Fishing report

Despite the cold weather, fish are being caught in Thurmond Lake and the Savannah River, with the only criteria being just how strong is the determination of each angler to fish in sometimes miserable conditions.

Fish are coldblooded and the colder the water, the slower their movements. Fishermen are warmblooded, but the colder the air temperature, the slower their movements.

Ted Boileau of Martinez caught a 38-pound striped bass, fishing a live herring beneath a planer board just above the dam on a sunny, mild Wednesday. Water temperature had heated up to 50 by early afternoon, but it's in the 40s during the early morning hours.

But fish in the Savannah River stay cold year-around and don't seem to mind it as much, as Albert Moody of Augusta found to his delight on Wednesday afternoon.

Fishing below the Fury's Ferry Bridge, Moody hooked and landed an 8-pound largemouth bass, which struck a white spinnerbait cast into pockets between the weeds along the bank. The fish is now swimming with others in the artificial pond maintained at Sportsman's Link off Bobby Jones Expressway.

The top disabled anglers from each of the PVA's National Bass Trail tournaments and "Angler of the Year" winners form the 35-man field. The field will be trimmed to a select few. The winner will earn a spot in the 2003 Citgo BASS Federation National Championship and a $35,000 Ranger bass boat, matching trailer, 150-h.p. Mercury outboard and MinnKota trolling motor.

Thanks to a Smartcast Wireless Fishfinder by Humminbird, anglers can cast out, scan the area, and then cast again to find a more productive spot. What they're casting is a Remote Sonar Sensor tied to the end of their fishing line. When they reel it in, they keep their eyes on the display as the sensor reveals what's beneath it.

What next?

Check out the web site at www.humminbird.com.

STROM THURMOND LAKE

Soap Creek Lodge (Lincolnton Marine), Lincolnton, Ga. (Paul Banks and Jeremy Dawkins, 1-706-359-3124) - Harry Embry of Augusta caught about a dozen crappies off the dock. Bob and Rosalind Guillebeau have done well with crappies. Actually, it's Rosalind who's been doing well. Bob hasn't been able to fish because he's too busy taking the fish off her hook. They're fishing live shiners 18 feet down.

Raysville Marina, near Thomson, Ga. (Doug Pentecost, Leon Buffington, 1-706-595-5582) - Leon Buffington has been having good luck catching crappies from beneath boat docks, but otherwise, fishing's been pretty slow up our way.

Ralph Barbee, professional guide, (706) 860-7373): I fished Grays Creek last Monday from 8 a.m., until 5:30 p.m., and had one fish on and lost it. The Buckeye Jig and Pig beckoned to that fish. Everything else I threw didn't work. Water temperature has dropped to the low 40s, heating up to the high 40s during the afternoon.

I'll be at the Wal-Mart Super Store in Evans today from 10 a.m., to 5 p.m., with my new truck and boat. I'll have some goodies for the kids and talk to folks about what to fish on the lake once things warm up.

Ron Figueroa, professional guide specializing in largemouth bass, hybrid bass, (706) 832-7230 (ronfig@comcast.net or his web site at buckeyelures.com/figs). Jimmy Seigler and I fished Lake Murray last Sunday. Jimmy Caught three largemouths 3 to 4 pounds apiece on the No. 5 ShadRap in less than three feet of stained water. I caught four stripers 8 to 11 pounds in the same water. I threw a Buckeye jig with a white Fat Albert grub. Water temperatures ranged from 44 to 47 degrees in the Saluda River area of the lake, which is nearly 15 feet below normal. I fished Thurmond Lake on Tuesday and caught six bass on cuts and points inside the Fort Gordon cove. Biggest fish was 4 pounds, another went 3 pounds and the rest were 1 1/2 -pounds, all on the Buckeye jighead and Fat Albert grub. I fished Wednesday and found small schooling hybrids in the Church Cove from about 7:45 a.m., to almost 9. I caught one good fish on the shad-colored Buckeye Blade, but couldn't get the fish to hit top water.

SAVANNAH RIVER New Savannah Bluff Lock & Dam

Lock and Dam Bait and Tackle (Bob Baurle), 1-706-793-8053 - Yellow perch continue to be caught off the dam and chain pickerel (jacks) continue to hit around grass beds up and down the river. The best news is that American shad have started moving up, with commercial netters having a good season below the Highway 301 Bridge. We've seen some shad below the dam, but no one is fishing for them yet.

Fishermen are reminded striped bass and hybrid bass cannot be lawfully caught and kept from the river's mouth at Savannah to the New Savannah Bluff Lock and Dam. The moratorium is in effect until the year July 1, 2006.

MERRY LAND BRICKYARD PONDS

Harrison Sears 1 (706) 722-8263 - Steve Ebenroth caught a 6-pound, 9-ounce bass on a black plastic worm in the Willow Pond and caught another about 2 pounds. He fished with Mike Dilorenzo, who got skunked. Ed Ables caught four catfish and a couple of crappies in the King Pond after dark. Clint Howard won our monthly Big Bass Award with a 7-pound, 7-ounce fish.

We now have a site on the Internet at www.brickyardponds.com.

ATLANTIC OCEAN SAVANNAH AREA

Miss Judy Charters, Capt. Judy Helmey, 912-897-4921 (www.missjudycharters.com.) - I'll be speaking at the Bass Pro Shop on Sugar Loaf Parkway in Lawrenceville, Ga., on Saturday at 11 a.m., and 2 p.m.

Winter temperatures have been dropping our water temperatures, but so far they haven't endangered our fish or shrimp. If water temperatures reach the low 40s and stay there for a few days, that's when our concern starts to mount.

Most sheepshead have moved to the near- and offshore reefs and wrecks, but there are resident inshore fish that stay behind. They can be found around rock piles, bridges, old dock pilings and any type of sunken debris that supports marine growth attachments. Check pilings or rock piles exposed at the low tide and if the barnacles or other marine life look as though it had been chipped showing a cleaner side of the shell, then you have hit the jackpot.

The fish will school around the higher structure. Fiddler crabs are the No. 1 bait, but they've buried deep into the sand at this time of year. Contact the DNR Coastal Office and make sure it's legal to dig for them. I have heard of warnings and tickets given.

Offshore in 80 feet of water, the temperature was 50 degrees. Charter captains have found this is great weather for the "greenheads," otherwise known as larger black sea bass, to start schooling.