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Meet Ken Sturdivant Saturday's at
Bass Pro Shops "Outdoor World" in Lawrenceville Georgia.
“SONAR WITH KEN STURDIVANT”
Bass Pro Shops in
Lawrenceville Georgia.
Lowrance Pro Staff Member Ken Sturdivant will go over the
settings for the sonar in the Outdoor Skills Workshop and they
are FREE!
June 7 @ 2pm
Our NEW! DVD, FINDING FISH
WITH MODERN TECHNOLOGY is now on sale.
Now you can order 50 G P
S Way Points by Mark Collins for both Bass and Crappie Fishing for Lake Weiss.
Cost is $99.00 for all 50. Check or Money Order only, (NO CREDIT CARDS).
Southern Fishing Schools Inc. 106 Hickory Ridge, Cumming Georgia 30040
WAYPOINTS ARE $99.00 FOR
50!
(waypoints are not
refundable!)
May 9, 2008
LAKE WEISS IS AT .27 FEET BELOW FULL POOL STAINED AND 74 DEGREES
Now available for sale 50 of my proven GPS waypoints for off shore structure for
Bass and Crappie fishing on Weiss Lake, Alabama. Contact Ken Sturdivant at
ken@havefunfishing.com
Bass fishing is good and most bass are shallow and in various stages of
spawning, A Zoom lizard in June bug or black is always a great bait for Bass
during the spawn. Most of the Bass have moved into 2-5 feet of water in the
spawning bays of the upper and lower lake, look for shaded banks with hard
bottoms that have at least 1 1/2 feet of water right at the bank, shaded
seawalls in the spawning bays are always a great place to find these cruising
and bedding fish.
Striper fishing is poor and the Stripers have moved up the rivers to Rome,
Georgia. and beyond. Look for them to return down the rivers to the main lake in
mid to late may. Stripers can still be caught in the Etowah River above Rome,
Georgia, although access is hard with no boat ramps and all the land on the
river is private. Top water lures like the Red Fin is a great bait when they are
in the rivers spawning, live shad free lined is always good.
Catfish are biting all over the lake. Target the marinas where all the crappie
are being cleaned as the discarded waste draws in the big Blues and
Flatheads. The docks at JR's Marina and Bay Springs Marina are producing some
20-50 pound Blues and a few Flatheads on Crappie heads most every night. Make
sure to use a good quality fishing line, I suggest a minimum of 25 pound test
line.
Crappie fishing is fair and fair numbers of fish are being caught spider
trolling Jiffy Jigs in 1/24 ounce in colors JJ12, JJ13, JJ17, JJ18 JJ20, JJ25,
JJ26 on 6 pound test line in 3-4 feet of water in the bays of the upper lake. A
lot of fish are being caught shooting docks with a 1/24 ounce Jiffy Jig, look
for older, bigger docks that make a lot of shade and the ones that have brush
under and around them are always good.
For your next visit to Weiss Lake I Recommend Chesnut Bay Resort on World Famous
Weiss Lake Alabama www.chesnutbayresort.com 256-526-7778 this brand new
resorts on the banks of beautiful Yellow Creek has everything for the fisherman
and family. Offering private Villa's on and off the water from 2 bedrooms to 6
bedrooms fully furnished with washers and dryer's, leather furniture, big screen
Televisions, hardwood and tile floors, all in a private gated community with a
in ground swimming pool. The Chalet's on the water have private boat docks with
power. The resort also has a private boat ramp for your convenience, with plenty
of amenities for the non fisherman it offers something for everyone. Come stay
at Chesnut Bay Resort, Weiss Lakes most exclusive resort at a very reasonable
price.
If you would like to have a free set up sheet for your sonar, send me an e mail
to kensturdivant@earthlink.net and ask for the “Sonar Setup Quick List”.
We have these books for sale: “BASS FISHING ON WEST POINT LAKE”, “BASS FISHING
LAKE RUSSELL”, “BASS FISHING WEST POINT LAKE” 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 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.
Use an All Pro Rods Striper Special APX series. www.allprorods.com The Finest
Fishing Rods Available Today. To keep your live bait Alive make sure to use a
Keep Alive Bait Tank and Oxygen Infuso2r Aeration System www.keepalive.net For
all your outdoor needs please visit Marks Outdoors Sports in Birmingham Alabama.
The most complete sporting goods store in Alabama. www.marksoutdoors.com For all
the best deals on striper tackle visit Captain Marty at www.stripertackle.net
For all your outdoor needs please visit Marks Outdoors Sports in Birmingham
Alabama. The most complete sporting goods store in Alabama.
www.marksoutdoors.com For all the best deals on striper tackle visit Captain
Marty at www.stripertackle.net
Come fish with me on Weiss Lake, Alabama The Crappie Capital of the World and
Striper Capital of the South for a fishing trip of a life time. NO FISH NO PAY
Mark Collins 256 779 3387 H www.markcollinsguideservice.com
Lake Weiss The lower Coosa River from
Mayo’s Lock and Dam near Rome to the Georgia Alabama state line is the Georgia
portion of Weiss Reservoir, an Alabama Power project. This portion encompasses
approximately 2,000 acres of river and shallow backwater habitats. A “Guide to
Fishing the Coosa River” in PDF format (645 kB) contains access and fishing tip
information and a color map with river mile designations. The map can be
obtained at www.gofishgeorgia.com .
