The Angler Magazine | April 2024 | Greater Atlanta Area Edition

By Capt. Quinlyn Haddon

KAYAK FISHING: RIDE THE AQUATIC SLEIGH

Whether your vessel options are limited or you just want to spice up your inshore fshing experience, fshing from a kayak should not be overlooked as a possibility. When done correctly, it is some of the most exciting fshing. It can also be modifed for the extreme, or an entirely leisure day on the water.

Kayaking is how I fell in love with fshing. Of all the diferent ways I have gone about it, I have enjoyed them all. From packing a lunch and fshing my way to an island for a picnic and a swim, to drifing backcountry mangroves other vessels cannot access, to cruising dock lights at night, or deploying in

1,300 feet of water seeking yellowfn tuna of of the oil rigs, kayak fshing is versatile with endless possibilities.

Tis type of fshing can be dangerous, and its especially important to know your limitations and be overly prepared. Currents and wind change quickly and afect your return trip. Make sure to check tides and weather before venturing or drifing too far. Paddling against the current while battling the extreme heat can put you in a bad situation very quickly. Make sure to have a small anchor onboard as well. Obviously, this will come in handy for fshing, and it can also provide an opportunity to rest if exhaustion is getting the best of you.

Decking out your rig for fshing is an art form, and there are many ways to go about it. Prioritize having a cooler attached to the back over all else. You do not want to get dehydrated out there. Aferall, you are the motor of the vessel, and should be well maintained just like any other motor.

Afx everything to your kayak with the expectation of getting fipped. Of course, do everything to keep yourself from that situation, but things happen. Use dry-storage bags, and clip everything to the kayak itself. Most kayaks are designed to make this a straightforward process.

Fishing artifcials will simplify your set up, but sometimes afer all the paddling, its nice to relax and toss out some live bait. A bait bucket on a rope with shrimp, that can be tossed out between paddles, should be all you need. For more extreme fshing, modify a PVC pipe with holes drilled into it to hold live baitfsh.

Use common sense and check local regulations. Protect yourself from the sun during the day, be properly lit at night, and stay out of high-trafc boating areas and channels. You are also required to carry a PFD and a sound producing device, such as a whistle.

Once you have hit the full safety checklist, go out there and experience the possibilities that kayak fshing has to ofer. Fishing from a kayak will intensify the tug even with smaller fsh you hook up to, so hang on and enjoy the aquatic sleigh ride.

Capt. Quinlyn Haddon guides with Sweet E’Nuf Charters out of Marathon, Fla. See Captainquinlyn.com, @captainquinlyn or call (504) 920-6342.

FR A NKEN-FISH ON THE FLY

Hybrid striped bass are the Franken-fsh of anglers’ dreams. Also known as wipers, sunshine bass and other names, they are hatchery-produced crossbreeds of white bass and striped bass. Tey are stocked into reservoirs across the country for angler enjoyment.

Central Georgia’s Lake Oconee is a hybrid hot spot. Georgia stocks hundreds of thousands of hybrids in the lake, and conventional anglers get afer them with live baits, jigging spoons, bucktails and trolling lures.

Capt. Wayne Moore, of Oconee on the Fly guide service, is probably the only guy you’ll see on Oconee waving a fy rod from his center console. While he admits conventional tactics are more efective, there are three situations when fy fshing is both productive and a boatload of fun.

Oconee is a 19,000-acre impoundment about an hour and a half drive east of Atlanta. Te lake backs up behind a pump-back dam that creates currents that are key to a good hybrid bite. Moore said there is ofen a good afernoon bite when the dam kicks on and hybrids move onto main-lake points to chase threadfn shad. Afer locating bait and fsh with electronics, Moore goes to work on them with 8-weight fy rods and intermediate sinktip lines. He fshes a cadence of fve short strips and a pause with a 2-inch long white/chartreuse Clouser on a 5-foot leader of 12- to 15-pound

fuorocarbon.

When the bite is hot, a good angler might boat 8 to 10 fsh, and 4- to 6-pound hybrids are not uncommon. “A 6-pound hybrid is going to fght like a 10-pound striper,” Moore said.

