Georgia game and fish [Vol. 7, no. 5 (May 1972)]

GEORGIA

MAY, 1972


Jimmy Carter Governor
Jae D. Tanner Commissioner Department of Natural Resources
STATE GAME AND FISH COMMISSION
James Darby Chairman
Vidalia-1st District
William Z. Camp, Sec. Newnan-6th District
Leo T. Barber, Jr. Moultrie-2nd District
Dr. Robert A. Collins, Jr. Americus-3rd District
George P. Dillard Decatur-4th District
Rankin M. Smith Atlanta-5th District
Leonard E. Foote MarieHa-7th District
Clyde Dixon Cleveland-9th District
Leonard Bassford Augusta-1Oth District
Jimmie Williamson Darien-Coastal District
TECHNICAL SERVICE DMSION Jack A. Craclcford, Aaallfant Director
Leon Kirkland, Flaherlea Chl.t Hubert Handy, Game Manaee-nt ChW
LAW INFORCEMENT DMSION R. K. Fanaler, Calanel
Chl.t af Law Enforce!Mnt
1111 Cline, Malar
Deputy Chl.t, Northern Region Calhoun (-404) 629-8675
J. D. Atchlaon, MaJor Deputy Chief, Southem Region
~er(912)~2145
David Gauld, Major Supervlaar of Cooatal Flaherlea
lrunawlck (912) 265-1552

FEATURES

Georgia's Saltwater Panfish

Marvin Tye 2

In Defense of Bream

Aaron Pass 5

Atlanta's Chattahoochee-A Photo Feature

9

Striped Bass-A Fish For All Seasons

Dean Wohlgemuth 13

In Memoriam-Judge Harley Langdale

18

Conservation Awards By The Georgia

Sportsman's Federation .

19

DEPARTMENTS

Outdoor World .

20

Sportsmen Calendar

21

ON THE COVERS
ON THE COVER: Little can compare with the beauty of a river in the south Georg ia coastal area . And the Ogeechee, photographed by Bob Busby, not only demands its share of recognition for its beauty, it also provides some of the state's most exciting fishing.
ON THE BACK COVER: This old shrimp boat near St. Catherine's Sound appears to have seen most of its best days as a part of the famous Georgia shrimp fleet . Boats such as this out of several port cities are a significant economic factar in the coastal area. Photo by Jim Couch.

GEORGIA

May 1972

Volume VII

i
Number 5

Georgia Game and Fish is the official monthly magazine of the Georgia Gam e and Fish Department, published at the Department's offices, Trinity-Washington Building, 270 Washington St., Atlanta, Georgia 30334. No advertising accepte.d. Subscriptions are $1 f'or one year or $2.50 for three years. Printed by Williams Printing Company, Atlanta, Ga. Notification of address change must include old address label from a recent magazine, new address and ZIP code, with 30 day s notice. No subscription requests will be accepted without ZIP code. Articles and photographs may be reprinted when proper credit given. Contributions are welcome, but the editors assume no responsibility or liability for loss or damage of articles, photographs, or illustrations. Second-class postage paid at Atlanta, Ga.

Jim Couch Photographer
Ben Gunn Audio-Visuals

PUBLIC RElATIONS STAFF Phone 656-3530
Bab Wilson Managing Editor
Aaron Pass Special Publications
Margaret Howard Circulation

Georgia's
SALTWATER PANFISH

The sheepshead is the saltwater counterpart to the bluegill or shellcracker.
2

By Marvin Tye
Photos by Ted Borg
The man who enjoys fishing for bluegills or shellcrackers with live bait will surely enjoy fishing for Georgia's number one saltwater panfish, the sheepshead. This fish will strike a shrimp or fiddler crab in much the same manner as a bream will strike a worm and will dish out the same type of bottom-diving fight.
In many ways the saltwater and fresh-water panfishes are similar but in others, they are quite different. For one example, sheepshead can weigh more than 12 pounds and measure more than three feet in length, considerably larger than the average farm pond sunfish. In addition, the sheepshead can be spooked more easily than bream. They can take the bait right off the hook so quickly that the fisherman doesn't even know that he has received a strike.
Some fishermen say that you have to strike the sheepshead just before he takes the bait. That's a slight exaggeration, but if you hesitate before setting the hook, you won't land many of these fish.
The sheepshead has a large, relatively flat body that resembles that of a large bluegill. It is a silvery white fish with dark vertical bars that form a pattern which resembles a prisoner's suit and leads to the common name of convict fish. Its habit of stealing bait probably had almost as much influence on this name as its appearance.
If you look into a sheepshead's mouth, you will find a set of strong teeth that resemble those of the human or perhaps those of sheep. The teeth are used to crush shells of fiddler crabs, hermit crabs and similar crustaceans. The fish uses its strong incisors to scrape barnacles off pilings and rocks and to pick up mollusks and crabs.
When eating a fiddler crab, the sheepshead will quickly crush the shell, spit it out and devour the flesh. If you use a fiddler for bait, you will find that the fish will perform this maneuver so rapidly that

it often steals the bait and discards your hook before you realize that you have had a strike.
On my introduction to sheepshead fishing it seems that I had more strikes that I didn't connect on than ones on which I hooked a fish . When I did manage to hook a sheepshead, I was amazed at the fish's powe r. A small one of a couple of pounds or less can put a respectable bend in a fresh-water spinning rod and really give a good account of himself.
A six-pound or larger specimen can really put up a good fight even on the two-handed surf spinning rods and reels used by the majority of anglers who fish the Georgia coast.
Last June Ted Borg and I fished with Nina Smith of Shellman's Bluff. Nina's husband , Philip, operates Kip's Fishing Camp and claims that his wife is the best angler on the coast. I won't dispute his word, because she seemed to hook twice as many of the striped bandit fish as Ted and I did .

