catching several differnent types of panfish ( I think bream and crappie) and a few small catfish, although there have been a few times when we have not caught anything. I, on the other hand, have been trying to bass fish, and I express the term "trying" because I have not been successful. I have mostly been fishing texas rigged worms, I dont know if I am fishing them correctly, spinnerbate (the only thing that I have caught on this is a pike), and I just recently bought a top water lure to see if that would produce any bites, and I have yet to reel in a bass fish. Any advice that could give me would be greatly appreciated, for bass and panfish. Also, what are your thoughts on a fishfinder or other fish electronics? I do not have any on my boat. I look forward to hearing from you. Thanks, Jason
ANSWER: Hi Jason. To begin with you are in a good area to catch most any of the fish in this lake but you do need to know a little about bass fishing to have much success. One thing also is that it is very difficult to bass fish while people are trying to pan fish in the same boat. My advice is that if you want to fish for bass find a time when you can sneak away from the family and try some bass fishing. Of course take your family fishing as often as possible and let them catch all the brim and crappie they want but you deserve to have a little time to do your type of fishing. Let me add that the best time for this time of your own would likely be when the rest of the family would not be too interested in going out anyhow. That is the best bass fishing is at first light in the morning or last light in the evening. I seldom go out until the sun is almost to the treetops in the evening. I used to get up and go early but I like to sleep in too much to do that now. The last hour of daylight and the first hour after sunset is often the best time to fish for bass.
There are some exceptions of course and in winter time sometimes day time is the best but from early spring to late fall twilight is best.
It is difficult to fish a plastic worm completely wrong except maybe to fish it too fast. Try to cast it as close to some kind of cover as possible. Don't be afraid to throw it right into a fallen treetop or over a sunken log for instance. Let id lie for five seconds then just shake your rod tip to shake the line. Don't try to move the worm just shake the line. Often this will move the worm just enough to entice a bass to grab it.
This time of year one of the best ways of finding bass is to look for schools of shad. Right now they are only about three inches long but often are in schools of hundreds of thousands. When you see shad there will be bass somewhere close by. One of the best ways to catch these bass is to cast a Johnson Silver Minnow past where you see the shad. Let it flutter down and be ready for a jolt. Much of the time the fish will hook himself. If you do not see the shad try casting the Silver minnow around cover or even into the grass or lilly pads. It is pretty well able to come through most stuff without hanging up if you make sure the weed guard is just over the tip of the hook. This is one of my favorite lures in weeds and pads and around where shad are schooling.
While this time of year the weather can make problems for catching bass it is not impossible. Get yourself a couple of Chrome/Blue back or Chrome/Black back in the large size but not the biggest or magnum size. This lure is great this time of year. It can be worked several ways. One is to simply cast it out and reel it back as fast as you can reel it. It makes a strong vibration and lets bass know it is there from a good distance away. Another way is to let it sink and bring it back relatively slowly. This is a bit difficult if there is much cover because this lure will hang. If it hangs don't try pulling it free. Move your boat over it and reel down to it. Most of the time the water will not bee too deep to get it free. If the water is too deep you will need a plug knocker. One of these can be made by tieing a fifty pound line to a heavy weight with a strong snap tied to the line. Put the snap around your line and lower the weight to the lure and lift and let it fall. It will usually knock your lure free. Another way to use the rattle trap is to cast it as close to a standing tree trunk and let it sink on a slack line to the bottom. After it hits bottom give it a little jenk with your rod and let it fall back. Do this several times and this will often get a bass to grab it.
Topwater lures are not as good in winter as they in spring and summer but there are days when there has been several warm days in a row and in the evening everything calms down and the water is like glass. Toss a chug bug, or popR or a devil's horse etc near a stump, log or clump of grass. let it lie for a count of ten then just jiggle your rod tip enough to make the lure sort of flutter like maybe something has fallen into the water and knocked itself out then awakens and quivvers a little. Often this is when a bass will hit or even after it has fluttered and lies quietly for a few more seconds. If two or three flutters does not bring a strike wake your lure up with a solid pop then let it sit for a few seconds then if a fish does not hit start it back toward the boat with a steady pop,pop,pop all the way to the boat. When it is almost to the boat stop it and let it lie for three or four seconds then flutter it again. Sometimes a bass will have followed it back to the boat and if you haven't moved around and made a lot of noise he may just hit right at the boat. This takes some patience and I will admit that I do not always follow my own advice but just pop the lure to the boat and pick it up and cast again. I have seen bass turn and dive just as I picked up my lure. If I had just let it lay there for a few seconds I might have caught that fish.
