Scott Bernarde's Outdoors

Scott Bernarde

ASK THE EXPERTS

Q: Why are circle hooks starting to catch on, and what is there to consider with regard to types?

A: From Lake Lanier Outfitters' Bill Carson: "Circle hooks are great because they almost always hook the fish in the lip thus allowing "catch and release" and should be the No. 1 hook considered for live-bait fishing. If using a circle hook, look for a hook with a wide enough gap for the type of fish targeted and preferably without any offset. With this type hook, the fish can actually swallow the bait and have the hook still not lodge in the throat but rather lip hook the fish."

Q: In fly fishing, what is a dropper, and how do I fish it?

A: From Aaron Sago of North Georgia Trout Online: "Fishing a dropper, whether it be the traditional dry and nymph, or double nymphs, midges, or streamers, can be very effective in all types of water and is a great rig to go to when you are fishing an unfamiliar stream. Basically a dropper is defined by any fly fished in tandem with another, no matter what type of fly, tippet length, or knot. For example: On the Chattahoochee, one of the most effective dropper rigs consists of an elk-hair caddis on top and a small bead-head prince fished as a dropper. There are many variations.

There are also many ways of attaching a dropper. My favorite way to fish this type of rig is with floating line and a 7-9 foot leader. Attach the leader to your line as you normally would. Tie on your master fly, then cut a section of one size smaller tippet 12-20 inches for your dropper (downsizing your tippet for your dropper will help your cast roll over correctly). Tie one end of this section to the back (the bend) of the hook using a clinch knot. Attach the other end to your dropper. When fishing a dropper, extra attention should be given to casting. A sloppy cast or a fast cast can cause the dropper fly to slam into the water or collapse and tangle. Ideally in most cases the top fly should land first and the dropper will loop over softly into the water. As with other flies, both dead-drift fishing and quartering, and stripping can be effective in different situations."

Q: What knots do I tie to make my tapered leader when flyfishing for big Lanier stripers? I am using an intermediate slow-sinking line on one outfit and a 350-grain fast-sinking line on another.

A: From Henry Cowen, Cowen's Quality Flies and Guide Service: "The intermediate outfit should have a 9-foot leader that is 4 feet of 30-35-pound test, 3 feet of 25-pound test and a tippet section of 2 feet of 15-pound test. All connections should be made with a loop-to-loop system using a double surgeons knot. Your fly will be attached to the 15-pound tippet. On your fast-sinking outfit, use a 4-5-foot leader (no longer) consisting of 3 feet of 30-pound test connecting to 2 feet of 15-pound test. Use the same loop-to-loop connection with a double surgeons knot."

Q: I'm having trouble finding fish located on offshore structure. How can I improve on this technique?

A: From Lake Eufaula guide Jay Grogan: "A good [topography] map, quality depthfinder and marker buoys are a must when looking for areas away from the banks. During the summer and winter months, fish tend to congregate in deeper water, and having a good overview of the lake on a map can help eliminate a lot of water. My home lake is Eufaula, so we have the Chattahoochee River winding down through the heart of the lake, and if you pay close attention to each one of the places the channel makes a sharp turn, you'll find areas that hold large numbers of fish most of the year. Now that you've located these areas on the map you'll need to take the time idling over them with the graph to determine the depth at which the ledge breaks off into the actual channel. That way, when you determine what depth the fish are holding you can match it to the depth of the structure. Marker buoys play a key role in helping position your boat."

Q: How do I start getting my young son or daughter involved in fishing?

A: From Tom Branch Jr., owner/operator of Lake Lanier Outfitters: "First start them with a close-faced reel, such as a Zebco 33, a small fishing rod (5 feet, 6 inches or shorter) and a life jacket. Buy a small plastic casting plug. Get a coffee can and go out in the back yard and teach the child how to make short casts without much effort, just a soft toss. Try this for a week for 15 minutes a day. Once the child starts casting "safely" take them to a trout pond and let them experience what it feels like to catch a fish. I must warn you: Taking a child to a trout fishing farm is costly because you must pay for what you catch. Then a great Christmas gift for the child would be a start-up tackle box. Practice casting during the winter, and when spring gets here your child will be ready for spring fishing."

