SEEDS Striper Trip Sends 20 Kids Fishing

Luke Woods, 10, of Powder Springs, fished with Brian Brueck and caught this nice 12-pounder.

Thanks to a host of volunteers, the annual SEEDS Striper Fishing Event took place on Saturday, Oct. 16 at Lake Lanier. This fourth-annual kids striper-fishing event is just one more way the Georgia Outdoor Network continues to support youth-mentoring programs that are designed to teach kids to hunt and fish.

“Each year the young men and women selected (from a random drawing) to participate in the event have been introduced to a type of fishing that could yield the fish of a lifetime,” said Fred Wammock, the event’s organizer.

Twenty captains from the Lanier Striper Club, North Georgia Striper Club and the Oakwood Striper Club generously donated their time, boats, bait and experience to make the day a rewarding one for the SEEDS members.

“They not only have an opportunity to catch a large fish but learn about the fish, the bait, the boats and the techniques required to be successful,” said Fred.

In past years the fishing has been fantastic, but the stripers didn’t want to cooperate too well for this year’s event.

“It was still a great day to be on the water. We had cool temperatures that warmed up quickly,” said Fred.

“While the fish did not cooperate as well as we would have liked, the event was a huge success. The smiles on the faces of the SEEDS members and their captains were priceless. This was our fourth year of working with members of the three Lake Lanier striper clubs. Once again they came together to make this event a reality.”

Lots of pre-event planning went into the fun day of fishing.

“Fish were scattered, and the captains put a lot of effort into locating feeding fish,” said Fred. “Boats traveled from just north of Buford Dam to Little River, a distance of 20 miles, in search of fish.

“Stripers, spotted bass, catfish and gar were caught. Most fish were caught on blueback herring fished on a combination of freelines and downlines.”

Additionally, Fred would like to thank Bill Turner, the event’s chef, Big Fish On Guide Service for donating ramp fees, the Lanier Striper Club for donating a spinning rod/reel combo and a hat to each kid and the GONetwork for lunch.

“On behalf of all involved, my thanks to the captains and a hope that we’ll do it again next year,” said Fred.

Michael Layman, 13, of Cumming, caught this nice spotted bass, in addition to a gar and six stripers.

Rebecca Bowen, 11, of Lula, had the big fish in the SEEDS Striper Fishing Event. This striper weighed 18 pounds.

Luke Woods smiles with a channel catfish.