Kayak Koz

I finalized a deal this morning and the owner was more than fair with me. The hotel is The Lodge at Lake Oconee. It's a small property and right now it's not in the best of shape. Nothing huge, just neglected and it will take me probably 3 months to make enough changes where I consider it to be in decent shape. There's a lot of maintenance that needs to be done out there and a lot of associate training. But since I was already out there for a weekend visit I have a to do list ready to go. So, without violating any BR guidelines, if anyone is going to be in that area after May of this year feel free to PM me. If anyone comes out sooner, please reserve judgment - it's going to take 3+ months to make an impact and a year to get where it needs to be, especially since COVID has been killing hotels.

Thanks. We do have a net that he throws into - although he throws so hard we have to weight it down now! We also used those 9 pocket pitching targets when we worked out at the training facility. But using the net isn't the same as throwing to a catcher, especially when working on locating his pitches. The net and the target give the impression of a large strike zone area and target, while a catcher simulates game conditions. We still use the nets now and then, but prefer the catcher. I'm sure we'll find someone. Back when we lived in the SC Upstate there was always a willing catcher at the facility where we worked out. But here in the SC Lowcountry we don't have any baseball academies or indoor workout facilities in our area. There are a few crappy batting cages with machines at 50 feet out, but no full batting cages or pitching facilities.

He lost last season due to COVID and he didn’t play summer ball for the same reason. With ballparks and academies closed his pitching workouts were limited. But his fastball now sits 80-82 and he finally honed his curve bay. It’s a real shame he’s sitting out again. I just can’t catch him anymore. It stinks getting old. Plus I have to focus on the pitch and can’t focus on his mechanics.

My son is a freshman in HS and baseball tryouts started this week. But on Sunday he was at his mother’s and with his giant feet he tripped and fell down a flight of steps. Thankfully he did not break anything and his head CT was clear. But he hurt his neck and non pitching shoulder and he’s in a sling for at least a week. The doctor thinks he separated the shoulder on the way down and it popped back in when he landed. So no tryouts for him and he misses a season of baseball.

I’m in final negotiations now and will have a decision tomorrow. I don’t want to say anything until a deal has been made. Stay tuned.

Movers stole a binder of all of my best cards including two mint Wayne Gretzky rookie cards - one Canadian and one US. In that binder I also had personalized autographs from Bobby Orr, Bobby Hull, and Gordie Howe. They also took a framed Joe DiMaggio autograph.

Still nothing shallow here. But nighttime air temperatures have mostly been above the water temperature. In 2 or 3 weeks the feeding frenzy usually starts.

I was 10 years old when Hank Aaron hit #715 off of Al Downing. Being a Yankee fan all of my life (10 years at the time but still a fan) I had hoped no one would ever break Babe Ruth's record. But I was watching that game and when Hank hit #715 I still cheered because I'm a baseball fan. It was a momentous occasion and a record that no one thought would ever be broken. I was a fan of Aaron before that because he was a baseball star. But over the years as I learned all that he endured in his quest for 715 I became a fan of Hank Aaron, the man. For as good as he was at baseball, he was an even better human being. RIP Hank.

I usually don’t eat when I go fishing. Occasionally I throw a protein bar or two in my bag.

Nah. No one likes getting skunked but it’s not the end of the world. I think that in the past year we’ve all learned there are more important things in life.

It will work out. I was 41 when my son was born and we had a ton of fun fishing until he was 14. Between being a moody teenager, his newfound interest in girls, and his dedication to baseball he doesn’t want to fish anymore. But that’s OK because I’ve transitioned to fishing to relax and think and I know my son will eventually want to fish again.

It sounds like you need to vary the baits that you used. As mentioned above, a spinnerbait along the edge of the weed line works well. I also like to use a Teckel Sprinker Frog or a buzzbait (my favorite) over the weeds or along the weed line as well. Another thing I do is be at the edge of the water and keep my rod perpendicular to the bank. With a 7 foot rod this allows me to keep the bait off of the bank as I reel in.

Bill Pulte I bought 2 Powerball and 2 Mega Millions tickets and won $6. I spent $8. But I bought a few more today. I mean, a BILLION dollars. COVID has made the last year crap for me. I’m hoping that yin - yang thing works out.

