{"id":1497,"date":"2013-04-27T15:32:35","date_gmt":"2013-04-27T15:32:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.itinerantangler.com\/blog\/podcasts\/?p=1497"},"modified":"2014-03-04T00:10:40","modified_gmt":"2014-03-04T00:10:40","slug":"article-backroad-bullies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.itinerantangler.com\/blog\/podcasts\/2013\/04\/27\/article-backroad-bullies\/","title":{"rendered":"Article: Backroad Bullies"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"backroadbullies\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Red clay is amazingly sticky.<\/span> Mix three inches of rain with a Georgia dirt road made out of the stuff, and you can lose a car in it. On the upside, I\u2019ve found that most red-dirt roads in the South lead to out-of-theway rivers, many with good \ufb01shing. Maybe that inaccessibility is why one of the region\u2019s best game \ufb01shes remained unrecognized by science until 1999.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

That\u2019s when Dr. James Williams and Dr. George Burgess, both researchers with the Florida Museum of Natural History, formally described the shoal bass for the \ufb01rst time. Though similar in appearance to their black bass cousins, shoal bass are in fact unique. They resemble an oversized cross between the redeye bass (a smallish cousin of the largemouth bass) and a smallmouth. Their similarity to the red-eye led scientists to consider them part of the same species, until the advent of gene testing showed them to be different. Those scientists might have done well to talk to some southwest Georgia old-timers, who as far back as the 1940s knew that the shoal bass was a unique \ufb01sh, primarily due to its size. Whereas a red-eye bass tops out at about 19 inches and a couple of pounds, the shoal bass has been certi\ufb01ed up to 8 pounds 12 ounces.<\/p>\n

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Kent Edmonds on Georgia’s Flint River.<\/small><\/center><\/div>\n

According to Dr. Gary Grossman, who pens American Angler<\/em>\u2019s \u201cDr. Trout\u201d column and is a \ufb01sheries-science specialist at the University of Georgia, the shoal bass differs from the red-eye both genetically and morphologically. \u201cThe shoal bass is part of what we call a \u2018species complex,\u2019\u201d Dr. Grossman explains. \u201cWith genetic testing, we\u2019ve come to realize that the \ufb01sh we were calling \u2018red-eye bass\u2019 are actually a number of unique species. It just happens that the shoal bass and the Suwanee bass were the \ufb01rst of that group to be described separately.\u201d Shoal bass don\u2019t just differ from other red-eye basses in their looks; they also behave rather uniquely. \u201cAt times they can act a lot like a trout,\u201d says Georgia guide and recognized shoalie expert Kent Edmonds. Shoal bass favor rivers with low gradients and moderate \ufb02ows. They hang out around shoals (thus their name), often waiting alongside or in front of overhanging rocks or moss tussocks midriver for prey to swim by. Whereas your typical largemouth bass likes downed trees and deep, slow water, and can best be caught with a large bait or \ufb02y thrown in and stripped quickly out, the shoalie is more likely to take a nymph, or even a dead-drifted dry \ufb02y, out in the main channel. For this reason, shoal bass have become very popular with \ufb02y anglers\u2014so popular that a nascent destination \ufb01shery has sprung up in the Middle Georgia area.<\/p>\n

The species is endemic (or native) to only a single drainage: the Apalachicola River system, although it has now been stocked in the Ocmulgee River drainage, as well. The Apalachicola enters the Gulf of Mexico in Apalachicola Bay, Florida. The main stem of the river is actually quite short, crossing only the Florida panhandle. Above Chattahoochee, Florida, the river splits into two main branches: the the Flint River and the Chattahoochee River, which \ufb02ows through and waters Atlanta. Both the \u201cHooch\u201d and the Flint are swampy, slow rivers for most of their South Georgia paths; Gulf stripers run the rivers and compete with the shoalies for food in this area. Above Columbus, Georgia, however, the shoalies gain a decided advantage. This region lies in the Piedmont of the southernmost Appalachian Mountains and features a lot of weathered granite shoals that are wadable and productive shoalie habitat. A coldwater impoundment north of Atlanta called Lake Lanier now pretty much cuts off the northern shoalie territory, leading most \ufb02y anglers to focus on the Flint and the Hooch around Atlanta\u2014all told, over 100 miles of productive shoal bass water.<\/p>\n

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The red eye marks the shoal bass.<\/small><\/center><\/div>\n

