Spring in Ga means two things: Turkey Hunting and Fishing. April marks the beginning of mild temperatures (for a short amount of time) and the turkey season in full swing around Ga. West Point lake is home to the West Point WMA on the north end of the lake is a frequent blip on the radar for turkey hunters and fisherman south of Atlanta.
After making several trips to the WMA hunting turkey with little luck (aside from a few hens chasing me down), I decided it was time to get away for a weekend, so I invited my brother-in-law, Kellen, to camp with me on the WMA for the weekend. We loaded up Friday and were at the camping area in about an hour setting up camp. The plan was to fish at night off the bridge as you head to the check in station and for me to hunt in the mornings and evenings. As soon as we arrived I threw 2 bags of chum off the bridge for the night to come.
I you want to know more about Chumming for Catfish Click Here to view my article called "The Secret to Catching Big Cats".
We didn't fish that first night since it was late when we arrived and we were pretty wiped out so we cooked some dinner and turned in early so I could hit the woods for thing in the morning.
My alarm went off about 45 minutes before day light so I donned my turkey hunting gear and set off into the woods with a hopeful heart that I would hear a big Gobbler first thing in the morning. Alas, the turkey were not so friendly that morning so after returning to camp and cooking some breakfast over the campfire we decided to head to the bridge to relax and have enjoy the beautiful weather. We were set up with Carolina Rigs for catfish and a couple tubs of chicken livers so I started baiting hooks and casting. No sooner had I reached the 3rd rod to set up, the first rod was dancing vigorously. Kellen grabbed the rod, set the hook and reeled in a nice 2 lb cat right off the bat. The chumming already looked promising as we could see several BIG turtles and fish moving along the banks all around in the little cove we were in. By the time I baited the last hook, Kellen had already reeled in a second fish. The next 3 hours proved extremely successful as we caught nearly 20 very nice sized cats. The cove behind us looked like a war zone from all the carcasses, where I was filleting the fish as they came to save space in the cooler.
We decided to take a break from the sun and Kellen went back to the camp while I returned to the hollows to try and find a big Tom. Night fell and still no luck with the turkeys so after dinner we returned to the bridge with the chairs, cooler and a lantern. The night proved even more successful! We were on the bridge until well after midnight, laughing catching fish and making some great memories.
The next day I decided I had given the turkeys enough grief and we spent the entire day catching fish on that same bridge. We had a visitor join us in our spot who turned out be a very personable basketball coach named Scotty so we shared some bait and some stories and all 3 of us caught several fish.
**Side Note** More than a year later my wife and I were fishing another bridge in the WMA in the late evening and Scotty just so happened to come to the water that day. We remembered each other and spent a bit of time catching up and reminiscing one of the most successful days of catching catch fish for both of us.
All in all the trip was hugely successful and we returned with more than 15 lbs of catfish fillets and a several case of sunburn. That night after a shower I broke out the deep fryer and the 4 of us (Kellen's wife included) had an amazing fried catfish and hush puppy dinner. If you have never tried battering your fish in a Tempora wet batter I highly recommend giving it shot. Catfish get a bad wrap sometimes, but one things is certain, that a few poles leaning on a bridge, a cooler and a lantern can truly make for an unforgettable weekend.
No comments:
Post a Comment