Q: How is the fishing at High Falls Lake? Had any reports? --- Charles Swann, Atlanta

A: From Ken Duke, director of the Johnboat Bass Association, which conducts tournaments on many of Georgia's small reservoirs: "High Falls Lake is one of Georgia's most unique fisheries. At nearly 100 years old, most of the natural cover has long since disappeared, and the creek and river channels are largely silted in. Shoreline cover consists primarily of boat docks and blowdowns. Fall is a great time to target shoreline cover with spinnerbaits and jigs. Though the average High Falls bass weighs less than two pounds, you should get plenty of action from 10- to 14-inch fish."

Q: I have been looking for information on fishing Lake Acworth. The lake is next door to my house and I have put in my canoe and fished the lake a few times but without much luck. Is this a productive lake or am I just wasting my time? -- Joe Klosinski, Acworth

A: From state fisheries biologist Kevin Dallmier: "From what I have seen, I would say the bass population in Lake Acworth is good. There are a lot of 2- to 3-pound fish, with fair numbers in the 5-plus-pound range. The lake is relatively shallow, and has been stained to muddy every time I have been there. If I was fishing it, I would concentrate on finding shallow wood (stumps, etc.) that is not obvious to everybody else. Fish down a bank staying a little bit further out than most people, and try to find some submerged cover that most people miss. Carolina rigs, medium-diving crankbait, or maybe even a spinnerbait would cover a lot of water and let you know what is on the bottom. Winter scouting could pay off big on Acworth and show you what is beneath the surface. When you find something, slow down and fish it good and mark it for future trips. Rip-rap always holds fish, so the dam may be good too."

Q: What's a good tactic to take for spotted bass on Lake Lanier during the fall turnover?

A: From Lake Lanier guide Mack Farr: "Two patterns come to mind at this point in the year. The first is fishing main-lake structures in 20 to 35 feet. This will probably give you the best results on a day-to-day basis. Pattern No. 2 is fishing spoons under bait in the creeks. Ride in the creek looking for big schools of shad on your sonar. The bait will be deep, 20 to 50 feet and may be suspended or on the bottom."

Q: I read that spotted bass have shown up in Lake Eufaula. How common are they? --- Andy Davis, Marietta

A: From state fisheries biologist David Partridge: "Spotted bass have always been found in the Chattahoochee River above Eufaula (also known as Walter F. George), but they have only recently started showing up in other areas of the reservoir. Although they are more widespread than in past years, our sampling indicates that spots only make up a small percentage of the overall bass population. The increase in spotted bass abundance is likely a result of decreased nutrient levels in the reservoir. During this same period, spotted bass have increased to a much larger degree in West Point."

Q: Please explain a lake's turnover process.

A: From Lake Lanier guide Bill Vanderford: "Turnover is a period of turmoil. As the water cools, it becomes denser, or heavier, and begins to sink. The warmer, lighter water below is then forced to rise to the top where it is also cooled, and the process continues until summer's thermally layered waters are basically homogenized throughout the reservoir. This metamorphosis also mixes oxygen-rich water with the poorly oxygenated water in the colder depths, giving the lake a renewed capacity for life from top to bottom. Rains associated with cold fronts accelerate this process. Fall turnover is considered by many anglers to be difficult to recognize and an almost impossible time of year to fish. . . . Recognition can be as simple as the use of one's senses of sight and smell. Usually a change of color in the water near the surface can be seen. The water will have a brownish tint to it and often smell like rotten eggs or decaying vegetation as the turnover brings the bad water at the bottom of the lake to the surface."