Th e author nelled this sheepshead for Nina Smith . This saltwater panfish can be taken readily durin g th e summ er months along th e Georgia coast. It will strike a variety of li ve baits and will provide a good fight. It can reach weights in excess of 12 pounds.
We anchored her boat off an oyster bar where she knew that sheepshead could be found and cast hooks baited with fiddler crabs behind the boat. The baits were suspended under nine-inch floats so that they would ride just above the bottom. We tied a length of monofilament on our fishing lines at the desired depth to stop the sliding floats and prevent the baits from hanging on the bottom. We were fishing a rising tide, so we changed the position of the mono as required to take our baits deeper as conditions changed .
We used # 2 hooks and found that these would hold the fish when we were fortunate enough to set the ba rb. After missing a number of strikes with this size, I went to a #4 hook and succeeded in hooking
3

Nina displa ys th e rig used to catch sheepshead from a boat near an oyster bar. Live shrimp or fiddler crabs are th e most popular baits, with crabs generally m ore effective for this species. Th e shee pshead is hard to hook because it will crush and devour a crab and discard th e shell in. almost one m otion . Th e fisherman wh o keeps a taut lin e will hook m ore of th ese gam esters than th e man with a slack lin e.
4

a real Junker that seemed to be about two feet lo ng.

After a spirited fight , the fish allowed itself to be led toward the net . Nina reached over to scoop it up, the fish made a final lunge , and the hook str.aightened out. We groaned as the largest fish of the day regained its strength and swam away.
After that, I went back to a larger hook. Ted put away his salt-water spinn ing rod and began fi shi ng with a Iight-weight fresh-water model with ei ght-pound test line. He qu ickly hooked a larger-than-ave rage sheepshead and enjoyed a sp irited fight .
Sheepshead can be found around p ilings, roc ky shorel ines , br idges , oyster bars and any other structures where shellfish are abundant . If you can sta nd at the water's edge or dangle a line off a pier or jetty, you won 't need a float . Just suspend your bait in the water and keep a tight line . If you occasionally raise the rod tip, you are not as likely to be surprised or to miss a strike because you don't feel it. You wi ll often raise the rod tip just as the sheepshead str ikes the bait and thus be able to set the hook.
Sheepshead are tasty tab le fare, good when baked , broiled or fried . Nina showed us a trick that is a handy way to remove the matter that remains after the internal organs have been removed . She used a toothbrush to rub the area clean.

Few anglers w ill make a trip to the coast just for sheepshead . Most seek speckled trout, channel bass or some other more publicized gamester. Ted and I both wanted to catch speckled trout and accomplished that goal earlier that same morning before seek ing out the sheepshead. We wanted to catch as large a var iety of fish as possible, so when Nina suggested trying the conv ict fish , we jumped at the chance.

Trout, sheepshead, flounder and a number of other

shallow-water game fish are available to the coa sta l

angler in late spring and early summer. The weathe r

at this time is ideal and the fishing pace can be as

relaxed as you des ire. A certain amount of know-how

is required to find the proper fishing locations a nd

present the baits properly . This know-how can be

acquired in a couple of trips to the coast. The fastest

way to learn is to hire a competent guide or fish with

a coastal resident or other angler who is familiar w ith

the area.

One of the most interesting things about dunking a

bait in Georgia's coastal waters is that you never kn ow

what will strike next . You may be in a school of 15-

inch sea trout when a 20-pound channel bass moves

in and inhales your ba it. If you are catch ing sheeps-

head, you may hook a flounder without chang ing

locations .

No one would mind a change of pace from trout

to bass or sheepshead to flounder, but there are some

unwelcome intruders that come by occasionally. La rg e

st ingrays and sharks also frequent these waters a nd

are partial to natural baits . When one of these strike,

all you can do is hang on and enjoy the fight. If you

don't want to land the critter, you can either tighten

the drag and break it off or cut the line at boatside.

Any of you in land anglers who are eager fo r a

change shou ld try fish ing the Georgia coast. I for o ne

bel ieve you'll like it.

~

In Defense of
BREAM
By Aaron Pass
Photos by Ted Borg

There are only a few things left in the modern world that everybody does, but nobody talks about, and bream fishing appears to be one of them. The bream is at once the most popular and the most ignored of all our gamefish, being widely sought but seldom bragged about. He initiates more fishermen to the world of angling than any other fish; few and far between is the serious angler who cannot cite an example of the almost universal "Bream Experience" in his angling past. Probably more fishermen spend more hours in pursuit of bream than anything else, but still the lowly bream is denied the accolades and tributes heaped on other species. In short the bream gets lousy press.
One seldom reads an inspiring account of a seventy mile backpack trip into a virgin bream area. No organization called Bream Unlimited has as yet arisen to defend the ecological niche of its namesake fish, and similarly no Bream Anglers Sportsman's Society has promoted a single tournament. No bream boats are commercially available, nor is there the vast array of specialized tackle and associated paraphernalia which fishermen deem so essential in the pursuit of other species .

