The Angler Magazine | June 2024 | Greater Atlanta Area Edition

TACKLE TIPS NYMPH RIGS FOR TROUT LOCAL LAKE & RIVER FORECASTS

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PUBLISH YOUR OWN FISHING MAGAZINE

Swordfshing is great any time of the year, but during summer you can justify the fuel burn to get where they live. It’s nearly impossible to run that far ofshore in June and not come across diving birds indicative of mahi or tuna. With minimal efort, this can be a nice score to put something in the box if you don’t have luck with the swords. It is normal to get skunked while swordfshing, and I don’t recommend going if you can’t accept that possibility. Te best way to go into it is to be fully prepared for both a fsh of a lifetime or to just chill with friends. Make no mistake, when you do land one of these beasts, it’s some of the most exciting fshing you can experience, and it’s worth the skunk risk.

Although you don’t have to run as far, the same consolation prize applies to heading out for tilefsh, snowy and yellowedge grouper, queen snapper, barrelfsh and rosies. Mahi fshing to, from and during deep-dropping rounds out a trip nicely.

Be prepared for mahi when heading ofshore in summer. Keep at least four rods designated for working a school and more for trolling. J hooks are a must for these head-shaking, sky-rocketing, fippy-fappy, squirm-fsh, but just about any line and bait will do. Tese tasty little dummies aren’t picky and would strike a banana peel if you jigged it right. Tat said, the speed of the bait is a variable you might have to adapt to. Teir toddler mentality kicks in when you try to take a bait away from them, encouraging them to strike something they just turned their nose up at. If you get hit when reeling in your bait, open your bail and give them a chance to eat.

If you get excited about fsh with pointy faces, be prepared for a marlin encounter this time of year. I keep rigged ballyhoo in a trolling spread and a pitch rod set up. Marlin aren’t overly common here, but when you see one, you want to be prepared for more than to simply wave and think, “that was neat.”

SBy Capt. Quinlyn Haddon

SUMMERTIME’S BACK, BABY!

ummer in the Keys, albeit hotter than the devil’s you-know-where, is one of the best times to be on the water. With more calm days, open seasons for most species, and mahi peppering ofshore waters, this is the time of year to boogie out and hunt for whatever tickles your fancy.

the

and

of our

Marlin enjoy a mahi snack as much as we do and will pop up unexpectedly while mahi fshing. If you have a large live bait, toss that sucker out. If not, a mahi from the box will do in a pinch. Give her time to eat, hang on and enjoy the ride.

Mahi season is already of to a great start for both size and numbers. Come on down and fll your coolers!

Capt. Quinlyn Haddon; Sweet e’nuf charters, marathon, Florida Keys; @captainquinlyn; captainquinlyn.com; (504) 920-6342.

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At 18’2” in length and with a 70” beam, the Mosquito is a very capable hull for many situations – however it’s designed to do one thing with absolute perfection: silently stalk inshore

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FISH THE GREATER JACKSONVILLE KINGFISH TOURNEY JULY 13-20!

The “Grandaddy of all Kingfsh Tournaments” will get the First Coast buzzing July 13-20, as the 44th annual Greater Jacksonville Kingfsh Tournament presented by VyStar Credit Union hosts a full week of tournaments with more than $500,000 in cash and prizes.

Te competition kicks of July 13 with the Kingfsh Kick Of Beach Tournament, in which competitors are limited to state waters within 3 miles of shore. Tis event evens the odds for the smaller boats to haul in the largest kingfsh of the day and collect the $50,000 cash prize.

Fishing for the General Tournament begins Friday morning, July 19. Tis cornerstone event pays out to 20 places for both large fsh and aggregate. First place for largest fsh of the tournament will be awarded a Contender 28T with twin 200 Yamaha outboards, an Ameritrail Trailer and a custom T-top and leaning post by Custom Marine. Tis boat package is valued at more than $225,000.

Junior anglers have a shot at a 16foot boat with a 15 hp Yamaha, and the Junior Ofshore Tournament pays out to 25 places. Te Ladies Division pays out to 10 places.

cold beverages, hot food and vendors. Awards Day on Saturday, July 20 is all about celebration, with Kids Zone activities, rafes and seminars.

For inshore anglers, the popular Redfsh Tournament fshes on Saturday, July 20 with payouts of more than $12,000.

