# Hammered them on the creek



## fish hawk

The creek fishing was on fire today.Beautiful,crisp morning so I started out with my fly rod and a yellow popper.Managed some small but fun shoal bass on my 4 wt before the sun got up good.


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## fish hawk

After the sun got up I put the fly rod down and started chunking a lizard,I went thru 3 packs of lizards by the end of my trip......I lost a largemouth that would have went around 7 lbs. When I set the hook she came up on her side and I couldn't believe how big she was,she went back down and then exploded out of the water and threw my hook right back at me,i was sick and spent the next 45 minutes trying to get her to bite again,but deep down I knew she wouldn't.A little further down the creek I lost another that would have been pushing 4 lbs.She wrapped me up around a stick and pulled off....the largemouth bite was very good today!!!


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## fish hawk

I saw 4 deer,managed to get a picture of one and managed to get the old turtles picture as he was lounging on a log.


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## PopPop

Nothing better than Creek fishing, mine got fished out by otters.


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## walkinboss01

Looks like an awesome float.


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## T-N-T

Looks like a great day to me!


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## Klag

Awesome pics!  Especially the deer and turtle!!


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## fish hawk

PopPop said:


> Nothing better than Creek fishing, *mine got fished out by otters*.


That suck PopPop.I'm contemplating going back today and fishing a different stretch,but my old bones are sure aching this morning. 


Klag said:


> Awesome pics!  Especially the deer and turtle!!


It's amazing how close you can get to wildlife in a kayak.


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## fish hawk

I decided to go yesterday afternoon for a short trip,I paddled for one hour and fished my way back to the truck which took me about two hours.It was a dink fest but I did manage to catch a nice spotted bass,she pulled hard and spun the front end of my kayak around several times as she was digging for the bottom.After spending 8 hours on the creek Friday the three hours yesterday wore me out.I'll be glad when it starts to cool off a bit,some of the best days of the year are yet to come.


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## DSGB

Sweet! They can be tough on lizards! Our last trip I caught several on lizards that were missing a leg or two, tail, and even pulled the head off a couple to re-hook them. 

Too bad about the big one. I've only caught a handful of LMs in the creek - nothing to write home about.


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## elfiii

Any fishing trip when you catch fish is a good one. Looks like it was a great weekend.


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## fish hawk

Thanks guys I really enjoy the solitude.The only people I saw both days was some teenagers swimming at the bridge.
I saw a ton of water moccasins though.
They was thick.I thought one was gonna try to get on the kayak with me.He changed his mind when I slapped him with the paddle


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## Apex Predator

Awesome fishing!


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## SamB63

Nice fish! And that's the biggest turtle I've ever seen in a creek


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## elfiii

fish hawk said:


> Thanks guys I really enjoy the solitude.The only people I saw both days was some teenagers swimming at the bridge.
> I saw a ton of water moccasins though.
> They was thick.I thought one was gonna try to get on the kayak with me.He changed his mind when I slapped him with the paddle



Somehow I knew water moccasins would be associated with this story. They were the only thing you left out.


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## fish hawk

elfiii said:


> Somehow I knew water moccasins would be associated with this story. They were the only thing you left out.



It's hard trying to creep up on a moccasin....they creep back.They like to lay up on the rocks too.I'm good as long as one don't drop out a tree on top of me.
While were talking about cottonmouths,my uncle has a farm pond where there so bad you cant even throw a buzzbait.


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## fish hawk

Hit the creek again this morning.Water getting low and I did a lot of dragging but I caught them pretty good today


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## PopPop

Forgive me Father, but I coveteth this mans Creek.


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## fish hawk

Pop the creek needs some rain.
Someone lost there stowaway,a corner was sticking up out of the mud,been in there a while.Cant beat a bent rod and a sore thumb!!!


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## DSGB

Some good looking fish and thumb!


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## fish hawk

shoaliestalker his dad and myself went on a fun but long float trip Sat,9 hours.I lost count of how many fish I caught.I don't know if shoaliestalker kept up with how many he caught but all of us done good.We caught a bunch of average sized shoal bass,a few nice largemouths and a few spotted bass.....I was wore out but had fun and thankfully we beat a thunderstorm off the creek.
We got a real good thunderstorm thru here yesterday that should do the creek some good.


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## fish hawk

Suppose to be some cooler weather coming in next week.
I'll be glad!!!


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## Klag

Awesome fish as always!!  Thanks for the pics!!


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## KyDawg

That is my kind of fishing. You can enjoy a creek like that even when the fish are not biting. I could do without Mr no shoulders though.


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## fish hawk

Klag said:


> Awesome fish as always!!  Thanks for the pics!!


Thanks man!!!



KyDawg said:


> That is my kind of fishing. You can enjoy a creek like that even when the fish are not biting. I could do without Mr no shoulders though.



Told you I was gonna get knee deep in a creek today and try to forget about that game yesterday.
It's one of the most relaxing way to fish for me.Just me,the snakes and turtles.


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## Sargent

Cool.


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## DSGB

Nice couple days on the creek! I see you stopped at the stop sign (last pic).


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## fish hawk

DSGB said:


> Nice couple days on the creek! I see you stopped at the stop sign (last pic).



It was actually kinda slow on the creek,for numbers anyways.Water was up and muddy from the recent rains.I had to scratch and claw for the ones I caught,making multiple cast from different angles to places I knew should hold fish.That little section of shoals is not nearly as good as it use to be.Last years rains really pushed a lot of sand in there making it really shallow.


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## DSGB

I caught my first shoalie (and a few others) in the hole just above that set, but couldn't find any there on our last trip.


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## Sweetwater

Love creek fishing. Thanks for sharing.


