Dixie Chicken

Hi all, So the wife and I are headed up for our anniversary to fish Hartwell for 8 days in mid Sept. We'll be 12 or so miles up the Tugaloo the first half. Then up the Seneca (below Clemson) the second half. Figure moving to different rentals helps us cover more of the lake. We've not fished it before, and would really appreciate some insight. We'll be doing early mornings, (even before light), as well as some night fishing. I just installed Oznium bolts over the entire deck, 11mm red up front, 6mm red on the back. Blue beside the TM pedal in the recess, under the consoles, between the seats, and two 6mm at the back at the sides of the splash well. Just finished the bulk of that today! Still have to put the dimmers in tomorrow and mount a dedicated 6 port fuse panel (being fed with 8 ga off a 30 amp breaker). Everything is on a hard switch, dimmers, AND 4-channel wireless remotes. Plus I've got a couple green LED drop lights to break in. In addition.... I have the NightFishion HD8 supposed to be here next week. *That's if they EVER ship it!* Been waiting 5 weeks now. Anywho.... I'd/WE would greatly appreciate any and all input on fishing Hartwell. Looking forward to the spots, and hoping the stripers will hit at night as well. I'd also be interested in any guides that y'all might know. Figure if we could get someone that would be willing to go out with us on the Z9 one of the days we're there it'd be well worth it. Thanks Guys! DC

WOW now THIS is a classic 'thread revival'. We also do C&R, but I gotta' say that if it's injured, like gut hooked for instance..... that puppy is going in the pan. My wife gut hooked a hybrid on our first outing this year, it wasn't big enough to keep, but it was a goner no matter. Put that puppy in the livewell and ended up making a couple little fillets out of it. Those puppies were taaaaa-ssssteeeee. I agree with the other post however in that it's responsible to the ecosystem to actually remove fish from it. Same reason why there is a gator season, deer season, ducks, you name it. I don't hunt, although I have in the past. Just don't like the taste of deer, (other than the back strap). We have a creek out back and a deer stand down there, with plenty of deer every year. Love to look at them, just not hunting them. Fishing however, I just love fish. I'll eat fish, pretty much any kind of fish. Thing is, as far as sport fishing we got busy raising kids and haven't done any real fishing for 30 years. We've rented houses at the lake and done a little here and there, but I don't like to bank fish, ergo I just didn't fish. By my wife's directions last year however "you need a four wheel drive truck to pull that bass boat you've always wanted", so in order to make sure she was happy, I went out and found us one! After losing her folks back-to-back she realized that time is short, and the happiest times in her life were when she was on the lake with her Daddy.... fishing. (Did the same with mine, for decades. So we just did it, and should have YEARS ago!) This year has been more than awesome. Much, much, MUCH more than awesome..... just getting out on the lake and going back to doing what our dads brought us up doing.... fishing. Oddly enough, speaking of 'in season'; non venomous snakes are off limits no matter what the season around here. Although when I look on my front porch and there's a 6' rat snake, that puppy better go hide before I get my machete! And no, we don't live in the sticks.... actually it's a large lot subdivision, but this boy feels like a big snake needs to stay in snakeville, and NOT on my porch or in my garage. OTOH, not once, but TWICE there has been a copperhead in our garage! And TWICE they've left the garage in many more pieces than whence they came.

I put this up over on the 'other' bass (boat) forum. Thought would share the interesting news here as well. So the title above is exactly what the Mercury tech at BPS told me this week! I was in the store looking around, so being as I'm going to be replacing my oil pump soon due to the ever familiar oil pump leak I asked them what they'd charge me to do an oil pump prime. Then the guy proceeded to tell me "shift it forward and neutral to reverse 5 times". I told him that it was my understanding that while YES that'll put the pump into prime mode, it will also put it into "break-in mode" thus causing me to have to change my BRAND NEW PLUGS after the first 2-hour runtime has expired. He assured me that it wouldn't go into "break-in mode". YEAH RIGHT! Told him AFAIK it takes the CDS tool to get this done, that's what I'm asking about. Even told him that Don Weed, the foremost guru on servicing the fuel system on Mercury motors says that it has to be done with the computer. His reply stayed the same! Mind boggling that they sell ONLY Mercury motors and this is their response. (This wasn't the store(s) on the north side of Atlanta, more like the one that's south of me.) Needless to say, I'll NOT be taking it there to get the pump primed.

You'd be surprised the lakes/ponds that have fish around here. I have a bud over on that 'other' bassin' (boat) place.... that is a UPS driver. He told me he's seen fish in the drainage pond, yes the DRAINAGE POND at Summitt Racing! WOW!!!!!

