Georgia Bass Chapter Federation Nation Top Six

Saturday - 2/8/08 - Day 40

First day of Georgia Bass Chapter Federation Nation Top Six
Lake Seminole

My partner was from up near Lanier and said his team had been catching
bass by fishing channels where they ran near the bank and had hydrilla
on the shallows. That was very similar to what Jack had shown me on
Thursday and we decided to fish the channel in Spring Creek since he
really didn't have any places - his team's boaters were going to
fish the spots he knew. His team was using light line and light
lead.

We ran through the Wingate cut and started fishing the channel just
downstream of it in the timber. I had caught a good 2.5 pound keeper
here in practice - my only fish in two days! - on a Strike King
Series Five crank bait so I started throwing it. We fished about an
hour and then worked across the boat lane and fished up the creek
channel. Around 8:30 we got to the ditch Jack had showed me and
started working toward the tree where he said they had caught several
a few weeks ago.

About that time I noticed another boat on the other side of the Spring
Creek lane where the channel crosses it. The guy in the back was
fighting a fish - we saw them net a pretty good on. A few seconds
later my partner said - "He is throwing a Carolina rig."

Since that seemed to be working I put down my crank bait and picked up
a Carolina rig with a green pumpkin Baby Brush Hog on it. I was in
reach of the magic stump so I cast to it. As the rig sank it got tight
and I set the hook. Felt a fish for just a second and called for the
net, then it locked up on the stump.

I got close and pulled and it was solid. I kept pulling and working -
thought I could still feel the fish every once in a while. My partner
put the net down and started fishing again.

I saw my line was over a limb and got it on the other side and
pulled. The fish came lose and I saw it - a good one. I went crazy
yelling for the net, knowing the line had to be frayed bad. The fish
came to the net easily - guess I had bumped its head up against the
stump too many times. It looked to be about 4.5 pounds.

My Carolina rig had 15 pound Pline XtraTough main line and 14 pound
Sufix leader. Sure was glad of that heavy line. I told my partner I
must have a horse shoe stuck somewhere and I bet I used up all my
luck landing that bass.

We saw the guys across the creek catch some more fish and my partner
started throwing a Texas rig on 10 pound line in the middle of the
ditch. The ditch was 20 feet deep with hydrilla and stumps along the
edge and was about 30 feet wide. Lips of the ditch were about 12 to 15
feet deep. It lead to a spawning cove. I was fishing the stumps with
my Carolina rig and my partner caught a keeper fish, then another
one. He got about ten bites and landed four keepers and one throwback
in about ten minutes and I never got bit.
I dug out my drop shot and said I had not planned on using it and the
six pound line was not a good choice in the stumps, but those keeper
size fish in the middle of the channel might stay on. I did not get
bit on it. Dumb decision but dropped it down by a stump and hooked
up. Fought the fish to the top, another four pounder, partner had the
net ready and it made a run and got around a stump and popped my
line.

I threw that rod in the bottom of the boat and dug out another rod,
this one with 12 pound Flourocarbon line. Rigged a drop shot with a 4
inch watermelon Zoom Dead Ringer with a 1/8 ounce sinker and a TTI
Standout red hook, just like the first one and dropped it down by the
same stump. Got bit, set the hook and a strong fish pulled me around
the stump. We sawed back and forth for several pulls then my line
broke. Almost threw the rod and reel in the lake.

We stayed on that ditch until 11:30 without another bite. Ran up to a
spring Tim Malcom told me about and there were two boats on it
already. Back to the channels - fished two other places without a
bite. We fished the ditch the last hour but nothing hit.

At weigh-in I felt foolish with one fish. One guy had 22 pounds, my
first day partner drew a guy with 17 pounds for the next day. My one
weighed 4.6, partners four weighed 4.73.

Met my day two partner. He had caught one 3 pound bass and didn't
have much to go on. Said we would fish the ditch tomorrow, too.

Idled back to the campground and put new 8 pound line on the drop
shot, new 12 pound fluro line on a bait casting reel and rigged it
Texas style with a 1/8 ounce sinker like first day partner had been
using. Found some green pumpkin green flake Zoom U tail worms and put
one on, dyed the tail chartreuse with JJs Magic. Also retied other
rods, put new worms on all of them and put several rods up I did not
plan on using.

Ronnie

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