Spinnerbaits are good bass catchers. These can be fished either just under the surface making a wave but not breaking the surface especially in shallow water or they can be allowed to sink and then brought back slowly bumping things on bottom often picking up a bass just as it caroms off a stump or log. Always try to bounce lures off logs and stumps when you can.
If you haven't purchased a fishing map of the lake do so right away.
Get you a small map compass that you can pick up for about five bucks. Study your map and use your compass when you are out in your boat. A depth sounder can be a great help in determining the depth of the water and finding drop offs or humps. A $75 depth sounder will work fine for now or maybe you can pick up one cheaper on e-bay or in the want adds. I would not spend a great deal of money on one of the expensive ones at this point of your fishing. Other electronics are not necessary either. I fished for many years before I ever had a sounder. I still have one that cost less than $125 and I do not have a GPS or radar etc. A trolling motor comes before any of these even the depth sounder. You do not need an expensive one of these either but a bow mount foot controlled one is best. you can get one for about $200 plus $75-100 for a good battery. Maybe you already have one of these on your boat. $7 for a paddle is also a good investment and is required by the coast guard. I have a 40 horse motor because I seldom go more than a mile from home to fish. I live in about the middle of the Spring Creek Arm of the lake. You might want to run down to the lower end of the Chatahoochee where it meets with the Flint sometime. If you stay within the markers and buoys you are safe except in flood times then you have no business out on the river anyway.
I like using diving crank baits along the drop offs and in the standing timber. I have several different types. Some dive only a couple of feet and others dive up to fifteen feet. I like silver, or a little green and yellow in a crank bait. Some red here and there helps too. I don't spend a lot of money on the latest expensive crank baits. I think $5 is plenty to spend on one even less if I can find them. I have even made my own and caught fish on them.
If you start down the river and see a bunch of boats gathered in the middle of the channel this time of year they are probably catching big pound to pound and a half crappie. To me these are the choice fish of this lake for eating. I love them baked in wine and cheese sauce. Minnows are the best usually to find crappie but then small jigs on a light spinning outfit catches them well once you find them.
If you stay out after dark get you a good spotlight that hooks to your batteries. You will need it to see the reflectors on the markers and buoys to get home if you stay after dark. Don't try running fast at night without a good spotlight and never run outside of the marked channels until you have learned the lake. The timber was left standing when the lake was filled 50 years ago. Most of it has broken off at the waterline or below and can be very dangerous. If you stay within the markers you are ok unless there has been a big rain upstream. Then there could be floating logs etc even in the channel so take care when it has rained up the river.
One other thing I would suggest before other electronics is a cellphone. If you get into trouble you can call for help and there are people who will be willing to come help you. Of course you would want your family to know you are OK too.
I know there is a lot more to bass fishing than I have given you here but I think this is enough to get you started catching some bass. I am as close as your phone so if you have other questions or would like for me to come over and show you a few other things in person just give me a call. I am retired and have a lot of time on my hands with my wife in the nursing home in Donalsonville.
I hope this has been of some help. Please give me a call or come back on All Experts with a follow up if you wish to ask specific questions. or as I say call me at home.
