# Smallmouth in the Savannah River?



## Old Dead River (May 21, 2009)

caught the article in gon while @ bass pro. didn't get to finish it.

I use a bass hunter with a trolling motor, of course i'd take a second battery. but could i fish this stretch of the river with said outfit?

I'm dying to get on some smallies...


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## Old Dead River (May 24, 2009)

across the river said:


> There were a few articles written about a bass from the Savannah River that was thought to be smallmouth.  It turned out it was just a redeye bass, whcih is native to the river.   DNR doesn't want smallmouths in the Savannah, because they would compete with the redeye.  There are no smallmouths in the river.  If you want to catch redeye bass you would be better off with a kayak.



uh that's not what an article in the new issue of GON says. there are indeed smallmouth in the savannah river around some shoals.

http://www.gon.com/page.php?sp=currentissue

Smallmouth Surprise in the Savannah River 
Bronzebacks now confirmed in the shoals near Augusta.


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## sbroadwell (May 24, 2009)

Wow, I need to read that article. It would be nice to catch a smallmouth. Lord only knows what it will do to the balance of native fish, though, if this is true.


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## Twenty five ought six (May 24, 2009)

An equally negative, but more recent development in the status of the native redeye bass of the Savannah drainage is the sudden appearance of non native smallmouth bass in the area of the Savannah River known as Augusta Shoals. A push to stock smallmouth in that area of the Savannah has been resisted by both the Georgia and South Carolina DNR's because of the threat it would pose to redeye bass. However, over the last year anglers have reported catches of smallmouth bass in the shoals. DNR followed up those reports with collections of fish last fall, and confirmed the presence of smallmouth bass as well as hybrids in a population that yielded only pure redeye bass three years earlier.

http://www.lakefronthartwell.com/re...ogists-contintue-to-study-the-decline-o.shtml


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## olered (May 24, 2009)

It would be hard to do in a bass hunter. We floated it a couple of years ago in yaks, no fishing gear just floating and having fun. You would not have munch fun around the shoals in that thing.


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## Nicodemus (May 24, 2009)

Twenty five ought six said:


> An equally negative, but more recent development in the status of the native redeye bass of the Savannah drainage is the sudden appearance of non native smallmouth bass in the area of the Savannah River known as Augusta Shoals. A push to stock smallmouth in that area of the Savannah has been resisted by both the Georgia and South Carolina DNR's because of the threat it would pose to redeye bass. However, over the last year anglers have reported catches of smallmouth bass in the shoals. DNR followed up those reports with collections of fish last fall, and confirmed the presence of smallmouth bass as well as hybrids in a population that yielded only pure redeye bass three years earlier.
> 
> http://www.lakefronthartwell.com/re...ogists-contintue-to-study-the-decline-o.shtml





This is what happens, when man, with all his infinite wisdom, tries to mess with, and fix what ain`t broke. Why can`t we leave well enough alone. We already know that when an exotic is introduced to a place, it is the resident species that suffers.


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## Old Dead River (May 24, 2009)

i hear what yall are saying but the redeye aren't targeted by sportsman near as much as smallies. and they don't get as big. i'm quite happy about this actually. just have to find a way to get at them


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## BasserDrew (May 24, 2009)

Basshunter with trolling motor will not work in that section very well.  A kayak or your own two feet is what you would need. 

There are smallies in the Savannah and folks have been catching them now for over a year.  There are also a lot of hybrids so the "true" smallies are rarer and because of the hybridization the fish do not get as big but friends of mine have caught them up to 3 1/2lbs.  So, you know there are some bigger ones in there as well.  

Good luck if you go.


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## bigkga69 (May 24, 2009)

dont waste your time.....there are no fish in the shoals!!!


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## burkeco9 (May 25, 2009)

use your feet
 it's just like trout fishing. WATCH OUT FOR SNAKES....


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## Twenty five ought six (May 25, 2009)

Are you guys talking about the shoals at the head of the Augusta canal?

How do you get out on them?


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## bigkga69 (May 25, 2009)

Twenty five ought six said:


> Are you guys talking about the shoals at the head of the Augusta canal?
> 
> How do you get out on them?



wade or canoe or kayak, you put in at...well I cant tell you, its a secret!!  anyway theres nothing out there..!!


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## Twenty five ought six (May 25, 2009)

I was asking if you wanted to wade, how would you get out there.

We had a meeting there at the park at the beginning of the canal, and it look like you could get down from the headgate. but I didn't have a chance to see how far you go.  Can you enter there and pick your way across?


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## bigkga69 (May 25, 2009)

walk down the path towards Augusta to the bridge over the canal, right there is a board walk down to the river, thats one way to get out there....


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## swamphawg (Jun 25, 2009)

*I'll second that!*



bigkga69 said:


> dont waste your time.....there are no fish in the shoals!!!



I lived on the river all my life and have never caught a single fish in there. I'd go to another river where they actually have some fish.


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## shoalhopper (Jul 7, 2009)

*i agree with basser drew*

I have fished the rapids in augusta for 20 years now and have never used a boat.  Wading is easy and the fishing is always productive.  I caught my personal best two weeks ago - 4 lb 18" smallmouth.  See attached photo.


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## ArmyTaco (Jul 8, 2009)

Man I cannot wait until I get some yaks to fish some shoals. I have floated by many before I got on GON and read about shoal bass and what not. Never thought about it once. I need some good yaks then it is on.


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## Fourayball (Jul 30, 2011)

just found this thread... guess im no the only one who has caught smallmouth there


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## Self! (Sep 1, 2013)

Any smallmouth fishing in the Savannah River near Augusta that I can get to with my BassTracker. Not asking for honey holes, just ramps in the general area.


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## The Longhunter (Sep 1, 2013)

Otis said:


> Any smallmouth fishing in the Savannah River near Augusta that I can get to with my BassTracker. Not asking for hiney holes, just ramps in the general area.



Hiney Holes??


Dude!!!!!


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## Self! (Sep 1, 2013)

The Longhunter said:


> Hiney Holes??
> 
> 
> Dude!!!!!





 No wonder no one replied....HONEY holes


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## Ldgat (Sep 2, 2013)

bigkga69 said:


> dont waste your time.....there are no fish in the shoals!!!


What he said!


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## Crappie Dude (Sep 2, 2013)

All the black bass species are special.

It's just a shame that smallmouth were moved into the Savannah.

I wonder what will happen to the Redeye's range over time. 

They most likely will hybridize with the smallmouth and the smallmouth will probably out-compete them, due to shear size.


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## croaker (Sep 2, 2013)

One *could* put a powered boat in at the N. Augusta ramp and run up to the pumping station (@ 1 mile) on the GA side.  Tie/anchor up and wade upstream.  Here's a link to a map the shows parking and access along the Augusta Canal:

http://www.augustacanal.com/canalmap.pdf


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## wss277 (Sep 2, 2013)

My dad use to fish with an older guy (Mr. Worley) that swore he caught the world record smallmouth in Clarks Hill up Broad river in the 1950s.


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## Ldgat (Sep 2, 2013)

croaker,  I fish that area a lot and I do not think that one can get a boat and motor past the first set of islands and rocks just up from the N. Augusta ramp.  Maybe a small ganoe type boat


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