Posts by Daryl Gay
Retreat On The River
One of my uncles—oh, brother!—just happened to be in the yard when the feller pulled up. Seeking my whereabouts.. “Uh, I’m thanking he’s on the river.” “You wouldn’t happen to know just where, would you?” “Likely sommers between Milledgeville and Jesup.” “Well, that narrows it down.” No response, other than deadpan gaze. “Reckon he’s got…
Read MoreWayne County Catfish Tournament Sees Increase In Anglers Despite High Gas Prices
Yes, gas prices are high and travel expensive, but that didn’t stop the boats from rolling in to the 18th edition of the Wayne County Catfish Tournament, June 4-5. In fact, there were even more than last year’s! The Wayne County Board of Tourism’s annual Altamaha River-based hoedown drew 89 boats and 208 fishermen for…
Read MoreHugh M. Gillis PFA, Great Way To Beat Summer Crowds
In case you haven’t noticed, the weather is as hot as it wants to be along about now. Welcome to July in Georgia. The heat puts a strain on almost everything—including fishing and fishermen. So when I headed out to slip around Hugh M. Gillis PFA for the first time this year a couple of…
Read MoreHosses And Halves
Never know what you’ll trip over, er, discover, while rummaging through that storage building unvisited for a couple years. Said visit usually comes while musing, “Now where did I put that thing…?” And for entertainment purposes, it’s always a hopping good time to have a Jack Russell in tow. Because when that first resident rat…
Read MoreCapt. David Newlin Figures It All Out
It’s two and a piece pre-dawn hours from home to Richmond Hill, then add on another 15 minutes to Ft. McAllister Marina. Windshield time is prime for cogitation, and all the way down I’ve tried to figure out just what my favorite part of an inshore fishing trip with Capt. David Newlin is. And that’s…
Read MoreWatch Your Step
Trouble was, see, the gator was between me and the tree. And to make matters worse, he knew it! So how are you at hopping? Kicking? Screeching? Caught out in the way-too-open crossing a pond dam, there was but that one 10-foot-high patch of green. Oh, I’ll admit it wasn’t much of a tree; but…
Read MoreWayne County Hog Jam 2022
Six tons of dead hogs make for a pretty impressive pile. Ugly, too. Wayne County’s 2022 Hog Jam saw them coming by the truckload, as over a hundred hunters, including 14 wounded warriors, took advantage of perfect south Georgia weather to help make a dent in the feral hog population along the Altamaha River swamp. …
Read MoreOconee River Fixing To Load Up With White Bass
It’s breezy early in the day as Barry Hough and I motor up this northern section of the Oconee River, which has its origin just a few counties upstream. We’re an hour or so from Atlanta, depending, as always, on highway traffic. And it’s pretty much the same here on this gorgeous waterway. The locals…
Read MoreTough Task To Tackle
Compadre called the other day. On his flip phone. Needed help, as in manual labor. Go figure. “Lookahyeah, I need you to ease over and help me clean something out. It’s backed up so bad it’s filled three stories at the house.” “You live in a trailer…” “I know where I live! But I can’t…
Read MoreAlligator Man: The Legend Of Trapper Jack
We go back more than 30 years now, even before the first year he obtained an alligator trapping license, 1989. When I think about him, the word “legend” comes to mind. But every single definition of legend I’ve found includes either “famous” or “fame.” But he never cared for being famous; he simply wanted to…
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