We have 10+ pound bass here and our lagoons (ponds) are only 8-10 feet deep. For bass to get big they need a reliable food source and a lot of luck. My theory is that big bass (7 pounds and up) are the ultimate ambush predators unlike smaller bass that seem to cruise everywhere. But again, I’m speaking about the unique area that I fish. Find the forage and find the ambush points where you see the forage. Be stealthy.

It took a lot of courage for him to share his trials with us and soldier on. Blessings to him and his family in this trying time.

I’ve always been curious what bass are more likely to do after short striking a bait. Sure, sometimes they stick around and you can follow up. But when that doesn’t happen I wonder if they are more likely to go deep or run run for shallow cover. But realistically I’m sure it’s random.

Our lagoons max out at 8-10 feet deep. Due to their man made construction there is not a gradual slope from the bank to the middle of the basin. Instead, right along the bank it’s anywhere from 2 - 5 feet deep.

So I'm out there fishing today and of course my mind wanders to different topic and today it was about winter bass. With the water being at its coldest point of the year down here the fishing is slow. What's frustrating is that the air temperature is 55-65 degrees out there and it's very comfortable fishing weather. But with nighttime temperatures in the 30's the water isn't warming up yet. Anyway, we all know that the metabolism of the bass has greatly slowed and with that they're fairly idle, conserving energy, and eating maybe once a week or so. With that in mind, I'm thinking that the bass are sitting there pondering when the winter will be over while deciding if this is the one day this week that they need to feed and build up energy stores only to end up hooked at the end of my spinnerbait ? I tried fishing really slow today but it didn't take. I actually tried some baits that I don't fish that often, especially in the winter and drew blanks. But then I tied on a spinnerbait and caught a decent 3 pounder and then a one pounder as I was calling it a day. Everything I've caught lately has been in "deeper" water (relative term since I fish man made lagoons) and today's catches were in stained water and the bass were extremely pale. Despite seeing a lot of small minnows along the banks I have not seen or caught any bass in the shallower waters or along shore. The egrets have been feasting. I've seen herons eating small bluegill along the banks as well, but the bass haven't moved off their winter spots in the middle of lagoons just yet. The pre-spawn usually starts kicking in about mid February, so it won't be long now.

It’s been really windy in the SC Lowcountry as well. Some days I brave it and some I pack it in after 20 minutes. I was out at Oconee in GA this weekend and I couldn’t take the combination of wind and cold. Funny story - years ago I briefly ran a hotel in Cheyenne, Wyoming. My hotel was on top of a plateau and some days it was so windy I had to park my car with the passenger side into the wind just so I could open my driver’s side door. I hated that place.

Both are MH/F rods but the Mach 2 uses the IM8 graphite blank and the TPX1 uses the HM40 blank.

**Update** I’ve been using this rod for a month now and my first impression is pretty much spot on. My biggest beef is the lack of sensitivity. With the Mach 2 rod I could feel the slightest tick when a fish went after the bait. As I prefer to fish with moving baits this is important. For example, if I feel a fish tick the bait but not engulf it I will stop cranking giving the appearance of a stunned bait fish. As it starts to sink, more often than not the fish engulfs the bait. I don’t feel the slight ticks with this rod at all and I fear I’m missing out on potential catches. Again, it’s like, “Oh - there’s a fish that hooked itself” and not like, “Oh - there’s a bite.” I still think that it makes a great topwater rod but for everything else and for my purposes I will probably get a different rod. I may give the new Lew’s KVD rod a try.

I love spinnerbaits in part because of the versatile retrieve methods. Sometimes - especially in the spring - I’ll add a paddle tail trailer. Keitech Swing Impacts are my favorite, but they get expensive and get torn up easily. Lately I’ve been using the tougher Z Man paddle tail. Depending upon the size of the spinnerbait I may cut down the paddle tail.

I think some people missed the point that the OP fishes from the bank, so I will add my two cents. As someone who bank fishes I hate trying to bank fish bigger lakes. The few bank spots available are usually crowded and more often than not the fishing isn’t that good. Without a boat or kayak I don’t see the point. But, if the OP has access to more ponds where he can cover lots of ground then that’s a different story. I’d go for it.

Does anyone have any recent info on bass fishing at Oconee? I’m being recruited to take over as GM at a hotel on the lake. I would rather stay closer to the SC Lowcountry , but this combination might be too good to pass up,

Ironic. Fishing has been just awful here lately but I went out for a few hours today anyway. The only thing I caught was a bass that I accidentally snagged. Like you, mine felt heavy and then I saw it coming in sideways and belly side up.