(GA) needmotime2fish
-
Posts
320 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Articles
VIDEO'S & other MEDIA
Forums
Store
Downloads
Events
Gallery
Posts posted by (GA) needmotime2fish
-
-
Early Tuesday morning Tony Locke and I headed out for Cleveland, TN, where we met John Torchick ("cannonball") for 3 days of fishing on the nearby Hiwassee River.
We did this before, in the spring, and caught lots of carp and buffs. I had also fished there several times with John in the fall with good success, so we had high hopes.
Probably because of the high summer temperatures and low rainfall, the fish weren't quite as cooperative as on previous visits. But we did catch enough fish to keep things interesting, and some of them were nice. John caught a stunning mirror, and Tony caught his American PB common. All three of us managed to catch some double-digit commons and buffs.
-
4 hours ago, Cannonball said:
NMT2F, couldn't you Photoshop the photo and make me look a bit thinner and younger????
John -- that's the reason I didn't post more pictures. You didn't look any better in those than i the ones I used.
-
Georgia CAG held our Fall Fish-in on Sept. 24 at Salacoa Creek Park, in northwestern GA
.
Arriving a day early, on Friday, were James "Blackberry" Holley, John "Cannonball" Torchick (from TN), and myself, Barry "needmotime2fish" Shildneck.
With temperatures in the 90s, it sure didn't feel like Fall. That might have been the reason for our relatively light turnout, but we managed to get a handful of die-hards to show up. Fortunately, John brought his 10X10 awning, which offered us all a chance to get out of the sun now and then.
James caught the first - and biggest fish on the weekend, a nice grass carp of about 20 pounds, followed soon afterwards by John with a nice 15-2 common. Things certainly looked promising, but sadly, there were no more double digit fish caught the rest of the weekend.
On Saturday we were joined by David "Double-D" Dodway, and Tony Locke, then around mid-morning, Mike "Big Bird" Strickland and his wife made an appearance. They were just visiting, and didn't come prepared to fish since they rode their motorcycles. However, Big Bird did manage to catch a carp on one of my rods while I was grilling hot dogs for the group. Also, one of Mike's coworkers - and his sometimes fishing buddy - brought his wife and two boys for a short visit (sorry -- I failed to get any photos of them).
Despite the fairly slow action, we all had a very enjoyable time, getting re-acquainted with old friends and meeting a few new folks, chatting with one another, listening to Big Bird's stories, and stuffing ourselves with hot dogs and snacks.
We did catch a decent number of smaller fish, although fewer than "normal" for this venue (a number of carp were caught and released before a photograph was taken). It was also surprising that there was only one small mirror caught this time (David D. -- who also caught the large soft shell turtle seen in the photos). I believe that the long stretch of extremely hot weather we had here in GA this summer was the cause of the slower action. I guess I should have scheduled the fish-in for later in the fall. Hopefully we'll do better next spring!
-
Bumping this up one last time. This occurs ONE WEEK FROM TODAY !!!
If you plan to come, please let me know (if possible) by Wednesday night. I'll be bringing hot dogs to cook for lunch and would like to have a rough estimate how many to bring.
If you can't let me know by Wednesday or if you forget, please come anyway -- I always have plenty.
I hope to see you there.
-
2 hours ago, Jerome said:
what we figured out later on. Iain was fishing a deeper spot, which turned out to be quite silty (stinky weeds attached to his lead when reeling in; I was battling floating weeds but no pungent odor)
Thanks guys! Along with what John said about decaying vegetation depleting the oxygen from the water, it makes sense. It may be that the odor from the weeds is not the reason the carp don't frequent the area very often, but that it (the odor) is a SYMPTOM of the bigger problem -- insufficient oxygen due to high water temperature.
Given the very limited number of swims on this lake, I think I will be better off waiting for cooler weather before trying this venue again.
-
I discovered a nice venue this spring where we had considerable success. Nearly every fish we caught was a double-digit fish, including lots of upper teens and even one 20+ (good fish for most public waters in GA), and several days of 10+ fish, and one spectacular day when two of us landed 25. I said this to establish the fact that the place holds plenty of carp, and mostly nice ones. Unfortunately, this is on a lake where 99% or more of the bank is privately owned, so there is just one, single, 100-yard stretch that is open to the public. The water accessible from that stretch of shoreline is fairly shallow, and its temperature changes quickly as the weather changes. We pretty much stopped catching carp there in late May or early June. However, I did try it in mid July and was surprised to catch three that day, up to 17 pounds. But in three trips since, two of us have caught just one carp, and it was a single-digit fish.
