(GA) needmotime2fish
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Posts posted by (GA) needmotime2fish
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Georgia "CAG-ers" --
I am "TENTATIVELY" planning to hold a fish-in at West Bank Park at Lake Lanier on Saturday, May 4th. The park is managed by the US Army Corps of Engineers, and there is a $4.00 per vehicle parking fee (I suggest that you bring exact change in case there's no attendant).
There are definitely plenty of carp in the area, and it's very convenient. There is a paved walkway around the lake, not too far from the parking lot. There are cement picnic tables and permanent charcoal grills available "bankside", if any of you want to cook your lunch. The area also has a public restroom very near to the area we'll be fishing.
The only issue that makes this "tentative" is that I was told that if a group using the facility exceeds 10 people, they require a "permit". Unfortunately, the only person who can explain that requirement to me was not in his office this week, so I don't know if the requirement would apply to a "loosely organized group of fishermen" or not.
Meanwhile, I am posting this as an advance notice -- ASSUMING that we will not have any problems. I want this to be as much a "social event" as a "fishing" event. Anyone in Georgia interested in carp fishing is invited. I want to include both CAG members and guests (possible future CAG members). Please set aside May 4th, and plan to attend if possible.
As soon as I can talk with the guy at the Corps of Engineers to nail down the "permit" requirement, I'll get this posted as an official event on the CAG calendar.
-- Barry
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Tim,
I learned the hard way NOT to try to lift a carp by the net handle. I tried to do that several years ago with a good grasser while fishing from a low pier (you know the spot), and bent the handle. Now it only retracts about half-way.
I found that if you net the fish, then use the handle to pull it towards you and grab the net FRAME, you can pick up almost any sized fish. If you're too far above the water, use the handle to pull it up "vertically", and it will hold just fine. Simply leave the fish (in the net) in the water until you can either grab the frame or pull it straight up by the handle. The water "floats" the fish and reduces the leverage (and the stress) on the net handle until you get a better angle or until you can grip the frame.
That said, either of your nets should work just fine at Lanier.
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Thought you should know....I joined cag.
Tim lewis
WELCOME aboard!
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Barry how long of a net is needed there?
You definitely need one with a decent length handle, but nothing you can't find at most tackle shops. Most CAG-ers already have one that's plenty long.
I fished there again this morning. Only caught one carp (6-1/4 lbs) and a channel cat (about 3 lbs). I had "a little" trouble trying to control the fish while reaching through the railing with the net, but I managed to net both fish. However, it is DEFINITELY easier if you have a "net boy" -- teamwork makes everything much easier!!!
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Ding dong, the witch is dead! The curse of the Carp Shark has finally been broken!
Nice job!
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The railings aren't TOO bad. As long as the lake is reasonably close to full pool (before they begin to draw it down in the summer), it's easy to net your fish by reaching between the top and second rails. But the rails make it a bit difficult to use a pod unless you have one that allows quite a bit of vertical adjustment. And with the concrete walkway, bank sticks are definitely out.
By choice (and from years of experience not using them), I don't use bait runners, but instead, just set my drags light enough to prevent a carp from pulling my rod over the rail. Tim, however, nearly lost a rod & reel. He "thought" his drag was set light enough, but a fish had his reel up off the ground, and his rod was within a few inches of being horizontal. Had his drag been the least bit tighter, it would have been "bye-bye rod & reel". Whew! Close call!
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I forgot to mention that the color on several of those carp was outstanding -- pure gold!
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Occasionally, I also post on the GON (Georgia Outdoor News) forum. When I first joined it, I mentioned specifically that I was looking for carp anglers in GA. About a week ago, I received an e-mail from Tim Lewis, who said he'd like to talk about carp fishing, and hopefully learn more about the sport. We met briefly, and agreed that I would take him carp fishing today. He had never intentionally fished for carp before, but had hooked a few and liked their fight, so he wanted to learn more. Just for starters, he was interested in tackle, techniques, and baits.
I had been wanting to fish a Corps of Engineers park on Lake Lanier, mostly to check it out as a possible venue for a GA fish-in. Tim and I live on opposite sides of Lanier, so that seemed to be a good place to meet for our first fishing outing together. In preparation, I put in a 6-hour session there yesterday -- partly to see the conditions, and partly to bait the area for today's session. Fish-wise, Monday was a complete dud! I didn't have as much as a line twitch. But I was able to spod about a gallon of soaked maize, and a pound or two of old, previously frozen boilies.
We decided to meet about 8:30 this morning. Traffic was lighter than we expected, so I got there about 8:00 and Tim arrived about 8:15. I had two rods in the water and was preparing others when he got there. We talked for a few minutes, and he was about to go to the car to get his tackle when I got our first run of the day. After landing it, we noticed that it was just 8:45.