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## fish hawk

*East winds sux!!!*

Me and a friend hit the creek yesterday.We put in around 11:30 and finished up around 7:30.It was kinda slow to start  with,we caught some fish but getting a decent one was tough.They turned on pretty good in the late afternoon but by that time we had just about run out of water to fish.I was sure glad to see the takeout because the mosquitoes got so bad  I could feel them trying to lift me up and carry me off. I didn't take a lot of pics on this trip but I caught one nice one,my buddy got him a couple nice ones and had a sure nuff one get off.
My buddy kept on saying there's a moccasin, there's another and another....I told him yea we got em!!!


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## Klag

Good fish!  Thanks for the report!


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## fish hawk

I was off today so I made it back out on the creek this afternoon.They were biting pretty good but no real big ones,lost a couple that felt pretty nice but sometimes it's hard to tell on those shoalies as they are bar room brawlers once you hook em.I fished a 4in. junebug lizard.
Had a couple guys come up on me today in a canoe.I don't know what they were up to but they were acting mighty suspicious.They didn't have any fishing poles and as I was talking with the older of the fellers he was so nervous he was plum shuttering.When I got back to the launch there wasn't another vehicle there only mine.I know they had to have been dropped off because they were paddling up the creek.


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## DSGB

Looking good! Don't know when/if I'll make another trip this year. Got deer hunting on my mind. 

I bet the water's up a good bit today! 

Who knows what them fellas were up to. Had some teenagers camping under the bridge one time when we put in.


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## fish hawk

DSGB said:


> Looking good! Don't know when/if I'll make another trip this year. Got deer hunting on my mind.
> 
> I bet the water's up a good bit today!
> 
> Who knows what them fellas were up to. Had some teenagers camping under the bridge one time when we put in.



I can handle the teenagers.I make them help me carry my kayak up the hillIt's the nervous acting deliverance types that worry me. Oh and the guy I paddled up on last year  halfway up the creek that was pleasuring himself Those kayaks are quite!!!
My buddy told me he had 3 1/2 inches of rain in his gauge so yea it's blown out.


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## fish hawk

Made it back to the creek today.I figured if I wanted to go I better do it before the front comes thru tonight bringing the 20 mph winds.I caught some crappie on a 4in lizard.I was beating myself up for not bringing my crappie rod and some curly tail grubs.


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## fish hawk

Beautiful day and was great to get out.Sholies,largemout and crappie....Not too bad.


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## backyard buck

dont let the old man fool yall, i showed him MOST of my secret spots!


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## fish hawk

backyard buck said:


> dont let the old man fool yall, i showed him MOST of my secret spots!



 Get out of them woods and I'll show you how to call your own shots on the creek........I know most them shoalies by name.I taught you pretty good but you still cant beat the old man.


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## Hooked On Quack

Wow, what a awesome fishery !!!  What's the average water depth ??


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## DSGB

fish hawk said:


> Get out of them woods and I'll show you how to call your own shots on the creek........I know most them shoalies by name.I taught you pretty good but you still cant beat the old man.



Hehe! I sure wouldn't mind doing a float myself, but the woods are calling me this time of year, too!


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## fish hawk

Hooked On Quack said:


> Wow, what a awesome fishery !!!  What's the average water depth ??


On average probably 3 to 5 ft with a few deeper holes I've found that are 10 to 12 ft.Those shoalies will lay up in a ft of water in the crevices of the rocks though and your shoal areas will have some very shallow spots


DSGB said:


> Hehe! I sure wouldn't mind doing a float myself, but the woods are calling me this time of year, too!



You need a break from deer hunting and a relaxing day on the creek!!!Waters not too cold yet and as long as it continues to warm up in the afternoons they will still be biting.I want to make it back up to that crappie hole,they were stacked up around  a tree that was in about 8 ft of water.


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## Sweetwater

I found a nice creek hiking distance from the house today that feeds Sweetwater creek reservoir.

Yeah....I have encountered some deliverance types on dog river before...obviously living in a tent. After that, I never leave home without "it"...it being a 1911.


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## fish hawk

Sweetwater said:


> I found a nice creek hiking distance from the house today that feeds Sweetwater creek reservoir.
> 
> Yeah....I have encountered some deliverance types on dog river before...obviously living in a tent. After that, I never leave home without "it"...it being a 1911.



I'm pretty good with ninja throwing stars dipped in poisen....There the silent killers!!!
Every time I launch in Bibb City on the Hooch in Columbus I always encounter a host of strange characters,heck I'm strange too I guess,maybe that's why they always want to strike up conversations with me.....The creek is safer!!!


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## blood on the ground

Float straight from heaven!!! Wow, thanks for sharing!


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## fish hawk

blood on the ground said:


> Float straight from heaven!!! Wow, thanks for sharing!



Thank you sir.I took some minnows  back to the crappie hole I found.


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## DSGB

Dang! That's a good mess, right there!


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## fish hawk

I made it back to the creek a couple times this week, Monday and today.I went back to the crappie hole on Monday and found them a lot more finicky then last time I was there.I did manage 13 but it took me 3 hours to catch them.Went back today and chased some shoalies.They were biting pretty good,I guess this warm spell had them fired up a little.Caught a around 12.Nothing real big but was nice to get out.......I brought home a few prizes that I found on the creek .I found a Pop-R, a new white rooster tail,a baby torpedo and a very cool hornets nest.........Beautiful day!!!


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## fish hawk

The hornets nest was very cool.


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## leoparddog

What are those fish with the spot and the red eye?


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## fish hawk

leoparddog said:


> What are those fish with the spot and the red eye?



Shoal bass.