After blanking again last week, as I was preparing to leave, I had a small amount of decayed weed on my hook. I had to hold it close to my face to see how to untangle it and noticed that it had a strong, pungent, almost offensive odor. I thought that odor might possibly also turn off the carp. I started wondering whether it's possible that in hot weather, the warm water might trigger a chemical reaction with the decaying weeds that emits something that repels the carp????? It's just a thought -- I realize that something I find "offensive" might have no effect at all, or even a positive effect, on the carp.
Keeping in mind that here in GA we've had about 80 days this summer where the high temperature reached at least 90, the problem with our venue might simply be temperature related. But could it instead be caused by the stinky weeds I noticed last week? Or are the stinky weeds and the shortage of carp both unrelated effects from the extremely warm water? Does anyone have any thoughts on this?
Thanks!
-
I've occasionally had good luck on chickpeas, so after reading Tony's post, I began wondering about other types of dried peas/beans.
So the other day I picked up a small bag of pinto beans, boiled about a cup of them for 2 minutes (in water and a bit of R&W peach flavoring). They're soaking in the fridge.
I'll try them next time out and let you know how they work.
I would assume that ANY type of pea or bean would work, as long as you can get it on the hook or hair. I also wonder if larger particles, such as a lima bean, might attract bigger carp than would smaller ones like peas. Just a thought. And it's probably NOT necessary to add flavor -- but I remembered that I caught several nice carp on peach flavored chickpeas this spring, so I added the same flavor to my pintos.
-
Georgia Fall Fish-In Saturday, September 24, 2016
Venue -- Salacoa Creek Park, Gordon County, Georgia If you need directions, PM or email me.
The park gates open at 7 AM and close at dusk. Arrive and leave as you wish. Fish, socialize, and have fun.
Of course when fishing there are no guarantees. However, we usually have a decent success rate, and catch quite a few carp. Although most of what we catch are small, single-digit fish in the 4-7 pound range, usually about 25% of what we catch are mirrors. Plus, the lake does occasionally yield some larger (mid-to-upper teens) carp.
REMINDER -- this is a county-run park, and NO alcohol is permitted.
Should a last-minute date change be necessary, I will update the calendar, AND post the change on Facebook as early as possible.
-- Barry Shildneck, GA State Chair email: bshildn@yahoo.com
Also note -- This coincides with National Fishing and Hunting Day (Sunday, 9/25), which is recognized on Saturday, 9/24 in Georgia with a "FREE Fishing Day". That means that no fishing license is required on that Saturday for GA residents. If you have a non-fishing friend you would like to introduce to the sport, this would be a great opportunity to do so, as he/she wouldn't have to purchase a license to join you on that day.
-
Thanks for the idea. I should give them a try next time I go to my grass carp pond.
-
This definitely works -- or at least seems to work.
The weather here in Georgia was cloudy today, so I ventured out for a morning session to beat the heat. This summer we've only had a handful of days since June when the temperature DIDN'T reach at least 90. That has severely slowed down my fishing, so I was happy for a chance to get out.
I reached my spot before 8 AM, and fished 4 rods (we're fortunate in GA that there is no rod limit, except for trout fishing). I did well at this spot in the spring, but starting in May, the fishing slowed down considerably, as the water temperatures increased. I was curious to see if the carp were still using the area, and also I wanted to try out some of the many flavors of boilies I've made this summer. (I figure when it's too hot to fish, I may as well make bait.)
I fished one rod with a strawberry boilie and same flavor pop-up on the hair. Another rod had some unknown flavor boilie from a bag of old ones I retrieved from the freezer to use for chumming. One of the other two rods had canned sweet corn and the 4th had maize. All four had packbait (cracked corn and oats, or cracked corn and rice) molded around the lead.
With the relatively cool, cloudy conditions, everything looked good. Except no carp. I had a few nibbles - probably from turtles -- but no runs or even strong bumps. I changed up my offerings once or twice, but as of noon -- nothing.
Finally, I tried recasting the "unknown" boilie, but with a few drops of R&W Mussel flavor added. About 12:30, I did get a run on that rod, and landed a small (6 pound) common. That is the smallest carp I've caught to date at this venue, but it was progress. I then rebaited the rod with the strawberry boilie, with two boilies and no pop-up, and also added a few drops of R&W "Coconut Willie" flavor. Another run -- on that rod. This one was much better -- a pretty 17-1/4 pounder that fought for a good 15 minutes..
