HOW TO FISH SEMINOLE

Question
I WILL BE BASS FISHING LAKE SEMINOLE OUT OF WINGATES IN THE FIRST WEEK OF MARCH. CAN YOU ADVSE ME ON WHAT TO FISH WITH AND WHERE. THANKS

Answer
Terry; I would start fishing right out of Wingates outlet to the right.  This is a large
flat area that has been known to have some very nice bass.  I would start with a topwater
of some kind Maybe a popper like maybe a pop-R or even a hoola popper.  The weeds should
not be heavy at that time.  Also a frog worked through and over the weeds could  produce.
If half hour of various tries with top water lures does not produce try using a floating
or suspending minnow in the openings in the weeds.  Half hour of this should tell you if
this place holds many catchable fish.  You might still try using a plastic lure of some
kind and a worm is never to be ignored in this area.  Another possibility if the weeds
are a foot or more under the surface try ripping a rattletrap or other such just over
the weeds.  If you can nip the weeds tops now and then and rip free you may find yourself
attached to a real she bass.  Bh this time the spawn is over and forgotten here unless we
have had an unusually cold February especially the last couple of weeks before your trip.
If an hour and a half to two hours has not produced anything I would go look for a different
kind of area.  If It were me I would head across the lake following the pilings out of
Wingates and follow the cut across to Spring Creek.  I have personally caught more fish
in spring creek between 1993 and 2004 than all the previous fishing I have done between
age 8 and age 70 all together. And far bigger than before.  Of course I started fishing
Seminole in '93 when we moved here.
As you enter Spring creek through the cut you will want to go ahead until you pass the
first set of pilings. Now look for a single red topped piling and stop.  Fish both sides
of the channel between this single piling and the next pair.  I have caught good fish
on both sides of the channel.  A short distance before you reach the set of pilings look
to your right.  You can see the creek channel with lots of stumps on the right and just a
few single trees and a few stumps on the the left side.  Before going there look left and
you should see a standing tree stump and to the left of this women  open water.  Fish this
area and to your left back toward that single piling where you started There is a deep  
hole here and some underwater stumps so be careful.  I caught my two biggest bass out of
this area one after the other. One just over 9 pounds and the second just under 9 pounds.
I have caught several 5-7-8 pound bass here and in the stumps to the West.  Use trolling
motor only if going west in here.
Now you have a choice  I have caught fish in here on crank baits on spinnerbaits on top
water baits and jerk baits and plastic worms. Now you have another choice  to make. You can
move on west through the stump field which often has some nice bass that can be caught.
I have used almost everything to catch fish in here. try something for a couple dozen
casts and if it has not produced try something else and still something else until you
catch fish or are through the stumps and on the grass beds (hydrilla#  If the hydrilla is
still beneath the surface a couple of feet try a buzz bait, floating minnow, lipless crank
buzzed just over the top of the hydrilla just nipping the weeds now and then but never down
into the hydrilla or you will get a ball of hydrilla which will not catch fish I promise.
The other alternative you had back when I said two more choices you could have gone the other
way up the creek.  Staying in the channel cast to the right using a spinnerbait, crank bait
or whatever you want to try.  Again the amount of and height of the grass will determine
what you can use.  I use a deep running crank bait to cast parallel to the creek channel and
often a shallow running crank bait or spinner bait to run just above the hydrilla.  As you proceed up the creek #about northeast until you see on the left a little stickup with one
are almost horizontal and pointing across the creek.  Look right from there and there will
be an opening into what apparently was a little slough off Spring Creek before the lake filled.  This channel is 50-75 feet wide and runs about 20-22 feet deep.  This opening
runs on up with stumps on both sides.  The slough peters out about 150 yards and ends in a
mass of stumps.  All up and down this slough I have caught bass.  I think I had my ten bounder
on one time on a spinnerbait but she got off.  I have  tried and tried to get her to hit
again but to no avail.  Unless someone has caught and kept her she should be still around and
probably 12 pounds or more now.  I usually cast to the right going in and when run into stumps so thick it is hard to get through them I turn around and  work again to my right
going out.  I have caught fish both ways.  I like crankbait or spinnerbait in here but sometimes a plastic worm will work better.
When I come out I go right toward a left bend in the creek.  The boat trail crosses the creek
here (look at your map to see where the boat trail cuts through the stumps#  This and other
trails were made by a tugboat pushing a heavily laden barge through with a nine foot draft and
pushed the trees over the Army Corps of Engineers put in the pilings to mark the boat channels.
DO NOT RUN YOUR GAS MOTOR THROUGH THE STUMP FIELDS ALWAYS FOLLOW THE MARKED CHANNELS.# Use
trolling motor only in the stump fields. Now back to fishing.  Where the creek channel and boat trail cross is a set of pilings marking the  channel.  Fish around the pilings for at least a few minutes.  Sometimes it pays off.  As the creek channel goes northwest toward a
point with a big rather new dock on it. Fish around this dock and to the right in the stumps.
The creek channel makes a sharp right hand turn.  In the middle of the turn is a little  stand
of trees sticking just above the water. They are in 18-20 feet deep p. A jig and pig can be
good around these.  Either side of this group of stumps are channels. The left side is an area
where I have caught my limit of big bass several times. Ten fish the smallest being over three
pounds largest 8 pounds.  Fish these areas well using various lures from crank baits to spinnerbits to topwaters #especially. early and late) to plastics to jigs/ The creek turns sharply
to the right and a couple hundred yards makes a left then a right.  All along here I have
caught bass.  Once you get much further up I have not done so good but I know there are fish  
There I just have not fished much there.
Hey I could go on for hours telling you about specific places and it is difficult here because
we do not share a map.  Just when are you going to be in  Bainbridge?  If you have some time
before your time to fish why don't you give me a call and  maybe we can meet somewhere and
have a coffee or a beer and look over the map and I can point out these and many more places.
My phone # is  1-229-861-2366.  I am home most days now that I can't get around as well as I
used to but I love talking fishing.  So don't hesitate to call me.
I hope this has been of some help but like I say thee are many more places that  I know of    that have good fishing and it is so much easier  to show you on a map rather than trying to
describe as I have been doing.

Thank you for calling on me to answer your  question and good fishing.

Jack L. Gaither          #JackfromSeminole)

Lake Seminole, Georgia