February tournament

Spalding County Sportsman Club February tournament - Bartlett's Ferry
Lake - February 25

Bartlett's Ferry is a small, old Georgia Power lake of 5850 acres on
the Chattahoochee River on
the Georgia/Alabama state line below West Point Lake and above Lake
Eufaula. It is ringed by
cabins and docks but there is a lot of wood cover and rocks.

Weather forecasts were for rain and thunderstorms with temps starting
in low 50s and getting into
the sixties. . Left for the lake at 5:00 AM to light rain. Only 9
people showed up I was by
myself - partner let me know Friday night he could not go. At launch
it started pouring and kept
if up pretty much till 11:00 AM. . It was barely light at 7:00 when we
took off.

I ran about five miles to a secondary point in the mouth of a creek.
Water temps were right at 50
- up a couple of degrees from the warm days. I figured bass would
start moving up toward
bedding areas and this point is right on deep water with lots of brush
on it. I have caught a lot of
bass here over the years.

First pass in the pouring rain with the Yozuri Livebait and nothing.
Turned and started back with
a Bandit 200 series in blue and white. First few casts produced a 13
inch keeper spot - one in the
boat at 7:15.

Stayed here for 45 minutes as it got a little lighter. This point was
out of the wind - I often try to
start on a calm place till it gets light then move to windy areas. I
read somewhere bass will hold
at night in calm areas then move to the windy side to feed as it gets
light.

No more bites so ran to a windy point I like, main lake point at the
mouth of another creek. Saw a
streak of lightning but counted it to be at least five miles away.
Nothing hit on the point then it
got calm after the storm passed to my north. Worked into the mouth of
the creek and got a
keeper largemouth on a Carolina rigged Baby Brush Hog in the middle of
a small pocket. Two in
the boat at 8:15.

Fished several more pockets and small points but no bites. Ran across
the creek to the main lake
point on that side. Got a hit on the Bandit but when I set the hook
felt nothing. Reeled fast and
guessed right - the fish was running toward the boat. A 14 inch spot -
three in the livewell at 9:15
- beginning to like a pattern of a keeper at quarter past each hour.

Fished on down that side with no bites. Fished another small feeder
creek - rocky point and
docks, one with a good brush pile under it. Nothing. Found out at
weigh-in another boat in the
club had just left it - they saw me go to it. They took three off it!
No wonder I didn't get bit.
Ran up to the bridge and threw a jig head worm around riprap and
pilings - not a bite. 10:15 had
passed without a fish - oh well.

Ran on up to another small creek and started working into it. As I
rounded the first point noticed
something hit on top on the inside of it. Threw the Carolina rig to it
and felt rocks - then the
surge of a fish. Set the hook and landed a small spot - surprised when
it made 12.25 inches - four
keepers at 11:15. Fished past the point and felt lots of rocks all
over it - the upstream side of this
point was at the mouth of a smaller feeder creek, the point was
between it and the main lake..

Turned and cast back across it with the Yozuri and thought I hit
bottom, then realized it was a
fish. When I set the hook saw a good flash in the water. It fought
hard and got near the boat and
saw it was a 3 pound plus bass. My left hand is still real weak from
surgery and had a tough time
holding the rod and netting the fish but got it in the boat. Five in
the livewell at 11:30 - a small
limit with one good fish. Figured I had about 7 pounds, four averaging
about a pound each and
the three pounder. Really wanted to cull the smallest spot.

Fished the little creek and bigger one, hitting the rocks where the
two fish hit several times.
Fished a jig and pig around all logs and blowdowns - several in this
creek, and lots of brush piles.
Not a bite. Got even more windy but the sky cleared - sun was nice and
warm but too bright.

Went to the outside point on the other side of the creek saw a nice
drop as I idled to it. Threw
out the Carolina rig and felt rocks - lots of rocks along the drop.
Water fell from 5 feet deep to
15 pretty fast. Put in a waypoint to help remember that place.

Felt a fish on the Carolina rig and set the hook - half way - my hand
was really hurting and the
heavy rod didn't help. Fought a fish almost to the boat and a small
spot jumped and threw the
hook - weak hook set. Might have culled the little one but not by
much.

Had just a couple of hours left so started hitting other places. At
one point I looked at my watch
and it was 1:50 - we were quitting at 3:00. Checked my cell phone - I
was several miles up a
creek on the Alabama side and expected to see Central time, but it
also showed 1:50. Just to make
sure I called my bank time and temp number back home and confirmed it
was 1:50 in Georgia.

A few minutes later I was reeling in my jig and pig from a dock and
saw a bass following as I
lifted it out of the water. The spot stopped and seemed to look around
and wonder where it went
- I dropped it back in the water and he grabbed it. When I set the
hook the spot came flying out
of the water and came off. It was just over 12 inches long, looked
like.

Didn't get any more bites but lost my Yozuri bait getting it hung up
and the wind blew so bad I
broke my line trying to get it.

As we weighed fish someone asked where Ronnie and Brent were. Another
said their truck was
there - was than them on the dock? A few minutes later everyone had
weighed in - it was 3:13
and they were still not at the scales. I said we should wait two
minutes and call them - club rules
say .3 of a pound penalty for each minute late up to 15, then DQ. I
was kidding about waiting
and someone called them - they were pretty ****ed, were going by cell
time and thought they had
plenty of time left. They came in 15 minutes later - one had a limit
of small spots he guessed at 6
pounds and other had one - they did not get to weigh in. I felt kinda
bad about joking about
waiting to call them.

My five weighed 7. 75 and took first. My big fish was 3.37 but got
beat. Second was 4 weighing
6.57, third was three at 6.28 including a 4.43 largemouth for big
fish, and fourth was 4 at 6.22.
Pretty close. Nobody came in empty - even the two DQs.
-----
Ronnie Garrison

http://fishing.about.com

My five weighed 7. 75 and took first. My big fish was 3.37 but got beat.
Second was 4 weighing
6.57, third was three at 6.28 including a 4.43 largemouth for big fish,
and fourth was 4 at 6.22.
Pretty close. Nobody came in empty - even the two DQs.
-----
Ronnie Garrison

http://fishing.about.com
======
Congrats on the win! Enjoyed the detailed account.

John