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## fish hawk

I had a half day off today and with the weather being so nice the last few days I decided to hit the creek this afternoon.I fished from 1:30 til 4:30.I really wasn't expecting much but the largemouth bite was crazy for this time of the year.I caught all my fish on a 4" junebug lizard with the tail dipped in chartreuse/garlic spike-it.The key was fishing the sunny side of the creek and wood cover.Here are the 4 best I caught today and I had several other dinks also.The shoalies didn't show themselves today I had one blow up on my lizard as I dragged it off the edge of a rock but the hook didn't meet the meat.


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## Tristan1687

Ive got a kayak and have only been fishing lakes... I guess im doing it wrong judging by these pictures. would love to tag along some day!

Pm if you'd like.

thanks!


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## leoparddog

Fish Hawk doesn't have to take me fishing, just PM me the name of the creek!


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## fish hawk

leoparddog said:


> Fish Hawk doesn't have to take me fishing, just PM me the name of the creek!



The way we do things around here is.......You scratch my back I scratch yours.


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## Anvil Head

Iron Bridge in background kinda gives it away to those that know...


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## fish hawk

Anvil Head said:


> Iron Bridge in background kinda gives it away to those that know...



It's never been some kind of real secret......I've invited a lot of people to come fish with me,i'm just funnin with leoparddog.....It's your put in's and take outs that's the problemThere's creeks and rivers all over Ga. and they all have fish in them, all you have to do is put your boat in and fish.


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## elfiii

fish hawk said:


> The way we do things around here is.......You scratch my back I scratch yours.


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## Anvil Head

Well said Fish. Wish I'd had my Coosa back when I lived in SC Lowcountry. Saw a lot of good water while cruising timber in those swamps. Difficult to fish from the bank there!


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## fish hawk

Got the first shoal bass of the year today and another nice largemouth.....Come on spring hurry up and get here already.


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## PurplePinewoodDragon

Nice sized largemouth and that shoalie is a neat looking fish. And I'm itchin for spring as well, and after your pics I am investing in a kayak. I have wanted one for too long now. I wanted to hit a pond down the street from me today but the sun wasn't shining enough too warm up like I was hoping.


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## TheRiverGiveth

PurplePinewoodDragon said:


> Nice sized largemouth and that shoalie is a neat looking fish. And I'm itchin for spring as well, and after your pics I am investing in a kayak. I have wanted one for too long now. I wanted to hit a pond down the street from me today but the sun wasn't shining enough too warm up like I was hoping.



I highly recommend going for the kayak.  It's a game changer.


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## DSGB

One last deer hunt tomorrow and I'll start dusting off the yak!


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## fish hawk

DSGB said:


> One last deer hunt tomorrow and I'll start dusting off the yak!



I'm like Delta!!!


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## fish hawk

My son went yesterday and tried for some crappie but couldn't keep the bass off his minnows,he found plenty of bass,nice ones but couldn't find the crappie,water was up and cold but had good color.....A high of 68*, southwest winds and a falling barometer,setting up to be a perfect day!!!


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## fish hawk

I didn't have a chance to go out on the 8th as I had forgotten about a luncheon we had to attend after church on Sunday.I did however get a chance to go on Tuesday the 10th,but conditions had changed drastically and the fishing was tough,fished from 12:00 until 5:00.Wind was from the north at 10  mph and the air temps were in the high 50's with a rising barometer.I did manage to catch a few small shoal bass but the larger ones were mia.Creeks gonna get a rest for a while now that we have close to 2 inches of rain forecasted for next week,it was already a little high but the water color was still not too bad but that's all about to change next week.


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## Rose Jackets67

Love this thread. Are the dark spots such as the top right picture in the recent post indicative of anything such as illness or injury or just like a birthmark?


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## fish hawk

Rose Jackets67 said:


> Love this thread. Are the dark spots such as the top right picture in the recent post indicative of anything such as illness or injury or just like a birthmark?



Thanks....After doing some research online I found out it's called Melanosis or blotchy bass.Research is on going but their not really sure what causes it,otherwise the bass are healthy.It does seem to be localized to certain watersheds and is also found in smallmouth and largemouth but I have only seen it on shoal bass in this particular creek.Heres a link that provides more info on the subject.
https://www.fish.state.pa.us/newsreleases/2012press/bass-spots.htm
http://vtichthyology.blogspot.com/2014_04_01_archive.html


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## Chap

I love your pics.  One of my fishing goals this year is to get across state to where I can find some shoalies.


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## fish hawk

I didn't exactly hammer them today, as a matter of fact it was pretty tough on the creek.I put in around 8 this morning and had a few bites here and there and caught a couple small ones.Finally caught a decent 16 in. largemouth.Kept on fishing and was starting to get really frustrated and had to keep telling myself "it only takes one fish to change your day",I tell myself this when the bite is really slow.Then around noon I got a good solid bite and when I set the hook I knew it was a good fish.She had me in a really bad spot as she spun the front of my kayak around and into some low hanging trees,I finally managed to get her to the boat and was rewarded with a 20 in. shoal bass that I estimated to be in the 4 lb range,her girth was 12 in..........So when your having a tough day fishing just keep telling yourself that it only takes one fish to change your day.


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## DSGB

NICE fish! I'm trying to find time to make a run. Soon........


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## mudracing101

Thanks for sharing all the pics


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## Sweetwater

Heck yeah.


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## fish hawk

Thanks guys....Creeks blown out with all the rain we been havin,I'm about to go into a fit.
My boy and a friend of his did a float Sun afternoon and he only caught 4.


