As you all have already realized I’ve been away from the blog for quite sometime now. I’d like to thank each and everyone one of you for reading this blog and I hope that you’ll continue following the SkinnyMoose Bloggers as they bring you the very latest and greatest outdoor news and entertainment. I will be on and off the blog sporadically from here on out because I am tied up building and maintaining an all new message board called www.carolinasoutdoor.com ,an all new hunting and fishing forum dedicated to North and South Carolina outdoorsmen. Come join us or at least check in often to see what the folks in the Carolinas are doing in the field. Once again thanks for your support.

Buck Perry from North Carolina will be one of four who will be entered into the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame on February 21st in Greenville, SC.

Although Perry passed away at the age of 90 back in 2005 he will always be known as the “Father of Structure Fishing”. Most of you from the south probably know him for the lures he invented called a spoonplug. Mr. Perry has already been named one of the nations top 25 most influential anglers.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Four legendary figures of bass fishing who have contributed greatly to the sport through education, angling achievements, innovations and communications will join 32 previously inducted men and women into the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame, Feb. 21.

The class of 2008 includes Charlie Campbell and Virgil Ward both of Missouri, Nick Crème of Texas and Buck Perry of North Carolina, as the seventh group of inductees. Crème, Perry and Ward will be inducted posthumously.

Induction ceremonies Thursday, Feb. 21 will take place at the Hyatt Hotel in Greenville, S.C., the evening before the start of the 40th Bassmaster Classic’s three days of championship fishing on Lake Hartwell. The reception will begin at 6 p.m. followed by the induction banquet and ceremony in the main ballroom at 7 p.m.

LINK TO FULL STORY HERE

With hunting season either over all together or soon to be in parts of the south, I’d like to start on a new project for the upcoming weeks/months. I am looking for harvest photos from across the south. These can be deer, hog, turkey, any small game, coyotes, hunting dogs, trapping photos, etc. Please be sure to include a name and state in which the animal(s) was taken. A brief story to be posted here at Southern Adventures would be awesome if you have time. Once I get enough submissions, I’ll be announcing the week in which I’ll begin to showcase a “Southern Trophy” a day. The contact information can be found at the top of the blog here. Hope to hear from you soon!!

Photos courtesy of North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission

North Carolina lakes may have new fish feeders in place if the proto-type pictured above proves to hold up to the tests. Many North Carolina Lakes have fish feeders in place where bank fishing is popular. The feeders are filled with fish food and are designed to go off at different intervals throughout the day. According to the NCWRC
the transition will be slow if the feeders should prove to work out. These feeders are built by inmates from The Dan River Prison Work Farm here in Caswell County NC. The feeders are built pretty much hand built one at a time so getting these feeders out to other lakes and ponds here in NC will be slow. You can read the entire article from the NCWRC by clicking on any of the above links.

 

      I remember fishing for gar along the Chattahoochee River and after reading this post over at The Outdoor Newshound  I couldn’t help but wonder what fighting a 97lb Alligator Gar must have felt like. I’ve managed to catch a few 30lbrs but most were in the 10-20lb range. The fight that even these smaller fish dish out is quite impressive to say the least.

     Gar fish can be caught on a variety of baits and lures, however, most alligator gar that are caught by unsuspecting bass anglers running a topwater plug or a spinner for bass  never make it to the boat. Alligator Gar can be especially hard to hook and the average gar will make a field day out of a modest bass set-up if you manage to hook one. Alligator Gar can be caught on a 6/0 treble hook baited with a slab of cutbait. My experiences with Alligator Gar and all gar fish in general is, the hotter the weather the better, the shallow flats along deep holes were always a good spot to find a gar cruising. 

     Some Florida, spotted, and shortnosed gar can be had fairly easy by using a Mepps Spinner or something like a BlueFox with the treble hooks sharpened extremely well. These methods are good for covering alot of ground and when the fish are feeding well. For slower days, something as simple as a #4 treble hook rigged with a 4-5″ shiner floated around some weeds and debris will usually do the trick.

   The Alligator Gar is fairly common in some areas, but, as a whole their numbers are dwindling. 