Jacksonville Marine Charities is the operating arm of the event, and it supports non-profts throughout the state. Recently, Child Cancer Fund, the Down Syndrome Association and the Child Guidance Center have beneftted from the organization, which also supports other local charity fshing events like Te Premier Trout, Flounder Pounder, Wounded Heroes on the Water and others.

For complete details, visit king fshtournament.com.

All the boats and fsh coming to the docks at Jim King Park and Boat Ramp at Sisters Creek Park in Jacksonville creates a festival atmosphere. Te

Trout are Eating Your Nymph More than You Realize

Alarge trout rising to a high-riding dry fy is one of life’s true pleasures. It’s pretty darn easy to see. Te fy is bouncing happily along the surface, and with a splash it’s gone.

On the other hand, that same fat rainbow trout sucking in a nymph 6 feet down in a dark run may not be as obvious. When you’re nymphing, speed is of the essence. In a second, that fsh will expel the fy. Tere are a bunch of diferent strike indicators designed to help you see the sometimes-faint signal of a hit. Some work well, some break, some slide, and some just suck.

I love yarn indicators for their sensitivity and the plastic air-flled bobbers for ease of use. Both styles rigged up the leader about twice the depth of the water you’re fshing help you detect the strike. Any hesitation, dive or shif in direction of your indicator might be a hit.

I tell clients, if they think a fsh might even be breathing on the fy to set the hook! You get a heck of a lot more strikes than you think you do when nymph fshing. Any slack between your indicator and fy allows a fsh eat and spit your nymph out, and sometimes go completely undetected.

At close range, high-stick or Czech-nymphing techniques work great. No indicator is needed, as diferent colored lines or coiled-line indicators that straighten when a fsh takes are the deal. A lot of the time, the trout is felt when it takes the fy, or you will see the line suddenly stop. Tis method is deadly in experienced hands.

Another method of strike indication is the use of a big dry fy as the

indicator. Usually, a piece of fuorocarbon tippet is tied to the hook and a nymph or two hang underneath. Tis is a good when the fsh might spook if a plastic bobber crashes on their heads. A buggy looking dry fy is a lot less scary.

Another cool way to catch trout on subsurface fies is to watch them eat it. I call this ninja fshing! You’ll need the sun at your back or directly overhead. Start by locating a particular fsh, and then tie on a brightly colored fy that stands out and is easy to see. Cast upstream of the fsh, and let it drif down to the fsh. Sometimes a fy bounced right into their face will get a refex strike. Tis is a good way to learn how fsh react to fies and how currents afect your ofering. If you are in a pool with several fsh, you might be amazed at how many fsh take a swipe at it. You will then realize how many strikes you’ve been missing.

David Hulsey is a North Georgia-based guide and fy fshing instructor. Call him at (770) 639-4001 and visit Hulsey Fly Fishing at hulsey fy fshing.com.

WIN A KAYAK FISHING TRIP

Skye

Terrestrial time! Although the Chattahoochee has always been geographically just out of range for the cicada hatch in years past, we are hoping maybe the “double brood” hatch may be numerous enough to spill over to Hooch region. Regardless, it does seem like around late May bigger fish try to eat out big strike indicators more and more often while nymph fishing. I think they become conditioned to look up for bigger food items like grasshoppers, crickets, beetles and ants to name a few of the local land based insects. If we get

FISHING ACCIDENTALS

Contributed by David Hulsey

International Federation of Fly Fishers - Master Certified Casting Instructor http://www.hulseyflyfishing.com | 770-639-4001

The month of June begins the terrestrial season in the Southeastern mountains. Sure, there are a few tan Caddis, Light Cahills and Yellow Sallies bouncing around but the “accidentals” will draw even the largest fish in for a snack! Big bugs like grasshoppers, beetles, ants, and bees are up on top of the menu. There’s a lot more calories in an insect this size than a teeny little morsel and the trout and also warmwater fish like bream and bass know it. These flies not only work well, but they are also a blast to fish! By blast, I mean the way the fish smash them on the surface. There’s no sipping a grasshopper or a big fat beetle it’s total destruction from the food chain. Water spraying out onto the bank during the strike is commonplace adding a visual spectacle to the day not soon forgotten. Being careful with the presentation is not necessary and sometimes detrimental. Plopping the fly down on the water can sometimes lure a trout or bass from several feet away and twitching it afterward can further seal the deal. Hopper patterns work well when there is grass or open areas, which are hard to find on our public trout streams here in the Southeast. Private water pay to play streams are usually on lower elevation more open areas and big hopper patterns or Chubbies can be lethal and loads of fun. Lakes or slow-moving rivers containing largemouth and blue gill cruising the banks are wonderful sport with a big grasshopper or cricket fly pattern.