By Nick Carter

A fy rod is also fun for the mid-lake morning bite. When the water starts moving, hybrids herd shad to the surface and blow up on them in a frenzy. Te action only lasts an hour, but the bite is consistent for two or three weeks during the May shad spawn.

With thousands of newly hatched shad in the water, Cowen’s Somethin’ Else, and Cowen’s Coyote are Moore’s go-to fies. Henry Cowen is a legendary angler and fy tier who developed patterns specifcally for striped bass in Georgia waters. His fies work just as well on hybrids.

Night fshing under the lights is another situation when Moore would rather use a fy rod.

“We don’t have a lot of lit docks here, but the

ones that are lit will be covered with fsh,” he said. Casts must be precise, and the fghts are technical, so Moore reserves night trips for experienced fy fshers.

“You better have that 15-pound leader. A 6-pound hybrid will give you a run for your money,” he said. “Tey’ll run you right back under that dock.”

With the May schooling bite approaching, it’s worth making plans to visit Oconee now…or try these tactics on your local hybrid reservoir.

Contact Wayne Moore at (404) 317-9556 or wmoore1700@outlook.com and check out Oconee on the Fly at www.oconeeonthefy.com.

Cast Lures in a Mitzi Tournament

May 10th & 11th, 2024

Online Registration:

MothersDayDolphinTournament.com

Captain’s Meeting

The Island Fish Co.

Friday May 10th - 6pm to 7pm

Lines In: Saturday, May 11 - 7:30am

Lines Out: Saturday, May 11 - 3:30pm

Weigh-In

Curly’s Cofee

Saturday, May 11th - 3:30pm to 6pm

Awards Banquet

Marathon Yacht Club

Saturday, May 11th - 7pm

Sunday Honor Our Moms

Always in our Hearts JB!

18th Annual Mother’s Day Dolphin Tournament

An Angler TournamentAngler Entry Fee is a Donation

Catagories

Ladies, Junior (16 and under), Weekend Warrior and Pro Prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd in all categories

Contact Chris Todd Young at 305-797-5779

Admin@HabitatMiddleKeys.org

Presented by

TAN, CREAM, AND YELLOW

By Jeff Durniak | Unicoi Outfitters

April is “Prime Time” for topwater trouting across north Georgia with the height of seasonal hatches for light cahill mayflies, tan caddisflies, and the start of our yellow stonefly hatches. Load your box with the right dries from our two Unicoi Outfitters (UO) shops and cash in on the best month of the year. We’ll help you out!

First, the tans. Load up with tan caddis in sizes 14, 16, and 18 to match the hatch of the day. The elk hair caddis is a tried-and-true pattern. All veteran trouters have some tan caddis in their boxes. When adult caddis are buzzing on or above the water surface, let your fly ride high on its hackles. When they’re first hatching or finally expiring as spent adults, then trim the bottom hackles close to the belly of the fly. It will ride lower, in the surface film, just like the real bugs drifting past you.

Next up are the light cahill mayflies. They’ll come on strong at mid-month and often linger into May. Once again, tie or buy them in sizes 14-18 to imitate the most abundant species (size). During the actual hatch event, my dries are sometimes ignored. That’s when I tie on an emerger pattern to match the molting nymphs in the surface film. That pattern is tied as a half-brown nymph on the hook’s rear (abdomen) and the lighter, half-adult mayfly on the front (thorax). A good emerger will save you from a skunking when fish are rising all around you.

Yellow starts showing up at the end of the month. The dominant mayflies

are often lightly or strongly colored yellow and are known as sulfurs. Your yellow mayfly dries will vastly outfish the tan and cream versions in your box, so stock up on a few “sulfur” dries, to match the hatch. Throw some #14 yellow stimulators to imitate the golden stonefly adults or to simply stimulate some dry fly eats during the day, when no bugs are hatching. The much smaller yellow sally stones may also flutter and dip eggs, so be ready with #16-18 yellow stimulators or yellow Sally dry flies to cash in on the Sally hatch.

