Flint River 101

[AnglingFreak]

Maybe I was expecting too much.

I went to the Flint on Saturday evening from around 5pm to around 9pm. Parked at Sprewell Bluff, waded upstream about 3-400 yards from swimming hole to first big deep point (Started off fishing the VERY shallow shoals and deeper troughs near the banks, but was told by a passing fly-fisher that they were in at least waist-deep water.)

Anyway, I caught 4 bream. TINY bream...like 5 inches. No shoal bass. I saw one that looked to be about 7 inches long.

This was my first time at the Flint. It was gorgeous. But, like I said, maybe I was overconfident. I am humbling myself before you guys/gals... Please help me enjoy this river. Was I in the wrong place? Was fishing poppers/streamers/EHC the wrong thing? Which parts of the river and what kind of water are best? Deep and slow? Shoals (they're about 6-8 inches deep right now)? Near the bank? Eddies? Structure?

I'm not used to being skunked. This is a new river and a new species and a new type of fishing for me...I want to learn.

Thanks for any advice.

AnglingFreak

[CBrown]

Mabey you were fishing the wrong spot. I fished Sunday on the Flint at "The Shoals" (just north of Gay Ga off the 109 spur). By far the best fishing I have ever done. Got on the river at 3:30 and left at 6:30 and caught 51, that's right 51.

I found it hard to believe also, but I counted each one. The were 90% brim and some shoal bass. The best of the bunch was a 12in shoal bass that put up a good fight.

They were all caught in about 2 to 3 feet of water. But at the shoals you can stand on the side of the pools and not get wet.

I hope that I will be able to have another day like this real soon.

[Kent]

Freak -

The Flint is tough right now, having dropped nearly a foot in the last week or two. The level is the lowest in the 50 years they've been recording and water flow is about a third the normal for this time of year!

With the lower levels, most of the shoalies & larger redbreast have pulled out of the shoals. You may find `em in the deepest runs or in the deeper river areas with some current. I'd look in the deep pools below a shoal or in the holes between the rocks in the fastest water.

Doesn't sound like you did the wrong things. I have not caught any larger bass in shoal areas in the last couple of weeks (tho' I have spooked a couple from shallow water - duh!). Only fly I'd add to your selection would be a hellgramite imitation - big, black wooly bugger or such.

So, right now, if you're wading, I'd say enjoy it's beauty & pray for rain!



------------------
Kent
Flyfishing West Georgia & Beyond (http://kje.home.mindspring.com)

[Hooker]

AnglingFreak,
Stop fishing were everyone else does. Sprewell Bluff is a community hole and the fish get tired of getting caught. Get a map, find the bridges and drift! This low water could also create a fishing bonanza. It is concentrating the fish in any deep water available and making them easy to find.

[Drifter]

Ditto what Hooker said. You did what most every newcomer to the Flint does....wade the river around Sprewell Bluff. That area gets beat to death.

Float downstream a mile or two and the fishing greatly improves (when water is up). I'd go upriver from the Bluff if I were you. Good luck.

Drifter

[Stinkbait]

CBrown,

Is there public access for the area you described?

[CBrown]

Yes that area is open to the public. The access is on the North East side of the river. There is a rough boat ramp you can walk down and from there you need to go under the bridge on a trail to the shallow part of the river.

The land owners in that area are very bad about stopping people for trespassing. If you go down the way I said and stay on the river you should have no problem.

I come from West Point Ga and drive 85 N to LaGrange and take 109 to Greenville. Go though Greenville (around the square) and take the 109 spur to Gay. In Gay at the first light take a right and a quick left across the tracks. Follow a white sign that points to Concord. Take this road to the first bridge and park on the North East side.

[gerald]

I,too,go along with Hooker.What times I have fished the Flint --I like the Hightower Shoals area---I go in at Lazer Creek(which isn't a bad red breast stream) and when I boat fish I put in at Po Biddy bridge.The times I have been there it has never been crowed except for swimmers and beer drinkers at Po Biddy

[Drifter]

CBrown,

I'm glad to hear that public access is once again available at Flat Shoals. At one time, the Sheriff's Deputies were towing vehicles parked in the area at the landowners request. This was back when the crowds were rowdy, ie drinking, smoking (controlled substances), and littering, were prevalent.

Drifter

[CBrown]

I have been going to the shoals for about a year and a half and have never had a sheriff stop me.

This past Sunday about ten other people where fishing and swiming. There was a total of about eight cars and no one had a problem.

I have always been told by the locals that you would be ok walking under the bridge and going straight into the water. I don't know if the same person owns both sides of the river.