LOCAL RIVERS & FLY FISHING

On our more mountainous public National Forest lands or in the Smokies, flies such as Beetles, Ants, or Bee’s are more familiar to a trout. Not to say there aren’t a few small woods hoppers in the forest but there are far more other types of trout food.

Parachute Black Ants are flies that even bridge the gap on hatches or at other times of the year and are a must have for an Appalachain trouter’s fly box. I’ve caught trout in January on Ants and Beetles during an unseason ably warm day on several occasions. They must taste good and are almost irresistible to a trout given the right cir cumstance. Tying flies with foam makes them almost unsinkable and properly tied beetle patterns can be used all day without constant retreatment. Foam is a perfect material for terrestrials provid ing bulk with good solid profiles perfect for beetles and other bugs. Dropping a little black ant behind a beetle is a killer combo late spring all the way to fall here in the mountains. One of my best deep woods flies for summer is a simple little yellow jacket pattern tied with black and yellow foam. Watching for hornet and bee’s nest while fishing in summer is as important as watching your footsteps for snakes. In almost every overhanging blooming Rhododendron there will be lots of various bee’s buzzing about and some usually wind up taking a swim and the hungry trout will take advantage of this situation. Summer has begun and the fishing is fantastic!

LAKE SEMINOLE

Forecast By: Captain Paul Tyre Tyrelakeseminolefishingadventures@gmail.com

The Bass fishing on Lake Seminole has been AWSOME through the month of May! June is one of the best months on Lake Seminole to catch big Bass on topwater lures! If you are planning a trip to Lake Seminole in June? Be sure to have some topwater lures like buzz baits, and hollow belly frogs in your tackle box!

Buzz baits are an excellent choice for finding productive areas on the lake. One of my favorites is a 3/8oz Strike King Pro Model in Chartreuse and White, it has a very sharp hook and a sound that gets the attention of the big bass. For line, I prefer 30lb Cortland Master Braid, it has great cast ability and is strong enough to get the big bass out of the grass. A high-speed reel at 7:3.1 is a must and my go-to rod for this technique is a 6th Sense Response rod 7’4” Heavy series, it has moderate action and a soft tip but a backbone to get a great hook set. When the bass are in the grass, the hollow belly frog is hard to beat! My go-to is the Spro Bronzeye Popping

Frog, it has a double heavyweight Gamakatsu hook that is extremely sharp and heavy enough to get the big bass out of the grass! I like to fish the frog over the grass and through holes in the grass. Rod, line and reel choices are very important with this technique! A high-speed reel is a must, at least 8:3.1, and a heavy braided line. I prefer 65lb Cortland Master Braid on a 7’3” 6th sense Vega Frog rod. It has a fast tip and has the backbone to get the biggest Bass out of the grass!

The Bream and Shellcracker have been bedding on Lake Seminole through the month of May and will continue into June and is an excellent way to get kids involved with fishing and the great outdoors!

For a Lake Seminole Fishing Adventure this June give me a call at 850264-7534 or follow us on Instagram @ Capt.paultyrefishing and Facebook @ capt.paultyrefishing

REEL TIME REEL FUN land

LAKE ALLATOONA

By: Joseph Martinelli 404-919-4918

If you find yourself in North Georgia whether for business, pleasure, just doing life, or all of the above, you should treat yourself to a day on lovely Lake Allatoona. It is an absolutely gorgeous reservoir nestled 30 minutes outside of Atlanta, yet a world apart from the city.

The reservoir has held steady at full pool, with water temperatures in the mid-70s. The lineside action has been decent this year and some striped bass beauties being captured and released. Allatoona has one of the finest hybrid striped bass and white bass fisheries in the state. With just the right information to capitalize on these rascals, you have a chance at a day filled with 3–5-pound hybrids, dozens of white bass and even a shot at a 20 lb. striped bass that roam the river and reservoir.

There are hotspots on each end of the reservoir and so many points in between. While most of the striped bass have made their way up the river to spawn already, we have seen some recent catches of big egg laden female striped bass still in the reservoir. They don’t all run up the river and

a number 1 or 2 octopus hook are one of the staple setups for tethering 3-6” threadfin shad or herring.

