Captains Stories

THIRTY BASS (ON ONE LURE TYPE)

Angler Armory — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 21:43:48 +0000

RECENT GUIDED TRIPS WITH REEDS GUIDE SERVICE

Since the new year began, all throughout the months of January and February, I have been on the go. I can thank the cooperative weather and the mild winter we have experienced seen statewide recently. Also I want to thank the people that gave guided fishing trip gift certificates for their anglers that just love to fish, for occasions like Birthdays, Christmas and Valentines Day! Boy, its good to get to fish year round in Alabama in 2012!

Recently, we have fished for smallmouth bass (two 5 pounds!) on the Tennessee River System Lake’s Pickwick lake and Wilson lake. We also targeted (and we caught) some big striped bass (some 10-20 pounds!), fishing with out-of-towners and residents of nearby Smith Lake. Including fishing with some trophy striped bass anglers on Alabama’s Lake Martin, sadly with only a few stripes weighing in the 5-10 pound class…but a lot of fun!

Look for more lake reports at the many websites I write for including mine, with reports from this past week’s trips to Logan Martin Lake, Mitchell Lake and Jordan Lake, while taking anglers fishing for some exciting Coosa River Spotted bass and some decent sized largemouth bass. On each trip with anglers that come to Alabama to fish with Reeds guide service. Alabama’s oldest!

Another two day guided fishing trip with two anglers I met at the www.birminghamboatshow.com took place on Alabama’s Guntersville lake. Fishing for two consecutive days proved to be slow on day one, due to recent rains and cold, stained water in the low-50′s at mid lake. But on day two we fished near the lower lake’s dam and they caught a dozen nice keeper size bass and 3 bass exceeding 5 pounds, including one 7 pounder! That made up for day one!

On the Cossa River lake Mitchell lake we had a limit of spotted bass weighing 15 pounds, all caught on topwater lures, shallow running square billed crankbaits and rattletraps. Logan Martin lake and Jordan lake also showing some nice spots and largemouth bass, some in the 3-4 pound range. With one exceptional day while fishing alone in the pouring down rain on Jordan Lake showing 5 bass close to 20 pounds, all caught on buzz baits and my trusty zara super spook!

But out of all of these recent guided fishing trips, the one trip that really made my day and two visitors from Indiana visiting Smith lake. that took place on a cold day in mid February. Fooling 30 bass in one day. Here’s how that trip went;

A GOOD DAY ON SMITH LAKE

We began a cold morning on Alabama’s Smith Lake meeting at Duncan Bridge boat launch. It was about 35 degrees and the parking lot was empty at dawn when I met my anxious, out-of-state clients from Indiana. These two anglers were actually heading to Louisiana to do some red fishing and they had called me from the other side of Smith lake near Interstate 65.

They had taken the Good Hope state park exit and had fished the day before, with no luck. So I instructed them to meet me at Duncan Bridge boat launch where I knew we could catch some bass. By just going down Highway 69 south, that then hits 78 Highway. From there, take Highway 195 that leads to Highway 257, that eventually crosses over Duncan bridge.

Actually, the area they had fished the day before (according to them) was muddy! Yes, muddy water on Smith lake! Alabama’s deepest and clearest reservoir!

These two anglers actually had their own rods, reels and tackle. Its always interesting what these out of state anglers bring to fish with! Today, among a half dozen bobbers, a fillet knife, and some fish stringers, they had the right lures…jerk baits! Of which every bass taken that day, came on!

With air temps of 35 degrees and water temps about 50 degrees, they both gave me a funny look when I instructed them to tie on one of the several jerk baits in their tackle boxes. An old model, Bomber Long A jerk bait, one with a black back, white sides and an orange belly and a Rapala with black back and silver sides, were their lures of choice.

With the lake down close to 5 feet we first targeted laying trees, some of which only had their ends in the water, about 10 feet deep. The older angler fishing the Rapala in the back of the boat, simply just cast the lure out and slowly retrieved it. A good method for slow, lethargic wintertime bass. As a matter of fact he boated the first two bass of the day, a couple of nice spotted bass in the 1-2 pound range.

