Fathers, Sons & Farm Ponds

Happy Monday Spacefish!

Last weekend was Father’s Day – I hope all of our readers that are Father’s had a fantastic weekend. Last week I wrote about taking a trip to George L. Smith State Park in Georgia – an awesome destination for kayakers and all that enjoy paddling in a beautiful natural setting. Today I am going to write about the fishing we did the rest of the weekend, we had a big family gathering at my brother’s place – I was able to do a lot of kayak fishing, and bank fishing with my son’s and nephews. So while I will not be breaking down a “spot” I hope I am able to share information that some of you find helpful when it comes to fishing with youngsters!

Finding Bluegill Beds

Throughout the late winter and spring seasons throughout the southeastern United States, Largemouth Bass were in their spawn – when they are spawning, they can be targetted while they defend their beds from pesky invaders – that’s why certain creature baits, like lizards, craws etc are very effective this time of year, because Bass are on high alert for these creatures and they will bite out of a mixture hunger, aggression & defense. As summer rolls in, the Bass are done spawning, in some areas they may be still in the shallows guarding fry, but June is a time of year where Bluegill spawn, and Bass now switch roles, and harass the spawning Bluegills. On the same day we went out to George L. Smith, we wrapped up before noon, grabbed some lunch, enjoyed some time in the swimming pool during the hottest part of the afternoon, then got back out in the yaks on the farm ponds for the late afternoon and evening bite.

I went out solo in my kayak, and had my best friend’s son with me, his name is Jhett, he is 8 years old, and is well on his way to becoming a truly hardcore angler! Pictured below is Jhett, and I posted up on a set of Bluegill beds in the middle of a farm pond

Soft Plastic Jerkbaits

South Georgia freshwater fisheries are very similar to Florida in a lot of ways, the same types of vegetation/structure/cover exist, that being said, I would approach a new South Georgia fishery the same way I would approach any new body of water in Florida – to maximize my time on the water, I am going to select baits in tried and true color ways, and choose profiles that can excel in thick vegetation, and when going for more bites, I try and downsize the profile as much as possible. The baits that really excelled for me (& all of us fishing) last weekend in the ponds were the Fish, or Die Sharpshooter on a weedless ned rig around the beds, but to cover water, and to find fish, the bait of choice, that caught more fish than everything else combined was the Fish, or Die Warbird in Liberty Tree (Watermelon Red). The week before that, I fished a new place in Osceola County for a future spacefish report, and my search bait of choice was a Bitter’s Skip Shad (Fluke) in Watermelon Red. Next to the speedworm a weedless/weightless fluke in Watermelon Seed, or Watermelon Red is a huge confidence bait for me when searching for Bass in new areas.

When fishing from the bank with kids, it’s a great bait that I can cast, get hooked up, and then let them reel it in. Pictured below is me and my 3 year old, bringing one in together on the Fish, or Die Warbird, and also pictured below is him and I in the yak, after he just reeled in his first kayak Bass on the Liberty Tree Warbird.

For the standard “flukes,” I opt to fish it on a 3/0 EWG Worm Hook – for the FoD Warbird I like the BKK 2/0 screwlock worm hook.

Top Water Frogs (and Gators)

If you can catch them on topwater, then why try anything else??? Seriously though. As soon as the sun started to sink behind the big Georgia pines, we started slinging the topwater baits, my lifelong best bud, Sean threw a 2 inch Rebel Popper, my son Rix hung with him and helped reel in his hooked up fish, and used my boga grips to hold it still while my buddy got those pesky treble hooks out.

Out on the water, I fished a new bait from the American Bait Company that I REALLY love, and will now be part of my arsenal moving forward – the Zoo Pop. I fished the bone color, It is a downsized profile, just like your standard 2-3 inch poppers but with the hollow body frog style weedless double hook – this bait absolutely produced for me, I was not getting bit on my bigger body frogs, and made the switch and started getting smoked. So if you are ever in a situation where you know the topwater bite is on, going down in profile may be the key to getting the bites and blowups.

My buddies son, Jhett, who has always called me “Uncle Knox,” was out with me on the pond in my old Heritage kayak, that now belongs to my brother. I had him rigged up with the Bitters Buzz’n Gator in Watermelon Red/Pearl, it had a lighter belly, is a smaller profile bait, that is designed to be buzzed along the surface. Like the weedless Zoo Pop this is a great topwater option for being in the kayak, because you can throw this into areas that are thick with vegetation, and it doesn’t involved any elaborate action. It is a great bait for an 8 year old due to its simplicity, and being a smaller bait it will draw a lot of strikes – the look in his eyes after getting to experience that blow up, then land a nice fish was absolutely priceless, and one of the best experiences I have ever had since I started kayak fishing, thank God for my pedal drive because he had gotten worked into the bank, was having trouble landing the fish, I was able to come screaming across the pond and performed one of the most daring, dramatic, and epic flying net jobs of all time – Jhett and I truly had a ball fishing together! Last thing I will say about the Bitters Buzz’n Gator…it’s a great bait for an 8 year old, but this 34 year old semi-professional (self given title – LOL) loves it as well, and it is a staple of my summer Bass fishing arsenal.

Conclusion

It was really nice to spend an afternoon fishing with my sons and nephews, being able to take part in the sport you love, with people you love is truly special, we had a great time fishing, we got to see the magical looks in the eyes of children as they experienced the joy of seeing Largemouth Bass jump and try to spit the hook, to feel that special feeling of getting that hooked fish lifted onto the bank, or the deck of the kayak, it really was the best Father’s Day gift I could ever ask for. I know that I spew a lot of words on this website, but sometimes a picture says 1,000 words, and if that indeed is the case, I will stop writing now, and leave you a picture of my nephew Hudson, who is all smiles after he landed a nice Bass from the bank of the pond.

Thank you for taking the time to read my report, and allowing me to indulge you with my family’s fishing outings on Father’s Day – I have some really good local inshore stuff coming in the next few weeks, and can’t wait to share new spots and locations with you all. Also, a big thank you to Kayaks By Bo for partnering with us for our weekly kayak fishing adventures – if you haven’t yet, be sure to go check them out at their new location in Cocoa!

Have a great week folks, go out and catch em! Until next time!