Rigging and Tactics<\/h2>\n

Shoal bass live in a temperate warmwater environment, which is ideal for big bugs. Hellgrammites\u2014and their adult form, the dobson\ufb02y\u2014make up a choice morsel throughout shoalie territory. Terrestrials such as beetles, ants, and large native roaches, as well as dragon\ufb02ies, are also proli\ufb01c in shoal bass water. Consequently, many successful shoal-bass anglers use a hopper-dropper system. Some shoal bass get large, but the average \ufb01sh is very similar in size and strength to a trout. Five- and 6-weight rods and appropriately matched reels with standard \ufb02oating lines work great, and you can typically get away with a nine-foot 3X leader. Guide Kent Edmonds<\/a> invented a \ufb02y back in the early 1990s, during the \ufb01rst Gulf War, which he called a Stealth Bomber due to its delta-wing shape. The Stealth Bomber<\/a> is a blatant attractor pattern; it resembles nothing, and at the same time everything. Dobson\ufb02ies, moths, large caddis, stone\ufb02ies. You name it, the Stealth Bomber can vaguely imitate it. Consequently, the pattern has become darn-near ubiquitous among shoal bass \ufb01shermen. In some cases, you\u2019ll see entire boxes stocked with nothing but Stealth Bombers in various colors. But the \u201chopper\u201d component is just one part\u2014and in some cases the least important part\u2014of the system you\u2019ll need to successfully \ufb01sh for shoalies.<\/p>\n

The Flint and middle Chattahoochee tend to \ufb02ow with slightly stained, blue-green to brown-tinted water for most of the year. Fishing is best in early spring\u2014when many bigger \ufb01sh are caught\u2014to mid-summer, when long June and July evenings allow the bugs to rise for hours. Water levels tend to be relatively stable in that period, though increased runoff from the Atlanta area has made them somewhat less predictable in recent years (just witness last year\u2019s \ufb02oods). In stained water, most trout experts will tell you to go with a dark brown or black pattern when \ufb01shing subsurface. That\u2019s good advice for shoal bass, as well. Edmonds prefers Carter\u2019s Rubber-Legged Dragon, a chenille dragon\ufb02y larvae with bead-chain eyes, as his go-to dropper, but in truth just about any big, leggy, dark nymph will work. Hare\u2019s Ears, big rubber-legged stone\ufb02y nymphs like a Bitch Creek, or even a black Woolly Bugger \ufb01shed on a dead drift are all good options for your dropper. (In faster \ufb02ows, you can sometimes dispense with the indicator \ufb02y altogether and just dredge the depths with these heavily weighted nymphs).<\/p>\n

To rig your hopper-dropper setup, \ufb01rst tie on the hopper \ufb02y. This is usually a Stealth Bomber, but also potentially a standard popper, or a Club Sandwich or other large, preferably foam attractor. I like a nonslip mono loop knot, but you can use a Duncan\u2019s loop or a clinch knot, too. When the pattern is secure, strip off about 20 to 30 inches of 3X tippet. Double one end of the tippet over itself, making a loop about three inches long. Pinch the tip of the 3X tippet hard against itself, between your thumb and fore\ufb01nger, and push your thumb forward to spin the tippet through your \ufb01ngers, making a quick hangman\u2019s noose. Slip the noose over the bend of the hopper\u2019s hook; then carefully snag the tag end out from under your pinched \ufb01ngers and run it through the loop before pulling on the long end to tighten. With practice, you\u2019ll be able to make a clinch knot dropper connection like this in seconds, without fumbling for the \ufb02y or twisting up the all-important leader. Finally, tie on your dropper with your preferred knot to the other end of your tippet. If the nymph is unweighted, de\ufb01nitely crimp on a size BB or bigger split shot a few inches above the dropper \ufb02y to get it down.<\/p>\n

Locating Shoalies<\/h2>\n

\u201cShoal bass will hang out around large structure, just like a black bass will,\u201d says Edmonds, \u201cbut I \ufb01nd they really like the moss in the middle of the river.\u201d In the Flint and in parts of the Chattahoochee, the native mosses grow into somewhat unusual formations, like two- to three-foot-tall humps that run up- and downriver for several yards on the shoals. Between these humps are canyons of clear water, generally a foot or two wide. Obviously, this is an ideal \ufb01sh lie, and the shoal bass has evolved to take advantage of it. Shoalies will commonly hold tight against and under these long moss clumps (which can be severely undercut). In order to get a \ufb02y to them, you need to run your hopper-dropper system straight down the lane between tussocks.<\/p>\n