I am
Jack L. Gaither (JackfromSeminole)
[email protected]
Phone 229-861-2366
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Mr. Gaither,
It was a pleasure to hear back from you, I guess you can say I have been anticipating your reply. First of all, thank you for all of the information you have given me, I am definitely going to try ALL of the things that you suggested to me. If you don抰 mind, I would like to ask you a few more questions. As far as plastic worms are concerned, is there a specific color, type, brand that works best in this area? I have some lizards and worms that are watermelon seed and june bug, mostly 6 and 7 inches. I was also wondering about my fishing line. Is there such a thing as an all purpose fishing line, one that I could use for just about any application? I am currently using 12-lb test mono line made by spiderwire. I have read a little about braided and fluorocarbon line. I have thought about buying an additional fishing rod and reel and possibly rigging it with a different type of line. I only have one good fishing rod and reel and probably need to purchase another one anyways. I would like to switch gears for a minute and talk about crappie fishing. You mentioned using minnows to find crappie, should they be live minnows, and what size? Also, if the minnow is live, they probably would have to be weighed down with some sort of split shot or heavier weight? We have been using live worms simply because they are easy to get and we can pick them up at a gas station that is on the way to the river. As far as my boat is concerned, it is an 18-foot bowrider boat that was used by the previous owner for skiing. I bought it because it was a really good deal and plan on using it for tubing and just taking the family out on pleasure rides. It turns out that we have enjoyed fishing here more recently especially since the water temperature has cooled down, so I do not have a trolling motor or fish finder, I do however have a paddle that I use to maneuver around with and I also have a depth finder that tells me how deep the water is, perhaps one day I may get rid of my current boat for more of a fishing type boat. I may take you up on your offer of coming over and showing me a few things in person, I have never had anyone show me how to fish and it is something that I am definitely interested in learning and passing on to my two sons. Once again, thank you for your prompt reply and I look forward to hearing from you again.
Thanks,
Jason
AnswerHi Jason. I had your questions nearly answered and I left to do something and when I came back my son had the computer and had lost all my work so I will try again.
As far as worms go those you mentioned are about as good as any. I like the junebug. I also use purple, blue and black. I like 7" worms for most fishing although there are times I go with the 9" ones when I think I know where some big fish are hiding. I usually fish them Texas rig, that is a bullet sinker on the line above the hook. Sometimes I peg the sinker with a round toothpick to keep it from sliding other times I let it slide. I don't want it sliding when there are branches or limbs of trees or heavy weeds because I don't want the worm separated from the sinker. When fishing deeper I let the sinker slide. I put the hook through the nose of the worm about 1/4" then push the worm past the 90 degree bend at the eye which keeps the worm from sliding down. I then turn the hook and push the hook through the worm about 1/3 of the way down and then back the hook so the point is just inside the worm making it weedless. I usually use a spinning rod for worm fishing with 8 pound line. I like to cast to downed trees. I cast right into the thickest part of the tree and let the worm sink. If you don't get hung up now and then you are fishing where the bass ain't. I also like to cast to big vertical stumps sticking out of the water. I try to let the worm sink with a completely slack line so the worm stays close to the tree. If you put any pressure on the line it will swing away from the tree. I have caught a lot of big bass doing this. Laydown logs are also good. Cast past and bring the worm slowly in little hops down one side of the log then cast to the other side and do the same. Sometimes going back to the first side again will draw a strike from a bass that saw the worm the first time but didn't bite but when he sees another one sometimes the temptation is too much for him. I do the same with crank baits or spinner baits. There are other ways to fish worms but this will get you started and catch you some fish.
You asked about lines. I use basically four sizes of line. I use 8 pound on my spinning rod. Ten pound on one casting rod for light lures, 14 pound for medium lures and 17 pound when I am fishing in heavy cover except for worms. I throw the 8 pound into heavy cover.
Yes I lose a fish now and then but I also catch a lot of them. I used to use six pound but found that in this lake your chances of latching onto a really big fish in some cover. I had one break me off one time. I am sure he was over eight pounds. Or I should say She was over eight pounds since males seldom get that big. I have tried spider wire but found that I didn't like as well as Trilene mono. A friend is going to give me some new 30# that is the size of ten pound mono. He says it is great so I will try it on one spinning outfit. So I guess the answer is that there is not one line, especially size that is good for all around use. You can get by with two pretty well until you become more experienced. Actually I believe you need at least two outfits. I suggest a spinning outfit and a casting outfit. I do not like the spin-cast outfits with the reels that are closed. I am going to resend what I just said above. You can get by with only a spinning outfit for quite a while. Some people use only these but usually have several different sizes some light some medium some heavy. Years ago I used only a spinning outfit but found myself limited so I began using a casting outfit too for heavier lures which cannot be cast on a spinning outfit. I would suggest you get a 7 or 71/2 foot medium heavy action rod. It isn't necessary to by expensive rods. I do not have a single rod that cost more than $25 and my spinning reels are both under $25. My casting rods are also not expensive but I do get good quality reels. I personally like the Abu Garcia 5500c series which cost about $60. I would not recommend spending less than $50 on a casting reel when you decide you are ready for one.
