Perhaps you've noticed that at Lake Springs and Keg Creek ramps on Thurmond Lake, you can park your boat without getting your feet wet, thanks to new or extended courtesy docks.

"I just told our contractors that we wanted to fix it so that the docks can be used as long as the ramps can be," said Aaron P. Wahus, park operations manager at the lake.

Work is still going on at several locations around the lake and when it's finished, the new well-constructed docks ought to last for the next 50 years.

- Nothing new under the sun? How about biodegradable fishing line. Manufacturers say Bioline retains 100 percent of its tensile strength for 10 to 12 months on a reel. It dissolves to minimal carbon dioxide and water in a period of about five years with exposure to naturally occurring elements. Traditional nylon monofilaments remain in the environment for about 600 years and some lines last forever.

Worst case scenario: You've hooked the fish of a lifetime and it's almost close enough to net when the line suddenly starts to biodegrade.

THURMOND LAKE

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.crockettrocket striperfishing.com) -- Fishing has been unbelievably good despite the wet weather. Water temperature is 74 degrees and the fish are jumping into the boat. Look for breaking fish early and then fish the 30-foot humps with live bait about mid-morning. The Rev. Buddy Myers brought up a group of fish lovers -- they love to eat 'em. They had a limit in no time. Roy Altman brought all his grandsons, and all caught fish before heavy rains set in. James Taylor brought his two sons and they slaughtered the fish, catching a limit by 10 o'clock. Then we played around chasing surface schools about noon. I look for fishing to stay hot until Christmas.

Check out my Web site for some recent catches.

Ralph Barbee Jr., professional guide, (706) 860-7373 -- My new show features Capt. Mack, of umbrella rig fame, fishing in Lake Lanier for striped bass. It airs Saturdays at 11 a.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. Stations are Comcast Ch. 21, Knology Ch. 7, Atlantic Broadband, Ch. 7 (Aiken), Northland Ch. 9 Statesboro-Swainsboro) and Ft. Gordon Ch. 9. You must have a special box from Comcast to view my show. The box is free.

Billy Murphy, professional guide, (706) 733-0124 (Web site www.doubletrouble fishingguides.com) with twins Brad and Jim) -- Last Friday, Doug Holland, of Augusta, Larry Freeman, of Evans, and I checked out the Moseley Creek section of the lake for schooling fish. The fish started breaking about 7:30 a.m., took a 30-minute break, and then started again. This time, there were plenty of fish to be shared by anglers in 15 boats. Some were downlining live herring, others cast the ice fly and Thing Popper, still others used jigging spoons. We wound up with 25 stripers and hybrids weighing 1-3 pounds. 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 -- Robert Welsh, from Edgefield, S.C.; Barry Ouzts, of Evans; and Bobby Bunkolt, of Port St. Joe, Fla., caught 26 fish, including a 10-pound hybrid, two 15-pound stripers and 23 fish weighing from 4 to 8 pounds. Tim Smith, of North Augusta, and Michael Short, of Evans, caught limits of 21 to 4-pound fish. Billy Londeree, of Fort Gordon, caught his quick limit of fish, including a 10-pound flathead and 41-pound largemouth bass. Stephen Powell, of Liberty, S.C.; Hatcher Logue, of Edgefield, S.C.; Joe Miglionico, of Evans; and Charlie Brinson, of Martinez, caught 36 fish Thursday morning. The big fish were caught on planers and the rest on downlines 40 to 50 deep on live herring. I didn't see a breaking fish during the early morning, but from noon on they came up. Visit 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 -- My fishing week has been absolutely spectacular. It couldn't have been any better. It's as good as I've seen in a couple of months. I'm catching everything on downlines in 40 feet of water and I've been fishing in the upper lake. I have yet to see a schooling fish in that area. Capts. Buddy Edge, Richard Butler and I fished a group out of Hickory Knob. We all limited out in less than an hour. Richard Orred, Brad Crowe, Paul Wiggins, of the Columbia area, found it hard top keep up with bending rods and boated 30-fish limits fast. John Henry Felder, his dad, Weeks, of the Columbia area, were throwing fish and rods onto the bottom of the boat en route to a fast limit. I couldn't re-bait their hooks fast enough so I told 'em to just throw rods and fish down and grab another rod. Jamarr Webb and Khalil Greene took awhile to get used to setting the hook on their first trip, but caught 28 hybrids and stripers. I just wanted to thank Bonnie and David Annis, of Augusta, for allowing me to participate in a very positive way at last weekend's John de la Howe School fishing excursion. It was my first time and I enjoyed it almost as much as did the 30 kids. The Annises act as weighmasters for the event. My VHF radio handle is Boat Racer and I can be reached on Channel 68. My Web site is www.fishlakethurmond.com.

Albert Moody, Clark Hill Herring Hut, Clarks Hill, S.C. (864) 333-2000 -- Robert Hood, of Augusta, caught a 13-pound, 6-ounce and a 9-pound, 8-ounce flathead catfish on cut bait. Ted Boileau and Scott Loo, fishing in front of the dam, are catching fish on live herring 35 feet down. Fish have been reported schooling from Moseley Creek to the Fireman's Cove to the mouth of Keg Creek, with most of the action coming in early afternoon.

SAVANNAH RIVER

NEW SAVANNAH BLUFF LOCK & DAM

Lock and Dam Bait and Tackle (Bob Baurle, Billy Hambrick), (706) 496-1173. -- Butler Creek is high and roily from the rain, but the crappie bite is stronger. Good bream are being caught both upriver and down, and so are largemouth bass. The mullet bite has just about ceased.

MERRY LAND BRICKYARD PONDS

Harrison Sears (706) 722-8263 (www.brickyard ponds.com) -- Gene Moyer caught five bass weighing 8.56 pounds in the Ditch on plastic worms. Wallace Burns caught 35 catfish in the Barnett pond on chicken liver. Carlos Santo caught 15 catfish and seven bream on red worms in the Ditch. Jim Kelly caught seven crappies in the White Elephant Pond on minnows. James Gilbert has been catching some nice crappies late in the afternoon on minnows in the Ditch and the Membership Pond. No 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 -- The inshore spotted sea trout and red fish bites were pretty good this week. The secret was to fish key areas when the tide was moving and to move when the tide was still. Best bait was live shrimp fished beneath popping corks, but larger fish preferred lip-hooked finger mullet. Spanish mackerel are schooling from the Wassaw Sound sea buoy (W2) to the first set of artificial reefs. Using your field glasses, look for feeding birds, even if they're just sitting on the water.