Boaters unfamiliar with the area should use caution when navigating outside of
the main river channel. Popular access points include Lock and Dam Park and the
Brushy Branch boat access both operated by the Rome Floyd County Recreation
Department. Both facilities have paved ramps, courtesy docks and ample parking.
The Lock and Dam Park also has bank fishing access, a bait shop, nature center,
camping, picnic and restroom facilities.
Lake Weiss carries the title of “crappie capital of the world” for good reason.
Despite heavy fishing pressure for crappie, an excellent forage base supports
the population resulting in quality fishing year after year. Slabs over 2 pounds
are routinely caught from these waters. Trolling small jigs or live minnows on
multiple rods is a favored method for locating crappie schools especially from
mid late winter. Anglers should also key in on downed shoreline trees and
logjams, as crappie will congregate in these areas especially in the post spawn
period. Anglers can download and print out a map of brush piles placed in the
Brushy Branch area of the lake by Georgia and Alabama Power and WRD at
www.gofishgeorgia.com . In late February through early April, white bass can be
caught as they make their annual spawning run up the Coosa River. A better than
average run of mature white bass should make for good spring fishing in 2008.
The River Road boat ramp upstream to Lock and Dam Park is a prime river stretch
for catching spawn run white bass. Key in on creek mouths and fallen trees with
good water flow around them in the main river. Hungry white bass congregate in
these areas waiting on food to pass by on the current. Anglers targeting white
bass should try casting small jigs and crank baits in shad patterns or use live
bait. Most likely, anglers will catch a mixed bag of white bass and crappie
using these techniques.
Striped bass fishing in the Coosa will be good in 2008, but the severe drought
last summer may limit the number of larger striped bass caught this year. Spring
run stripers are caught from the Lock and Dam upriver to the city of Rome. Live
or cut shad is the most popular bait, but a few stripers are fooled using
artificial lures such as bucktail jigs, shad colored crank baits, and large jerk
baits fished in swift water near fallen trees. After the spawn, stripers
disperse all over the Coosa River basin in search of cool waters to beat the
summer heat. These fish can be found hiding wherever there is cool water in the
rivers above Lake Weiss and the smaller tributaries to the lake. Find one of
these spots and striped bass could be on the menu all summer. When cooler fall
temperatures arrive, stripers will begin moving back toward the main lake where
anglers can find them chasing shad on the Coosa River. From mid to late winter
the area between Brushy Branch and the main body of Lake Weiss are good places
to find some winter striper action.
Largemouth bass numbers and quality continue to be good in the upper portion of
the lake. The average fish will weigh 1 2 pounds , with larger individuals
topping the 7 8 pounds range. Most bass fishing in this part of the lake is done
in the Brushy Branch area, but largemouth will be found in any of the backwater
tributaries off the main Coosa River channel. Such stump laden areas like Kings
Creek and Mt. Hope Creek hold plenty of largemouth, but must be boated with
care.
Spotted bass occur in fair numbers in the upper sections of Weiss. Spotted bass
tend to stay in the main river channel and are generally a little smaller on the
average than largemouth. Spots over 4 pounds are available to anglers fishing
bluff banks and creek mouths along the Coosa River above Brushy Branch.
Blue, channel and flathead catfish of all sizes are abundant. The larger blue
catfish can top the 50 pounds range in the riverine portion of the lake. Fish
for these whiskered behemoths in and around log jams and undercut banks common
in this area. Cats can be taken with a number of unsavory baits, but anglers
should keep in mind most “pole breaker cats” are after live prey such as shad or
bream. Freshwater drum, smallmouth buffalo and suckers are extremely abundant in
this portion of the lake. The average drum is slightly over 12 inches, but be
prepared to hook into some bull drum over 20 inches in length. Bluegill,
redbreast sunfish and redear sunfish round out the fishing opportunity in the
Georgia portion of Lake Weiss.
A few anglers may encounter an odd looking fish they have never seen before in
Lake Weiss or its surrounding waters. The lake sturgeon, once a resident of the
Coosa River system, disappeared in the 1960s. Pollution and over fishing are
believed to have eliminated these archaic fishes from the river system.
Thankfully since then, water conditions have improved in the river and WRD has
begun to restock lake sturgeon in an effort to re establish this native fish.
Since their first stocking in 2002 more than 67,000 sturgeon fingerlings have
been released in the Coosa basin. This long term reintroduction project will
require annual stockings over the next 15 to 20 years to reestablish this native
fish. The species grows slowly and does not mature for 12 15 years so it is
important to protect them from harvest until they can reproduce and once again
support some limited harvest. As their name implies, they do have a tendency to
inhabit slow waters, which includes Lake Weiss. Anglers accidentally catching a
lake sturgeon should immediately release the fish unharmed. Fish hooked deep
will often survive if anglers cut the line near the hook and release the fish
with the hook. If you catch or otherwise see a sturgeon, please contact the
Calhoun WRD office (706 624 1161) to report the location from which the sturgeon
was caught. Such “sightings” are very helpful to biologists trying to assess the
survival and dispersal of these magnificent fish. Those wondering what impact
sturgeon will have on their favorite game species can rest easy. Because of its
low reproductive potential, the fish does not establish itself as a prominent
species making its impacts negligible. In fact, the sturgeon’s poor reproductive
potential has caused the species to be listed as rare or endangered throughout
most of its original range.
FREE SONAR SET-UP SHEET:
If you would like to have a
free set up sheet for your sonar, send me an e mail to
kensturdivant@earthlink.net
and ask for the “Sonar Setup Quick List”.
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