I do not recommend you spend the money for braided or florocarbon line at this time in your fishing. I think a quality mono is fine and it costs about 1/3 what florocarbon or many of the braids cost. I have caught hundreds and hundreds of fish on Trilene XL and I buy one new spool per year of each size. I buy the Approximately 300 yard spools of all but the 8 pound where I buy the small spool. Let me show you how you can save a considerable amount and keep fresh line on your reels. Instead of taking all of the old line off your reel and putting on a whole spool of new line, leave enough of the old line on as backing and only spool about 50 yards of new line on. In bass fishing 50 yards or 300 feet is more than enough since even the biggest bass do not make very long runs like some fish. This way you can put new line on your reels several times a year off one spool. I doubt it will take 50 yards on a spinning reel. 33 yards should be enough giving you three fills on one spool. You do want to keep your reels filled to the proper level or they will not cast well. A casting reel should be filled to within about 1/8inch from the top of the spool lip. The same is true of a spinning reel. If you do not have your reels filled to this level they will not cast well but if you fill them too full they will backlash or in the case of a spinning reel the line will come off in loose coils making a real mess. Another thing with both kinds of reel. Always make sure there is tension on line being reeled in. A lure will usually provide this but if there is slack in a line hold it between thumb and forefinger and keep tension as you reel in. Do the same when you are filling your reels or you will have a real mess of loose line that will not cast and will foul quickly. Many lures especially worms and certain spinners will cause line twist no matter what you do. To keep this from becoming a problem I often take everything off the line including snaps, sinkers, swivels etc. and allow the line to run off the reel in the water as the boat is moving from place to place or especially on the way home when finished with a day's fishing. Allowing the line to troll out behind the boat will allow it to untwist. Be careful if doing this with more than one rod at a time or them may cross and twist together before the twists are out. It isn't necessary to let all the line out, only about the amount equal to a long cast.
Ok now the crappie. When searching for Crappie I use a long pole. One of those collapsible fiberglass poles about 12 feet long. I use ten pound line about the length of the pole. I like using those little Styrofoam bobbers about two inches long. I like the ones with little black plastic pegs in each end. Thread the line through the bobber then insert the pegs to prevent it slipping. I use a #1 gold crappie hook made of very fine wire. above the hook I put on a split shot just heavy enough to slightly tilt the bobber but not stand it up. The minnows I use are sold locally as crappie minnows and they should be kept lively. I like the Styrofoam bucket and I take a couple of plastic soft drink bottles that I have filled with water and frozen. I put one in the bucket and keep others in an ice chest to keep my drinks cold. Move along among the tree stumps or brush piles and toss your minnow into likely looking places. The bobber should be set so the minnow is about a foot off bottom if possible. If you do not get bites at that depth move the bobber down a foot and keep trying. Every twenty minutes you do not get a bite move the bobber a foot shallower. In this lake crappie relate to the weeds especially the deep hydrilla. Look for places where the hydrilla has not reached the surface and look for holes in the submerged hydrilla and drop your minnow in the holes and around stumps and any brush piles with hydrilla around. Of course the surest way of finding crappie is to look for boats. If you see several boats in a particular area, especially in the middle of either the Chatahoochee or the Flint this time of year they are probably catching crappie. Crappie move around a lot so keep moving if you don't see others catching them.
I personally don't care much for the bowrider boats for fishing because they are difficult to move around but any boat is better than no boat and if you can use it for multiple purposes that is fine. If your family decides that a fishing boat is what they want then by all means get one. Unless you are made of money I would recommend you not spend a lot of money for a first fishing boat. Look in the want adds and see if you can find a used boat. I just recently bought a 16' Alumacraft with trolling motor, 40hp motor, and depth sounder for $2500. My old boat that I have had since 1985 when I bought it used finally became so patched up that it sunk at my dock in a storm and ruined the motor. I only paid $2700 for it back in '85 so I guess I had gotten most of the good out of it.
I would enjoy taking you fishing some day, maybe next week. Give me a call and let me know when you could go and I will bring my boat to Parrimore landing or perhaps someplace else. Let me know where you live so I can figure the best place to meet. You can contact me at my e-mail or by phone.
Jack L. Gaither (JackfromSeminole)
[email protected]
229-861-2366
8043 Spring Creek Drive
Donalsonville, Ga. 39845
One mile East of Reynolds Landing