5

At the heart of this paradox lies the bream itself, a small member of the sunfish family and a distant cousin of the largemouth bass. The species has a host of subspecies and an even larger number of regional names. Bream, pronounced and often spelled "brim," are found almost everywhere in a wide variety of habitats. Large reservoirs , small farm ponds, and rivers all over the country can usually list one or more bream subspecies among their inhabitants. Classed as panfish , bream are small (the largest sub-species may go a little over three pounds), but what they lack in individual size they make up for in numbers. Bream are prolific breeders and wherever they are found, they are usually abundant. Over-population is in fact one of the chief threats to a bream fishery, and results in large concentrations of stunted fish.
As for angling value, no one will argue about the bream's stamina on the end of a line and most fishermen agree that pound for pound the bream is the "gamest" fish that swims. Taken on light tackle a large bream will present a good account of itself and an afternoon spent on a productive "bed" is an unforgettable experience. Bream will strike natural bait and artificial alike and the action can get fast and furious. Famous outdoor writers and fishing columnists always include the obligatory tribute to the bream in their infrequent forays into panfishery.
So it is agreed that bream are excellent gamefish, they are widespread, abundant, easy to catch and put up a good fight , and they are neglected for exactly these reasons. They are widespread so there is no necessity to travel such exotic spots as Norway or Canada for good fishing ; it is available at the nearest
6

Taken on a light flyrod, it's hard to beat the spunky little bream for a zestful fight. Th ey are also quite a treat in th e frying pan.
Bream will readily take a wide variety of natural and artificial baits. The artificial flies shown here with a real earth worm and cricket im itate insects wh ich bream fee d on extensive ly.

far m pond . Handy true, but lack ing in glamor. They are abundant and the main objective of bream fishing is to get a good mess rather than a trophy individual. Relax ing, but not very dramatic. They are easier to catch, all things being equal , than some of, the more highly touted species. In truth bream can be exasperatingly difficult at times, but the bream fisherman stands less ch ance of coming home skunked. Fulfilling, but hardly the flax from which good fishing ya rn s are spun.
It see ms that the accommodat ing bream is just too cooperative to be gfamorized, si nce most fishermen seem to need the challenge fu lly as much as they need the fish . With this in mind there are several ways to enhance the sport of bream fishing. The first step being to match the tackle to the fi sh that is use equipment light enough to allow this fine gamefi h to show his stuff. Using an outfit designed for bass to catch bream is like using a sledgehammer to drive tacks . Another measure might be the use of artificial lures. Bream readi ly take artificials and the angler gets more of a cha nce to prove his ab ility by their use. These two expedients can add much sport to bream fishing, and turn this abundant little panfish into a worthy adversary.
One of the most sporting and enjoyable methods of acquiring a mess of bream is by the use of a light

flyrod and an assortment of small poppers and ha ir bugs. A light action 71h or 8 foot rod u si ng 6, 7 or 8 weight line makes a good bream outfit. The reel, either a single action or an automatic, can be an economy model since it serves only to hold the line. A level line will serve the purpose admirably but a more ex pensive weight-forward or bu g-ta per will be easier cast and give a little more di stance and accuracy. A very acceptable outfit can be assembled for about $35 and it will provide a good return of fun for the money spent.
Out on the other end of the line where the fish are, a leader will be necessary to attach the lure to the fly line. A tapered leader will lay out straight in front of the line and give better "turn over" to a wind resistant fly , but a piece of 4 to 6 pound monofil ament will serve. Bream are not particularly shy so a 5 to 7 foot leader is plenty.
Bream may be taken on a wide variety of artificial lures, but they seem to be partial to those which resemble insects . For the fly rod enthusiast, small poppers , hair bugs, and rubber insect imitations are favored for top water fishing. A standard wet fly may be used to get deeper if there's no action on top. Sizes 6 and smaller are best unless you're after unusually large bream.

A light spinning ree l on a flyrod can be fun too . This rig is handy where th e brush might prevent a conventional flyrod's backcast.

7

Bream subspecies are widespread and abundant wherever th ey are found. Farm ponds and brushy coves on larger
reservoirs and rivers are all good bets.

Finding a place to fish is the next step. Bream are

found in many water environments, but a small pond

with submerged brush and weed growth in the bottom

is hara to beat. These ponds are almost always pri-

vately owned and it is necessary to ask the landowner's

permission. Emphasize that you're after bream and

be polite; if he lets you fish, be appreciative by more

than "Thank you" if you want to come back.

Bream aren't always as cooperative as they have

been made out to be, and, like all other fish, have

their fickle periods. Late April is a good time to begin

exploring the brushy edges and submerged weed beds

with your lures, but the hottest action starts with spawn-

ing time. The fish then concentrate on spawning beds,

and oldtime bream fanatics claim they can locate the

bed by smell. If smelling isn't your strong point, you'll

have to locate the bed by random fishing.

When a good size bream explodes on your bug, he

apparently doesn't know that there are other fish more

highly regarded. From the sting of the hook until he

is landed, he gives it all he's got, which is plenty on a

light fly rod. And the best part is knowing that there

is another still out there waiting for the next cast. If

you want stories and trips that impress your fishing

buddies perhaps you should look to some other species.

For good relaxing fun and a mess of fine tasting fish,

you can't beat bream.

-.

8

Atlantas Chattahooc!Jee
9

Photo by Jim Couch

. Flowing thr.ough ~he base of Buford Dam, the Chatta~oochee
River once agarn begms its ru r to the sea after the considerable
interrup~ion ~fLake Sidney Lanier. The water, having been cooled and punfied m the depths of Ltnier is as cold and clear as any mountain brook. Indeed moun' ain 'trout stocked into this cold tailrace have thrived and fisherrren derive many hours of pleasant fishing on the river. Canoeists rafters, hikers and other outdoor recreationists find the natural b auty of the river corridor to their liking and every summer week ..J finds thousands thrilling to the song of the Chattahoochee.
In the 48 river miles between Buford Dam and the mouth of Peachtree Creek, the Chattah ochee River winds and rushes through the hills of Georgia' . orthern Piedmont. The wooded hillsides of hardwood and pine ae occasionally broken by pastures and fields in the upper stream e.tions. Further south, entering the most populous counties, the W<;odland setting remains intact in most areas due to a natural gr en belt that has developed along the river.
In this atmosphere the river traveler can revel in the beauty of nature with only occasional reminders that he is within only a few miles of the largest population center in the southeast. This entire stretch of the Chattahoochee River is located within the Atlanta metropolitan area and offers trout fishing, canoeing and hiking only a few minutes from downtown Atlanta. Not many residents of large urban areas have such asy access to an area of abundant natural beauty, but we do on Atlanta's Chattahoochee.