Not long thereafter, it started to rain (with thunder and lightening) so I packed up to get ready to leave. But before I did, I had another run on the unknown boilie with the Mussel flavor added, and netted another small double-digit common (11 pounds).
WOULD I have caught those three carp if I hadn't added the extra flavor? Maybe -- who knows? But I do know that I sat for four hours with no runs, and it wasn't until after I started "spicing up" my boilies with extra flavor that I started getting runs. Maybe the carp started getting more active just before (and during) the rain, and maybe the extra flavor had nothing to do with the runs I had. But I'll definitely continue to carry my little bottles of flavor, regardless.
-
My wife uses prescription eye drops, and thus she ends up with several empty tiny bottles every month.
I discovered that I can pop off the dropper top, clean out any remaining medicine, and refill the bottle with carp bait flavors. I label each bottle with the flavor, using a Sharpie.
These are small enough to allow me to carry a number of them in my tackle bag. If I'm so inclined, I can add or enhance the flavor of my packbait or my pickup right there, on the water. One or two drops added to a packbait ball, or a single drop on a puff or a boilie will do the trick.
-
Found the hawk photo. This was taken the day before the 03-21-2014 GA Spring Fish-in.
Some days are for catching fish and other days it's just good to get outdoors. That day was one of the latter.
-
I almost forgot about the hawk. I'll post the photo of him sitting on the trash can if I'm able to locate it. I think he was watching the squirrels chasing each other in the trees nearby, waiting for a chance to grab one for dinner. He eventually left -- still hungry.
-
Yesterday I met up with my old buddy, Tim Lewis, at West Bank Park on Lake Lanier. Tim and I were semi-"regulars" there for a couple years, but haven't been able to connect for over a year, so I looked forward to fishing with him again -- even if the prospects didn't look promising. Lake Lanier is down several feet, which makes our venue hard to fish, and even more difficult to net a fish from -- IF we're fortunate enough to hook any in the low water conditions.
Nevertheless, we gave it a shot. We had a few 'nibbles' on corn, but suspected those weren't carp. Tim had to leave shortly after noon, so I decided to try some other tactics. On one rod, I used an improvised "Zig Rig", to get my hook off the bottom in case whatever carp were nearby were cruising a bit higher in the water. I had tied a few hair rigs on small (#6 & #8) hooks, with a very short loop (maybe 1/2" or 3/4") near the bend of the hook. I then cut some pieces of foam about 1/4" in diameter from a black supermarket meat tray, punched a pilot hole in the center, and forced 3 of them over the eye of the hook onto the shank. That created a body, with the "hair" at the tail end, that was buoyant enough to float the hook and a small boilie on the hair -- or a kernel or two of corn, or (of course) a puff. I tried several "add-ons" on the hair, and finally, using a single wheat puff with a drop or two of crawfish scent, with a leader of about 12"-14", I managed to catch my only fish of the day. I didn't keep the fish out of the water long enough to weigh it, but I believe it was an "upper single digit", or a very low double.
The problem with my improvised rig is that fighting a fish pretty much destroys it, so I'll have to tie up a number of them for future use. Maybe I could superglue the foam in place, or maybe that's not worth the extra effort, and I should just expect to use a new rig every time I catch a fish. But at least it worked.
-
Do I like the idea of losing more than 1000 of my own posts, or, much more importantly, thousands of posts by former members that contained invaluable information? Certainly not -- of course. Do I agree that the data loss might have harmed CAG as an organization (and probably did)? Again, I agree. However...
I retired several years ago after a 35+ year career in IT. Although my experience was not in database design or maintenance, I worked closely enough with our database administrators in those years that I know that data loss is not always because of poor design or human error. It is also a fact that sometimes there is no choice other than to perform some action that you'd prefer not to do at all (such as an upgrade).
Fortunately I was not involved in the decision to do this upgrade, nor in the steps taken as part of the upgrade, so I don't claim to know any of the details. My comments that follow are based only on my general experience as a programmer, a systems analyst, and a systems administrator.
