Shoal Searching
For fans of black bass species Georgia is a veritable Mecca. Many species abound in Georgia and her neighboring states that do not exist elsewhere. Fish like the Chattahoochee bass, Bartram’s, Altamaha, Shoal bass and others live in Georgia as well as on the periphery of the Carolinas, Alabama and Florida. To help promote angler awareness of this unique treasure trove of species, Georgia Department of Natural Resources recently commissioned a project known as the Georgia Bass Slam. Modeled after the state Cutthroat trout slams of western fame, the Georgia Bass Slam is designed to help create awareness for some of the South’s unique and overlooked species. To complete the slam anglers must catch five of the ten recognized black bass species that meet minimum size requirements and come from Georgia waters. Other details exist but the key is this; go explore the South’s unique waters and catch some of the native species that make their homes here. To further promote exploration throughout the state Georgia’s DNR has provided an interactive map on their website that breaks down different water sheds and where you might find these different species of black bass. You can find the map here.
Although I have not yet completed the slam, I have engaged in some scouting for my future attempts. I have successfully located the ubiquitous Largemouth and Spotted bass while also encountering Coosa, Chattahoochee and Shoal bass. Assuming I can catch qualifying specimen within the same calendar year, that would be enough to qualify me as having completed the challenge. Whenever presented with a free weekend, a black bass hunt and reconnoiter rank high on my list of desired activities.
Due to the raised awareness promoted by the DNR’s program, I have become enamored with Shoal bass. Practically Identical to Smallmouth bass in nearly every observable way, Shoal bass are a native jewel of Georgia’s flowing waterways. They abound in the Flint, Chattahoochee and Chestatee rivers as well as some others that I am surely ignorant of. They prefer rocky, quick moving water with some reasonable clarity and a healthy current. Both their appearance and their habitat perfectly mirror the much more widespread Smallmouth bass and their fisheries can be eerily similar. Wading or floating for these fish are excellent means by which to target them. They can be taken on streamers, poppers and even specially designed nymphs resembling hellgrammites and other large fare. Their feeding habits are reminiscent of Smallies and about the greatest difference that I have determined between the two is the Shoalies proclivity for living in much warmer water. In many places the smallmouth fishing will begin to slow down as water temperatures climb into the upper 70’s and on. However, some of the most successful days I have had fishing for Shoal bass featured water in the 80’s.
These fish are incredible and, as with other riverine species, I believe they just fight harder than their still-water cousins. The quicker currents they adapted to survive in create strong and hardy fish, ever hungry for a replenishment of calories. They feast on crawfish, damselflies, redbreast sunfish, shiner species and just about anything else that may fit down their gullets. They frequently reach sizes exceeding 17 inches long and more than 3+ pounds. Due to their healthy populations, hard fighting characteristics and reasonable access, Shoal bass should be considered one of Georgia’s most desirable home-grown gamefish. They will slam most flies, jump and twist their way into the heaviest current always looking for a way to break an angler off.
Even better, fishing for Shoal bass does not need to be complicated. I will generally fish a 6/7 weight rod with a floating or an intermediate fly line. I will fish about a 5 foot leader tapered to about 12 pound tippet. If they are willing to take poppers, awesome! Typically though, I start with streamers and fish them until I have a reason to change. Often enough, this reason ends up being a sore arm from catching a score or more of fish! On this trip, two patterns proved so deadly for my colleague and I that we never bothered to change. We were fishing Sculperino’s and Rabbits Foot flies in natural and olive colors. These flies, tied with dumbbell eyes from the folks at Blue Line Flies, made targeting fish in slightly deeper water a breeze. On this day too, the Shoalies could not get enough of them. We tried to fish them on the swing or quartered against the current as often as we could but the bass seemed just as happy to eat them when we cast them directly upstream and stripped them quickly back to our feet. Aggressive, slashing attacks usually ended with a beautiful fish firmly hooked and eventually coming to hand. Our largest fish was around the 17 or 18 inch mark and could have pushed 3 pounds. Ironically, this fish was caught almost on accident! I had made a 15 foot cast in front of me to take advantage of the water’s tension to cast to a further pool fed by an incoming slide. My fly couldn’t have been in the water for more than 1/2 second when I went to complete my cast and throw to the far side of the pool. As I lifted my rod tip my line tightened and darted out from my hand, fish on! A remarkable battled ensued wherein my trophy fish managed to bury himself in his subterranean nest. He flared his gill plates and firmly ensconced himself back into his boulder garden practically directly under my feet. Over the next two minutes or so I submerged myself and wiggled him free of his hole, incredible! One of my better Shoal bass ever and certainly one of the most memorable due to the unorthodox fight!
I make it an annual tradition to travel to central Georgia and pursue these fish at least once a year in the Flint river in and around Sprewell Bluff State Park. Here, abundant shoals create ideal habitat for thousands of these and other excellent game fish like Longnose gar, Spotted bass, Redbreast sunfish and various catfish besides. Collin and I also explored a nearby WMA just to the south of the state park. We fished both the incoming creek and the main river body and we found roughly equal success in both. Our trip fortuitously coincided with both the spring Shoal Spider Lily bloom as well as the Mountain Laurel flowering. The beautiful fish we caught were perfectly at home with their surprisingly spectacular surroundings. Overlooked or maybe just unknown, these fish deserve more attention from anglers around the country. If you appreciate Smallmouth for all of their abilities, come to Georgia to appreciate their warm-water cousins who so perfectly embody the same spirit.