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## fish hawk

Finally got back out on the creek today with my boy.Started off kinda slow this morning but they fired up around lunch and didn't slow down until we took out.Great day for numbers as we caught around 15 to 20 each around the same size until my boy hooked into a monster shoal bass that would have went over 5 easy, unfortunately she jumped and threw the hook but he redeemed himself with a nice one that would go around 3 1/2 lbs,beautiful fish.Creek starting to get low and we had to bushwack or way threw a newly fallen tree,as you can see it the pic.Cottonmouths were out in full force today.Beautiful day to be on the water.


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## Sapper

Nice fish.  I need to find some comfortable day floats in the columbus area...


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## fish hawk

I'm hittin the Hooch in the early AM tomorrow and fish until 11:00 or 12:00.Welcome to meet up if you want


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## Sapper

I would love to, but already at work this am.  Thanks for the offer.


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## DSGB

Never a disappointing day on the creek! That's a good one your son caught! 

I thought we were in trouble when we went a few weeks ago. Saw a tree that looked like it was all the way across, but we had just enough room to get around it.


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## fish hawk

DSGB said:


> Never a disappointing day on the creek! That's a good one your son caught!
> 
> I thought we were in trouble when we went a few weeks ago. Saw a tree that looked like it was all the way across, but we had just enough room to get around it.



Thanks it hit one of those Rebel wee-crawfish crankbaits,I didn't think he was gonna land that one either,took him for a ride for sure,fish had a lot of power!!!


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## fish hawk

Great morning to be out on the creek.The fish were biting good and I caught a  lot of the average size creek bass before I set the hook on a nice 5lb largemouth that took me for a sleigh ride.


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## thefishinjunkie

Now that's a nice creek


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## DSGB

Awesome! Bet that was a fun ride!


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## aa07512

Still want to go anytime go again and need some company!!  Let me know


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## fish hawk

aa07512 said:


> Still want to go anytime go again and need some company!!  Let me know



I'll give you a call when I go again.....Creeks fishing really good right now.


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## lonedrake

that creek helped me win a tournament a couple weeks ago.   some nice fish up there


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## aa07512

Please do. I'd love to go soon


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## fish hawk

Hate to say it but with all the rain we've had and getting ready to have the creek is done for this year.Hate it cause some of the best fishing is in the fall.The creek dont handle a lot of water well and takes a long time to clear up and get back right.A few parting shots..........Nice largemouth I caught on my ultralight spooled with 4 lb test and a tiny crappie crankbait,it got me all up in the trees and in a bad way but i was able to slip the net under it and put it in the boat .Looks like there was one heck of a party on the creek or a wild way to mark a limb line


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## ChadF821

Wait it out.  The water will go down.


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## fish hawk

Was able to participate and help in a shoal bass telemetry study on the creek Saturday with some grad students from Auburn University School of Fisheries,Aquaculture,and Aquatic Sciences .The idea was to place acoustic tags into mature shoal bass in a effort to track there seasonal movements.The shoal bass had to be above the 15 in. mark in order to  big enough to carry the tag which are quite large,about the size of a M-80 firecracker with a 14 in. metal strand that hangs on the outside of the fish.The guys were on the creek Thursday,Friday and Saturday and were able to place a total of 10 tags over the three days, if I recollect right.They were having trouble in their efforts to shock any shoal bass large enough because the fish were on a deeper pattern than they normally are in summer so the plan was to just fish on Saturday.I had a good time fishing with the three young guys,one was from South Dakota,one from Virginia and the other from Alabama and we were able to get tags into two shoal bass.Heres some pics from Saturday.The blue cradle has electrodes in it that is hooked to a box that's hooked to a small battery and emits a small electrical charge that kinda immobilizes the fish while the tags are being placed into the fish.


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## kmckinnie

Kool!!!


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## steelshotslayer

Wish I had driven over to spectate on the study.  What was the big fish of the day.


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## fish hawk

steelshotslayer said:


> Wish I had driven over to spectate on the study.  What was the big fish of the day.



Our largest on Saturday was a 16 incher, but on Friday they were able to tag a nice 20 incher that went 4 lbs.Fishing was tough on Saturday because we floated a section that had been previously floated on Thursday.The idea was to get the tagged fish as spread out as possible,4 were tagged Friday on the lower section and two in the middle section,two Thursday on the upper section and then two more Saturday on the upper section.


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## steelshotslayer

fish hawk said:


> Our largest on Saturday was a 16 incher, but on Friday they were able to tag a nice 20 incher that went 4 lbs.Fishing was tough on Saturday because we floated a section that had been previously floated on Thursday.The idea was to get the tagged fish as spread out as possible,4 were tagged Friday on the lower section and two in the middle section,two Thursday on the upper section and then two more Saturday on the upper section.




Where any plans mentioned of doing another study on the Flint or OC?


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## brunofishing

That's cool !!


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## fish hawk

steelshotslayer said:


> Where any plans mentioned of doing another study on the Flint or OC?



Didn't mention anything about the Flint or OC but I would imagine Dr. Steve would want to do another study on the Flint in a couple of years to see how the new size limit is working out


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## fish hawk

Update. We had some serious flooding during Christmas with water level higher than I've ever witnessed.Interesting to note that once the water receded back in the banks the guys got back out and done some tracking and to my surprise the tagged shoalies hadn't moved much and we're in the general area they were before.A couple had moved up stream.


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## T-N-T

I always wondered what fish did in a flood like that.  That is interesting to say the least.


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## lonedrake

That's awesome.  I've always wondered where they went during high water.


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## fish hawk

They don't really go anywhere.If anything they will move upstream..........I ain't telling yall where they spawning though........