Come north in April with your tan, cream, and yellow bugs and have a big time. Stock up with our UO dry flies and hit the stream at 5PM. Stay past dark and you’ll walk out with a flashlight along with plenty of photos and a big smile to celebrate your success! Good luck.

THE GUIDE’S ANGLE

Contributed By: Chris Scalley River Through Atlanta Guide Service

Up your dry fly game! Most fly fishermen realize the importance of the buoyancy of their dry fly. Typically, dry flies, during a hatch cycle, imitate the adult stage during one of three scenarios; emerging, egg laying and spent(dead). All these activities during a hatch take place on the surface or in surface film. Because of our Georgia clay, I feel like anglers should clean and treat their fly line, leader, tippet and fly prior to each fishing day. This helps increase the buoyancy of the entire system which reduces surface tension making mending the line more effective with more realistic presentations. Leave it up to the British who invented

fly fishing and developed the dry fly tactic for the past 300 years. They make a great line cleaning product called “Mucilin” from Reditch England with an applicator pad. Most fly shops carry this product or something similar and if you’re in a pinch, you could apply Gink or fly dope dressing with a paper towel.

SPRINGTIME BASS ON THE FLY

David Hulsey

April in the mountains is about as good as it gets for the fly fisher. Almost every trout stream has some decent hatches coming off and good water temperatures that get the fish moving a little bit. Trout are looking up too scanning the surface for floating insects. This is the beginning of dependable dry fly action on our rivers and creeks. The stocking of trout on our delayed harvest streams continues and several of the hatchery supported waters receive the first stocking of the new year. In other word’s everything is fishing good right now barring a deluge from a thunderstorm or some other event. There’s a lot of folks fishing right now but getting off the road can help you find some trout that haven’t been subjected to throngs of fishers. The Blue Ridge mountains in April are alive with wildflowers and fresh new leaf growth making it one of the most diverse and beautiful places in the world. Dry Fly patterns that work well during this time include March Brown, Quill Gordon, Elk Hair Caddis and Stimulators. It’s a little ahead of the summer terrestrial

fishing, so matching the hatch may be more important than usual, simply because the trout have a lot to choose from. Trout Spey in the spring can be awesome with all the aquatic insects moving through the water column to hatch. Matching the emerging bugs with soft hackles or flymphs is deadly at this time of year. Swinging flies perfectly matches the accent of the insect and is very familiar to the trout drawing confident takes.

April is also the time that fishing on our mountain lakes gets rolling with bass and bream moving into shallower water to spawn. Some great top water action can be had almost all day long before the hot summer temps kick in. On sunny days dropping a small wooly bugger or R.L.D. off the back of your popper can keep you busy unhooking fish. If the morning air temperatures are still cold, a Clouser or Game Changer may be ideal for the early bite. Being flexible on flies and technique will go a long way catching largemouth and spotted bass. Now is the time to book your summer class or guide trip with us!

LANIER STRIPERS

Forecast by: Capt. Clay Cunningham

www.catchingnotfishing.com | 770-630-2673

Spring is finally here on Lanier. At the moment, Lanier is over full pool, and the water temperature is climbing into the low 60s. The water clarity is all over the place due to all the rain in recent months. April is a big month on Lanier for striped bass. The stripers will move up both rivers, spawn, and work their way back down to the main lake. Since the stripers will be on the move they will need to eat. The key pattern will be to pull the banks and points with freelines and boards mostly on the north end of the lake. Be sure to use your electronics to spot the fish in these areas. On the Humminbird Side Imaging, you can see the fish on each side of the boat. In the past five years, electronics have progressed immensely. The best setup is a Shakespeare Striper Rod paired with a Penn Fathom II Linecounter. Spool the Penn Fathom II Linecounter with 15-pound Trilene Big Game line. At the end of the line, you will need a flourocarbon leader. Tie on a

Spro Power Swivel and a five-foot section of 15-pound Trilene 100% Flourocarbon and a Gamakatsu 1/0 Octopus hook. Pick up a set of Water Bug Planer Boards and some live herring and you are good to go for the day.