Photo by Aoron Poss

Photos by Aoron Poss

10

11

Photo by Jim Couch
12

The big 3A -ounce white bucktail
jig came to a jolting stop, then suddenly the 25-pound line was twanging as it sawed its way upstream through the swift water. The reel whined in protest as it was forced to give up more line.
The fish 's run stopped some 20 yards upstream from me, but he kept unrelenting pressure on the line and took a wide arc across the current, heading downstream.
With the strong current behind him, the fish ripped off more line, in an even longer run this time. Perspiration dripped from my forehead and down my nose in the 80-plus degree March sun, as I applied more pressure, hoping to cut the run off.
I began pumping the rod and reeling in line, slowly gaining ground, but the stubborn striped bass had other ideas. Again he peeled off line, paused briefly , then ripped off even more.
The battle went on for several minutes, then the fish headed back upstream. By the time he was above me again . I had taken in enough line to have him under control. From then on, it was obvious he was tiring, and that the battle was going my way. Once on the shore, an eyeball estimate placed the fish 's weight at 16 pounds. How accurate that is, I'll never know, because the valiant battler was freed and released back into the water.
That size is far from a record , but still stands as one of the better rockfish I've brought to bay. This particular fish was sea run variety, making its way up a freshwater river in an attempt to spawn.
It hurts my feelings if I don't get in at least one good striped bass fishing trip each year. If there's a more worthy opponent for an angler, such a fish would be hard to find.
The reason for the infrequency of striped bass fi shing excursions by no means expresses indifference on my part. It's simply a matter of geography. I've never lived where striped bass fishing is abundant.
That trend is rapidly changing, however. During the past decade striped bass have been stocked in

Photo by Dean Wohlgemuth
A Fish for All Seasons
By Dean Wohlgemuth
13

Photo by Dean Wohlgemuth
A heavy egg sinker, stopped by a swivel well up the line, is put ahead of a good sized minnow which is hooked through the lips. This rig, fished just off the bottom in 30 feet of water, gets those between-season striped bass.

places that a saltwater grandpappy rockfish would never have dreamed of. They've invaded the Great Plains states, hundreds of miles from saltwater, and have even been shipped to Russia for stocking. If the pace of striped bass programs continues, another couple of decades may make him one of the more prominent species all across our country. And there's every indication that striper stocking will be accelerated (See April, 1972, GAME & FISH for more details on striped bass stocking in Georgia).
Several Georgia lakes now have rockfish of seven to ten pounds. Most notably, Lake Sinclair bas a goodly supply of catchable-size rocks. Seminole produces some on occasion, and Jackson and Blackshear should be producing more.
Probably the biggest reason that more landlocked striped bass are not taken from Georgia lakes is that few people have been exposed to this species, and have little or no knowledge of the techniques in catching them.

One of the intriguing things about this fish to me is that there seems to be a different method of catching landlocked stripers for every season of the year.
The easiest and probably most productive is that which caught the fish described at the onset of this article. A big, white bucktail jig is deadly when the striped bass makes his spawning run. Not only can striped bass be caught as they leave saltwater for freshwater rivers, but landlocked stripers leave their lake homes and attempt to make spawning runs up rivers that feed the lakes. In most cases, there isn't enough river to provide a spawning opportunity, but the striped bass will try anyway. And that's what counts as fas as the fisherman is concerned.
About mid-March, when the rockfish gets in the mood for love, it's the easiest time of year to find him. And he'll hit a jig with abandon. Cast the big white bucktail across the current, letting it wash downstream. Once it's downstream from you, slowly bring it back in short sweeps,

bumping the bottom as it comes in. You'll know it when you get a strike. Set the hook hard, immediately, then bang on.
On one occasion, I found the stripers running smaller than usu al for that area, and decided to use more sporty tackle. I took a normal medium action spinning rod and medium spinning reel with eight-pound line. It took perhaps 10 minutes to land a five-pounder, then I found myself losing several fish to broken lines. It was clear that heavier 'tackle was needed, though the biggest fish I had taken was no more than eight pounds. I went to a conventional castin~ reel with a stiff rod , and 25-pound line. This is the best all-around outfit for the serious striper angler. It is the top choice for jigging on the spawning run and for school fishing in late summer. There are other methods for other times of year, however, when heavier tackle is required for landlocked striped bass.
This may not necessarily hold true at present in most Georgia waters, since the striped bass currently average about five pounds. However, in a few more years when these rascals hit sizes of 20 pounds up, you'll need gear adequate for the job. There's no telling iust yet how big stripers may get in Georgia lakes, but to give an indication, the world record landlocked striped bass was a 55-pounder taken from the home of landlocked rockfish , Santee- Cooper in South Carolina.
Most Georgia anglers have asked about the techniques to catch striped bass, thus the purpose of this report. Since striped bass fishing in Georgia is as yet limited, and on the other hand abundant in South Carolina, my experiences are largely limited to Santee-Cooper. I can't swear that the same methods will work in the same way here, but at leas~ they'll give a starting point. Polishing and improving the techniques will be up to you. I assure you, I plan to do a good deal of research on this subject myself.
Two methods work _iust before the spawning runs begin. The best place to try at these two times. is near the mouth of rivers which will be used by the stripers on their runs.
One method will allow use of con-

