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Meet Ken Sturdivant
Saturday's at
Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World in Lawrenceville Georgia.
Ken Sturdivant, Lowrance Professional
Fishing Staff will be conducting FREE! Sonar Seminars at Bass Pro Shops Outdoor
World in Lawrenceville Georgia. All seminars are the last Saturday of each month
and start
at 2pm. All seminars are subject to change without notice.
“SONAR WITH KEN STURDIVANT”
See samples of the
New Lowrance HDS Structure Scan Down Scan at this address:
http://havefunfishing.com/fishingreports/lowrance.htm
August 27 2010
JACKSON LAKE IS DOWN 2.5 FEET, CLEAR AND 87 DEGREES BY ED CAVENDER.
Bass fishing is slow but there is some action early and late as the days get
shorter. The summer pattern is still in effect and bass are being caught south
near the dam. Dark green pumpkin worms on a Texas rig seem to be the bait of
choice when fish with a slow presentation on or around wood and brush piles.
Some nicer bass are being caught on the drop-shot rig in 20 plus feet of water
using smaller three and four inch worms. Vertical jigging of bridge's is also
putting keeper bass in the boat. Work all baits slow and move around as the day
heats up. Wood and rocks are also holding bass and several baits are being used
to catch these slimy creatures. A 3/8 ounce pig and jig in dark brown/black or a
black/red combination seems to be working along with a Texas rigged pumpkin seed
worm. Throw under the docks as far back as possible and let the bait sit still
for a few seconds. Start working it slowly and try to cover as much of the dock
as possible. www.gafishing.org.
Be sure to look at the Fish and Game Forecaster on our site each week to
know what the feeding periods are. Or better yet, buy your own copy off our
site.
From the Department of Natural Resources: Hybrid Striped bass and Striped bass
were stocked in Jackson Lake in the past (Since the 70's) but never became as
abundant as many other Georgia reservoirs. 45,000 striped bass were stocked in
1979, however, primarily hybrid striped bass were stocked from 1981 - 2006.
Striper stocking began again in 2005 and by 2007 only striped bass were stocked.
Surveys indicated that the striped bass and hybrid bass fisheries of Jackson
Lake were not as popular as other Georgia reservoirs and an effort to switch to
only stripers would benefit the striped bass restoration of the Altamaha river.
We continue to stock striped bass in Jackson lake annually as fingerlings at 8 -
10 per acre depending on hatchery production. Fall 2008 standardized gillnet
survey indicated strong year-classes of striped bass from the 2007 and 2008
stockings. The 2008 stockings were averaging 9 inches and the 2007 stockings
were averaging 16 inches. A few striped bass from previous years were detected
at lengths greater than 23 inches (likely 2006 stockings). The gillnets are size
selective and don't typically catch the largest individuals in the lake. There
is beginning to be a good following of striped bass anglers on Jackson lake that
catch some quality fish up to 28 inches. However it is possible that the drought
of 2009 may have had a significant impact on the Jackson Lake striped bass
population. The 2009 gillnet survey produced only one striper and the 2009 fall
electro fishing survey produced three stripers that were in poor shape. The
drought in combination with heavy fall rains could have driven the stripers to
alternative habitats during the sampling events resulting in the low catch rates
or the lack of thermal habitat could have crashed those two strong year classes.
We will continue to stock striped bass in May 2010. As anglers get out fishing
this spring, fishing reports will indicate the survival of the striped bass in
Jackson Lake. Jackson has a great forage base with a good dynamic shad
population dominated by large gizzard shad that has the potential to support a
thriving striper fishery.
Hammonds Fishing and Boating Center in Cumming will host a one hour sonar
seminar with Lowrance Pro Staffer Ken Sturdivant. The seminar is April 9, 2010
at 7pm. Please e mail and register at hammondsfishing@bellsouth.net to get a
seat. Seating is limited! The Hammond’s Open House is April 24, 2010.
Ken Sturdivant, Lowrance Professional Fishing Staff will be conducting FREE!
Sonar Seminars at Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World in Lawrenceville Georgia. The
next “BASICS OF SONAR” seminar is Sunday, April 25, 2010 at 2pm and all seminars
start at 2pm. All seminars are subject to change without notice.