Based on that IT knowledge and experience, I feel it is necessary to defend our officers. In my working career, we were forced to perform numerous upgrades because of circumstances completely beyond our control. Hardware wears out. New hardware often (usually) requires an operating system upgrade. New operating systems often (usually) are not compatible with existing older databases. Sometimes the company that is hosting your system and/or database just decides to cease its operations (go out of business) -- which would require switching to a new company with different hardware, operating system, and/or database -- which, if you have an older system, there's a very good chance that the new environment will NOT support it.
When some or all of these events occur (and I'm not saying they did), there is virtually NO chance to avoid doing an upgrade. And if the company hosting the old system and database is not able to furnish backups that are 100% compatible with the new environment, some data loss is certain to occur, and often that loss can be significant. When it happens, NOBODY is happy, but "it happens".
I'm not saying that any or all of these events actually occurred here -- I don't know. But I've personally witnessed several similar situations in companies where I worked, so I'm putting in my 2-cents here in defense of the CAG officers who made the unenviable decision to do the upgrade, and those who actually performed it. If they tell us "there was no choice", I can believe them, based on 35 years of experience. -
Late last summer I discovered a small pond (2-3 acres, max) where some small grassers had been stocked (not over 6 or 7 pounds, some smaller). I had pretty good luck with those by spodding lightly to the 2 or 3 spots where I would be casting, using a mix of soaked and boiled cracked corn and deer corn (maize), sometimes with a bit of cinnamon added. Then I'd fish a paylake rig with 2-4 kernels of canned sweet corn on a #4 hook and some sort of pack bait on the sinker. I usually put out about one cup -- never more than two -- of spod mix at each spot.
It seemed as though the small amount of "free food" I initially spodded was all it took to start them feeding. After that, they were attracted to my pack bait and the corn on the hook. Keep in mind, however, that the much bigger grassers in your pond might not respond in the same way as these smaller ones did for me.
Also -- unlike what Jerome described earlier -- when they bit, these fish tended to tug repeatedly, and with one lone exception, they did NOT run off. That could have been because they were smaller fish or because they are in a fairly small pond. However, I've caught larger grassers elsewhere that bit both ways -- a solid long run one time, OR just a series of jerks the next. When they don't run, you'll have to set the hook yourself -- which means (contrary to the advice suggested above to avoid spooking the fish) that you might need to stay fairly close to your rods. That's something you'll have to decide for yourself once you do finally get them biting. If yours are fish that usually take the bait and run, you can set up some distance from your rods, but if they are "finicky biters" like mine, you might need to stay closer so you'll be ready to set the hook when they bite.
Good luck. Looking forward to seeing some photos of big fish.
-
Speaking of pack bait, I have a question --
I realize that many anglers "dip" their packbait in -- or spray them with -- flavors or attractants just before casting. I've done that myself on more than one occasion. But those additives are typically in liquid form.
Has anyone tried this (I tried it yesterday and blanked, but it was a very slow day all around)? I used the kitchen blender to grind several cups of dry breakfast cereal -- some wheat puffs, and some (store brand) Fruity Pebbles. The result was about 2 quarts of a fairly coarse powder, with a few larger bits of cereal. My thinking was that if I put my pack bait on my sinker as usual, and then rolled it in the "cereal powder" before casting, as the pack bait would break it should create a vertical trail of tiny bits of cereal, providing a flavor path from the top to the bottom, leading to my pack and hook baits. I performed a break test in shallow water, and it did appear to do what I expected -- I could see the tiny bits of cereal floating upward from the ball of pack bait.
It seems as though it "should work", even though my initial field test resulted in a blank.
-
Are there any Aldi's food stores near you? It has recently become my go-to place for a lot of my packbait supplies. Slightly cheaper than Walmart and a lot lower than all the grocery stores in my area.
Their big box of O.F. oats sells for less than $2.50 (I think it's $2.39), and their cream style corn is just 49 cents a can. Incidentally, their whole kernel corn is the same price. It's mostly nice full kernels, which makes for a nice hook bait.
For those of you who prefer syrup-based baits instead of creamed corn, their clear corn syrup (when they have it in stock) is $2.89 for a 32 ounce bottle (Karo is nearly $4 for a 16 oz bottle in most grocery stores).
Also, most other "baking supplies" that you might use for bait-making (flour, cornmeal, sugar, "jello" - limited flavors, however - etc.) are priced far below most grocery stores.