 

This is probably old news to some, but I just ran across an article about the 25lb 1oz Largemouth Bass that was caught last March by anglers Jed Dickerson and Mike Winn. I’m sure some remember that this fish was actually “snagged”, which spun some controversey as to whether or not it should be allowed as a world record. Turns out these fellas are still toying with the idea of entering it after finding out from the International Game Fish Association in Florida there is no time limit to apply for an all-tackle world record. This next part is where I get a little confused and maybe some readers out there can enlighten me on how do they know that this is/was the same fish? Was it tagged? Personally, whether its the same fish or not, snagged or hooked in the lip, its still a heck of a catch. However, I feel a hook in the lip should constitute a catch and a snag should be called “luck”. View article here.

What made the story interesting was that the fish was the same one caught in 2003 by Dickerson. At that time, the fish initially weighed 22 pounds, 9 ounces, but was “officially” certified by a California Department of Fish and Game Warden at 21-11 several hours later.

photo courtesy of The Roanoke Times

   The above photo is Mackey May with his 28lb, 4 oz striper that landed him and his partner Dave Brown a win at the Smith Mountain Striper Club Tournament this past weekend. Smith Mountain Lake is an absolute beautiful lake tucked away in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Southwestern Virginia, and is known for its great striper fishing as well as other species.

   Back in the spring of 2003, Smith Mountain Lake experienced a major fish kill. According to data, mostly larger, older striped bass were affected. A parasitic infestation, (Achtheres), combined with a shad winterkill was to blame. I have heard reports that striper fishing isn’t what it “used to be” but it is rebounding. Hopefully Smith Mountain Lake striped bass can continue to recover and award other anglers with a great catch such as the one Mackey May was able to land.

   

photo courtesy of Georgia State Parks

  So you like to eat fish? Me too! Unfortunately, limiting your amount of certain fish from certain waters is becoming more and more heard of across this nation.  With warnings being printed in regulations books and hearing the tales from locals I doubt there is anyone who hasnt heard someone say “I wouldnt eat anything that comes from that water”.

   One has to wonder, just how much fish would you have to eat to get sick? Well, that all depends on  what your state has listed as safe levels of consumption.  Are warnings in a book really enough? What about signs around the lakes warning anglers of the contaminantes? Well for some in Georgia, this is the debate.

   According to a recent article I read, in the early 90’s Georgia stopped using warning signs informing people of contaminated fish in a body of water.  I did some research on the consumption guidelines for fish in Lake Hartwell and it appears the Tugaloo Arm of Hartwell has a do not eat advisory  on Hybrid and Striped Bass over 16 inches and the Main Body of Hartwell has a do not eat advisory on all Hybrid and Striped Bass. See page 10 of 32.

   I dont personally see where a few signs at the boat ramps would hurt, especially when money will continue to be spent stocking the fish that you can’t eat. Staying up to date on regulations and guidelines is something everyone should be doing in their state. Georgia provides a “Guidelines for Eating fish from Georgia Waters” booklet available online and anywhere licenses are sold. 

  See article

Rabern said one reason the state doesn’t post fish warning signs is because “signs tend to be shooting targets.”

But other bullet-hole-free signs are alongside the water, warning of overhead power lines and varying lake levels, and reminding boaters to “Wear Your Life Jacket” and “Keep Clear of Others.”

Manning said the lack of fishing advisory signs on the Georgia side is “a reasonable concern,” but people who are fishing legally can pick up the guidelines when they buy a license.

“It certainly isn’t a perfect solution,” Manning said. But there are no plans to post signs.

Photo courtesy of
NC Wildlife Resources Commission.

Have you ever got off work early and decided that a quick fishing trip with your kids would be nice? Sure you have, but we all know that loading the boat, gear, stopping for gas and snacks, etc. is time consuming and takes some planning in order to have enough time to actually fish. Well, for some residents near Chatuge Lake, NC thats about to change. A 56 ft. “T” shaped pier is almost completed and will allow easy public access for anglers nearby. You can read more about this project and learn if others are in the making here. (See Shooting Creek Public Fishing area Nearing Completion)