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## fish hawk

Got out on the creek for about 3 hour's this afternoon.Big girl was 23 1/4 length and 15 1/4 girth,she took me for a sleigh ride for sure and made my day.


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## PopPop

Well, I reckon so!


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## fish hawk

Pretty tough out there today but I did manage a decent one


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## aa07512

That's a good one, wish I could have gone. I'll be fishing a pond tomorrow after work. Got a new kayak and have to try it out!


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## DSGB

Couple nice ones there! I'm itching to get on the water myself. Only a few more weeks of baseball left.


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## fish hawk

Had a great time on the creek yesterday afternoon despite dodging thunderstorms,had a really bad one that ran me off the water for a little while but they were tearing it up after the storm passed


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## fish hawk

Everything was pretty much on the avarage size but theses bass are great fighters, you'll swear you have a three pounder on,some will bulldog for cover while others will run at lightning speed towards the boat.I was able to get a great 20 inch shoal bass that put up a great battle.


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## PopPop

You're killin me. There's nothing better than Good creek fishing.


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## owl

you have it goin on


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## DSGB

Nice work! We need to get together for a trip sometime.


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## mudracing101

Thanks for sharing all the pics and making me jealous!


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## fish hawk

Thanks guys it's been a weird summer for me so far as I haven't had nearly the fishing time as I normally do,hoping to change that though.Broke my kayak cart for the third time this last trip and had to drag my kayak out.I wont be repairing or making the pvc one again,it might work fine for a flat level surface but it just dont hold up on rough terrain.I'm making me another one that I hope will hold up better


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## aa07512

*Nice*

Nice fish..I haven't been in a while and I'm itching to go.  Call me anytime and I'll go..


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## fish hawk

Some pics from the last few trips on the creek,it's not always about the size of the fish but the quality of the experience. Everyone says it's to hot to fish but the creek is always nice unless you wait a little to late to leave and get caught in a thunderstorm which is what happened last trip.


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## 61BelAir

So much fun!!    The river here is about the only place we've been getting any bites for over a month now, and even then I've had a hard time getting the hook set.    They double tap the worm on the fall and are gone before I can do anything.   Sure makes me feel like my reaction times have went to crap.


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## fish hawk

Such a beautiful and serene place!!!


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## fish hawk

The creek is fishing really good right now........Some pics from the last couple of trips


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## fish hawk

I love it this time of year.Anyone that syas they ready for cold weather is:


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## fish hawk

The hunters can have the woods!!!


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## fish hawk

Had a chance to get on the creek for a little while yesterday afternoon.Pretty good afternoon despite the really,really low water conditions.


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## fish hawk

I brought along my crappie rod just in case they had started biting and low and behold this 20 in. largemouth decides to eat my beetle spin.I knew when it hit it wasnt a crappie,it was a great battle with her jumping several times and making some hard runs,I just loosened my drag up and played her til she got worn down and I was able to get a hand on her,4lb test and a 5 1/2 foot ugly stik.


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## NCHillbilly

Man. I bet that little pole was bent to the handle. Nice fish!


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## Tmpr111

just saw this, that's awesome!  What a toad and especially for the creek!


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## fish hawk

NCHillbilly said:


> Man. I bet that little pole was bent to the handle. Nice fish!





Tmpr111 said:


> just saw this, that's awesome!  What a toad and especially for the creek!



It was quite a battle,thanks guys..........I have a buddy that always catches a hog on his ultralight when we go crappie fishing,quite the catches especially when you consider he's using 4 lb test and a #1 gold hook .These two bass are from 2015 and 2016 out of a 20 acre lake,he plays them good .


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## kmckinnie

Good fish.


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## fish hawk

Me and the Boy had a chance to get out on the creek for a little while Christmas eve,weather was perfect.Fishing was a little slow but we managed to catch a few using jigs and worms.


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## fish hawk

Seems like everytime I go to the creek I see something interesting,this time was no different,my boy says theres something swimming in the creek,I look up and see a wood duck swimming around the next bend and tell him it's a duck,then I catch something else swimming and its a darn coon swimming across the creek.My Boy was casting around a crappie jig and found some crappie but he could only manage a few before we had to leave to attend Christmas Eve service at church,plan to take some minnows sometimes this week  and see if we can get on em.


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## Cmp1

Nice,,,, looks like real nice weather too,,,,


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## Miguel Cervantes

Looks like a fine time was had fishin.


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## Cmp1

It's funny you should mention the coon swimming across the creek,,,, I was at the Manistee river this past summer, it's a veterans memorial Park and it has a nice fishing dock,,,, anyway was crawler fishing and this huge Beaver swam right under me and up the shore,,,, tons of wildlife there, sandhill cranes, eagles, hawks, snakes, minks,,,, really beautiful place if people would just take care of it,,,, everytime I go there I end up picking up trash from people to lazy to throw it in the trash,,,, you guys would love kayaking this river,,,,


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## fish hawk

CMP l would  love fishing up in Michigan,if I'm ever able to make it up there you'll  have to show me the ropes,if you can ever make it down to Ga look me up


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## Nicodemus

Nice fish.


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## Cmp1

fish hawk said:


> CMP l would  love fishing up in Michigan,if I'm ever able to make it up there you'll  have to show me the ropes,if you can ever make it down to Ga look me up



Your welcome here anytime,,,, your kayaks would be perfect especially in the back waters,,,, slow current where I fish there,,,, I can't get to the back waters from the shore,,,, Hodenpyl reservoir is just down stream from the park,,,,


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## lagrangedave

Fish Hawk, you ever try a fluke on that creek?


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## fish hawk

Thanks guys,been loving this weather!!!Trying to get back out on the water but stuff keeps coming up.Dave I dont use a fluke much but I do love a weightless trick worm during the spring and summer,kinda the same principal as they both draw a reaction bite,fluke will catch em though im sure.