The other angler followed with a very small largemouth bass (weighing about one pound), caught in the back of a rocky, bluff pocket near a log jam. He then exclaimed,

” That’s more fish than we caught all day yesterday! ” I did not fish, I just drank coffee and netted their bass. But I watched them as they fished these floating model jerk baits, all to their surprise, in the wrong manner.

On Smith lake it can be a real hit or a miss when it comes to catching bass. As they had seen the day before. So after I explained to them how to fish these jerk baits in the clear water, where bass really see the lure, in a more jerking, stop-and-go manner. One angler then said, “why don’t you fish with us and show us what you mean?” So I did. Three bass later, in about 15 minutes, I think they got the message.

I then explained to them, “you know I’m sorry to say, you picked one of the toughest lakes in Alabama to just stop and fish.” Although its possible to always fool a few cooperating bass and stripers on Smith Lake, they had seen what I meant as they had zeroed the day before. So any bass today was an improvement! And there was more to come!

It was getting near noon, so I laid my rod down and I then took a sandwich break on our next stop and I just watched as they caught both spotted bass and largemouth bass, on jerk baits alone. Sure, they had tried it all, from Finesse fishing with small worms to topwaters, spinnerbaits and crankbaits. But today, these bass wanted the jerk baits.

We mostly fished the Sipsey Fork, Clear Creek and Dismal Creek. Targeting wood cover, Rock bluffs, points, some piers and surprisingly, a lot of our bass came off of just nothing-looking sandy banks with small pebble rock, found in sunny small cuts and pockets a few degrees warmer, just off of the main lake. All you really needed was baitfish present and the bass were nearby. None of the bass exceeded three pounds.

A good day on Smith Lake with about 30 bass in all! The last words these anglers had to say was…”if this is a bad day on what is one of Alabama’s toughest lakes, then what is a good day like on Smith lake? Oh, if only they knew. They said they would be back…

Always call on Reeds Guide Service…first!

Reed Montgomery / Outdoor Writer

Owner / Reeds Guide Service Alabaster, Alabama (205) 663-1504 E-mail: alabassgyd@aol.com Website: www.fishingalabama.com ” Over 40 Years Guiding, Fishing and Exploring Every Lake in Alabama For Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Spotted Bass and Striped Bass “

Always Call on Reeds Guide Service…first!

Alabama’s Oldest Professional, Freshwater Fishing Guide Service!

Angler Armory — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 21:19:58 +0000

My client today was 83 years old still out there yakking and fishing! Got him on a 29 inch red tide smoked in today even with the stiff north wind. Kayak trip in the AM with Zoel and his buddy. Afternoon till dark trip with Dick and his buddy on his boat.

Captain’s Corner: Other species can be found on grouper spots

Angler Armory — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 17:31:05 +0000

What’s hot: The harvest of all grouper is closed through March, so we must target other species offshore. Changing locations always seems to be the first thought when changing target species, but this is not always the right approach. Some of the best targets will be in places you already know about.

Amberjack: Years ago, there were two ways to catch these fish. One was using live bait attached to a long leader suspended about halfway down over a wreck or spring offshore. The second method was to use a large diamond jig on a heavy rod with a long swinging presentation. But times have changed with the newer styles of vertical jigging lures. The thinking is that fast-paced movement will draw a reaction strike, and the amberjack have responded well, since they hate to see a meal get away. This new style also employs the use of braided lines, which give these jigs a more lifelike look when running through the water since there is no stretch in the line. An erratic jigging motion along with a fast retrieve will get hit almost every drop.

Snapper: If you catch amberjack, then more than likely there will be snapper under them, since both of these fish are found over large structures. Snapper have keen eyesight, so downsize the leader, hook, swivel and lead, too. Use the smallest lead possible and hide the hook in the bait.

Steve Papen charters out of Indian Shores and can be reached at (727) 642-3411 and fintasticinc.com.