Not long after Tim returned with his tackle and we had the rest of our lines in the water, we caught another carp. Then a 2 or 3 pound channel cat. That was followed by several more carp. We had fairly steady action (seldom more than a half-hour passed without a run), until the heavy morning clouds dispersed, and the sun came out. We caught our last fish some time between noon and 1:00 PM. We also noticed fish jumping in the area all morning, which tapered off around late morning, but we saw almost no jumps after 1:00 PM.
Our total for the day was 8 carp landed -- almost all were 5 to 7 pounds, with one about 4 lbs and the biggest at 10-3/4 (our only double-digit fish). I also lost a nice fish that managed to run a lot of line off the drag before I hooked it. The extra line allowed it to get hung up under a stump.
With 3 rods each in the water, we were using rice packbait that I hastily-prepared last night, and flavored with a pack of strawberry jello and a pack of strawberry Kool-Ade. We used a variety of pickups, including canned corn (3 flavors -- sugar, salt, & vinegar; strawberry; and hot sauce with chili powder) as well as puffs (coated with either brown sugar and syrup or with hot sauce). We caught carp on all those pickups. In fact, the only pickup that failed to catch today was my strawberry boilies. We put the pack around the puffs, but put it on the sinker when we used corn as our hookbait.
Tim had to leave about 2:00 to take care of some business. Since I had fished a long session yesterday, and with no more action I hung it up at 3:00. But I did spod out the rest of my maize, in hopes of getting back there later this week.
The first set of photos are of Tim -- who, by the way, says he's going to join CAG. He has the FEVER now!!! The next ones are of me, and then a few to show the layout of the water's edge. It's a nice park -- not too far from the parking lot to the water, with concrete picnic tables and built in charcoal grills. The only problem is that during the lake's summer draw-down, it's impossible to reach the water with a long-handled net, so the park isn't easily fished at that time.
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I still have -- and occasionally use -- my first and only Mitchell 300. I bought it in 1964 or 65 (I think I paid either $13 or $14). I used it to put a lot of large Potomac River carp in the net during the 60's.
Some years later, I tried to get my Dad interested in spinning tackle (he was a die-hard Zebco 33 guy), so he got himself a 301 model to try. He never liked it, so he kept on hauling with his Zebcos. I still have it, though.
I never use the 301 because I just can't learn to "use the other hand" with spinning tackle. I also still have about a half-dozen of his old Zebco 33s, some dating back to the late 50's.
As an "old school" carper, I learned to fish with a light drag setting on spinning reels, and then tighten it when I hook a fish. Even today, I don't own any bait runner reels -- I still just set my drags light to prevent fish from pulling in my rod on the take.
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Took my 7-year-old grandson (or he took me?) to the lake in his subdivision for 2 hours this afternoon.
We had the same result as you guys, but we sure had a good time trying!
Hey, at least I did see a grasser swirl within casting distance!
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If the Carp Shark is up to the task of holding both of you 'little' guys ???
???I predict a successful voyage!
Good luck!
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Good luck Barry, it may be worth snooping around on local GA fishing forums as well
Excellent suggestion, but I've already "snooped around" on the most popular local fishing forum -- the GON (Georgia Outdoor News) forum. At least so far, all the reports on carp I've found there refer only to waters where we already know carp are present (for example, some of the major impoundments).
I'm hoping the DNR might help us identify some additional 'untapped' carp waters -- maybe some smaller local lakes and/or state or county park lakes, or some rivers or streams with public access..
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I've been reading books and magazines and searching the Internet, trying to identify lakes and streams in Georgia that hold populations of carp. Although many publications and web sites exist that list the various "game fish" found in a particular lake or stream. to date I've found absolutely no data that indicates whether or not any of those bodies of water have any carp -- including the Georgia DNR's own website.
In my opinion, that would be some very useful information for all CAG members (and for other Georgia angers), so earlier today, I sent an e-mail to the DNR (Dept of natural Resources).
First I introduced myself as the Georgia State Chair for CAG, then summarized the objectives of our organization (from our home page), and provided the URL for our website. I also mentioned that we are an international organization, and further emphasized that carp fishing is a growing sport - and a growing industry - here in the US, and noted that in many other countries, the carp is "the" game fish of choice.
I finally suggested that, given the increasing number of carp anglers and the growing popularity of carp fishing, as a service to those anglers, it would be very helpful if the DNR could invest some time to create and publish a list of Georga waters with decent carp populations.
If and when I receive any follow-up, I'll post it here. If the DNR does act on my request, I will also post whatever information they provide. Of course, if they post anything on line, I'll provide a link.
-- Barry
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Good job, Jake! Teach Grandpa how it's done!
Nice story and video, Horace. Always great to see fishing being passed along to the next generations.
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Welcome.
And Dunkel is absolutely right!!! You already have some amazing catches, and you're only 18.
Three of your PBs are better than mine, and I'm more than 3-1/2 times your age!!!
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Give up? No way.
The long range forecast for north GA is for 70's this weekend and ALL NEXT WEEK!!!
