January 2014

Happy New Year, Everyone!

A Striper-Strong December

Carter’s Lake was anything but stable in December. We've had two storm systems drop approx 12 inches of rain and raise water levels as much as 10ft over pool. As of January 1, we are approx 5ft over pool with more rain on the way. Despite the crazy water conditions the stripers showed up big time in December as I averaged between 3-6 Stripers per trip ranging from 12-25lbs. Our biggest striper of the month was boated by John Garlepp of Canton. The fished weighed approximately 25lbs, pictured above.

The spotted bass bite was also good, although not as good as in years past for "December Spotted Bass fishing at Carters" –which has a reputation as being incredible. I had multiple trips with spotted bass over 4lbs, and our biggest for the month weighed 5.5lbs!!! --a true trophy caught by 13yr old Connor, also pictured above.

Looking Back at 2013

If you’re receiving our newsletter, you’ve probably already read the highlights from last year, but I’ll recap them here: 2013 was a big year for us. We extended our reach by adding a new guide, Rick Shoup, to run trips on Allatoona. Rick has fished Allatoona for years and offers great knowledge of both spotted bass and striper/hybrid fishing at Lake Allatoona. Allatoona is a great place to send your family for overall numbers of fish. If you’re closer to Atlanta and want to book a fun day on the water with Rick, simply call the main line 706-218-6609 or send a booking request and tell us you want to fish Allatoona with Rick.

Also in 2013, we launched a newly renovated web site (you dig it?) with a blog-type layout updated monthly. Check back often as we’re constantly uploading new content. Please click here to inquire about banner affiliates or advertising on this site.

Joe Thomas and fellow producer Jim Kramer made TWO trips down here in 2013 to film episodes of Stihl’s Reel in the Outdoors. The first was in May, with the lake in flood stage. We literally launched the boats up in the parking lot, fish were locked down, and I was really worried we wouldn’t get a show. But late on the last day of filming, we unlocked a pattern that put 4 fish over 4 lbs in the boat in less than an hour. Those guys did a great job of putting the story together, and honestly, I think it is the best show we’ve done. As a bonus, a 2nd crew was with us to shoot a “Behind the Scenes” series covering the events.

Click here to watch episodes online.

The 2nd show we did in 2013 was just a few weeks ago. Every time these guys come down, I want to give them something new, interesting, and different. We already did a float-n-fly show in December 2012, so this time I wanted to put them on the big striper we’ve been catching. We had to overcome some obstacles for this ‘primarily bass fishing’ show, including what to do about Joe’s Ranger sponsorship –since you can’t rightly fish for striper out of a bass boat. But after some phone calls and lengthy discussion, they decided to pull the trigger and go with it. To put it in Producer Jim’s words “You know, I wasn’t that excited about doing a live bait show; drop a bait, sit and wait,… But when they’re THIS BIG (holding his arms out wide)!” This was one of those shoots where everything just seemed to come together. I’ll announce air dates as soon as I get them.

January and 2014

January is gonna be C-O-L-D! Our 10 day forecast as of New Year's Day looks like bone-chilling cold –lows in the 20s and highs only in the 40s. I have a feeling it's gonna be a record cold year. That's ok though. This cold weather doesn't affect the fish as much as people think. Our fish are very comfortable in the cold conditions and often eat very well in January. The toughest part of fishing in January is convincing people it is worth getting away from the fireplace and getting out in the cold to catch some fish! If you can’t tell by the pics, we slam 'em in the winter –don’t miss it! Click here to see the gallery.

Party Boat Trip Dates Announced - Only $90!

Want to go on a guide trip for less than a hundred bucks? We're announcing the 2014 Party Boat trips now! This is a great way to go fishing for just $90! Below are the selected dates. Better get your name in soon, as last year these trips filled up in just a few hours. Click here to register online.

• Saturday, Jan. 25th
• Saturday, Feb. 1st
• Sunday, Feb. 9th
• Sunday, Feb. 16th

Newsletter is Back

I have officially hired some help (Adam… he rocks. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) with the web site, social media, brochures, post cards, business cards, posters, banners, boat wraps, stickers, AND NOW… our newsletter. Our new newsletter will be the first point that we announce events, discounts, promotions, and other important news. So, if you want first crack at the goods, sign up here.

NOTE: Be sure to add This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to your contact list so that this newsletter doesn’t get filtered to spam!

You can view the last e-mail newsletter here.

Reminder: $25 for Bait Trips

Just a reminder that there is a $25 charge for trips that include live trout as bait –which includes most all winter trips. The cost of trout isn't cheap, some days we use $40-$50 worth on a single trip. The $25 charge will help me recover some of this expense. (fee does not apply to Party Boat trips).

Now Taking Deposits

A last-minute cancellation by a client is essentially money out of my pocket. I had a high number of these last year and I've decided to start taking deposits up front. So our booking policy now includes a $100 non-refundable deposit on all trips booked in 2014. Deposits are due 7 days prior to your trip, otherwise, I’ll open the date to others. If your trip is cancelled due to weather, emergencies, etc... your deposit will be valid for re-scheduling.

Making deposits is easy. You can make instant deposit payments here online or via the PayPal icon in the lower left. -OR- simply add it cart on our booking page.

$25 Referral Discounts

I'm very excited about this, and you should be too! I'm receiving more referrals now than ever before, and to show my appreciation all the referrals my customers give me, I want to give back to you guys to say thanks! So starting in 2014 I'm offering $25 off your next trip when you send a new booking client to me. Discounts are cumulative per boat. Go get ‘em!

Gearing up in January

Winter fish can be very picky. If you want the best in winter fishing lures, check out the complete line of SpotSticker and Big Bite products. If you're planning a Spotted Bass trip in January with me 90% of our artificial arsenal will be from these two companies. The Crawler Head tipped with a Big Bite Skirted Twin Tail will be a stand-by, along with the SpotSticker Hand-Tied Casting Jig. January forces you to slow down and bulk up, and these baits are my "go-to" weapons for cold water fishing.

I normally try to target budget-minded recommendations in the "Gearing Up" section, but this is a time of year when you can demand a little more out of your gear. So for you "more serious" anglers, the 6'10" Medium in St.Croix's Legend Tournament Series is about as good as it gets for your light presentations: SpotSticker ball heads with BigBite Shaking Squirrels or SpotSticker's smaller 1/8oz Crawler Head. For heavier baits, treat yourself to the 7'1" MHXF casting rod in the same series. These rods are "out-of-bounds" good!!! You'll find both of these rods on my boat this time of year because they are extremely sensitive, have strong backs for firm casts and powerful hook-sets, and are all the quality you'd expect from St.Croix.

Stay Hooked Up!

Remember, for the latest updates on the bite, pictues, videos, and more, like us on Facebook and subscribe to our newsletter!

Good luck out there,