If you prefer to use artificials, be sure to pick up some Berkley Jerk Shads in white. You will want to throw this on a Penn Conflict 3000 spooled with 15-pound Berkley X9 Braid with a 10-pound flourocarbon leader on a Fenwick 7-foot medium spinning rod. Pick up a selection of other topwater wake baits like the Berkley Surge Shad and walking baits like the Berkley Cane Walker and you are good to go. One day the Surge Shad will be best and another day the Cane Walker will be best. Another good choice is a Capt. Mack 1/2-ounce bucktail tipped with a Berkley Jerk Shad casting to the bank. April is a great month for casting here on Lanier. Time to be on the water!

Springtime Fish Are Hungry!

By Capt. Cefus McRae | Nuts & Bolts Fishing Series Hartwell, GA

Early spring fishing can be feast or famine for us anglers, but for the fish… it’s mostly feasting. For the past few weeks, (depending on which lake you fish), the fish have been filling their bellies getting ready for their annual spawning frenzy.

Some days, you’ll find them 50 feet or deeper, and some days they will be in less than 2 feet. A lot depends on the water temperature and what their internal clock is telling them to do. But regardless of where you find them, most of these fish are ready to attack just about anything you put within striking distance.

Deeper fish will still eat a properly worked drop shot rig, a jig, or Carolina rig. Shallow fish will voraciously slam a crankbait or slow-rolled spinnerbait. As the water warms into the upper 50’s and 60’s, the action will continue to get better.

Here’s a prime example. Last week, while slow-trolling for stripers with large herring, a hungry spot wanted a quick meal. It pulled drag like a big hybrid.

When we got it to the boat, it became obvious just how hungry it was. A hook was in the right jaw from a previous encounter. It was clear the line broke at the knot. My Daiichi Bleeding Bait circle hook was firmly embedded in the other jaw. I removed both hooks and sent the fish back with a full belly and a story to tell his buddies.

REEL TIME REEL FUN land

Welc e Gaines e’s Lake Lanier!

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.

Spring is finally here, and now is the time to go do some catching!

LAKE ALLATOONA

By: Joseph Martinelli 404-919-4918

Lake Allatoona has continued to produce very well these past years, and as Spring is settling in, we can expect the reservoir to be teeming with life. Allatoona has many species of fish to offer, including striped bass, hybrid striped bass, white bass, crappie, spotted bass, largemouth bass, blue cats, channel cats, flathead cats, gar, and several species of bream to name a few.

The stripers and hybrids are beginning to stage up nicely and may soon be seen on the surface chasing shiny little silver baitfish. I believe herring are the preferred forage over the threadfin shad in the springtime. We are confident that standard patterns of down-lining and free-lining fresh threadfin shad, herring, and gizzard shad along with trolling umbrella rigs and crank baits will produce both numbers as well as quality fish as they had beginning in March.

Our down-lining is typically ¾ oz. -1.5 oz. weight with a 4-6’ leader of 8-10lb. fluorocarbon. While most fish are being found lake-wide, it should be noted that these line sides do move around a lot, and greater concentrations may shift from south to mid to north regions of the lake often.

As water temperatures reach that magic 60 degree plus mark, most species are prepared for spawning. While the white bass get it started and run when temperatures reach the 50–55-degree mark, the hybrids and striped bass are right behind them. Some fish are running up the river as early as February, there should still be some activity in the upper Etowah and Little River pools throughout April and May.

Larger baits may prevail when targeting the larger fish this month so consider pulling a larger 8-10” gizzard shad on a freeline or planer board anytime you are committed to hooking up with a

drag screamer. Bigger fish preparing to spawn are often looking for a single larger meal, reserving their energy for spawning.

The crappie bite has already been phenomenal through March. These fish are already staging up in the mouths of creeks as well as the channel edges. Pulling some 1/16 oz. jigs flat-lined behind the boat should produce, on any day. If you are held to shore fishing, these same fish are already pushing up on the banks where the males are fanning in preparation of the spawning females to lay their eggs. These males can be quite aggressive and will defend their bed at all costs, any little ‘rubber bug,’ live minnow and the like will get eaten when presented in active areas in this 1 - 6 foot of water range.