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## fish hawk

I know I've plastered this pic everywhere but I had to add it to this thread also


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## lagrangedave

That's a toad shoalie. What's the difference between a redeye and a shoalie?


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## fish hawk

lagrangedave said:


> That's a toad shoalie. What's the difference between a redeye and a shoalie?



Lance “RedHeron” Coley done a write up called  What the Heck Kinda Bass is That??? and explains the difference between bass species a lot better than I ever could Dave.
http://southernriverfishing.com/site/?page_id=667


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## fish hawk

Wow what a beautiful day,Mid-February wearing shorts,tshirt,barefoot and 21 crappie to boot.......Dont get much better!!!


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## Strvmmer

I need to find this creek. &#55357;&#56834;


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## fish hawk

Had time for a quick float this afternoon.Got me a nice fat shoalie


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## Corey

Have Kayak will follow, I will even carry yours up and down
the hill for you


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## fish hawk

Corey said:


> Have Kayak will follow, I will even carry yours up and down
> the hill for you


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## fish hawk

A few from a recent trip


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## Cmp1

Nice catches,,,, congrats,,,,


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## BOZ

Nice ones Fish Hawk. Congrats on a good trip.


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## Cmp1

Hey Fish Hawk,,,, where did you get that measuring scale? And does it roll up? Really nice,,,, the fish also,,,,


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## 61BelAir

Nice!! Looks like one of those belongs to the group ya'll tagged last summer.   Am I seeing that right?


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## Corey

Very nice Sir!


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## fish hawk

Cmp1 said:


> Nice catches,,,, congrats,,,,





BOZ said:


> Nice ones Fish Hawk. Congrats on a good trip.





Corey said:


> Very nice Sir!



 Tight lines!!!


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## fish hawk

Cmp1 said:


> Hey Fish Hawk,,,, where did you get that measuring scale? And does it roll up? Really nice,,,, the fish also,,,,



Hawg Trough from Austin Kayak they are the standard measuring device for just about all kayak tournaments, they dont roll up........ http://www.austinkayak.com/products/8737/Hawg-Trough-Fish-Measuring-Device.html


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## fish hawk

61BelAir said:


> Nice!! Looks like one of those belongs to the group ya'll tagged last summer.   *Am I seeing that right*?



Yes,tagged shoalie.


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## fish hawk

Hooked up with DSGB yesterday afternoon and did a little creek fishing.We caught some fish but it was far from a great day.He probably wont want to go back fishing with me again as it was a wee past dark when we got back to the trucks and I had him going up waterfalls and such.These are the only pics I took.


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## Cmp1

fish hawk said:


> Hawg Trough from Austin Kayak they are the standard measuring device for just about all kayak tournaments, they dont roll up........ http://www.austinkayak.com/products/8737/Hawg-Trough-Fish-Measuring-Device.html



Thanks buddy,,,, I really like it,,,, I'll check it out,,,, thanks for the link,,,,


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## Cmp1

Nice catches,,,,


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## DSGB

Ha ha! I'll definitely be going again! 

I'll either need to wear my waders or shorts. The water was a bit too cold to be filling up my boots!


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## fish hawk

DSGB said:


> Ha ha! I'll definitely be going again!
> 
> I'll either need to wear my waders or shorts. The water was a bit too cold to be filling up my boots!



It wert too cold jus a tad bit chilly......If only we'd put every fish that bit in the boat.


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## DSGB

fish hawk said:


> It wert too cold jus a tad bit chilly......If only we'd put every fish that bit in the boat.



No kidding. I let four get off at the boat and missed a bunch more. 

My feet would have been more than chilly by the time we got back to the truck had they been wet. Of course, I could have just put my waders on that I hauled around.


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## fish hawk

Yesterday was a beautiful day for a paddle


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## oops1

Nice werk.. Big Guy!!


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## 61BelAir

Good job.   Another tagged fish....cool.   Do you have a way of identifying the individual fish and knowing how much it has grown and how far away from where it was tagged it has gone?   

I went to Sinclair with a friend/co-worker from 6:30 to 8 p.m.  I had my butt kicked again.  LOL  He caught 4 or 5 and I landed 1.  I did have one other bite right at the boat, but it just grabbed the tail of the worm.  Those were the only 2 bites I had.  Besides the ones he caught, he missed 3.  The last time we went together, he caught 10 to my 1.....and all in about an hour and a half.  I know sitting in the front has a little to do with it,  and keep telling myself that him living on the lake and knowing it while I haven't fished it much are also a part of it, but that boy can just plain fish.


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## fish hawk

oops1 said:


> Nice werk.. Big Guy!!






61BelAir said:


> Good job.   Another tagged fish....cool.  * Do you have a way of identifying the individual fish* and knowing how much it has grown and how far away from where it was tagged it has gone?
> 
> I went to Sinclair with a friend/co-worker from 6:30 to 8 p.m.  I had my butt kicked again.  LOL  He caught 4 or 5 and I landed 1.  I did have one other bite right at the boat, but it just grabbed the tail of the worm.  Those were the only 2 bites I had.  Besides the ones he caught, he missed 3.  The last time we went together, he caught 10 to my 1.....and all in about an hour and a half.  I know sitting in the front has a little to do with it,  and keep telling myself that him living on the lake and knowing it while I haven't fished it much are also a part of it, but that boy can just plain fish.