Orlando Area Fishing Report

Angler Armory — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 17:29:47 +0000

The past couple weeks have brought some changes to the Mosquito Lagoon which include a sudden rise in the water level along with some long awaited clear water. Since the water has cleared, the sun has been in hiding which has made the sight fishing difficult but not impossible. On days when it has been too windy to fish the flats, the St. Johns River has been providing some excellent fishing for American Shad on light tackle and fly. Shad are the freshwater version of a mini tarpon. They fight hard and jump high. In addition to the shad, the bluegill, sunfish, bass, and crappie also help keep the rod consistently bent.
It was one of those cloudy and windy days last week that I took John to the St. Johns after we decided fly fishing for redfish would be futile. John proceeded to catch dozens of fish hroughout the day on a variety of flies in sizes 10-12.A few days later, another client named John was faced with the same situation. He wanted to fly fish the flats but the weather was going to make it difficult. Again we hit the river and, armed with my new 3wt flyrod, John enjoyed some spectacular catch and release action on both shad and panfish.Most of the day he used lightly weighted flies tied on barbless size 12 hooks in gold, chartreuse, or pink. When throwing into a feeding frenzy, color made no difference.

Karen joined me on the river for some shad fishing this week. She used an ultralight spinning rod and the DOA Tiny TerrorEyz to land an assortment of shad and panfish. I used both the fly and spin rods to catch a bunch of shad, bluegill, redbreast, and a nice bass.

The next day Paul and I fished the river. While the shad were not biting quite as fast as the day before, we still tallied over 20 with dozens more panfish mixed in. We saw lots of alligators, tons of birds, and even some swimming cows.
Returning to Mosquito Lagoon Thursday, I found the cold snap over the weekend had caused the water to clear up dramatically. Many areas had the cleanest water I have seen since last spring. The redfish were not tailing, however, and Todd and Steve had a difficult time spotting the few we came across. They managed to landed several trout and a flounder on a CAL bait.
Friday’s trip with Roger and Annie brought more clouds. We encountered plenty of redfish, most of which were in schools of 25-100 fish. In addition to the reds, there were lots of large seatrout on the shallow flats. Both Roger and Annie landed trout and reds on the DOA shrimp in watermelon holographic, and the 5.5 inch CAL in golden bream with a Woodies Rattle.

With the water clear, the redfish schooled up, and the big trout up shallow, all we need is some sunny days and we will get some excellent sight fishing action on Mosquito Lagoon. Fly anglers should stick to crab and shrimp patterns for redfish and drum, and bendback or topwater sliders for big trout. The DOA shrimp will continue to work well for sight fishing both species and the CAL bait will cover lots of water if you need to blind cast. The Shad run should continue for several more weeks in the St. Johns River.
Capt. Chris Myers Orlando Fishing Guide
(321)229-2848

2-7-12 Report

Angler Armory — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:41:47 +0000

Ed was stoked about the morning trip slot trout and slot/ over redfish. The second trip slam within an hour on the sebile and a almost 28 inch trout @ 6 1/2 lbs. Bunch of 20 inch trout in skinny. Back on it in the AM on the HB.

Lake Lanier Striper Fishing Report – 02/01/2012

Angler Armory — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:40:05 +0000

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Striper fishing is very good. Its February and the water temperature is in the low 50′s. I have never seen the lake water this warm in February. I have also never seen this much bait. There is plenty of bait 30 to 50 feet down over the river and creek channels. The river channel from Gainesville Marina to the Hwy 60 bridge is a prime example of deep water bait. We are also seeing some bait starting to move into the back of the creeks over a 20 to 30 foot bottom. Ada and Gainesville Creek are good examples of what I will call shallow

Fred is having a good day!

bait. This has been a very good week for free lines. Un-weighted lines and lines with a single split shot fished 50 feet behind the boards and 100 feet behind the boat has out fished downrods. I have not had any luck graphing for groups of stripers. Instead I am pulling free lines and down rods where I find the highest concentrations of bait fish. Small baits continue to your best bet. If you can throw the net get some Threadfin Shad and use those. If not, take some medium shiners, very small trout and small herring. Try any

Fred’s day is getting better!

creeks with a large concentration of bait. Focus on the creeks and river channel from Flat Creek north to Wahoo. Holly Park area, Ada and Gainesville creek are good starting places.

Check with US Army Corps of Engineers web site to find a list of the ramps that are open before going out. Due to the low lake level a significant number of ramps are closed. Be sure to enter the correct elevation!