The Spotted Bass bite has been fantastic through this winter and these fish are ready to get up on the rocks and start their spawn. They will respond well to many offerings. A white fluke or shad pattern swim bait worked along the bank edges will produce fish. Crankbaits, jigs, and other creature baits that resemble crawfish have been solid since March and will continue to produce into April.

We do hope this helps a little and that you have a fantastic season of fishing here on Lake Allatoona. Please follow us on Instagram and Facebook for more regular reports and join our blog at www.heronoutdooradventures.com for some insider information and prompt reports as the season progresses.

With added experienced anglers and I to help guide you on a full-service adventure, these may be scheduled with a simple call to 404-919-4918 at any time. We look forward to the opportunity to have you out on the water with us for a fishing adventure. God Bless and tight lines, friends!

OCONEE ON THE FLY

Contributed

Forecast for April Crappie – Many anglers think of April as prime time to catch crappie, and it is! Early in the month the fish will still be in shallow water and spawning. Trolling out of the back of boat (long lining) is a great way to target these fish.

Trolling a single jig when the fish are very shallow can yield some large fish. I use a 1/16th or 1/32nd Litewire hook with a pink, orange or chartreuse head, and a Jiffy jig or a custom jig from Slab Snatchers Custom Baits. I like the June Bug color, Blue and White, and Popsicle Chartreuse.

In late April, these fish will move out towards submerged timber. Try using double 1/16th ounce jigs when this happens.

Hybrids / Stripers – As of this writing on March 9th, the hybrid bass and striped bass bite is very strong. The lake is still heavily stained, so most guides are trolling shad raps (sizes 6 through 8) behind the gas motor at 2.5 mph. Flat lining or down lining bass minnows are

Wayne

producing as well.

Fly Fishing – The above average rains have produced a heavy stain on the lake which has shut down the fly bite for now. When the lake clears, I believe there will be a fly bite early and late in the day, particularly if Georgia Power is generating or pumping water up from Lake Sinclair.

Use an intermediate or sinking line on an 8-weight rod, with a 5-foot leader of 12-pound fluorocarbon. A clouser on a #2 hook in white and chartreuse works best. The retrieve should be several short strips followed by a pause. Many times, they will hit when the fly is almost back to the boat.

Contact me at wmoore1700@outlook. com or call 404-317-9556 to book your trip. I provide everything you need including light snacks and soft drinks.

Ian Williams with his personal best 8.75 lb largemouth bass while fishing a private lake. Great catch Ian!

Jason and Cathy Neubauer with rainbow trout caught on a fly rod in Clarkesville, GA

Carson Holbert with a 6 pound largemouth from Clark’s Hill.

John Holmes with a fantastic trout from North Georgia!

Jenny Moore with a very nice Lake Lanier bass!

Renee Ring-Miller with a nice bass from a private lake in Baitesville, GA

WORK THE EDGES FOR

SPRING INSHORE ACTION

By Capt. Michael Okruhlik

As the seasons change, so should your fshing locations and tactics. In my quest to target larger trout and reds, I modify my approach slightly versus what I have been doing for the past three or four months. However, depending on the weather, spring can be a tricky time to fnd solid and repeatable patterns. With the water temperature swings, the fsh begin to move from winter to spring areas. But a slight cold front will send them right back to their winter patterns, and it will keep you on your toes.

Te frst major transition is from mud to a frmer sand bottom. In my area, the prominent structure will still be grass, but the base sediment will change. If your area structure is shell or rocks, you will still want to fnd harder sand. According to biologists, the primary reason for this is the winter forage, primarily mullet, fnd their food source in the mud during the colder months. We all know fsh follow the bait, and that is why we target trout and reds on sofer bottoms in the winter. As the water warms, the next generation of perch shrimp and other species hatch and will be found in structure with a frm bottom. In my area, that will be grass.