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After hearing reports from Commerce about a week ago of "loads of carp on the bank, close enough to net", I've been wanting to get up there to check it out. But the weather turned cold and windy, then rainy, so I figured the fish would probably head to deeper water until the next warm spell. That warmer weather finally came this weekend, so I headed to Commerce this morning.
I've also been wanting to give "hammercarp's" spicy puffs a good test. I made a bucket of pack using Mr. Big's grits pack recipe, and put my version of spicy puffs on the hook. I also spodded out a couple quarts of boiled and soaked maize in the area in front of my pod, and about 30 feet to the left and right.
After about 3 hours, there was still only minimal fish activity -- i saw one fish roll close to shore, but I couldn't see the fish, and wasn't sure if it was a carp or a large bass. There were a lot of fishermen in boats -- mostly crappie fishermen -- but nobody competing with me for bank space. So I pulled out three more rods, and fished two on one side of my pod and one on the other side. I used the grits pack on two of them, one with maize on the hook and the other with canned corn. I baited the remaining rod with canned corn only -- no pack.
It was a very clear day -- blue sky and no clouds, until a few clouds appeared late afternoon. Also it was fairly windy, with a sustained breeze of 10-12 mph, and (plenty of) gusts over 20 mph.
I fished for almost 7 hours, the last 4 hours with 6 lines in the water, and the ONLY action I had was 2 or 3 bumps on the rod baited with just corn. No runs all day. The only consolation was that even the guys fishing for catfish and crappie had no action either. I think that suggests that the weather is still a bit too unsettled, and it's affecting ALL the fishing. In fact, there's another front coming through tomorrow, with another temperature drop expected.
Maybe in another week....???
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I've caught a few grassers, including about 1/2 dozen "twenties", and one over 30. So far, every one has been on canned corn -- no added flavor, just straight from the can. I've had more luck after pre-baiting the area (usually with soaked maize, but sometimes I just "bombed" them with some old left-over packbait). I have caught a few without pre-baiting -- but in those cases, I also used some type of pack bait around the sinker (either rice or millet).
I've tried fishing for them with boilies -- except for a totally unexpected 24-lb blue cat, I've had no luck with them so far. I will definitely try fishing for them with pack and puffs this year.
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I delayed checking the two venues while waiting for the weather to stabilize, and now Easter weekend is here already.
I plan to check Lanier's water level one day next week, and also get in a few hours on the bank at Commerce.
I hope to be able to post a date & location for a Georgia Spring fish-in one day soon.
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Welcome!
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Haven't been to Lanier to look yet, but I also received a good report about "loads of carp on the bank" at the Commerce Watershed. I plan to check both locations before deciding on a venue (or date) for the fish-in.
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I just successfully accessed the BFS website. It appears that everything is OK -- their home page now displays this message:
"Recently the BFS Website has been giving out warnings that the site might not be a protected site. This has been corrected and the site Certificate is up to date. Users can be assured that the site is safe and always has been....THANKS "
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So far I haven't heard any other ideas. For now, as a default plan, I'm tentatively planning to hold a fish-in on Lake Lanier at West Bank Park. But I'll need some time to check the expected lake level. Unless the lake is fairly close to full pool, netting a fish could difficult because the areas most easily accessed have a metal guard rail at the water's edge.
Also, in hopes of avoiding the crowds of families or teens that might be present, I've checked the school Spring Break schedules for all the nearby counties. The last of those spring breaks are scheduled the week of April 8-12, so I'm thinking that one of these Saturdays would probably be best -- April 20 or 27, or May 4 -- again, depending on water level.
As I said in my original post, PLEASE -- if anyone knows of any other spot(s) they'd like to suggest, please post it/them here. Also, if we do find another location (somewhere other than Lake Lanier), we wouldn't need to be as concerned about Spring Break crowds, which would expand our options to include other weekends.
IF we ultimately decide on Lake Lanier, I'll try to get there to do 2 or 3 pre-baiting sessions the week before the event -- it's only about 1/2 hour from my home.
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Right, Santosh. I would appreciate Horace's suggestions -- and those of the "crew".
Maybe he can suggest a venue closer to "the Crew's" part of the state. I'm sure there are a number of spots closer to them that might be suitable for a fish-in -- places that I've never fished myself. Spots such as Lake Acworth and Sweetwater Creek come to mind -- and they can probably suggest some others,
That's exactly what I meant when I said I'll need ideas and suggestions from everyone in order to be an effective State Chair.
Any interest in a Georgia Fish-in -- "Spring, 2013" ?
in GA Fish-Ins & Social Events
Posted
Good idea, Tim
By the way, it's no longer "tentative". I contacted the Corps of Engineers today and found out that i had been mis-informed. The "permit" the lady mentioned applies only to boating events, and does not apply to events taking place on the shore.
I just posted the notice of the Georgia Spring Fish-In on the CAG calendar. Date is May 4th. Details available by clicking the date on the calendar.