Welcome to the quest.

The world record shoal bass is 8 lbs and 12 ozs and was caught on October 27 1977 in the Apalachicola River Florida. It has only been in the past few years that it has been targeted specifically by river fisherman with the rising popularity of kayak fishing.
A few years ago I discovered kayak fishing and decided to make the shoal bass my my main focus. It was even more recently that I was approached by a fellow kayak angler that was interested in making a film about the hunt for the world record shoal bass which sparked my interest greatly and spawned the creation of this blog. The hunt for this record fish has since become the focus of all of my fishing activities. I now target the shoal bass exclusively. I was recently asked by a fellow angler if I thought I really had a chance at catching a world record ? My reply.. Well my chances are are as good as yours or any body else but if I do YOU are damn sure gonna hear about it. I would like to dedicate this blog and my efforts to Philip (Swampthang) Mays who is the first person to ever take me on a kayak trip down the river for shoal bass and started this addiction that I love so much. Phil left this world recently for a better place. He was a true sportsman and will be deeply missed. Thank you Phil.

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Winter is just around the corner.

Our northern neighbors are already experiencing some tough winter weather but one of the beautiful things about living in Georgia is if the weather turns nasty just wait a day and it will change. You cant ever tell  what the weather is going to do here. I remember times in recent years when we were wearing short sleeve shirts at Christmas time. One day its cold the next its warm.. Its constantly changing.  Georgia weather can be down right weird at times . Last week in a span of three days we experienced winter like conditions one day then it warmed up and we had thunder storms and tornadoes and then turned off cool and windy.

Even though winter is approaching there will be warmer days here and there right up to January before the cold weather really sets in. So when the really cold weather does set in what do we do ? Stop fishing ?
Naaaa.. Just put on some extra clothing and stay at it.  Even though the fish get a little more lethargic and their metabolism slows down they still have to eat every now and then. Its tough to get em to bite in the winter but it can still be done. Usually when you do get a bite though it will be a good fish. Here  is a fish that I caught early this year on a very cold January day.  I fished for eight solid hours that day and literally only got one bite but as you can see it was a good one.



Fall fishing this year has not been as productive as I had hoped it would be but I did catch a few good ones and best of all I was able to explore a couple of new spots that look promising for spring.  Fall is technically not over and there will be several warm days and good opportunities to fish before winter arrives though and I plan to take full advantage as long as possible. Once the cold weather sets in I will use my time to scout out new locations and prepare my kayak and gear for the spring and you can bet I will slip in a few days of winter fishing too.

So stay warm out there folks and don't let the boring winter months get to ya. Put on a few extra layers and get out there and enjoy the great outdoors. The fish still have to eat they just don't eat as often but you never know when you might just hook into a monster that happens to be hungry when your bait comes passing by.
If you do get on the water this is the time of year to take extra precaution. Wear your PFD and always take a dry bag with some dry clothes in case you get wet. Be prepared and always fish with a partner.
I hope everyone has a happy holiday season.
Stay safe out there 
WJ

1 comment:

  1. Hey, found your blog and followed. Good luck on your quest. JGR

    ReplyDelete