14

ventional freshwater tackle, so long as the rod has good backbone and a sturdy butt section. Another highly va luable piece of equipment for both of these methods is a depth finder/ fish finder .
Chances are good you'll find the str iped bass in more than 20 feet of water, probably closer to 30 foot depths. The fish will usually be a couple of feet off the bottom.
The first method , with the conventional tackle, involves large minnows, fou r to six or even seven inches long. Once the striped bass are located by the fi hfinder, anchor quietly, then ea e the minnow down all the way to the bottom. Use an egg shaped sliding sinker of a half-ounce to an ounce. and a 3/ 0 hook through the lips of the minnow. Slowly reel in two or three turns so that the minnow is just

a couple feet off the bottom. Keep the line taught. When the rod tip begins nodding, carefully slide the rod out of the rod holder, making certain not to let the line go slack, nor to move it away from the fish . Once you have the rod in your hands, strike and strike hard!
The second method for this season is similar to catfishing. You'll need a good saltwater boat or pier rod and saltwater casting reel. As in all other cases, 25-pound line is recommended. Put a single 5/ 0 or 6/ 0 hook on the end of the line, with a good sized egg-shaped sliding sinker. Bait the hook with a slab of cut mullet, When you've found the fish with your depthfinder anchor about a cast away, then heave out your bait. The line should not be allowed to go too slack, but it need not be rigidly tight. Leave the

reel release open so that line will peel off easily. Keep your eye on that line. When it starts moving out, get set for action. With the rod in your hands, secure the line release on the reel. When the fish has run several feet, let him have it! If the run is only a few feet, as is often the case, don't rush him. He'll likely drop the bait, then pick it up again. When he does, he's usually gone! Once he's well on the way, put the barb into him hard.
The minnow fishing technique may work from mid-April on into June. When the action slows on them, try another method. Get a huge Cisco Kid lure, preferably red-and-white or maybe blue-and-white, with a long lip to make it dive deep, to depths of 30 feet. The ~ or 1 ounce Jure is the one you need. Even a bigger one

After a spirited tussle, a nice striper is heaved aboard. Once a school is located, action like this comes fa st and furious and it offers a few moments of unforgettable fishing.

Photo by Morvin Tye

15

I
I
\

Photo by Bob Busby
Th e trem endous power of a hooked striped bass is a fi shing experience that is hard to duplicate. Judging from th e bend in this young lady's m edium action spinning rod, she seems to have hooked a nice one.

would likely produce results. In the area where you believe the
stripers to be, again probably located by a fishfinder, troll the lure well behind the boat to assure that it goes down deep enough. Heavy saltwater tackle again is preferred, even to the degree of wire trolling line to keep the lure down. I once fished with Sam Goodwin of Moncks Corner, South Carolina, on the lower Santee-Cooper lake in this fashion. Sam had knots tied on the wire line at regular intervals. Through experience, he knew just how deep he was fishing by counting the knots. We hung a few nice five-pounder class stripers fishing this way. As the summer wears on, bigger fish may be taken this way, making you glad

you're using saltwater tackle. When the August sun beats down
with such vengeance that you'd think it was useless to even consider fishing, you'll find the hottest, most exciting action of any I've ever attempted on schooling striped bass. This style of fishing is more like fishhunting than angling.
Your guide probably won't want to take you out until mid-afternoon, despite your mutterings that the thermometer has just hit its high point of the day.
By four p .m., however, he'll have you sitting out in the middle of the lake with no apparent reason in sight for being there.
He cuts the motor and the boat slides to a dead halt. You pick up

your rod and he frowns. "Not yet," he'll say. "Just look. And listen." You do . You see nothing. For a while.
Splash! Splash! Splash! Suddenly it seems as though a dump truck has emptied a load of bricks into the lake. You look that way, and the water is alive and boiling with schooling striped bass. You'd better have a )!Ood grip on the gun'ales, because your skipper has, by this time, cranked the en~ine and is ,iamming the throttle hard as he can. Your rod is ready for action by this time, of course. If it isn't, you can forget the first school. You 're back to using the conventional freshwater casting reel and 25-pound line, and on the end you have a three-quarter ounce wh ite lure that sinks, but when you retrieve it fast, it skips across the top of the water, like a shad attempting to escape the attack of a school-size striped bass.
As your guide gets barely within casting distance of the school, be cuts the wheel and turns off the switch, stopping the boat before it spooks the fish and puts them down. Don't wait for the boat to stop. As soon as you can reach them , cast that lure smack into the middle of that school, and reel the thing back as if everything depended on it ... it does! If you can make three casts without getting a solid smash, you're snake bit. Odds are heavily against your landing two fish on one rod on one school rise, unless the second cast is allowed to sink maybe 10. feet before you bring it in. If that works, chances are good tha:t you'll get a bigger fish than you did on top. The fish on top will run from two to five pounds, usually averaging about three. Chances are, bigger fish are hanging around just under the school, waiting for an easy meal on wounded shad the younger fish may have left behind.
On Santee-Cooper, the excitement of this kind of fishing is heightened by the number of persons you'll have to compete with. Once you crank up and head for a school, keep your eyes open for other boats. Chances are, by the time you make your cast, there are upwards of 10 to 12 boats casting into the same school at the same time. The action won't last more than a minute or so, maybe only seconds. Then you'll be off chasing another school . . . and so will all the