[FFing Duo]

Since you brought up those shoals, I remembered how much we miss fishing them. About this time last year we were fishing right below the bridge in the middle and were informed by a deputy that we were trespassing. (BTW, he was very polite and explained to us why the land owner had chosen to strongly enforce his property rights- like was said before, he was tired of the drinking, drugs, used condoms, and spent shotgun shells on his property.) Bad apples ruined the access for the rest of us. It also seems that the landowner owns both sides of the river thus, as we have discussed before here, owns the river bottom. So it is fine to pass through in a boat, but not wade. (I, not wanting to annoy the deputy, didn't get into the navigable river debate.)

It's a shame to lose a nice area for fishing, but its not worth risking towing or arrest.

Jonathan

[blue dunn]

Gerald
You said that you go in at Big Lazer Creek. How do you get there? I sent for a DNR map of Big Lazer Creek WMA, but its not very detailed. It shows one road (Bunkham Rd ) that goes through the south side of the WMA.There are a few Limited Access roads, but none seem to go to the river. How can you access the river through the WMA, and be on puplic land
B.D>

[ShawnT]

I'll try to answer your question, blue dunn. If you're coming in from Pobiddy road, I'm not sure you can miss it. From the map I have, it appears that there are two entrances from Pobiddy Rd though I'm not sure I remember seeing both of them -- as I usually enter by the first sign I see coming from Columbus. But it looks like a loop so I'm not sure it'd matter. Basically, you'll pass what looks like a ranger station with a sign-in board in front. There's a road just next to that building that leads to Big Lazer. Even if you got on Bunkham from the west, you'd simply drive east until you came to the building on your right hand side. I've only been a handful of times, but it's almost impossible to not find it as long as you stay on the main road until you get to that building.

Question for you guys that fish near Gay. I've never been that far north on the Flint so not sure where you're talking about, but how is the Joe Kurz WMA? Are there some nice places to canoe/float tube/wade in there?

Let me revise that last question -- what would be most appropriate (canoe/float tube/wade) there?

Thanks

[This message has been edited by ShawnT (edited 06-17-2000).]

[CBrown]

Went back to the Shoals on Saturday and had another great day. Caught 53 fish from 4:00 to 7:00. Caught mostly brim and had a few shoal bass mixed in. The were hitting on anything you put in the water. Caddis, BWO, Adams ect.

I did see somthing I could not believe. Some redneck was driving his four wheeler across the river.

Over all it was another good one.

[gerald]

I am sorry blue dun I didn't see your question to me.Shawn T is pretty much right.I always went in from the WestPoint side down to Manchester then on Thomaston road.About 3 miles before you get to the Flint there is a paved road to the right that takes you to the entrance to Lazer Creek W.M.A.Now it gets tough--since I crossed Lazer on the paved road to the entrance to the WMA I figured that Lazer was always to my left.So as I drove through the M.A.I found a V in the road quite aways back.I took the left fork and it led me right to the bank of Lazer Creek.It is only a 50 yard shallow wade down to Hightower shoals.I hope this helps and I am sorry I didn't get back sooner.

[blue dunn]

Thanks Gerald
I am going to try and fish the Flint from Big Lazer 7/3. I hope there is some water in the river
B.D.

[Blue eyes]

A word of wisdom regarding Big Lazer creek. Technically, any portion of the creek which is bordered on both sides by private land, is a private stream. The creek is not a "navigable" waterway and is regulated as such. Anyone found on the creek can be charged with criminal tresspass and has been recently. Also, any portion of the stream which is bordered on one side by private property (i.e. the first couple of miles upstream of the juncture with the Flint) and the other side by WMA, the north side of the creek is private property. Legally, 1/2 of the creekbed is private property and criminal tresspass can be charged here as well for persons found on the wrong side of the creek. I've know people to run into problems with the landowners and unfortunately they are correct.

[NiteOwl]

F-Gurl ? DId you miss that one? Or do you just like picking on the Owl?


http://www.georgia-outdoors.com/ubbngto/wink.gif


( like in grade school ) ooohhh...he saaaaid redneck !!!! oooooooouuuh.

[blue dunn]

Well I did find the river( thanks to some local kids),but the Flint at Big Lizer WMA was pitifully low. There was hardly enough water to tell if the river was flowing. There are deeper holes that do have some water in them, and I did see some fish. I saw a couple of nice bass along with Brim Suckers and Carp.The fish are kind of stuck in the few remaining deep holes. Unfortunately I only caught one RedBrest. I could get some to follow my fly, but few takers.The fish seemed lethargic, and it may be due to lack of water flow. I saw that the very next day (the 4th) the flow picked up a littel, just my luck.