While the crappie bite is still on, as they do eat year-round, these fish are finished spawning and are back to their both nomadic and structure holding routines. We’ve even picked some up while down lining in 20 to 25 feet deep water with threadfin or herring and have targeted some specifically on deeper brush piles with 2-3” swim jigs and small tubes.

The spotted bass fishery has been becoming better and better each year. Notably one of the most benefited species from the high-protein forage base of herring. We are hoping to see more largemouth bass take root and spawn, particularly with the added efforts of state stockings these past 2 years.

Lake Lanier is 38,000 acres of prime fishing and home to some of the best spotted bass and striped bass in the world. There are dozens of hotels within minutes of the lake, professional fishing guides to increase your odds of catching the “big ones” and plenty of action in Gainesville, Georgia to keep the family entertained! Check us out at ExploreGainesville.org to find out more.

We do hope that you have a chance to get out on the water of Lake Allatoona. We do hope that some of information shared will point you in the right direction, and should you be in the market for a full-service guided instructional trip, we will be happy to help you there as well. 404-919-4918 or heronoutdooradventures@gmail.com, any

God Bless and tight lines, friends!

Forecast By:Will Harkins-

Sweetttt summerrrr. The time of hot weather, wake-boats, perplexed fish, and worst of all, mosquitos. Summer brings its challenges when it comes to Lake Nottely bass. But it can also bring some exciting action when it all comes together! The bass right now have made it off to their summer haunts. With some resident largemouth up shallow and roaming spots out deep, there’s two distinct ways I break down the lake. Before 8 o’clock, I’ll be up shallow in creeks like Youngcane or Nottely river with a buzz bait and weightless worm. This is hands down the best approach to catching one of the few giant largemouth that call the shallows their home. If looking for numbers, June can be a great time for a two-pronged approach. Mornings and evenings many spots will get up on some deeper sloped points,

LAKE NOTTELY

LOCAL LAKES AND FORECAST

prime for a spook or a fluke. As the midday lull arrives, pick up a drop shot with a 3/16 ounce weight or a Texas rig with a Zoom trick worm and get to dragging! I like the Ark Rods 7’1” medium for all of the finesse worm fishing styles. June can be feast or famine, but you never know without Getting Fishing!

#Godsgotthis

LANIER STRIPERS

Lanier: The water temperature is in the low 70s and climbing each day here on Lanier. The water is clear on the south end and slightly stained on the north end.

Now that June is here, look for the stripers to progressively move deeper as the water temperature rises. At the beginning of the month, look for them to be 10 to 20 feet deep. Later in the month, look 20-30 feet deep.

action Fenwick spinning rod paired with a Penn Clash 3000 spinning reel.

Lake Level: Full pool.

Temp: 75-80 degrees. Clarity: Clear

WEST POINT LAKE

Forecast By: Capt. Keith Hudson Keith Hudson Guide Service | hudsonprobass@gmail.com www.LakeWestPointFishing.com | 706-844-1483

Bass: Fair - Early in the month, top water baits such as Pop R’s, Zara Spooks, Senkos and Buzz Baits can be effective for shallow and aggressive fish, especially around bream beds. Some big tournament sacks of Largemouth are still being weighed in by guys who sight fish, targeting bass that are around these beds feeding on the bream. Also, you can try fishing rip rap around bridges with spinnerbaits, small crankbaits, and Shakey head rigs. Still could be a few shad spawning first thing in the mornings. Later in the month, some fish should start showing up on deeper brush piles and roadbeds, as the water warms. Try deep crankbaits or Texas rigged Ol Monster worms. Some spotted bass are being caught by casting Spot Remover heads loaded with Shakey Tail worms or just dragging a Carolina-rigged Zoom finesse worm or mini lizard around sloping gravel banks. These tactics normally work very well for numbers.

Linesides: Excellent - Spawned out hybrids & stripes have shown up in good numbers down lake. Expect the down - line bite on live bait to be awesome! Some fish are starting to surface school on the main lake and can be caught on small crankbaits, topwaters, pop n cork rigs and Storm Swim

Shad lures.

Crappie: Good - Spawned out fish will typically move out and hold on deeper brush & structure or under docks. Try dropshotting minnows or shooting docks for the best results. Night fishing is usually good in June.