Now that we know where to fsh, let’s cover the how. In spring, staying tight to the cover is important. It is imperative for juvenile forage to stay in tight schools and intermingled in the structure for survival. Keeping your lure near the grass, shell, or wherever you are fshing will be critical to success. I target the borders where sand and grass meet. Each area will vary depending on if it is predominantly sand or grass. If it is mostly grass, I concentrate my eforts casting into the grass and working my lure into the sand, paying attention to the edge and giving the fsh time to fnd my lure at that intersection. On the other hand, if it is mostly sand, I will target the grass patches and once again the edge.

Spring allows us to utilize a wide range of lures. Sof plastics danced along the bottom or topwaters skated across the surface can both be efective, depending on the mood of the fsh. Tis will be determined by water temp and the passing of late-season cool fronts.

Whatever lure you decide to use, concentrate on the edges of the available cover to increase your odds of having a productive day. As always, take a kid fshing; you just might learn something.

Capt. Michael Okruhlik is the inventor of Knockin Tail Lures®, and the owner of www.MyCoastOutdoors.com.

PHOTO COURTESY OF KNOCKIN TAIL LURES ®

FISHING THE SECOND SHIFT

Spring is one of my favorite times of year for many species on the inshore menu, including red drum, snook and trout. I usually fsh at night for several reasons including my “day job,” which keeps me occupied for a vast majority of daylight hours. I guess I could become a weekend warrior, but I’ve noticed the best weather typically doesn’t occur on weekends. Tere’s an old saying that goes something like this: “You know what happens afer two days of really crappy weather?”

“MONDAY!”

All joking aside, I believe the best bite for older, wiser, heavily pressured fsh is at night. Tey’re a little more at ease afer the sun goes down and the boat trafc lets up. Tis is when the big girls let their guard down and come back into shallower water to feed. Wherever you fnd shrimp and small mullet along the edges is a good place to take advantage of aggressively feeding redfsh, trout or snook afer dark. Te patterns are similar for all of them.

Just before dark is a good time to get situated to the rising or falling tide and the water clarity, which might be afected by

frequent rains this time of year. Get used to your surroundings and how fast the current is running. Keep the lights low, and allow your night vision to kick in as darkness settles.

Music on the boat is fun, but this is a situation when you’ll want to be quiet. Don’t play the radio loud or stomp around on the deck. Close your coolers and hatches quietly. Try not to talk are laugh too loud. Sound travels extremely well in the water, and when the rest of the world is quiet, the noise you make is even more startling to the fsh.

I don’t even use “spot lock” on the trolling motor at night in shallow water. I think fsh have learned to associate the sound of trolling motors with the presence of a boats and humans… just saying. Make your own choice here.

Color selection is a very important at night. Dark colors, especially with shrimp lures, work better at night, especially when there is a bright moon. It might sound crazy, but dark colors are silhouetted by the moonlight and are easier for fsh to see. Dark brown, purple and black can be extremely hot on nights with a full or nearly full moon.

I’m partial to shrimp imitations, and a lot of times I’ll suspend one under a glowin-the-dark cork for night fshing. Tat cork carries it along perfectly with the current and you can keep your eyes on where your bait is, which is one of the difculties of fshing at night.

If you’re like me and have a job that keeps you occupied during the day, consider fshing the second shif. You might be pleasantly surprised.

See more from Tim Barefoot at barefootcatsandtackle.com.

Tim Barefoot

By A. deGruchy

CHASING BACKCOUNTRY COBIA in the Keys

Cobia are robust, daring, and always up for a challenge. You know you’re in for some fun when you spot them cruising near the surface, sometimes in pairs or groups, hounding baitfsh like a wolfpack or drawn in by curiosity at the action around your boat. If you’re geared up and ready for them, a little fnesse will have you luring them in like a pro.

Location is key. When fshing for cobia in the backcountry here in the Florida Keys, we look for them to be around structures, wrecks and foating debris, ofen roaming the same areas in groups. Tey’re not pickiest eaters. Pitch a live bait out in front of them, and they’ll usually eat it, and we’ve also had great success with a Savage Gear RTF 3D Shrimp.

