The big fish are starting to move onto beds and stage to go on beds in shallow water at Varner. Today I was in a very small pocket and was anchored on five big fish over eight pounds in one small area. Its just incredible to ride around the lake and look at all the big fish that live in the lake when they are up shallow. I have had some really good days over the past few days throwing swimbaits and sight fishing with plastics. Swimbaits have produced the biggest fish with Mattlures Bluegill being the best bait to catch them and to get the smaller fish aggravated into striking other baits when they don't get the bluegill all the way in their mouths. Saturday I fished the first day a team tournament at Lake Varner without  a partner since Doghouse had to work. :'( I had the lead after the first day with over eighteen pounds of fish. All the fish I weighed in were caught on the Mattlures Bluegill. Alot of teams had a hard time finding shallow bedding fish because of the pollen that had gathered on the surface in most of the spawning areas but I was swimming the Bluegill in these areas to help locate and catch the fish since I couldn't see them very well. This photo is my day one catch. I had five fish all about the same size as the ones in the photo.

Second day I fished with Doghouse. We had five fish that weighed over 22lbs which was enough to win. We also had big fish for the tournament with a fish just under eight pounds caught on a Mattlures Bluegill. Once again we fished a pollen covered cove with the swimbait  that another team left to us after giving up on it since they couldn't see the fish. Our fish for day two are in this photo.

Here is a photo of a swimbait fish from last Wednesday.

Here is a swimbait fish from Friday.

And here is a big swimbait fish I caught today.

Too cool Randall! You freaking OWN that lake!!!!!

WoW! I'm impressed! Congrats!

Randall You rule! Thanks for posting.  

Sweet! Looks like your slamming them.

Today I'm taking my brand new swimbait combo on it's first real trip. (I'll be using mattlures' gill's also) The conditions look perfect so hopfuly I'll get somthing. Wish me luck!

Tight lines

Matt

Kudos to Matt and to the team of Doghouse and Randall.

May I ask how you are presenting the Bluegill?    What action or speed are you imparting to the bait.

Matt

Very, Very impressive

Excellent!

And the saga continues...

Your late winter/ early spring fishing is fantastic. Thanks for the post and pics.

Randall,

You may not be from California but you seem to catch more big bass consistantly throughout the year than anyone on the forum.

Keep em coming dude.

Randall's schooling pigs. Are you noticing the fish bedding more in the NW portion of the lake, or where the wind is more calm? I went out the other day, but it was too windy and cloudy to sight fish. I am just wondering if I should start in the southern end of this lake I fish, where there is alot of grass, or head NW and hope the wind plays nice.

I would figure they are in the real calm parts of coves/creeks. :-/

Congrats on your tourney win. When are they officially going to call it Lake Randall instead of Varner???

Spring Break just wont get here fast enough. Hopefully I will fish every day at Horton and Kedron. Those are some very nice fish. I sure hope the pollen dies down a little. Congrats on the tourny win!

Congrats on your win!  Looks like the Mattlures Bluegill does it again!!!  Are there any houses in your neighborhood for sale???  And what are the stalking laws in GA?  I will follow you to the lake, find your secret fishing spots, learn your swimbait methods and catch your lunkers   !!!  Seriously Randall, those fish are beauties!!!  Keep the pics coming!!!

Outstanding catchin' and BASS y'all!!!  Matt's baits are catchin' big Bass almost everywhere!

Dan

Randall's schooling pigs. Are you noticing the fish bedding more in the NW portion of the lake, or where the wind is more calm? I went out the other day, but it was too windy and cloudy to sight fish. I am just wondering if I should start in the southern end of this lake I fish, where there is alot of grass, or head NW and hope the wind plays nice.

I would figure they are in the real calm parts of coves/creeks. :-/

The warmest water on Varner has been the key to finding the bigger fish on the beds but it's not the NW corner. Its just been areas with the most shallow water with no wind since we have had water temps skyrocket from near 90 degree weather for a couple days over the weekend. Water jumped into the 70s from the fifties in one week and big fish were everywhere water was 70 or better in the afternoons. I just watch my temp guage rather than just look in one section of the lake. At Varner the east section of the lake usually warms up first since it has a lot of shallow stained weedy water.

Kudos to Matt and to the team of Doghouse and Randall.

May I ask how you are presenting the Bluegill? What action or speed are you imparting to the bait.

Matt

It varies from fish to fish. I usually just swim it slow and steady but I will also wake it or fish it like a jig. Deadsticking it on beds works also.

What was the depth of the beds??

Thanks Randall. I was not wanting to go temp. hunting, but it's probably best since every lake is vastly different. Again nice fish

What was the depth of the beds??

Beds were from one to five feet deep.

nice work