Bream: Good - Don’t forget about our bream & shellcracker. Finding an active bed can take a little effort but when you do, you can have a ball! Bedding usually takes place on the full moon cycles in June. Look for shallow cover in the backs of pockets. Sandy flats & stump beds tend to draw the fish like a magnet. Use live pink worms, crickets and small jigs for the best results.

Catfish: Good - Lots of channel cats are being caught by the few anglers that target them. Live & cut baits (and worms of course) fished on bottom will catch cats all over the lake, if fairly deep water is nearby. Jug Fishing is also fun & productive. To target flatheads, go to a larger bait like a 4–5-inch bream or large shiner and fish in the same areas. Be sure to increase the size of your rigs as fish in the 20-30-lb. range are fairly common.

Water temps are in the 80’s over most of the lake. The water is very clear and a couple of feet down.

You will still see some topwater action as the stripers push herring to the surface so be sure to have a Berkley Magic Swimmer or Berkley Cane Walker ready to cast. All the colors in the Magic Swimmer and Cane Walker work. Early in the morning, the Magic Swimmer in white liner is hard to beat. On sunny days, try the chrome Magic Swimmer. Cast these lures on 10- or 12-pound Trilene Big Game on a Spinning rod. A good set up is a 7’ medium

As the fish move to the 20–30-foot mark, look for the downline to take over. Spool up a Penn Fathom Linecounter reel with 15-pound Trilene Big Game on a Shakespeare medium light action Striper rod. Tie on a Capt. Mack 2-ounce swivel sinker, a four-foot leader of 15 pound 100 % Trilene Flourocarbon and a 1/0 Gamakatsu Octopus hook. Herring from the local tackle shops will be the key bait. Look for the stripers on your electronics before you drop bait. You can use traditional 2D sonar or down imaging to see these fish. Great electronics like the Humminbird units are a must. You should see your bait swim around on the sinker. We are already catching some fish on the downline.

See you on the water.

OCONEE ON THE FLY

Contributed By Capt. Wayne Moore - USCG

Forecast for June Crappie – If you want to catch a mess of crappie for the grease from June through September, brush pile and structure fishing is the ticket. I have seen this method take off with the guides here and I would strongly recommend hiring one this time of year. Many of the guides have LiveScope and that gives them a real time picture of the fish, so they know exactly where the fish are relative to the boat and the structure.

Keep in mind if you are going to do this on your own, your electronics are key. In addition to finding the structure you have to know where you are relative to the structure and keep the boat in a position to fish it.

Hybrids / Stripers – Down lining live threadfin shad is the most productive method in June. Caleb Gibbs pictured here got several nice hybrids using this method.

Also, the spoon bite has started up. Look for fish on the edges of humps in around 35-foot-deep water. Also, keep in mind that if you are fishing at first light, in June, Georgia Power may be pumping water up from Lake Sinclair. This will create a nice topwater bite near the dam.

Fly Fishing – In June when people have turned on their air conditioners, power de-

mand is up. This means Georgia Power will be generating on many afternoons, early evening. If you are out from 4:00 PM till dusk and see the lights on at the dam, game on. Try a Clouser on a #2 hook in chartreuse and white on long points on an intermediate or sinking line. Of course, if you are out at first light head to the dam to see if they are pumping water up from Sinclair. If you see a topwater bite, put on a wiggle minnow or a Cowen’s “Somethin Else” fly and get ready for some fun!

Final Words – Contact me at wmoore1700@outlook.com or call 404-3179556 to book your trip. I provide everything you need including light snacks and soft drinks.

By Capt Sam Williams

The bass are biting good now. Fluke’s around the rip rap worked slowly are producing well. Frogs, flukes, spinner baits and buzz baits worked around shoreline vegetation is also a good bet. Texas rigged worms and Creature bait tipped Jigs are also doing the trick. Green and red colors are good. Deeper fish are being taken with Carolina rigged big, dark worms and deep crank baits near structure. Lipless cranks are working where you find shad action and birds feeding. All the newfangled electronics are well and good, but nature still is your most reliable way to find feeding fish. Shad action and feeding birds don’t lie.

Crappie are really doing well right now. Minnows fished in up to 20 feet where structure is located are your best bet.

LOCAL LAKES AND FORECAST

Blue gills and shell crackers are getting fired up. Wigglers and crickets are your best baits here.

Catfish continue to eat well on cut bait on jugs and night crawlers on the bottom near creek drops.

