Alex from GA

I usually catch several Channel cats a year that I take home for dinner. IMO they fight equal to a bass.

We used to have a place in Palmetto and I fished all winter there usually in or off the Manatee River when the wind wasn't too bad. IMO you need a boat or kayak if you want to catch fish consistantly. Terra Ceia is a good place to fish as is way up the Manatee River. Discount Tackle in Bradenton is a good place to get up to date information.

Until this year I fished Lake Lanier several time a week since 1999 and, as others say, it's a great spotted/Alabama Bass lake. The past few years it's changed with the blue backed herring as forage. Lookup FCP fishing and see what he's using. He fishes the upper part of Lanier several times a week and posts videos.

When I'm on a lake I'll find an empty dock to wait out the rain and fish after it subsides or quits. Can be good then.

The Georgia DNR has a Bass Slam and their website tells how and where to catch the 10 species of black bass in Georgia. I've done it every year since the inception in 2017. It's lots of fun and you get to see a bunch of the state. Also look up Shoal Bandit youtube videos. BTW the Savannah River doesn't have Shoal Bass only LM, SM and Bartrams Bass. Where do you live?

When I lived in CA the opening day of dove season I'd go to the Colorado River and shoot in the morning and, using the dove livers, catch catfish in the afternoon. Did that for a few years.

Use a piece of aluminum under the hole then the JB weld on top.

Show him the fundamentals, use a medium weight and he'll develop the timing.

I learned to bass fish in So. CA in deep lakes and when I moved to GA there were the same kind of lakes here so I did alright. After a couple of years I started to fish small rivers local to me and did great because I used to be a trout fisherman in CA and MT. Out daughter lives in NW AR and I fished the lakes there and caught bass. We took a trip to ME and fished in every state on the way from GA and caught bass. Then we bought a trailer in central FL and I learned, with help, to catch fish in lakes that are 12' deep at the deepest parts and lots of vegetation. The only places I haven't fished are the bogs and ponds like you fish.

My buddy took me fishing Tuesday morning until I didn't feel good about 10am. We caught a few good Alabama Bass. The other picture was too big.

I use the $8 amazon ones and hang a small rapala gripper on it. I checked it with a kitchen digital scale and it was right on. It's small enough to put in my kayak pfd.

If it doesn't come out with pressure on the spool I get out my comb and pick it out. It's the only reason I carry one.

I used a Casio with a dive case for years until I began to use my Iphone a couple of years ago. It took very good pictures and had timed exposure and 3X zoom.

Back in Georgia and a buddy took me fishing this morning. I caught 3 Alabama Bass with the largest being 13" all on T/R worms. We fished so fishy looking places. According to everyone it's been hit or miss all year. We came in about 1pm to beat a rainstorm which we did. Reading all your reports keeps me wanting to fish more, thanks.

To eliminate a fuel problem connect a portable gas tank to the motor.

I was brought up on the west coast fishing a lot of offshore and never used a level wind reel. The less crap on the reel the more reliable it is. I have about a dozen salt water convenional reels and none have level winds. Your left hand goes above the reel and your thumb guides the line as you're reeling.

A friend put me on to a 6' Mudhole UL blank. I built it last year and it's just what you're looking for. It's an OEM blank that I forgot what number. I tried it bass fishing with a T/R worm and 4 lb line and it's really hard to set the hook but with a 1/32 oz beetle spin it's a bluegill catching sure thing. Very soft and casts great.

They're not too hard to make out of Lexan. If you have the old ones you can use them to mold right over.

Where I fish in central FL there are canals for boats and airboat trails through mostly grass. A kayak can't even get through most of the airboat trails.

Put a wood block on the ground and lower the motor against it or use a comealong in the rafters of your garage or a tree. Take the bolts out first. Or put a block under the engine and raise the trailer jack.

Buy a couple of 50 or 60ah lithium LiFePO4 and never have to replace them if you're older than 60.

Thank you again for making my day. Maybe next week I'll get back on the water.

I had a '74 16' Astroglas for about 20 years and used it several times a week. I blew the engine and gave it to a friend that wanted the trailer. It had a '74 Merc 85 hp engine. It had a soft spot in the floor that I glued a stop sign over. It looked like crap but went fast enough for me, didn't ride too badly for a 16' pad hull boat. The boat had enough room for all my stuff and a 7' rod locker on the port side. Fairly narrow so it was tippy especially when there was a heavy weight guy with me. Good luck if you buy it. Got rid of it in 2020.

The only thing that I retired is a buzzbait blade that has a big tooth mark from an alligator.