16

other boats on the lake. I've seen well over 100 boats sitting in a few acres on Santee-Cooper, just waiting for a school to make an appearance. Fortunately, there are enough schools going often enough that all the boats don't go for the same school-it just seems that way.
A technique the Carolinians have developed to catch more than one fish from a school is fascinating. I learned it from a young guide, who was no more than 16 at the time , son of the local game warden. He had two rods rigged with those special plugs for schooling, called a "Striper Swiper"-which, I'm told , was invented by a lady guide on Santee-

Cooper. My young tutor would cast into the school and hook one fish. This rod he'd shove between his knees, clamping it there while he cast the second rod. He'd play in the second fish , then go back for the rod between his knees and bring in the first fish. It worked ... sometimes.
Once the summer heat is gone, schooling will usually ease off. Go back to the minnows, the trolling and the cut mullet to see which one works. It's my bet that the mullet will be the best, especially through the coldest months before the spawning runs begin again.
No matter when you fish , or what method you use, if you're lucky

enough to get into some striped bass,

you'll find yourself tangling with a

tenacious fighter that you'll agree

has deserved his reputation as a sport

fi h. By simply changing your meth-

ods, you're likely to find he's a fish

for every season . . . you can catch

him any time of the year. He's a

ravenously hungry rascal and has a

mouth big enough to keep up with his

appetite. He can eat big bait. That's

one of the reasons he's being intro-

duced around the country, to con-

trol rough fish population.

Just one thing ... be careful. Once

you've gotten used to catching striped

bass. it may spoil you for other kinds

of fishing!

-

Strings of striper-s like this aren't tmusua/ on some South Carolina lakes now, where stripers provide fabulous fi shin g. Hopefully they won 't be too far in th e futur e for G eorgia anglers if th e striped bass stocking program continues on its successful course.

Photo by Deon Wohlgemuth

In Memoriam
JUDGE HARLEY LANGDALE
"Judge Harley Langdale's influence will live as a monument to wildlife conservation in Georgia."
-GAME AND FISH COMMISSION RESOLUTION
Photo by Robert Collins, Jr.

Judge Langdale, a dedicated conservationist and Commissioner from the Eighth Congressional District for eleven years, died April 11 of an apparent heart attack .
Since his appointment by Governor Ernest Vandiver in January, 1961, Judge Langdale had served as chairman of the Game and Fish Commission and served on the Legislative, Game and Fish Regulations, and Public Game and Refuge Committees.
Harley Langdale was born in Clinch County on the edge of the Okefenokee Swamp. From the time he was 10 years old, Langdale worked in the woods with his father, dipping turpentine from his father's pines and cutting cypress cross-ties in the depths of the swamp.
After obtaining his law degree from Mercer University in 1912, Harley Langdale began practicing law in Valdosta where he lived for sixty years. He was elected Judge of Valdosta's Recorder's Court and held the position until retirement.
Judge Langdale began early in life investing every dollar he earned or could borrow to buy pine timberland. Eventually, he had built up a woods empire of more than 175,000 acres in a number of counties in both Georgia and Florida.
As an organizer and President of the American Turpentine Farmers Association for thirty years, Judge Langdale played an important role in obtaining government stabilization of the turpentine industry. He is also credited with helping to make Valdosta the naval stores capital of the world.
Judge Langdale took an active role in the protection and development of Georgia's wildlife resources. H e was a staunch believer in the importance of law enforcement and public education in protecting wildlife from poaching, out of season hunting and over-shooting.
Quail hunting was the judge's favorite recreation. The judge practiced scientific game management on the 20,000 acres of his private hunting grounds. He advocated controlled burning for quail management and planted food patches of mixed quail foods throughout the area.
The judge's deer hunting was restricted primarily to a timbered 30,000 acre tract near the Okefenokee Swamp. In addition to demonstrating sound biological principles in managing his own personal hunting areas, the judge leased some 60,000 acres of timberland free of charge to the State in the Suwanoochee Game Management Area.
In addition to wildlife conservation, Judge Langdale always practiced and advocated soil , water, and forest conservation. He was selected as "Conservationist of the Year" by the Georgia Sportsmen's Federation in 1964.
An active worker with 4-H and FFA groups, Judge Langdale was presented the 1970 Forest Farmer Award from the Southern Forestry Conference. His Langdale Foundation enabled hundreds of south Georgia youths to borrow money for college educations at a low interest rate. He was also chairman of the Valdosta Hospital Authority and a trustee of Mercer University.
Judge Harley Langdale, active and dedicated conservationist, left a legacy of wildlife conservation work which any man would be proud to have as a living memorial to his life.
-Judy Williams

These elated recipients of th e Georgia Sportsman's Federation Conserva tion awards have been cited for th eir outstanding achievem ents in th e conservation and managem ent of Georgia's natural resources. From left to right ril ey are Ridley Bell, Joe Tann er, Charles Place , Jr. , Jam es W ynens, Lloyd Harris, and John Rigdon. Govem or Jimm y Carter presented th ese awards.
CONSERVATION AWARDS
by the Georgia Sportsman's Federation

Photo by Bob Wilson

The Georgia Sportsman's Federation recently held their annual meeting in Statesboro to elect officers, present con ervation awards, and fo rmul ate conservation policy for the for thcoming year. The meeting was well attended by delegates from the independent sportsman's clubs and con ervation organizations that make up the Federation.
The theme of the meeting was "The Spo rt man's Role in WildJife Management " and Joe D . Tanner, Directo r of the Game and Fish Department, spoke on this subject. The delegates were also addressed by the Honorable G. Elliott Hagan, First District Congressman, at the Saturday luncheon. cnher speakers included David L. Firor of the National Association of Conservation D istricts and Frank Moore of the Groveland Aut hority.
The meet ing was capped off by the awards banquet, with Governor Jimmy Carter as featured speaker. The Governor's remarks included
Govemor Carter is later presented with th e F'_edera tion 's highest honor, the Conservat.wnist of the Year A ward, for his continued Interest and active participation in conservation matters in th e state.