This makes for relatively short casts and relatively short drifts. Fortunately, there are multitudes of holding lies to try, and the more or less level bottom means these shoal systems can go on for miles, especially on the Flint. I prefer to \ufb01sh for shoal bass on a relatively warm day when the water levels are lower and thus the water is clear. Middle Georgia has a great climate for wet wading, so bring some swim trunks and a trusty pair of wading boots or sticky-soled sandals, and just plan to get wet. This also means carrying waterproof \ufb02y boxes! I will often swim from tussock to tussock in the river wherever the bottom is brie\ufb02y too deep to wade. Starting from the bank, wade into the river and begin identifying the clear spots between moss tussocks. They will be darker, streaky lines on turbid water days, and should be obvious enough if the water is clear. Cast no more than thirty feet upriver to the head of one of these runs; then let the \ufb02y work back to you. Be sure to keep control of your slack so it doesn\u2019t interfere with your hook set.<\/p>\n

Alternatively, position yourself on one of the large rocks midshoal, and carefully work all the seams in reach, mending the line to keep a dead drift. If you \ufb01nd yourself \ufb01shing a particularly deep or still hole, don\u2019t be afraid to give the system a pop or twitch; this can often trigger a quick strike from a \ufb01sh lurking just out of sight. Pay attention, because the topwater takes can be quick and explosive! On a good day, you should see double-digit numbers of \ufb01sh slamming the \ufb02y on top, with an equal or greater number of eats on your nymph. While 12 inches is a good average size, shoal bass above \ufb01ve pounds are caught every year. Away from the moss pods, you may need to switch tactics. Across-and-down drifts are not so effective when the \ufb01sh are holding in multiple pocket lies, but on gravelly shoals much more common in the Chattahoochee than the Flint, standard trout streamer tactics apply.<\/p>\n

\n

I will often swim from tussock to tussock in the river wherever the bottom is brie\ufb02y too deep to wade.<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n

Shoal bass will eat almost all the streamers trout prefer. Many new Atlanta-area anglers catch a shoal bass as their \ufb01rst \ufb02y-caught \ufb01sh of any kind, usually on olive or black Woolly Buggers stripped through the tail ends of runs. Shoal Bass Country The southernmost Appalachian Piedmont is a surprisingly hilly and beautiful place, with lots of opportunities to \ufb02oat, hunt, and \ufb01sh. Sprewell Bluff State Park on the Flint River is a great starting point for your exploration of this area; shoals extend for several miles in both directions, especially if you don\u2019t mind a bit of swimming, while the local wildlife can be pretty astounding. I\u2019ve seen plenty of turkeys, deer, families of otters playing in the river, and even an elusive bobcat while \ufb01shing the Flint in this area. Local canoe out\ufb01tters offer 5-, 10-, and even 20-mile \ufb02oats with put-ins around or above Sprewell Bluff. Further, highway bridge crossings east of Gay, Georgia, on Flat Shoals Road, east of Woodbury on Highway 18, and southwest of Thomaston on Highway 36 offer wading anglers access if you don\u2019t mind getting wet. Meanwhile, the Chattahoochee River in metro Atlanta sports a healthy population of shoalies downstream of Morgan Falls Dam, west of Roswell. For approximately 10 miles from that dam to the Interstate 75 bridge, your chances of catching a rainbow trout, brown trout, shoal bass, or even a striped bass are about equal among all species. Whether you\u2019re a new \ufb02y angler looking to test your skills against a worthy opponent in a land not known for trout, or you\u2019re a seasoned veteran in search of something new, the shoal bass is an excellent target.<\/p>\n

Middle Georgia\u2019s rivers retain the easygoing access and wild look more commonly seen in bygone years, while the Metro Atlanta \ufb01shery is a rare resource for such a major city. Best of all, shoalie \ufb01shing is a return to a simpler time, when a handful of trusty \ufb02ies and a pair of wet shorts were all you needed to catch \ufb01sh.<\/p>\n

This article originally ran in the May\/June 2010 issue of <\/em>American Angler magazine. For a PDF copy of the original article, click here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Red clay is amazingly sticky. Mix three inches of rain with a Georgia dirt road made out of the stuff, and you can lose a car in it. On the upside, I\u2019ve found that most red-dirt roads in the South lead to out-of-theway rivers, many with good \ufb01shing. Maybe that …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1517,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1497","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","column","onecol","has-thumbnail"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.itinerantangler.com\/blog\/podcasts\/files\/2013\/04\/backroadbullies.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.itinerantangler.com\/blog\/podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1497","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.itinerantangler.com\/blog\/podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.itinerantangler.com\/blog\/podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itinerantangler.com\/blog\/podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itinerantangler.com\/blog\/podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1497"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"https:\/\/www.itinerantangler.com\/blog\/podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1497\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2845,"href":"https:\/\/www.itinerantangler.com\/blog\/podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1497\/revisions\/2845"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itinerantangler.com\/blog\/podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1517"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.itinerantangler.com\/blog\/podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1497"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itinerantangler.com\/blog\/podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1497"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itinerantangler.com\/blog\/podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1497"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}