Other than individual markings I dont but I do know this is the same fish my boy caught back on the 11th,she was in the same pool as she was  2 weeks ago.Auburn University is conducting the study and has all the info.They had the annual shoal bass meeting  in Macon on the 10th where they discussed the tagged shoalies,I didnt get to attend because I had a kayak tournament the next day and the 4 hour round trip and up early for the tournament would have been just too much for me.


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## BOZ

Man those shoalies  are fat! Once again, nice fish FH.


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## 61BelAir

Very nice!   I got redemption for the awful day I had yesterday.  Hopefully I can get some pictures up tomorrow, but it'll be in the Freshwater section because I wasn't in the kayak.


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## fish hawk

BOZ said:


> Man those shoalies  are fat! Once again, nice fish FH.


Waters near perfect.


61BelAir said:


> Very nice!   I got redemption for the awful day I had yesterday.  Hopefully I can get some pictures up tomorrow, but it'll be in the Freshwater section because I wasn't in the kayak.


I'll be sure to check it out!!!


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## fish hawk

Found my old Hawg Trough Friday.I forgot and left it on a sand bar a couple years ago and before I could make another float it came a good rain and it washed it off the sand bar,so after almost two years and the big Christmas flood of 2015 I notice it 2 miles down the creek from where I originally lost it up on the bank in the trees still perfectly intact.


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## DSGB

Nice fish! That shoalie looks like it's full of crawdads.


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## 61BelAir

Congrats on finding your old trough.  Awhile back, I got happy when I found an old Torpedo from last year......then I got sad when I thought of the big bass that broke it off to start with.  I've lost a lot of fish over the years, but that big girl was hauling butt out into deeper water.  She kept jumping all the way out of the water and thrashing her head trying to sling the lure out.  She must have jumped 5 times after breaking off.


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## BOZ

fish hawk said:


> Waters near perfect
> 
> Yep!


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## fish hawk

Nice day for chasin shoal bass


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## BOZ

Nice ones man! Cant wait to get out Saturday myself!


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## 61BelAir

BOZ said:


> Nice ones man! Cant wait to get out Saturday myself!



Yep, the weather is perfect and the river (Oconee here) is almost down to where I like it.  I am going to try to go for a few hours after work today.  I went Saturday and what is usually a 5-6 hour float took just over 2 hours it was so high.  I didn't get a single bite.


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## fish hawk

Been kind of slow but still been able to scratch up a few good ones.Culled some spotted bass out too


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## Cmp1

Nice catches,,,,


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## 61BelAir

Good times and good job on the spot removal.  I've made it to the river 3 more times since my post above.  The first 2 trips I only had one bite each time, but both were over 5 pounds.  One bit a Zara spook and one on a chatterbait.  On the third trip, Shannon caught a 13.5 pounder on a black/blue jig.  Her biggest fish so far, but it was a channel cat and not a bass.  The only thing I caught was a chipmunk I netted as it swam by me.  LOL  
I was awfully tempted to lightly hook it under the skin and sling it out into the middle of the river again.  Instead I let Shannon pet it some and sent it up the bank.


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## fish hawk

61BelAir said:


> Good times and good job on the spot removal.  I've made it to the river 3 more times since my post above.  The first 2 trips I only had one bite each time, but both were over 5 pounds.  One bit a Zara spook and one on a chatterbait.  On the third trip, *Shannon caught a 13.5 pounder on a black/blue jig.  Her biggest fish so far, but it was a channel cat and not a bass. * The only thing I caught was a chipmunk I netted as it swam by me.  LOL
> I was awfully tempted to lightly hook it under the skin and sling it out into the middle of the river again.  Instead I let Shannon pet it some and sent it up the bank.


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## fish hawk

Been able to do a little spotted bass extermination,glad to get them before they were able to spread there little devil babies around.Out of the six 4 had eggs,messed up and cut one of the sacks real bad and had to chunk it out with the head and guts


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## Moonpie1

Good job Fish Hawk. Redneck caviar. My son keeps every spot he catches out of the river.


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## BOZ

fish hawk said:


> Been kind of slow but still been able to scratch up a few good ones.Culled some spotted bass out too



Looks like it was a good day!


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## Uptonongood

Love small water fishing. Great post.


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## brunofishing

Nice fish!! Hootie hoo!!!


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## fish hawk

Took a Sunday afternoon float down the creek ,water is still a little on the high side and a slight bit muddy,fishing was good for numbers but the larger ones were scarce,did manage to cull some spotted bass.


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## fish hawk

Was a beautiful day,welcomed thunderstorm rolled in on us and cooled it down by 20* I bet also got to break in my awesome fathers day gift.


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## 61BelAir

Looks like it was a Happy Father's Day!  (For everyone but the spots)  LOL   Good ridence


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## BOZ

Nice, killing it like always! Looks like yall had a good trip. That's a sweet Fathers Day gift too!


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## fish hawk

61BelAir said:


> Looks like it was a Happy Father's Day!  *(For everyone but the spots)  LOL   Good ridence*


That batch went to a friend of mine,he said he was going to give them a peanut oil bath


BOZ said:


> Nice, killing it like always! Looks like yall had a good trip. That's a sweet Fathers Day gift too!



Thanks brother!!!


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## fish hawk

Summer pattern is finally in full swing.


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## BOZ

Those are some good looking fatties!


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## fish hawk

The were hammering it last Sunday,nothing big but the numbers were great.


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## fish hawk

This one had lip stick on and the other one is not from the creek but one I caught on the river yesterday


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## 61BelAir

Great catches!  I've tried those Yumm worms that are laying on the deck of your fs12 in the set of pictures and just can't get them to stay on the hook long enough to get a bite on one.  If they don't sling off on the very first cast then it's the second.  Any tips?  Did I maybe get a defective (rubber too soft) bag?  I guess I'll grab some O-rings and wacky rig them.  