Lake
Jackson is a 4,750 acre impoundment located in Jasper, Butts and Newton counties
in central Georgia and is owned and operated by Georgia Power Company (GPC). The
Alcovy, South and Yellow Rivers and Tussahaw Creek form this lake. Several boat
ramps provide public access. GPC owns and operates one ramp at Lloyd Shoals Park
and the others are at privately operated marinas. There is also a GPC boat ramp
and fishing pier just below the dam that provides fishing access to the upper
Ocmulgee River. The shoreline is heavily developed and the lake is very popular
with recreational boaters and skiers during the summer months. Annual lake draw
downs occur between December and March. For information on the location of the
boat ramps, bank fishing opportunities and lake drawdown schedules, contact the
GPC Land Department (770 775 4753).
Lake Jackson is one of the better bream lakes in middle Georgia. Bluegill and
redbreast sunfish typically reach 5 7 inches. However, redear sunfish (shellcracker)
are also numerous and often much larger. Live bait such as red worms, mealworms
or crickets fished just off the bottom will often result in catches of redear
from 7 10 inches, and individuals weighing 1 lb. or more are common. April, May
and June are the best months for big bluegill and redear. Catfish are the second
most harvested fish. White and channel catfish and bullheads are available for
harvest and should average ¾ 1 lb. Lake Jackson has a greater proportion of
“memorable sized” (greater than 30 inches) channel catfish than most other
central Georgia reservoirs but expect the average to be about 2 to 3 pounds .
The crappie population has remained stable with most fish around 6 8 inches.
Recent good spawning seasons will result in better than average crappie fishing.
The bridge crossing at Highway 212 has proven to be a crappie “hotspot” in early
spring when temperatures reach 60o F. Trolling small jigs around drop offs,
points and creek channels is effective for crappie anglers.
Largemouth bass abundance and quality has changed little in recent years. The
black bass populations consist of around 70 percent largemouth and 30 percent
spotted bass. The average sized largemouth bass has remained 1 1½ pounds Anglers
seeking large bass (5 pounds or better) have most success during fall, winter
and early spring (October thru February). Crank baits and Carolina rigged worms
fished in or near deep water are most effective for larger bass. Anglers should
also be successful targeting flooded timber in the upper reaches of Tussahaw
Creek in the fall. A section of the lake not often targeted is the Yellow River
arm. This section offers a variety of habitat for anglers seeking large bass.
Early morning and night are the best times to fish during the summer.
The spotted bass population is stabilizing since spots were first sampled by WRD
in 1998. Spotted bass tend to be located deeper than largemouth bass. Anglers
commonly catch them at depths of 25 40 feet, but surface baits may attract spots
when the fish are shallow enough to take notice of these offerings. Unlike
largemouth bass, there is no minimum size limit for spotted bass in Lake
Jackson. Striped bass and hybrids are also available for anglers to target. Try
casting bucktails or jigging spoons for hybrids and trolling creek channels for
striped bass. Anglers should also target cooler water habitats around the dam or
look for schools feeding on top in the spring and summer for these two species.
Anglers should remember that the use of blue back herring is still illegal in
Lake Jackson.
We have these books for sale: “BASS FISHING ON WEST POINT LAKE”, “BASS FISHING
LAKE RUSSELL”, “BASS FISHING WEST POINT LAKE”, BASS FISHING LAKE ALLATOONA and “BASS FISHING LAKE HARTWELL”.
These books are written by Tim White and Ken Sturdivant and each one has over 65
locations exclusively for bass and covers every week of the year. Each book
$39.00. If you would like a sample of any book, send us an e mail to kensturdivant@earthlink.net. Our mailing address is: Southern Fishing Schools
Inc. 106 Hickory Ridge, Cumming Georgia 30040.
We have 3 books that cover all species in the lakes, “52 WEEKS ON LAKE
ALLATOONA, “52 WEEKS ON LAKE LANIER”, and “52 WEEKS ON WEST POINT LAKE” on sale.
Each book is $23.95. Our mailing address is: Southern Fishing Schools Inc. 106
Hickory Ridge, Cumming Georgia 30040.
We teach “ON THE WATER SCHOOLS”: “Rods, Reels and Lures for Bass or Maps and
Depth Finders. Call 770 889 2654 for details or see the web site:
www.havefunfishing.com.
Take a look at www.aquavu.com. You really need a camera. Copyright 2008,
Southern Fishing Schools Inc. calls us to set up a school “Rods, Reels and Lures
for Bass”. See our web site, www.havefunfishing.com for more details or call us
right away, 770 889 2654.
We teach “ON THE
WATER SCHOOLS” for Maps and Depth Finders. Call for details.
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