praise of the work of the Game and Fish Department for its work in wildlife conservation, and th anks to the Sportsman's Federation for its assistance and continued support on important conservation issues. Governor Carter concluded hi s remarks by reaffirming hi s committment to " ... a clean natural environment in the state." Carter was quite surprised a few moments later when the Federation presented him with its

highest honor , The Conservationist of the Year award, for his genuine concern and outstanding efforts in protecting th e natural resources of the state.
The Federation annually presents awards to those individuals making significant contributions in the field of natural re ources conservation in the state. Joe D. Tanner received the Wildlife Conservationist of the Year award for his efforts toward upgrading the performance and efficiency of the Game and Fish Department in conserving the state's wildlife resources. Other award winners were: Loyd N . Harris, SoiJ Conservationist of the Year; Representative Howard Rainey, Legislative Conservationist; John Rigdon , Water Conservationist; J ames C. Wynens, Forest Conservationist; Charles B. Place, Jr., Conservation Education; and R idley Bell, Conservation Communications.
The meeting concluded with the election of officers for 1972-73. Charles Ingram of Lithonia was elected President, Don Stickley of Lake Park, as 1st Vice-President, and Bob
Kinard of Atlanta as SecretaryI
Treasurer. - A aron Pass

19

the
OUTDOOR WORLD
WATERS CREEK CLEAN-UP

Gelling actively involved in th e concept of a clean outdoor en vironm ent, members of th e Chattahoochee chapter of Trout Unlimited spent a Saturday collecting trash and litrer along Waters Creek , a trow stream on th e Chestatee Wildlife Managem ent Area. Supporting a campaign sponsored by Trout Unlimited National, the participants used bags with th e admonition to "Bring back a limit-of Litter. " The limit on Waters Creek was a pick-up truck load of beer cans, paper and other camping refuse.

DEER ANTLER GROWTH
Bucks and other members of the Cervidae family-including deer, moose, elk, and caribou-turn in their old antlers for a new set each year. Many hunters still find this hard to believe, but it does happen every spring.
The increasing daylight hours affect a buck's pituitary gland. The gland secretes a hormone causing testosterone to be released, thus initiating antler growth .
An antler first appears as a knob of calcium covered by a soft, mossylooking tissue called "velvet." This velvet is actually a modified skin, carrying a supply of calcium and other minerals needed in building the bone-like appendages. While in velvet, a buck's antlers are easily damaged. An injury during growth very likely will result in deformed antlers and a loss in symmetry.
As antler growth is completed, the velvet covering dries and begins to

peel. The deer apparently undergoes some irritation and scrapes off the velvet against small trees and bushes, exposing the polished bone headgear.
One reason people refuse to believe deer shed their antler each year may be that discarded antlers aren't found. Antlers are, in fact, an important part of the forest's food chain. Mice, porcupines and squirrels nibble on the antlers, supplying themselves with calcium and phosphorus necessary for body growth.
Aging a deer by counting the number of antler points will result in something less than accuracy. Biologists age a deer by checking lower jaw tooth wear, or by extracting one of the incisor teeth and cutting it cross-grain. The cross-grain check is similar to aging a tree by counting the annular growth rings.
Counting the points of a non-typical rack might present you with a 25 year old deer. However, few whitetails live longer than 15 years whether in the wild or in captivity.
-Judy Williams

STONE MOUNTAIN FISHING CONTEST
Gather up all the citizens of a city the size of Decatur, Georgia, put a fi shing pole in all their hands and you'll have an approximation of the army of anglers expected to descend on the 363-acre Stone Mountain Lake on May 20. The occasion is the annual fishing derby sponsored _jointly by Stone Mountain Park and WPLO radio. Officials are estimating more than 20,000 fi shermen to show up for the 6 a.m. start of the day-long competition. WPLO station personnel will be at the Park's riverboat docks to air hourly reports on the contest. Final judging takes place at 4 p.m.
Prizes will be awarded in 13 categories from biggest bass by weight to the oldest man and woman to catch a fish . First prize, for largest bass, is a boat, motor and trailer. Other prizes include cameras, boats, motors and fishing tackle.
Anglers may begin bringing in fish for weighing at 8 a.m. to the riverboat dock where the weighing station will be located . Thomas A. Elliott, Park general manager, said the weighing station would remain open from 8 a.m. throughout the contest so that all anglers will be able to immediately record their catch . This eliminates the possibility of weight loss through dehydration.
Other categories this year include: largest catfish, crappie bream and largest catches of bass, catfish, crappie and bream. Special categories provide prizes for the largest fish caught by a boy or girl under 12 and the oldest man and woman to catch a fish.
Mr. Elliott said fishing has been unusually good in the 363-acre Park lake this spring. He said the biggest reported catch this year has been a 10-pound largemouth bass. Stone Mountain lakes are stocked annually with 60,000 bass, bream, catfish and crappie.
Mr. Elliott said the competition is open free to everyone. Bait and Georgia fi shin g licenses will be on sale at the Park Marina. "We'd like to invite everyone to come on out," he said, "and let us prove that we've got one of the finest fishing spots in Georgia."
-Art Rauschenberg