Te action when using these Savage Gear shrimps is a hard jerking lif, then letting your shrimp fall, mimicking a shrimp’s natural actions. For the battle, the optimal gear is at least a 4500 reel, but you really don’t need more than a 6500, and we always trust our Penn Authority and pair it with a medium/medium-light Carnage III Rod for maximum control and power.

Te most important thing to remember when hooking a cobia is to be ready, as it’s very common to spot “following” cobia. Tey ofen travel together and like to investigate what your hooked cobia is doing and eating. Tese “followers” can lead to an epic double header, but only if you have enough rods rigged and ready on the boat and hands to cast them.

Cobia are known for powerful runs, ofen scoping up and switching directions in a split second. Keep calm, adjust your drag, and let them exhaust themselves. Stay alert as you reel in your cobia, as they are known for sudden maneuvers, and will sometimes dart under the boat in a heartbeat. And the fght doesn’t end even afer you’ve gafed a cobia. Exercise caution when you bring them over the rail and onto the deck because they ofen cause havoc on the boat. It’s best to tire them out completely during the fght to minimize potential damage.

Since regulations frequently change with cobia, staying informed is important. One keeper cobia can feed a lot of people. Teir meat is known for its steak-like texture and delicate favor, perfect for a mouthwatering sear with butter and seasoning.

For the best shot at spotting a cobia, consider booking a full-day charter. Tis helps your chances to see one, and the timing should be pretty solid for in the upcoming weeks.

Book a charter at www.beansportfshing.com and follow their cobia adventures at “Bean Sportfshing TV” on YouTube.

PRE-SPAWN FISH

BREAK STATE RECORDS

Along with blooms on the trees and frogspawn in the ponds, the annual rites of spring include an uptick in anglers reporting heavyweight catches.

A spate of recent record catches marks the transition to longer days, warmer weather and spring-spawning species putting on weight. In Indiana, an angler caught a monster 8-pound, 4-ounce smallmouth bass that crushed the existing state record by a pound. In Kentucky and Georgia, two anglers boated big yellow perch. Te Kentucky perch set a new state record, while the Georgia fsh earned the angler a tie for the heaviest perch ever caught in the Peach State.

In Indiana, angler Rex Remington caught his big pre-spawn smallie on March 3 at Monroe Reservoir. Te fsh was weighed on certifed scales in the presence of Indiana DNR ofcials before being released. Te new record was adopted a couple weeks later and is listed at 8 pounds, 4 ounces, beating a record that had stood since 1992. Te all-tackle world record smallmouth weighed 11 pounds, 15 ounces. It was caught from Dale Hollow Lake, Tennessee in 1955.

Smaller, but no-less-impressive, Lynn Bumgardner caught his 1.58-pound Kentuckyrecord yellow perch at Lake Barkley on March 2. It beat the existing 1.44-pound record caught in 2010. He was trolling grubs for crappie and knew

he had a heavy fsh when it hit, but he didn’t realize it was a potential record perch until it surfaced. Te fsh was 14.25 inches long.

Tey must grow perch bigger in Georgia. On Feb. 18, Emerson Mulhall caught a huge 16-inchlong, 2-pound, 9-ounce yellow perch that tied the existing state record set in 2013. Mulhall, who usually bass fshes at north Georgia’s Lake Burton was initially confused, because the fsh he’d hooked didn’t fght like a bass. When he realized it was a perch, his father convinced him to get of the lake and go get it weighed on certifed scales.

Te all-tackle world record yellow perch is reported by IGFA to have weighed 4 pounds, 3 ounces. Tat fsh was caught in New Jersey in 1865.

For more record fsh, go to coastalanglermag.com.

TIPS FROM A PRO

HOW TO FIND AND TARGET THE POST-SPAWN FEED

In some parts of the country, the bass spawn is already coming to an end like it is down here in Florida. In others the post-spawn might not start up for another couple months. Regardless of your phase, this post-spawn fshing tip should help you dial in your fshery when the time is right for you.

One thing is the same for every fshery and every species of bass afer they spawn, they are hungry! Tis can create some awesome and fun fshing opportunities. Post-spawn bass have provided some of my best days on the water.