Q: How do I keep from getting twist in my line on a spinning reel? A: From Tom Branch, owner/operator of Lake Lanier Outfitters, Inc.: First you must choose the right fishing line. For spinning reels, use a mono that will stretch, like Bass Pro Shops' Excel, Stren's Magnathin and Berkley's Sensithin. These lines are made not to twist. Secondly, if the line is already on the reel, the next time at the lake, take the tip of the rod and place it in the water so when the boat is idling out, the line will flake off the spool. Do not tie on any lures on the end of the line. Flake out about 100-150 yards, then flip the bail over and drag the line for another 100 yards, stop the boat and reel in the line. Another thing that will help is buying a bottle of "Reel Magic," which will retard line memory."

Q: Where can I find the trout maps on the Wildlife Resources Division Web site and how can I view and/or print them?

A: From Chris Martin, WRD's aquatic education program coordinator: 1. Go to www.gofishgeorgia.com and select "Fishing Regulations" from the left-side bar, then scroll down and select "Trout Fishing," and again scroll down to "Georgia's Trout Streams by County" and click on the county name of interest, the map will open for viewing if you have Adobe Acrobat Reader 4.0 or 5.0. You can print this map at home. 2. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader on your computer, it can be downloaded for free from the Adobe web site or from the WRD web site.

Q: When fishing for surface-feeding stripers during the warmer months on Lake Lanier, you can see the fish breaking the surface only to find that by the time you get to them they are gone. What can I do to catch these fish?

A: From Henry Cowen, Lake Lanier fly-fishing striper guide: "During the warmer months . . . the stripers on Lake Lanier tend to run bait (mostly blueback herring and/or threadfin shad) from deep water onto the shallow humps. This surface-feeding activity can usually be found either early or late in the day. This is a game that requires a little anticipation on the fisherman's part. Get to the fish quickly and make your casts accurately into the rings left by the surfacing fish."

Q: With blueback herring legal to use for bait on Lake Lanier, what's the best way to fish them in the heat of the summer?

A: From guide Mack Farr, operator of Outdoor Enterprises, who says down-rodded herring have been catching stripers 25-35 feet over structure: "One thing I have noticed about fishing the bluebacks, the stripers seem to like them moving. If you have baits down and see fish on the graph looking at them but not eating, try moving the bait. You can take one of your reels out of gear and drop a bait below the stripers and reel it back up and past them, or, try getting on the trolling motor hard for about five seconds and trigger a bite that way."

Q: Should I use a baitcaster or a spinning reel?

A: From Tom Branch Jr., owner/operator, Lake Lanier Outfitters: "My rule of thumb is if I am fishing a 3/8-ounce lure or heavier, I use a baitcaster. The baitcaster reels should be spooled with at least 12-pound line (I use P-Line CXX). A spinning reel is used for finesse fishing. It does not matter if you are fishing for trout, bream, crappie or bass --- this reel works the best. The spinning reel works great with light line and is easy to learn how to use."

Q: I have heard that fly casting is an art, and that it is difficult. Is that true?

A: From Carl Warmouth, Callaway fishing manager: "If casting a fly rod is an art, it is a learned art. Anyone can do it. You do not need to be naturally artistic. It is not difficult, just different. There are three or four fundamental concepts to understand, and after that it is simply a matter of muscle memory. I recommend that casters of all skill levels take at least one casting lesson. We are fortunate to have several very qualified experts in North Georgia."

Q: I've seen mention that you fish a jigging spoon on the bottom unless you see suspended fish on the sonar. How can I keep track of the depth of the spoon if it is not on the bottom?

A: From Lake Lanier fishing guide Mack Farr (www.outdoorenterprises.com): "I use a baitcasting reel to spoon jig, and the primary reason is the level wind provides a nice counting device. For instance, on a 6500 Ambassador reel, each time the worm gear passes across the face of the reel it releases or retrieves 10 feet of line. A 500 series Ambassador releases/retrieves 8 feet of line."

--- Have an outdoors-related question? Send it to us and we'll get an answer. Send to AJC Outdoors, P.O. Box 4689, Atlanta, GA 30302, or e-mail sbernarde@ajc.com.