The weather is really perfect now to take a youngster out for a day in God’s great outdoors and make those memories your family will treasure for generations to come. It’s really cool when you sit down to the table enjoying a meal you caught yourself.

Pray for all our heroes in uniform and their families as they protest us every day. Pray for and love one another as Jesus commands us.

Water

Tom and Megan Watson with a couple

nice hybrid bass!

Chis Walls with a 4.38 Rainbow Trout off a spinner bait near the 76 bridge.

Tim Taylor with a huge striper caught in the Chattahoochee River!

fishing

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HIT-AND-RUN GROUPER

Tim Barefoot

I’ve long been a proponent of chumming up a place on the bottom with squid and then feeding grouper a big live bait.

However, afer the last few trips, I’m starting to rethink this tactic because of the number of sharks we’ve been catching.

I’ve never seen as many sharks as we are seeing right now. Te bottom is covered with them, and the top layer of the water column is full of them. Tis past trip, we put out fve Spanish mackerel on light lines hoping for a wahoo bite. We caught fve sharks almost instantly. One of these bites was the biggest tiger shark I’ve ever seen. It was at least 12 feet long and 2 feet wide across the head. Te rest of them were standard 6- to 9-footers; it takes a toll on you to get them to the boat for dehooking.

apart to create a lot of smell down on the bottom. Ten I drop live pinfsh or small snappers to the grouper drawn in by the “chum.”

Lately, I’ve resorted to dropping big, pretty live baits frst to see if we can get a few grouper bites before the taxman arrives, and it’s become a matter of WHEN rather than IF he shows up. It’s “hit-and-run” fshing. We pull up on a nice mark with pinfsh and grunts already rigged on the jig. I hit the spot lock on the Rhodan and drop in for a few good bites. When the sharks show up, we just move up or down the ledge. Lather, rinse and repeat as ofen as needed. Granted, we haven’t boated as many of the smaller snappers or seabass for the cooler, but we’ve caught some beautiful grouper with this “hitand-run” style of bottom banging. Te wahoo are diferent story. We quit putting the light line out due to the instant shark bite. I’ve got to fgure something out for that. From now until the end of October or the frst of November, wahoo will be everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Tey will come inside the edge of the Gulf Stream following big stacks of bait. As usual, some king mackerel fsherman will catch a 100-pounder on a live menhaden in less than 100 feet of water while chasing a tournamentgrade kingfsh.

Between all the American red snappers—which we aren’t allowed to keep—and all the sharks, we’ve been run of of several square miles of bottom lately. Tankfully, we’ve found some of the grouper we’re looking for, but I’m seriously rethinking the “chumming” part of the tactics I usually employ. Normally, I begin on a spot by dropping whole squid on jigs, which the smaller fsh pick

I said all that to say this: We’re going to take more pinfsh and less squid to catch “hit-and-run” grouper. Someone please educate me on a bait that will not catch a red snapper!

For more info on the jigs and bait, check out Tim Barefoot’s YouTube channel and website, barefootcatsandtackle.com.

C-HAWK MITZI SKIFF: & Two Brands, One Philosophy

In the boating world, brand loyalty is earned. Over years, boater experiences with vessels— good and bad, on and of the water—are what build the reputations of boats. It might, or might not, come as a surprise that two brands that have garnered sterling reputations in the industry for functionality and dependability are manufactured by the same builder.

C-Hawk and Mitzi Skif are both built in the U.S.A. with the same philosophy that simplicity leads to vessels that are easier and more afordable to operate and maintain. A simple, well-designed and well-built boat, comes with less hassle, leaving more time to spend on the water. Especially among anglers, this philosophy has built large followings for both brands among people who are more interested in fshing and boating than they are in pampering their pretty boats.

“We build a keep-it-simple-stupid boat. If you want something you can sof scrub at the end of the day and put it away, you’re my guy,” said Brad Grubbs, the owner and manufacturer of C-Hawk and Mitzi Skif. “We set out to make boats that are afordable to operate and afordable to own, and the philosophy has worked.”

Mitzi Skiff

Although Mitzi Skif originated in the 1990s for a singular purpose, the same philosophy for simplicity applies. Fly fshing the fats drove Tom Mitzlaf to design a skif with quiet maneuverability, extremely shallow draf and a clean deck layout to make him a better fsherman. It was simple by necessity, and it revolutionized the industry.

