|
 Allatoona
Fishing
Try paddle power for a change of
pace
I was driving home from work on a Monday evening as a
cheery voice on the radio announced the next day’s weather forecast
with temperatures in the upper 90s and a heat index up to 105. Even
though I’m not a complainer, I remember thinking “Great, here we go
again.” Sometimes you just have to fish when you can and this was
one of those times. Earlier in the day when the gravitational pull
of angling was pretty strong, I felt the urge to try something
different in a different place. Most of my fishing takes place in a
kayak these days. I thought about the Chattahoochee River and made a
quick internet search that revealed a float trip from Ga. Hwy. 115
bridge to Belton Bridge (five river miles) could be pretty
interesting. While fishing was not described, I imagined that shoal
bass fishing could be good. I’ve caught them well during the dog
days on the Flint River in middle Georgia. My research also found
Wildwood Outfitters and a phone call confirmed that I could leave my
vehicle at their Duncan Bridge location and get a ride to my put in
point for the princely sum of $7 which I consider to be one of the
great bargains of our time. I was concerned about the heat but
decided that a cooler with six water bottles (four frozen) along
with a jug of Gatorade and a wide brim boonie style hat would make
things tolerable. Having closed the shop on Monday, I admit that
getting up super early was not part of the agenda. I planned my
arrival at about 9:30 or so for adequate rest and began
pre-hydration during my morning routine. On the drive up I-985 to my
turn off I remembered Jae Mor Farms and decided to stop by. I’ve
never met them but they have the pies, baking, produce, and general
store thing figured out right. In the bakery section, I decided that
two fried fruit pies for the road might be needed to provide stamina
through the first leg of the float. I must say it was a good call.
Upon arrival at Wildwood Outfitters, I stated my business and
dropped $7 on the counter. The friendly staff loaded up my kayak as
I stashed my gear in their van. About 15 minutes later I was
standing at the water’s edge just below the bridge. A shoal looked
good so I had to walk out on a few rocks and make a cast or two. On
my second cast, I caught a feisty redeye bass of about 10 inches
that fought much bigger than its size. About three casts later, I
landed it’s twin. Both fish fell for a Tiny Torpedo topwater plug
which worked so well I never had to try anything else.
Tiny Torpedo was top lure
As I slipped my kayak into the current I thought this
might be a pretty good deal. A short distance downstream, I
encountered another shoal and disembarked the kayak beaching it in a
very shallow riffle. I cast near the edge of faster water and
worked the plug with short jerks and hooked up on another fish
almost right away. The strike was nothing short of savage and a
shoal bass a bit upwards of 12 inches tried to wear me out using the
current to its advantage. I missed the next two strikes and then
caught another just like it. On that note, I will report that
through the float my strikes and lost fish outnumbered those caught
by two to one easily. I don’t know if I have the reason totally
figured out but there is a theory. If you read these columns in
Lakeside on a regular basis you know that I often recommend changing
out factory equipped hooks for super sharp premium replacements. I
did not take my own advice. While this probably would not have
brought every fish to hand it would have certainly boosted the
strike to catch ratio. Throughout the float, I beached the kayak in
shoals and waded. The focus was on these oxygenated areas where I
caught a goodly number of fish from 10 to 14 inches. The ideal spots
seemed to be just below shoals in about three feet of water with
lots of rocks visible under the surface. Sandy bottoms in these
areas are the norm. While wading, I could actually feel that the
water was cooler in these moving waters versus still water areas. I
chose the Tiny Torpedo because I’ve had good success with it on the
Flint River during the heat of summer. I did catch a couple of fish
on a Mepps Black Fury spinner but the topwater plug was so fun I
could not get away from it. It also offered the advantage of no
snags when fished around the abundance of rocks rising to within a
foot or so of the the surface. I fished the plug on a six and a half
foot medium action rod and line testing at eight pounds. This
provided a lot of sport and a medium light rod would have been
better yet for this lure choice. Some hardcore river anglers use
heavier baitcasting tackle and larger lures to fool magnum sized
shoal bass. My friend and expert kayak angler Drew Gregory told me
there are no giants in this this stretch of the Chattahoochee but he
has landed shoal bass up to four pounds here. That’s comparable to
an eight-pound largemouth bass and it’s going to fight harder.
Look ahead for success in rapids
In the kayaking world, this portion of the river at
common summer low water levels is described as being “perfect for
beginners” with abundant shoals and some areas of Class II rapids.
