Posts by Craig James
Okefenokee Swamp Bream
There’s something downright special about the Okefenokee Swamp… a certain air about it, if you will. In a world moving faster than it ever has, the Okefenokee seems to stand timeless and silent. The silence is only interrupted by the chirping of the many species of birds and the occasional bellow of an alligator that…
Read MoreOkefenokee Swamp Bluegill Sets Benchmark
On June 15, Josh Forsythe, of Homerville, managed to catch a big bluegill in the Okefenokee Swamp that has now been certified as the official GON Lake and River record for the area. Like many other record fish that are caught, failure turned to fortune on the trip. “I was fishing with Craig James, and…
Read MoreOhoopee River Bream
If you’ve ever run across one of my Satilla River stories in the pages of GON, then you know I’m more than a little partial to my home river, and I’ve always been convinced that other fisheries just couldn’t compare, especially when it comes to redbreast fishing. Then last summer I decided to test the…
Read MoreAltamaha River Bass
When it comes to bass fishing, May on the Altamaha River is as good as it gets anywhere in the country. Now I know that’s a bold claim to make, but with the spawn well behind us and the mercury in your thermometer climbing higher by the day, where else can you drop in a…
Read MoreFishing George L. Smith State Park
I’ve never been much on fishing state-park lakes. I know that’s a heck of a line to start a story profiling one, but hang with me. Some of my experiences on these lakes have involved long hours with little to no action, other than the occasional jet ski blowing by and nearing turning my kayak…
Read MoreFishing Saltwater Bridges
I don’t know if there’s a month I like better than April. With winter fading away quickly, warmer days are here, and the fishing will be fantastic! Just like their freshwater cousins, the bite takes off in the salt this month as reds, flounder, trout and sheepshead all become increasingly active with warming water temperatures.…
Read MoreSouth Georgia River Bass Fishing
Another spring has come to Georgia. Sure, we may have a few cold blasts of air conditioning left from Old Man Winter, but the sunshine beaming through my kitchen window as I begin to type this story assures me that warmer days are just a stone’s throw away. Yes-sir, it’s time to go fishing in…
Read MoreRutland Farms: Georgia Bass Fishing Farm Pond Heaven
Since my very first trip, Rutland Farms has always felt like home to me. Ever since my first visit back in the spring of 2017 while working on a GON story, I keep finding myself going back, and every trip seems a little more enjoyable than the one before. I wish I could tell you…
Read MoreSatilla Gets Another New Black Crappie Record
Just days after releasing the annual edition of the Georgia Lake and River Records, another river record has already fallen. On Feb. 6, Steven Todd, of Saint George, managed to reel in a 2-lb., 1-oz. black crappie that raised the river-record bar for the species for the second time in the past 13 months. “I…
Read More73 3/4 Pound Catfish Sets Lake Sinclair Record Then Released
On the afternoon of Jan. 26, long-time buddies Brandon Pitts and Kenny Scott set out on Lake Sinclair in hopes of wrangling some big stripers. Finding gizzard shad of a suitable size for bait proved to be difficult, forcing the anglers to alter their game plan. Unbeknownst to them, it put them on a path…
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