Fishing from the bank at Lanier means you'll have to do it via one of the Corp's public access day parks. The Dam area has access over by the dam, and around the corner where it goes to a private Corp area that I've been told from bank guys that they have decent luck. There is also a lower dam park that is quite popular but I doubt bass will be good there. It's literally RIGHT AT the dam release area. Lots of swift current, and if you hear the siren sound you GET THE HECK OUT OF THERE! Water will rise in a hurry, and it'll wash away anything and everything that's in the water. I'd look up a map for the public areas and scout them out. Good fishing up north, north of Browns Bridge, North of GA 20. I just don't know what parks are up there.

Guys... let me apologize for not returning the warm welcome(s) from you all. Had a few things come up, and just keeping up with *** stuff has been a chore. I've now upgraded all my electronics, HDS9's, TotalScan on the troller, 3DSS off the back, (and a yet to be installed Sonichub). I really want to get that puppy in, but the most obvious place, (under the seats facing forward) whilst it would look great... the massive amount of gas gushing from 6" holes in the gas tank might just be a problem! We've hit the lake a few times, Oconee so far (pass right by Jackson every single time getting there). First trip out was a massive GAR, over 5' that I wrestled with for a good 20 minutes trying to save my lure (on 12# fluoro). SAVED the brand new lure, and let that stupid gar go! @ Lonnie g .... At least I don't have to worry about getting that work done. Retired/disabled so this is my new 'career'. @ Mike L .... Brother I'd love to get back down your way. We rented a home on the north side of the Caloosahatchee just below Veterans Mem Pkwy a few years back. First time (other than some areas in the panhandle) that I've been to an area of FL that I'd like to live. The house had a boat come with it, that we made good use of! Running up behind Sanibel, Captiva, up to Cabbage Key (had to go to the original Cheesburger in Paradise place) was awesome! Can't imagine how good the fishing must be around there. WOW! Think it'd be a cool trip to do the crossover to Miami and back up the river. I'd get off on that for sure. On another note.... Here's a shot of our new toy on the way to the lake for it's maiden voyage. (The TRUCK and ME filled up at QT, the boat now runs rec90.)

Thanks AJ. Yup... blowing through my kids inheritance is turning out to be a TON-O-FUN! Gotta' get the new girl home and give her a good detailing then I'll get some photos up of her. Do have to say that I've NEVER seen a Z9 (or any Nitro for that matter) with this paint scheme. (And I've searched Google like crazy.) No white hull with stripes.... It's all champagne, burgundy/wine, gold, silver & black flake w/black gel bottom. She's a purdy girl for sure. Later, Dixie Chicken

Hi y'all! Figured being as I've been getting the newsletters for some time now... I might as well join the forum. (Been on that 'other' bass boat place for a little while now.) Decided in my 'golden years' that it's time to get a bass boat. Been looking since last summer for what tickles my fancy. Didn't have to be much, 200+, 20', dual console, at least one PP/Talon, a pair of graphs. AND that it not be an ex tournament boat having been run 300~400 hours at WOT. Found one with 221 hrs, the guy passed away and his son is selling it. Of course I'll get jazzed on for it not being a Skeeter, Ranger, Legend, Champion, etc. but just got tired of looking and ran across a BEAUTIFUL 2011 Z9 DC, custom 5 color flake, with a 250 Pro XS, single pp, pair of Lowrance's 7 & 9 with SS1. The price was well under my budget so I'll be upgrading to a 3rd Lowrance, gps, and whatever else I need to go with it for 3D, SS, DS, etc. I'm south of Atlanta, so I reckon Jackson Lake will be my home port (can be wet in 30 minutes), but I'll be all over the area this year for sure. Never fished Jackson either, but I do PLAN on it. Later, Dixie Chicken (Love me that Little Feat song!)

I think Zona and Iconelli would be a blast. But I'd still go back to the first of the thread... My DAD, and actually my Father In Law too. (never fished with him). Dad's been gone 10 years now, and we just had the first anniversary of losing my FIL. It is those two guys being the reason my wife said we were buying a bass boat. I grew up fishing/having a place on High Falls, bream, crappie, catfish and my wife did the same thing all around the Atlanta area. To have the opportunity to fish with either of them again would be worth taking years off my life. FWIW... took me till the ripe young age of 60.... this week to buy my first bass boat! We'll fish it this weekend, as we put old antique crankbaits on our lines (that belonged to our Dads) and raise our rods to them teaching us how to fish. With no doubt tears in our eyes.