Typically, afer the largemouth bass spawn, there are other fsh that begin their spawn. I’m not a scientist, but I’m sure this has a lot to do with the specifc timing of why bass do their thing when they do. In most areas of the southern United States, bluegill and ofentimes shad start to spawn very shortly afer the bass fnish up. Afer a long couple weeks or months protecting eggs in the shallows, bass use every advantage they can to feed when these baitfsh group up, and this can make for some fun fshing.

Smallmouth bass and spotted bass in the post-spawn phase are very similar to largemouths when it comes to taking

advantage of bait schools. I have seen them group up and attack shad, perch and alewife schools and any other bait that is readily available. Typically, I do a lot of my searching for these things with my electronics and forward-facing sonar, which is a very helpful tool for learning fsh activity and seeing what’s going on under the surface of the water.

Most of the time you don’t necessarily need electronics. You can use clues visible to the naked eye to help you fnd this “feed” that is going on. Birds feeding on the water is an awesome sign of a feeding frenzy, and it’s one thing I always look for. Also, always keep your eyes peeled for fsh blowing up on the surface or shad fickering under the surface. Sometimes the very smallest clue can lead you to much larger picture. Birds standing on specifc banks, the sound of bluegill popping around vegetation, anything that clues you in to bait in the area usually means the bass aren’t very far away.

Hopefully this tip will help you when the fsh in your area get into the post-spawn feed. Find the bait, and you will fnd the bass!

I try to imitate the prevalent baitfsh with whatever kind of lure I’m throwing. For bluegill eaters, I will throw a frog or a swimjig in bluegill colors. For shad eaters, I will throw white or silver topwaters and crankbaits.

Always match the hatch if possible. Good luck out there this season, and tight lines!

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

TYLER WOOLCOTT

READY FOR

By Will Schmidt

RED GROUPER

With gag grouper closed until late summer for many of us, it is time to be out looking for red grouper to fll our tacos this spring and summer. Fortunately, they are aggressive eaters if you’re willing to make the extra efort to go to their feeding grounds. In general, to get to decentsized reds, you’ll need to head a bit farther out, with the best fshing being found in 80 feet or deeper, especially as the water warms. You are still looking for the same type of environment; Swiss cheese bottom, ledges and artifcial reefs can all hold good numbers of quality fsh.

Te tactics are the same and simple. Tey will eat dead or live bait in most cases. Tat said, I found a combination of the two to be the best bet. I like to start with “stinky bait.” Dropping some frozen squid or menhaden is a great way to get the bite going. Once the bite starts, which is usually quickly if they are around, I like to switch to palm-size live pinfsh to entice the bigger fsh. While dead bait and jigs will certainly get you keepers, the larger fsh are quicker to hit a live bait.

Rigs are simple. Circle hooks must be used with natural bait and 5/0 to 7/0 hooks will do the trick. I prefer to use about 2 feet of leader, then a swivel and my weight, and a knocker rig will also work. A minimum of 50-pound fuorocarbon leader is recommended, as they will run for a hole in the rocks once hooked. Keep a close eye on your leaders, as they tend to get chafed when the fshing is good.

Even though red grouper are typically smaller than gags, I still use my goto big grouper set up, as at these depths you could get a big gag or other sea monster. Fortunately, new lighter combos like the Accurate BV600 reel and 70H rod make a full day of fshing more fun and less fatiguing. Tese two-speed reels have a patented twin drag that will stop the hardiest of fsh, and with that winching power you can use a lighter more parabolic rods to handle the biggest of bottom fsh. Line is important too. Te lack of stretch in braid is a must for landing big grouper. A minimum of 65-pound test, and a metered braid like the Nomad Panderra 8x is great for knowing how close you are to the bottom. Moreover, these rods are sensitive enough to do double duty as trolling rods for kings, sails and mahi.

While they might not be quite as big as some of their cousins, red grouper are great table fare, and it is hard to turn down a grouper taco, no matter what variety it is.

Will Schmidt is a seasoned tournament angler who has been writing about fshing from more than two decades.

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