January Redfish

Angler Armory — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:35:37 +0000

My tournament partner, Capt. Jason Dail, invited me to go on a little recon mission yesterday. My boat is still in the middle of some off season maintenance, so we took Jaon’s skiff and hit the backwaters. The conditions were near perfect with light winds, above normal temperatures, great tide and gin clear water. We hunted around most of the morning in some usual places without much success. Later in the morning, we went to an area that I hadn’t fished in several years and hit the jackpot. We found several schools of fish and a great time was had by all!

You have to love mild winters in SE NC!!

A BIRTHDAY SURPRISE FISHING TRIP

Angler Armory — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:31:30 +0000

A BIRTHDAY SURPRISE FISHING TRIP ON ALABAMA’S COOSA RIVER – LAY LAKE

Since the Birmingham Boat Show ended Sunday, January 22 I have been on the go. We have fished for smallmouth bass (two 5 pounders!) on the Tennessee River System Lake’s Pickwick lake and Wilson lake. I also targeted (and we caught) some big striped bass (some 10-25 pounds!) fishing with residents of Smith Lake and fishing with some trophy striped bass hunters on Alabama’s Lake Martin, with only a few stripes weighing in the 5-10 pound class…but a lot of fun!.

Another two day guided fishing trip with two Georgia anglers I met at the www.birminghamboatshow.com on Alabama’s Guntersville lake. Fishing for two consecutive days proved to be slow on day one, due to recent rains and cold, stained water in the low-50′s at mid lake. But day two we fished near the lower lake’s dam and they hooked into a dozen nice keeper size bass and 3 bass exceeding 5 pounds, including one 7 pounder! That made up for day one!

The Coosa River lake’s Neely Henry lake (we easily had a limit of spotted bass weighing 15 pounds on topwater lures and rattletraps!) and Logan Martin lake and Jordan lake also showing “spinnerbait caught” spots and largemouth bass, some in the 3-5 pound range. With one exceptional day last Wednesday while fishing in the pouring down rain on Jordan Lake showing 5 bass close to 20 pounds, all caught on buzz baits and my trusty zara super spook!

But out of all of these recent guided fishing trips, the one trip that really made my day (and a nice young man’s 16th birthday as well) was on Lay lake this past Friday February 3. Here’s how that trip went;

A BIRTHDAY ON LAY

A young man from McCalla, Al. named “Seth” was given a 16th Birthday guided fishing trip gift by his parents. We met at dawn at Beeswax Creek. Although we had not had a chance to talk, ironically Seth had rigged his open-faced rod and reel outfit with a half ounce Strike King Red Eye Shad lipless lure.

This was the very same lure I already had out for him to fish with! So to me, this was a good sign. Plus he told me it was his birthday and I had then told him, “well you always catch a big bass on your birthday, so today you can’t go wrong!” And he did…the biggest bass of his life!

We fished stump flats, all near deep water. We tried everything from spinnerbaits to topwater lures. But the lure they wanted on this day was a lipless lure retrieved fast through the scattered stump rows, fishing mostly in 3-5 feet of water. The water temp was 52 to start out with at dawn, but rose to 57 by midday.

In all we easily had over a dozen bass weighing from 1-5 pounds. We took some pictures at the boat dock where we met his parents and all were very happy with the days catch. Including Seth, who caught his biggest bass to date a 5 pounder, including a 4 pounder, and several bass in the 1-3 pound range! We let them all go to live and fight another day and hopefully, to make some anglers day like they had ours!

Afterwards his mother e-mailed me with thanks and she told me Seth had also bagged his first big buck deer, right at the end of hunting season! So, in all this young man had a great 16th Birthday week! One he will always remember! I was glad to have been a part of it!

* Pictures – As you can see (if there is a picture with this report, if not, see it on my Website / Lay Lake and other lake reports) at; www.fishingalabama.com From the smile on this young anglers face he had a good time catching those big, Coosa River largemouth bass on his Birthday Friday, February 3 2012! Including the biggest bass of his life a nice 5 pounder!

* On Lay Lake even in February, there are always some cooperating bass to target! But first you have got to be there to even have a chance at fooling one into biting!