Tree decades later, Mitzi’s line of 15’, 16’and 17’ skifs achieves those purposes exceptionally well, and they have led the way with innovations that make them the fats boats other boat builders imitate. A Mitzi does everything the pricier skifs do, yet they are afordable enough for any angler to own and operate.

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fx it,” Grubbs quipped. Mitzi builds skifs for anglers more interested in fshing than in spending a lot of money.

Te 15’ remains a purpose-built fats boat for one or two anglers to sneak up on wary fsh in super-skinny water. Te 17’ models are more multi-purpose. Tey can fsh three anglers, and while they are primarily a fats boat, they perform admirably as bay boats with a modifed V-hull and an 11-degree deadrise at transom to reduce hull slap. Rolled gunnels knock down spray for an exceptionally dry ride.

Tey are solid and durable for long years of heavy use, and from hideaway pushpole holders to fush-mount hardware, Mitzi delivers clean and stable casting decks designed specifcally for hard-core anglers. www.mitziskifs.com

C-Hawk Boats

C-Hawk has been around since the mid1970s and ofers lines of bombproof 16’ to 29’ center consoles and 22’ to 29’ sport cabins that were originally developed for commercial applications. C-Hawks remain widely used commercially, and many recreational

boaters also see the value in a vessel that’s built to take a beating.

“Really, we just took a commercial-duty boat and put a little lipstick on it,” Grubbs said. “ Te boat is as tough as it ever was. It’s been the same boat for nearly 50 years.”

At their core, C-Hawks are hardcore workhorses, and the center console models have become popular with charter captains because they are built to withstand hard use for years of trouble-free boating. Grubbs pointed to C-Hawk’s 25 CC as a great example of what the brand has become. It’s an extremely stable fshing platform that drafs just 12 inches, and with a 300 horsepower max it’ll take you anywhere you need to go from skinny water to light ofshore duty. What’s more, it’s infnitely customizable from the factory.

“We can mix and match consoles, fsh boxes, full transoms, cut transoms, bare hulls… you name it,” Grubbs said. “ Tere are some recreational guys adding towers and sight fshing for cobia, and such. Everything we do is built around keep it simple, keep it efcient, keep it easy to maintain, keep it cost efective to own and operate. Tey are all unique… no cookie cutter trailer queens here. Te 25 is a great example of what C-Hawk is.” www.chawkboats.net

Every month, I provide tips to help make you a better angler. Tis month’s tip is one of the most important. With so many tackle and gear options on the market these days, staying organized on the water is difcult. Here are a few things I do that make me a more efcient angler because I know exactly where to go when looking for the right tool for the job.

Storage options vary depending on the type of fshing you do. I’m going to stick to bass fshing, but don’t be afraid to alter these tips to your style of fshing.

When storing baits, hooks, line and gear, your No. 1 enemy is moisture. Keeping your tools dry should be a priority because it keeps hooks sharp and everything else rust-free. I store almost everything in waterproof boxes or bags. Tese storage options might be a little more expensive up-front, but when compared to losing a whole box of lures or hooks to rust, your investment will pay for itself many times over.Another good trick I’ve learned is to use DampRid moisture absorbers. Here in Florida, where humidity is high and temperatures fuctuate, condensation builds up in boat compartments. Te best thing to do is to take your tackle out of the boat and move it inside, but this is not an option if you fsh a lot and have a lot of gear. DampRid containers help keep everything safe and dry by absorbing moisture from the air in your boat’s storage compartments.

Now let’s talk about organization. If you’re a bass angler, you have a ton of sof plastics in diferent styles and colors as well as packs of hooks, jigs and weights to fsh them. I use plastic Sterlite containers with latches to store my bags of sof plastics. You can buy them at Walmart. I organize my baits by the type of sof plastic they are, and I label each container. On the water, this makes it easy grab the style of bait I’m looking for. Also, before I leave the house, labels make it easy to load what I think I’ll need for the day and remove what I don’t.

On the hook side of organization, one mistake people make when organizing hooks is to take them out of the original packaging to place them in compartment boxes. Tis is a huge mistake. Hook packs are clearly labeled by size and style, which allows you to quickly identify them on the water. Also, hook packs are designed to keep hooks sharp, untangled and dry. You can store your hooks in a box, but you should leave them in their original packaging.

Hopefully, these tips help you be more efcient on the water and save you some money by protecting your investments.

Tyler Woolcott is a professional tournament angler and guide. Check out his website at www.tylerwoolcottfshing.com.

TYLER WOOLCOTT

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