When doing my pre trip research I did the math deciding that
beginners, plus some Class II, equals no problem, totals: large self
confidence level. After all, I had canoed the Flint River in middle
Georgia a few times. It’s worth noting at this point that there are
several river ledges present in this stretch of the Hooch and those
Class II areas do move a little fast over some drops. When
negotiating my first set of shoals, I waded and pulled my craft
mostly around them in order to take advantage of the fishing.
Shortly into the trip, I decided to limit my fishing stops and move
down the river at a fast clip. Although the float is timed to about
two and a half hours I did not want to be out on the river late in
the day. After all, the first time is basically a reconnaissance
mission for future trips and I wanted to be sure of the timing. I
figured out why some people do this just for water thrills even
though I like the thrill of fishing better. Some rapids were very
user friendly and all I had to do was approach through the biggest
water keeping the nose of the kayak straight into the current. Even
with some drops confidence in what I was doing and my equipment made
it easy and fun. Some rapids were not as user friendly in varying
degrees largely due to my novice status. These tended to have dog
leg changes in direction while dropping. In these, I discovered what
it means to get sideways while the current pushed my kayak against
rocks. Most of the predicaments were shallow and I was able to get
out with a little effort and pull to a better position. Others
required creative maneuvers. It is worth mentioning that all of
these areas offered a pretty easy drag if I decided not to move
through with the main current. When taking on these areas, I learned
too late that it’s best to take a good look well ahead of the rapid
and have a game plan while not relying on last moment decisions
about which chute to take. I’ll also acknowledge the fact that I did
see a few novice adults and children successfully going through
everything and having lots of fun. Due to indecision, I only
capsized four times. One instance was actually in a place where to
do so was somewhat credible although I could have dragged around it.
That one cost me a rod and reel. The rod floater I had attached to
it was of no avail. Having said all that, I did successfully
negotiate a lot of places and picked up a great deal of experience.
Go lean with tackle and lures
I must say that despite my concerns about the heat, I
did not feel any extreme while on the river. I think the cooler
water temperature and being close to it must be a factor. There also
seemed to be a constant light breeze although I could not detect any
tree leaves stirring. All that combined with some shade every so
often made it a very (surprisingly) pleasant day. I did work up a
sweat a few times as I recovered from a misaligned entry into fast
water. After my first capsized episode, I was pretty well soaked but
it felt good. That probably made a difference as well. Based on this
trip, I offer some tips for those doing something similar. Expect
everything to get wet to one degree or another. Things that worked
for me: Apply sunscreen before leaving home and more at mid morning.
Lanyard your keys to your shorts pocket. Eschew the wallet and take
only a driver’s license, fishing license, and cash or card in a
sandwich zip lock bag. Wear your life vest at all times while on
the river. Take dried fruit and nuts in a zip lock bag for energy in
midday. Take along an emergency collapsible paddle (just in case)
and lanyard it to the kayak. Wear old shoes and socks (not sandals)
to protect your feet from sand and gravel along with providing
better support. Take a towel and sandals to wipe your feet off and
wear on the way home. Leave a note in the kitchen with information
on where you will be, how long you expect to be gone, and the number
of any outfitter service you utilize. Although I only took one
utility insert with lures, next time I plan on floating even leaner.
I think one or two pocket size boxes will do nicely. I’ll also be
sure to secure both rods before going through any questionable
rapids. My cell phone was dry after being submerged in a sandwich
size zip lock bag but I’ll probably double bag in the future. I’ll
also take the easy drag way around any rapids that look to have a
high dunking potential.
Paddling our north Georgia rivers and smaller bodies
of water is a great adventure. The cost for a kayak along with a few
accessories is certainly much less than you would pay for a simple
jon boat and outboard motor. With a paddle powered water craft you
can access places that are off limits to gasoline powered engines
and inaccessible even to river running jet boats. Do a little
research and you will probably be quite surprised at the angling
possibilities you find in rivers and reservoirs near home.
In closing, on my trip, I learned a lot, capsized
four times, lost a good rod and reel combination, and felt somewhat
sore the next day. I can’t wait to do it again and better. I almost
forgot to mention that Wildwood Outfitters offers four different
floats.
Next time I’m trying five miles farther up. Take care
and enjoy the lake!
Tommy Wilkinson is assistant
manager for Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World in Duluth. E-mail Tommy at
tommy@lakesidenews.com
|
|