Or you can always call on Reeds Guide Service…first! ” Alabama’s oldest, professional – bass fishing only – guide service for over 40 years.”

Thanks and Good Fishin ‘

Reed Montgomery / Outdoor Writer

Owner / Reeds Guide Service Alabaster, Alabama (205) 663-1504 E-mail: alabassgyd@aol.com Website;: www.fishingalabama.com ” Over 40 Years Guiding, Fishing and Exploring Every Lake in Alabama For Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Spotted Bass and Striped Bass “

Always Call on Reeds Guide Service…first!

Alabama’s Oldest Professional, Freshwater Fishing Guide Service!

Captain’s Corner: With gag & red grouper closing, time to change strategy

Angler Armory — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:42:48 +0000

What’s hot: With the gag and red grouper closing for the next two months it’s time to change gears and focus on hot light tackle fishing offshore for amberjack, mangrove snapper, yellowtail snapper and lane snapper. The good thing that is coming out of these new regulations is that they are making better anglers out of all of us. We need to make every trip count, so trying new and different things is a great way to learn new tactics.

Tips: Fishermen usually just buy a couple of chum blocks, toss them in the water next to the boat and let them do their work. The trick in riling up bottom fish is to get the chum on or near the bottom. Achieve this by tying the chum to the anchor. A bit of light mono will do the trick. You could also use a down-rigger and tie the block to the ball and let it down to the desired depth. And another method is to anchor about 50 yards up tide of the structure you are fishing and start a steady stream of 1 inch by 1 inch sardines over the side.

Tackle: Snappers have great vision and get weary when feeding. To ensure a great bite, downsize tackle to light weight spinning outfits with 10- to 15-pound mono on the reel and 15-pound fluorocarbon leader for the leader. A small circle hook will get the job done. A small plug of sardine floating down toward the structure with a hook in it will get their attention. This works great for mangrove and lane snapper. Yellowtails and flags need more preparation. Rigs and locations are the same, the bait is the key. Use medium live shrimp. Though these fish are in our area all year, larger concentrations are caught during late summer after their mid-summer spawn.

Steve Papen charters out of Indian Shores and can be reached at (727) 642-3411 and fintasticinc.com.

Hot Redfish Bite on the Artificials

Angler Armory — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:13:43 +0000

First off I would like to thank DOA Fishing Lures for bringing me onto their professional guide staff. The bite lately cannot get any better for this time of year. The artificial lure redfish bite is on fire and my DOA shad tails has been the hot bait. I have been targeting fish on the beginning of the incoming tide, on grass flats with mangrove islands and deep water nearby. I am focusing on following mullet schools and working the outside edge of the fish. Make long casts as the water in the bay is gin clear right now and spooking fish is very easy. My go to bait is the DOA shad tail in “gold rush” color on a white or gold 1/8oz DOA short shank jig-head.

For the most part the fish have been pretty aggressive but i would say they are still eating more on the pause or the drop, so be sure not to work your bait too fast. I like to use the “yo-yo” retrieve. Other good baits right now are gold spoons, gulp shrimp, or even a live shrimp on a jig-head. When using artificials you cant go wrong with some sort of scent attractant on it. I prefer the “lunker sauce” brand in shrimp scent but the “pro cure” scents will work as well.

Trout can be found on almost every grass flat in Tampa Bay right now, not only are they plentiful providing nonstop action, but the bigger fish can put up a decent fight. As of now there is no longer a closed season on trout but be sure to check up on your local bag and size limts, we want to preserve the great fishery we have here. You can catch them on almost anything right now, from artificial jerkbaits to greenbacks and live shrimp under a popping-cork. If you are doing catch and release, remember to handle them with care and wet your hand before grabbing them.

The snook bite has been going off lately with the mild winter we have had. You can find them in the local rivers and creeks facing the curret on any good moving tide. Remember, they are a structure oriented fish so look to fish in any area where it looks like they can break you off. The have been eating good on live shrimp and cut bait, but of course they will not turn down a properly presented jig or lure.

There is plenty of fish out there for everyone so please be courteous to your fellow angler.

Captain John Gordon

813-468-9370