Charles Elliot

[FFing Duo]

We got our new tubes this week and decided to try them out on flat water first. After fumbling around for awhile figuring out how to manuever, we had a pretty good day working the shoreline of Upper Raliegh with poppers and black hopper patterns. We then tried Lower Raliegh, where we had no luck. The vegetation growth in the Lower made manuevering difficult and even out poppers where getting full of gr****on every cast. (Suggestion: a couple of gr****carp could help) Anyway, for those who fish CE (or MArben if you prefer), which are your favortie ponds? Why?

Jonathan and Jessica
the now float tubing duo.

[Owl]

you just named two of them ! http://www.georgia-outdoors.com/ubbngto/smile.gif gr****in Lower Raliegh???? Sounds like I need to make a trip there soon.....Milliam, you out there, still , man ?

[William McClendon]

Allen is becoming one of my favorites and since Whitetail is so close to it, it ranks in second. They seem to be the less likely to be crowded. Whitetail is really nice and open around the banks. Makes for easy flyrodding around the edges. Allen's got some great Sunfish in it as well as large Ba$$. I'm really looking forward to getting my tube in there and getting back to the Shell-cracker beds in the back. I just gotta get some waders soon! As far as the rest...Dairy is pretty nice. As well as Little Raliegh. And you can't leave out Stump. I haven't really been able to give them all thier due respective fishing because I usually only go after work and only have 3 hours or so to fish, but one day! I'm planning on going this Wednesday after work and Monday the 17th from around 2 on. Any of those work for ya Owl?

[William McClendon]

Oh yeah, watch out for the Geese!!!! Seems they are on the bed know http://www.georgia-outdoors.com/ubbngto/biggrin.gif. Friend of mine got attacked on Hillside the other day. I didn't get to fish my favorite point on Whitetail because there was a large Goose guarding a even larger nest right on the bank of the point. I kept inching towards it until it hissed at me. Oh well. Also watch out for ticks.

[Ted]

Owl and William: One word - Hybrids. Coming soon...If you don't mind, E-mail me some idea of what you're catching and where. If the budget deities shine favourably upon me I might be able to hook some folks up with angeler diaries in the next few months.
Good luck fishing!

Ted

[William McClendon]

No problemo Ted. I've been meaning to stop by and meet you. Only problem is time. I drive 60 miles to get there and then 60 miles home afterwards. I figure by the time I get off the ponds you've long been left to go home. Maybe one day soon though. Off the topic: what is the deal with the shooting ranges there?

[Owl]

Ted ! You bad, bad man,.....you cannot just say " Hybrids" ! Hybrid bream ? The first thing thtpopped into my fish laden mind was Hybrid b****!!!! In a pond...( ok, I know thee are several " lakes" there, but Hybrid?) Oh please, oh please, oh, please....... http://www.georgia-outdoors.com/ubbngto/smile.gif
I have never chased hybrids and it would be WAYYYYYYYYY cooooolll! but I guess wer talkin bream , huh ?
Wil....er...Milliam, I be going fishing with Ithc. on Wed. Do't know yet about the other day.....got to bring my flyrod next time. Oh and Ted,....FFDuo said gr****in Lower Raliegh,....can you fill me in on what's been fert. so far?! thanks code 1 . !

[Ted]

Owl- Hybrid ba$$, as in hybrid striped ba$$. Striper X white ba$$. BIG NO on hybrid bream here. The ba$$ hybrids are just small fish now, but in a year or two...!!!
"Gra$$" in L. Raleigh is probably filamentous algae and/or Potemageton sp. pondweed. It grows along the shorelines, especially in the spring. We try to treat for shoreline weeds and algae when possible but it is dificult at times to stay on top of vegetation growth in 22 lakes with 290+ acres of water. We are doing some shoreline algae treatments this week. Fertilization is up and running. Mostly in smaller ponds (Greenhouse, Hillside, Dairy, the Raleighs, Crossroads, Stump...) plus Margery, Bennett, and Fox. I think I sent private e-mail to you about fertilization. Anyway, it is necessary to fertilize to increase the carrying capacity of our waters to allow for the many fishing trips that the area receives each year. At least 40,000+ angler trips occur each year and the average pressure on all of our lakes is around 100 trips per acre per year. With "natural productivity" in this area at approximately 100 lbs. of fish per acre you can see that we would soon run out of fish if we did not fertilize! Even if some people do not keep fish, enough fish leave the area over the course of a year.
Just some info for thought.

Ted

[FFing Duo]

William, Ted and Owl,

Thanks for all the information. We look forward to going down and trying out more of the ponds. Where are/will be the hybrids? I'd also like to know more about the fertilization. Is it a food chain thing? Or are you essencially feeding the fish?