-
Mid-Spring Georgia Fish-In
Our fish-in was a success. We had great weather, and eight attendees, three of whom (Lance Clements, his son, Wylie, and David Dodway) decided to try something different. They travelled by canoe and kayak to a remote part of the lake to try to find some larger fish. Unfortunately, that meant no photos of them or their fish. The others attending were John Torchick ("Cannonball"), Jim Hatter ("Hatman"), Tony Locke, and my 10-year-old grandson, Cole, and myself.
There were no large fish caught, but the smaller carp -- mostly mid single-digit fish -- were numerous. Tony caught at least 20 of them himself. Including the 7 or 8 fish caught by the "canoe contingent", the group caught roughly 50 carp, plus a few small fish of other species. I'd estimate that about 25% of the carp landed yesterday were mirrors.
About midday, we enjoyed a lunch of grilled hot dogs and a few snacks. Actually, the guys had to take turns eating and watching the rods. As so often happens, several carp decided to bite while the guys were eating.
Bottom line, we enjoyed some tasty food, great fishing, and excellent company.
The lake holds some bigger carp than the ones we were catching yesterday. A few fish in the upper teens - and maybe even low twenties - have been caught. But with so many smaller ones in the lake, I think an angler would have to use an entirely different strategy to target them. Fishing with smaller baits like corn or puffs stacks the odds against a big carp finding it before one of the many small ones picks it up.
About mid-afternoon, we were visited by two young gentlemen who appeared to be about middle school age - and who I think are future carp anglers. Their families were spending the weekend camping at the park. They asked us for some help getting started carp fishing. We gave them some CAG info, and John helped them get set up with a basic paylake rig. Using some of our canned sweetcorn, and with some of their own bread wrapped around the lead, they each hooked a carp. Unfortunately, the first boy lost his fish, but the second one to hook up landed his fish. Both of them were excited to have had some success in their first attempt at carping. They each said they intended to share the CAG info we gave them with their buddies. They wanted to try to catch a few more carp later, fishing in the campground area. So when they left to join their families, we gave them some canned corn, both flavored and plain, and enough pack bait for at least a half-dozen casts. I hope they had some luck.
-
On 5/4/2016 at 11:23 PM, needmotime2fish said:
I decided that the fish-in date will be May 14th (Saturday). However, IF there's a weather forecast bad enough to warrant changing the date, and if there's enough advance warning to allow me to announce a date change, the "backup date" will be the following Saturday, May 21st. Both dates are posted on the CAG Calendar.
The venue is once again at Salacoa Creek Park, located in Gordon County in NW Georgia on Red Bud Road. The park entrance is about 4 miles west of US-411 (near Ranger, GA) and about 11 miles east of I-75 exit 315. The lake holds a lot of carp, both commons and mirrors. Most are small, about 4 to 7 pounds, but an occasional "double" is caught, and infrequently, one in the 20-pound range shows up.
A few of us plan to arrive a day early, on Friday, May 13th, to pre-bait the area for Saturday (and to fish a bit, too -- of course). Anyone who wants to join us should feel free to come early. The park offers camping (I suggest checking ahead for details), but we "older guys" typically get a motel in Calhoun, which is 11-12 miles away.
As May 14th gets nearer, I'll bump up this reminder from time to time.
This will be the last BUMP before the fish-in.
Not many replies so far -- it's looking like I might have to eat a LOT of hot dogs.
Looks like we should have nice weather - mostly sunny, upper 70s. Even if you haven't replied, feel free to come join us on Saturday.
-
Don't own a drone nor do I plan to buy one. However, I could see advantages to using one to carry and position baits at long distances (distance + accuracy). PLUS an angler wouldn't need a pool-cue rod to get his bait out there.
-
16 hours ago, DirtyFish said:
Not wanting any secrets, but just wondering if there is something that fishermen use to consistently catch big fish. For the life of me I can't believe they are just putting some r&w flavoring and cream corn in oats or whatever bait they are using and consistently catching big fish or just catching fish when no one else can catch anything. I can't believe they are that lucky at guessing which flavor of the day is working. Any ideas??
I primarily fish for wild carp, but I've fished a few paylakes as well (not in tournaments). When I talk to the paylake "regulars" and they realize that I won't be competing for their tournament $$$, some of them will open up to me and share a few of their "secrets".