On the other hand, I have a hard time finding the trick worms in june bug around here.  Everyone sells them, but they stay sold out.  Black hasn't been as effective.


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## fish hawk

61BelAir said:


> Great catches!  *I've tried those Yumm worms that are laying on the deck of your fs12 in the set of pictures and just can't get them to stay on the hook long enough to get a bite on one*.  If they don't sling off on the very first cast then it's the second.  Any tips?  Did I maybe get a defective (rubber too soft) bag?  I guess I'll grab some O-rings and wacky rig them.
> 
> On the other hand, I have a hard time finding the trick worms in june bug around here.  Everyone sells them, but they stay sold out.  Black hasn't been as effective.


I had to buy a couple packs of the yum cause they were out of zoom in junebug,the yums aren't nearly as durable as zoom,thats why you see so many lying on the deck,also they cost more and you dont get as many per pack.I suppose you could use some soft plastic glue and get a little more life out of them.


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## Damidgede

Jealous for sure. Live in Columbus and have to travel an hour to find a creek like that to fish where I know I will catch some good fish. Mostly fish small private ponds locally. Guess I need to explore the county a little more  .Caught my first shoalie this year after buying a yak and started exploring creeks. Very fun species to catch. I throw the junebug zoom also. Had a hard time finding them locally for a while so when I finally did, I bought all they had..Can go through  a few bags if you catch them on the right day.


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## fish hawk

Damidgede said:


> Jealous for sure. Live in Columbus and have to travel an hour to find a creek like that to fish where I know I will catch some good fish. Mostly fish small private ponds locally. Guess I need to explore the county a little more  .Caught my first shoalie this year after buying a yak and started exploring creeks. Very fun species to catch. I throw the junebug zoom also. Had a hard time finding them locally for a while so when I finally did, I bought all they had..Can go through  a few bags if you catch them on the right day.



Cool,hope you catch and release all shoal bass,keep all spotted bass.


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## Damidgede

fish hawk said:


> Cool,hope you catch and release all shoal bass,keep all spotted bass.


I am pretty much a catch and release all bass person unless I am trying to prepare for a fry and then I hit the pond and catch a mess of LM or crappie. Seen you post on the county watch page about the post-it note and tire issue. Sorry to hear, always hate leaving my vehicle to float the river for these reason. Maybe you will find out who did it.


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## fish hawk

Damidgede said:


> I am pretty much a catch and release all bass person unless I am trying to prepare for a fry and then I hit the pond and catch a mess of LM or crappie. Seen you post on the county watch page about the post-it note and tire issue. Sorry to hear, always hate leaving my vehicle to float the river for these reason. Maybe you will find out who did it.



I've never had some one tamper with my vehicle until Friday,I have my suspicions to whom it was.


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## fish hawk

Had a chance to fish some over the thanksgiving break,water is turning over and its a little tuff,but if your patient you can still catch em


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## 61BelAir

Good one.  I haven't been able to take the kayak out lately and am having withdrawals.  
I have done some night fishing from the bass boat on warmer nights.   I'd never fished dock lights until this fall and I didn't know what I was missing.   I've only caught a few larger ones, but plenty of under 3 lb bass.


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## fish hawk

Creek has been blown out all year but it finally got to a decent level for a float,then it rained another 2 inches Saturday.


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## fish hawk

Thirteen fewer alabama bass to boot!!!


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## EJC

Good deal


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## Dialer

There’s about an 8 pounder swimming around with a rattletrap in its mouth...John Tanner Park lower lake. Had  6 pound test that snapped at the knot after violent strike. 2nd outing in my new kayak. This little fellow struck and fought pretty good too!


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## fish hawk

I started this thread late summer 2014,bringing it back to the top.


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## DSGB

Planning on taking a trip down the creek tomorrow. Water should be about right.


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## Damidgede

DSGB said:


> Planning on taking a trip down the creek tomorrow. Water should be about right.


I went on 5/14 down the creek, was still a tad high, but the fishing was good. Caught about 15 fish, one 17 inch shoalie and a 20.75 Large mouth in the mix. Was a good day.


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## DSGB

Damidgede said:


> I went on 5/14 down the creek, was still a tad high, but the fishing was good. Caught about 15 fish, one 17 inch shoalie and a 20.75 Large mouth in the mix. Was a good day.



Me and a buddy took our sons (8 and 9) down the creek for the first time. I caught 7 or 8 shoal bass, with the biggest being around 15". The boys had a great time paddling and playing in the water and we saw a bald eagle twice.


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## Sweetwater

Dialer said:


> There’s about an 8 pounder swimming around with a rattletrap in its mouth...John Tanner Park lower lake. Had  6 pound test that snapped at the knot after violent strike. 2nd outing in my new kayak. This little fellow struck and fought pretty good too!


Used to fish the lower lake at Tanner a good bit. Watermelon seed trickworms skipped under overhanging trees on far long bank are good. Water is deep close to shore. 
If you can be patient, in far right corner of dam is a deep brush pile that holds good ones. 
Far left corner is usually huge bream beds. Bass sit on deep edge and feed there too.


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## Cool Hand Luke

Sweetwater said:


> Used to fish the lower lake at Tanner a good bit. Watermelon seed trickworms skipped under overhanging trees on far long bank are good. Water is deep close to shore.
> If you can be patient, in far right corner of dam is a deep brush pile that holds good ones.
> Far left corner is usually huge bream beds. Bass sit on deep edge and feed there too.



Worked at John Tanner about 30 years ago. Me and the maintenance man floated down the Little Tallapoosa and caught every species of fish there is on beetle spins. Never forget that trip.


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