THanks again

[Rod]

Ted, please CC me on the same...i've been interested in answers to the same question for some time
thanks

[William McClendon]

Ted, how about sending me another email. I'm having that same problem as before getting email to you.
As for everyone else interested. I went out to Marben yesterday. We started off at Little Raliegh at about 4:30. The water was pretty clear. The bream are all over the banks, and were trying to inhale everything I threw out there. Only problem is they are just too small. Are these from a recent bedding? They were about 3" long or so. I did hook 3 really nice sized bream on a popper. The ba$$ were cruising the shallows, but didn't seem to be bedding. They were running up and eating the small bream frequently. Wouldn't touch anything I threw at them. We finally moved to Upper Raliegh at about 7. The water here was also pretty clear. I didn't see a whole lot of fish around the banks. I caught 2 ba$$ on a special plastic worm. One was around 9" and the other was right at 13". We fished about an hour waiting for the evening top water to begin, but it never did! A storm blew in right on top of us and I got soaked. Did they not bite due to the storm? They really weren't biting much all day, but it looks like the bream should be on the bed soon (or they just got off).

[Owl]

Milliam, different groups of bream will bed with each full moon until all that are able to spawn have done so. You may have to abandon the TW and go to a faster moving lure if the fish are active and chasing bream and minnows. Also, normally,the hour or so before a big storm rolls in is a reat time to fish.....but , you know , ba$$ are like trout.....tiny little brains, but they fool us often with them !
Ted, yadda, yadda, yadda, http://www.georgia-outdoors.com/ubbngto/smile.gif . I know, I know, the Fret. must work like it's supposed to cause there are sure tons of fishies in yer ponds. Green water and all. I've been on a trout tare lately and haven't been back since early spring....
I think I am being hypnotized by the Trout VooDOo doc. or something. Last week I went to N. Ga. twice in three days. I got it bad..... http://www.georgia-outdoors.com/ubbngto/smile.gif

Owl

[Ted]

Owl, Milliam, FFduo, et.al.: Sorry about delay in replying to posts. We have been REALLY busy out here the past week or two. We had our Open House / J.A.K.E.S. last Saturday. Over 1500 people attended, and we had about 600-700 kids fish at one, 8 acre lake over a 4 hour period...things were jumping! 1)Shooting Range: 50 yard and 100 ranges, rifle and handgun, open Mon-Sat 10a.m. to sunset(or 7 p.m. whichever comes first). There is also a new archery range that just opened. 2) Hybrids are in Lake Bennett. Stocked 13,900 small fish a couple of weeks ago (average size was 26mm, or about 1"). They have some growing to do...GON TV did some filming when we stocked fish, may be on TV at some point in future. 3)Fertilization helps boost the carrying capacity of a pond. Although we wouldn't literally run out of fish, there would be less available for anglers without fertilization. Fertilization doesn't necessarily result in larger fish in a pond or lake, however it will allow for more fish per acre. Whether this results in 300 pounds of big b****or small bream per acre depends on how a lake is managed and fished. Fertilization will help produce a bigger phytoplankton "bloom" (green color of water)which in turn will provide more food for zooplankton which are eaten by smaller fish...it is a food chain thing. Up the line there is an increase in available food at various trophic levels.

BTW, we shocked up some fish for a display tank on Saturday. Out of several fish captured we did get one 10+ pound largemouth. We released it again at the end of the day. Also captured some crappie, bluegill, redbreast, warmouth, and one little yellow perch out of Lake Bennett.
I will send some person e-mails out as soon as possible.
Ted

[jeffg]

I was down there this weekend. Didnt catch much of nothing. Landed a couple bream (bluegill up north) and a few small bass. Fished Allen, Dairy, Bennett(which was a mobscene), and Fox.
Saw one guy on Fox land a huge 14 inch Bluegill. Never seen one that big before in my life. He was simply huge!!

Saw some nice fish, just this whole b****on a flyrod thing is soooo different than fishing for trout...
(oh and catching bream on yello-humpys as the night was falling was simply a blast!!!)

[Ted]

If anyone is ever out here (Marben / CEWC) fishing, check out the "brag board" near the restrooms at the Aquatic Activity Center (building with covered picnic shelter near Bennett and road to Dairy). There are some nice photos of legally taken fish from out here. Not all were on fly rods, but it is still interesting to look at. (Photos of illegally taken fish are in secret vault in county courthouse). If you want to contribute a photo leave note at sign-in or visitor's center.

[Owl]

I've seen bream there that would make that 14"er a side dish at dinner !
Better brin the wigglers to get one , though. Or catch them in " the" act !

hehehehehe
Owl