Over the years I've found that at most paylakes, the carp "get on" a particular type of bait or flavor for a while, and after a time, will switch to a different combination. For example, last week and this week, they are biting rice pack flavored with strawberry, and next week, everybody will be catching on VBN millet (VBN = vanilla butternut). Quite often, you might have the "right" flavor, and be catching a few fish, but someone else is absolutely slaying them with what seems to be the same thing you are using. What you don't know is that the other guy has added a bit of "something else" to his bait (maybe some black walnut, or some anise flavor, for example), OR he is dipping his bait in some additive before casting (mustard, chocolate syrup, etc.) -- just a little something to set his bait apart without getting completely away from the main "hot flavor" of the week). The only way to keep up with the latest "hot" bait is to fish the lake regularly -- or to have a friend keep up with that info for you. In addition to packbaits, the fish in some lakes will occasionally change their preference for pickups. One week it will be puffs, another week they want fake corn, and the next time it will be half of a cigarette filter (yes, I know such a lake). I also know one lake where the carp usually prefer a red-colored pickup over other colors.
WHY this happens, I don't know. But I do know that if you are fishing with last week's packbait or the "wrong" pickup, you won't be catching nearly as many carp as an angler who does have the right combination. And it also seems that paylake fish are usually less forgiving than wild carp. All I can suggest is keep trying, and keep asking questions. IF you can find some guys who will open up a bit and part with a secret or two, keep track of everything you hear, and try it all. Eventually you'll build up your own knowledge base and branch out and try "your own thing". Good luck!
-
On 4/15/2016 at 7:56 PM, needmotime2fish said:
I decided that the fish-in date will be May 14th (Saturday). However, IF there's a weather forecast bad enough to warrant changing the date, and if there's enough advance warning to allow me to announce a date change, the "backup date" will be the following Saturday, May 21st. Both dates are posted on the CAG Calendar.
The venue is once again at Salacoa Creek Park, located in Gordon County in NW Georgia on Red Bud Road. The park entrance is about 4 miles west of US-411 (near Ranger, GA) and about 11 miles east of I-75 exit 315. The lake holds a lot of carp, both commons and mirrors. Most are small, about 4 to 7 pounds, but an occasional "double" is caught, and infrequently, one in the 20-pound range shows up.
A few of us plan to arrive a day early, on Friday, May 13th, to pre-bait the area for Saturday (and to fish a bit, too -- of course). Anyone who wants to join us should feel free to come early. The park offers camping (I suggest checking ahead for details), but we "older guys" typically get a motel in Calhoun, which is 11-12 miles away.
As May 14th gets nearer, I'll bump up this reminder from time to time.
(bump)
NOTE -- I sent another set of emails to prospective attendees a short time ago.
-
Yesterday I emailed a preliminary announcement for the fish-in to about 30 people who "might" be interested.
I will bump up this post about once a week until the time of the fish-in, and will also send a follow-up email about a week ahead as a reminder.
Hoping for a good turnout.
Pack bait ingredient sources
in Beginning Carping
Posted · Edited by needmotime2fish
You are correct -- you can find most anything at Tractor Supply, but usually only in 40 or 50 pound bags. What I've listed below are just the things I buy in smaller quantities.
Here are some common items I use in many of my carp baits, and where I usually buy them.
1. Canned corn (both whole kernel and cream style) -- Aldi's 49 cents a can
2. Oatmeal (both Old Fashioned and Quick) -- Aldi's $2.39 for the large container
3. Clear corn syrup -- Aldi's $2.89 for 32 oz bottle, $1.49 for 16 oz bottle
4. Birdseed (can sometimes be used as substitute for millet) -- Walmart (parakeet/finch food) about $4.50 for a 5 lbs bag.
5. Instant Rice -- Walmart $6.00 for 72 oz box of Minute Rice, $2.43 for 28 oz box of Great Value brand
6. Instant Grits (Quaker) -- Ingle's $4.79 for 36 oz box (an 18 oz box costs almost $4, and the 12 oz boxes of 12 individual packets are about $2, almost anywhere)
7. Arrowhead Mills Corn Puffs -- Ingle's $1.99 per bag (one bag will last a long time)
8. Quick grits -- I buy these wherever I find them at the lowest price.
9. Miscellaneous flavors -- Ollie's Bargain Outlet 99 cent vanilla and Anise flavors; assorted Jelly Belly Snow Cone flavors for about $1.29
Walmart is also a good place to buy (store brand) Jello, and Ollie's usually has spices (cinnamon, cayenne, chili powder) at a good price. It's always a good idea to watch for other specials at these and at other grocery stores.