Area anglers enjoying big-time success

Cast your mind back 20 or so years and many of you will recall that few Augusta area fishermen did well in big league bass tournaments sponsored by Redman, or the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society, or other such organizations on Thurmond Lake.

Times have changed.

A few weekends ago, Keith Williamson, Craig Johnson and Keith Hutto finished in the top 10 of the Pro Division of the Walmart FLW tournament out of Wildwood Park. Since then, Hutto qualified on Lake Sinclair to fish a Bass Fishing League regional on Lake Seminole next weekend (Oct. 15-17). Clay Wilson, of Evans, finished ninth in that tournament, placing in the money.

Woody Parks, of Lincolnton, Ga., had good luck with plastic frogs on Alabama's Lake Guntersville last weekend and won the BFL Choo-Choo Division event. That qualified him to compete in next weekend's BFL regional out of Wildwood Park.

- Thurmond Lake fishing is on the upswing, thanks to cooler water temperatures brought about by fall weather. Hybrids and stripers have been schooling in many places, but the best news is that schools of the fish are stacking up 30 and 40 feet down. That's good news for live bait fishermen and those of us who like to drop down a jigging spoon from time to time.

- Congratulations to Byron Smith, of Hephzibah, for winning the coveted Mr. Clark Hill Bass Fishing Championship last weekend. The story of how he did it will appear on Sunday's outdoors page.

THURMOND LAKE

Raysville Marina (Leon Buffington and Doug Pentecost), (706) 595-5582 -- Joel and Wilma Lynn and Joe Denton, all of Augusta, caught 24 crappies in our fish house on minnows.

Capt. David Willard, U.S. Coast Guard-licensed full-time professional fishing guide specializing in hybrids and stripers and trophy largemouth bass. (Boat phone: (706) 214-0236. (803) 637-6379 (www.crockett rocketstriper fishing.com) -- I love fall fishing. This week, the fish moved into their fall pattern and they are starting to concentrate in huge schools. They will start their move up the major tributaries over the next couple of months. The "G-Man," Mike Graziano, brought grandson, 6-year-old Jack Lindner, Jack's dad, Rick, Mike's son, Ted, and David Barnes. They caught a cooler full of fish in just a couple of hours. Jack caught the first, the biggest and the most, and told his granddad he wanted to striper fish every Saturday. We found the fish grouped up on a 30-foot hump. All our fish came on live herring.

Billy Murphy, professional guide, (706) 733-0124 (Web site www.doubletrouble fishingguides.com) with twins Brad and Jim) -- Doug Holland, of Augusta, fished with me Tuesday morning. After battling a stiff wind for the first 45 minutes of our day, it suddenly became calm. We checked out Moseley Creek and saw a few break, but really got into them off the Fort Gordon Recreation Area point. The fish were on the small side, perhaps 3 pounds the largest, and we caught them on ice flies and Thing Poppers. They schooled until well after 1 p.m. My VHF radio handle is doubletrouble on Ch. 68.

Capt. William Sasser, U.S. Coast Guard-licensed professional guide specializing in crappies, hybrids and striped bass. (706) 589-5468 -- It's been a wonderful week of fishing, thanks to the cooler fall air lowering the lake temperatures into the lower 70s. Fish have been schooling in a lot of places. Tina, Brianna and Tanner Davis, with Peter and Josh Tyler, all of Martinez, fished a morning striper trip with us. Brianna really put it on the rest en route to a great catch. John Foster, of Roswell, Ga., and George Brewton, of Louisville, Ga., fished for stripers for the first time and vowed they'd be back. Schooling fish were everywhere, as they caught limits of 3-to-5-pound fish on live herring fished on downlines. Check out my Web site at www.williamsasserfishing.com.

Capt. Tommy Dudley, U.S. Coast Guard-licensed professional guide specializing in stripers and hybrids. (706) 833-4807 -- Today was my first day back on the water and I've been scouting. We're finding a lot more fish in 30 to 40 feet of water and some fish on the bottom. It's really looking better than it had been. My VHF radio handle is Boat Racer and I can be reached on Channel 68. My Web site is www.fishlake thurmond.com.

Albert Moody, Clark Hill Herring Hut, Clarks Hill, S.C. (864) 333-2000 -- Ted Boileau and Modoc Dave Tracker fished Tuesday and caught a limit of hybrids and stripers in the Fort Gordon Recreation Area, throwing popping corks with ice flies. They returned on Wednesday, the fish never schooled, but they caught limits of larger stripers and hybrids on live herring. Fred McNatt and Tony Polson fished in Shriver Creek on Tuesday, casting Roostertails and small, opaque crank baits, and caught and released more than a double. Limit. Fred and I went fishing Wednesday in the same place and caught six fish.

SAVANNAH RIVER

NEW SAVANNAH BLUFF LOCK & DAM

Lock and Dam Bait and Tackle (Bob Baurle, Billy Hambrick), (706) 496-1173 -- Jackie Kernaghan caught a limit of large bream up river on crickets, plus one bass. Mike Grover and Tommy McCorkle caught 40 bream on crickets down river. Chip Moore caught a limit of keeper largemouth bass on minnows at the dam. The mullet aren't really tearing it up, but a few are being caught.

MERRY LAND BRICKYARD PONDS

Harrison Sears (706) 722-8263 (www.brickyardponds.com) -- Jeff Richards caught seven crappies and three catfish in the Ditch on minnows. Will Jackson caught seven catfish, four crappies and three bream in the White Elephant Pond on minnows and big red worms. Wallace and Rhonda Burns caught 40 catfish on chicken liver in the Barrett Pond. Wiley McElroy caught three bass in the Pollard Pond. Billy Hatcher caught five crappies and seven catfish in the White Elephant Pond. No fishing license is needed to fish in our ponds.

SAVANNAH

Miss Judy Charters, Capt. Judy Helmey, (912) 897-4921 (www.missjudycharters.com.) P.O. Box 30771, Savannah, Ga. 31410-0771 -- While perhaps the majority of fishermen after spotted sea trout, aka "specks," go with live shrimp as their prime bait, folks who like to experiment might want to try an artificial lure called a Rapala Skitterwalk. That lure with silver sides and black back has been red hot for some of my charter captains. He retrieved it on a walk-the-dog style and the big trout couldn't stand it.

The trout can be caught around the Savannah River jetties as well We have jetty maps available. Just give us a call. The trout feed in the eddys that form as the current moves past and over the rocks on incoming or outgoing tides.