20

-

MlSSING ANGLERS
Master Angler's Certificates have been awarded to the following people, but have been returned by the postal authorities as undeliverable. GAME & FISH Magazine would like to get the certificates to these deserving anglers, and we'll be glad to ship them if someone can tell us where.
Bennett Melton Buck Buckalew Charles C. McCullough Bob Townsend Hollis W. Newberry T. E. Shaffer Frances Godhee Claude E. Bell Earl Higgins
-Bob Wilson
Sportsman's
Calendar
PUBLIC FISHING AREAS
McDuffie-March 1 through October 31, 1972.
Arrowhead-April 1 through October 31, 1972. Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays only.
TROUT SEASONS
The Georgia trout season will run from April !-October 7 on all open trout streams and Dockery Lake. The creel limit will be eight (8) trout per day with eight (8) in possession.
The managed trout streams will be opeo from April 29 through Labor Day on the specified days noted in the Managed Stream Schedule, below. Those streams not listed in this schedule open and close with the regular state trout season (April !-October 7).
The state trout regulations have been significantly changed this season and the angler is advised to check a copy of the Georgia Trout Regulations 1972 for specific details.
NEW GENERAL FISHING REGULATIONS
There will be a minimum size limit of twelve (12) inches on largemouth bass on all public waters of the state.
Special creel limits: One (1) tront per day on Waters Creek (Chestatee WMA). Five (5) largemouth bass per day on Lake Russell. Five (5) each, largemouth and chain pickerel and twenty-five (25) bream, no limit on bullhead catfish but no channel catfish may be taken on the Suwannee River.

MANAGED STREAM SCHEDULE

Management
Area
BLUE RIDGE

Stream Jones Creek (Artificial lures)
Montgomery

Nimblewill

Noontootla (artificial lures)
Rock Creek

CHATTAHOOCHEE Chattahoochee

Dukes

CHESTATEE

Boggs

Dicks

LAKE BURTON

Waters (artificial lures)
Moccasin

Wildcat

LAKE RUSSELL Middle Broad

WARWOMAN

Finney

Sarohs

Walnut Fork

Hoods Creek

May Sat., Sun
Sat., Sun. Wed., Thurs. Sat., Sun.
Every Day
Sat., Sun. Wed ., Thurs. Sot., Sun.
Sot., Sun. Wed., Thurs. Sat., Sun. Wed., Thurs. Sot., Sun.
Sot., Sun.
Sot., Sun. Wed., Thurs. Sot., Sun.
Sat., Sun. Wed., Wed., Thurs.
Wed., Thurs.
Sot., Sun.
Sat., Sun.

June Sat., Sun.
Sot., Sun. Wed., Thurs. Sot., Sun.
Every Day
Sot., Sun. Wed., Thurs. Sot., Sun. Wed. , Sot., Sun. Wed., Thurs. Sot., Sun. Wed., Thurs. Sot., Sun.
SOt., Sun.
Sot., Sun. Wed., Thurs. Sat., Sun.
Sat., Sun. Wed., Sat., Sun
Sat., Sun.
Wed ., Thurs.
Wed., Thurs.

July Sat., Sun.
Sat., Sun. Wed ., Thurs. Sat., Sun.
Every Day
Sat., Sun. Wed., Thurs. Sat., Sun.
Sat., Sun. Wed., Thurs. Sat., Sun. Wed ., Thurs. Sot., Sun.
Sat., Sun.
Sot., Sun. Wed., Thurs. Sat., Sun.
Sot., Sun. Wed., Wed., Thurs.
Wed., Thurs.
Sat., Sun.
Sat., Sun.

August Sat., Sun.
Sat., Sun. Wed ., Thurs. Sot., Sun.
Every Day
Sat., Sun. Wed., Thurs. Sat., Sun.
Sat., Sun. Wed., Thurs. Sat., Sun. Wed., Thurs. Sat., Sun.
Sat., Sun.
Sot., Sun. Wed., Thurs. Sot., Sun.
Sat., Sun. Wed ., Sat., Sun.
Sat., Sun.
Wed., Thurs.
Wed., Thurs.

September
Sat., Sept. 1 Sun., Sept. 2 Mon ., Sept. 3
Sat., Sept. 1 Sun., Sept. 2 Mon. Se I. 3
Sot., Sept. 1 Sun., Sept. 2 Mon. Se I. 3
Sot., Sept. 1 Sun., Sept. 2 Mon. , Se t. 3
Sat., Sept. 1 Sun., Sept. 2 Mon. Se I. 3
Sot., Sept. 1 Sun., Sept. 2 Mon., Sept. 3
Sat., Sept. 1 Sun., Sept. 2 Mon ., Sept. 3
Sat., Sept. 1 Sun., Sept. 2 Mon. Se t. 3
Sat., Sept. 1 Sun., Sept. 2 Mon. , Sept. 3
Sot., Sept. 1 Sun., Sept. 2 Mon., Sept. 3
Sat., Sept. 1 Sun., Sept. 2 Mon., Sept. 3
Sat., Sept. 1 Sun., Sept. 2 Mon., Sept. 3
Sat., Sept. 1 Sun., Sept. 2 Mon. Se I. 3
Sat., Sept. 1 Sun., Sept. 2 Mon., Sept. 3
Sat., Sept. 1 Sun., Sept. 2 Mon., Sept..~.
Sat., Sept. 1 Sun., Sept. 2 Mon., Sept. 3
Sat., Sept. 1 Sun., Sept. 2 Mon., Se I. 3

All trout streams open on Saturday, April 29 and Sunday, April 30. The succeeding fishing days are indicated. Also all trout streams will be open on Monday, May 29 and Tuesday, July .4.

Oiiio nfish

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