Typically when I don’t catch any fish, I have a solid guess as to why they didn’t bite— which might just mean I’m good at making excuses.
Today was different. I fished a couple of hours without a bite and really don’t know why. Everything seemed right. I just didn’t see any sign of the fish.
This week was warm for February, following an unusually cold snap. Each day has been warmer than the one before, and it didn’t even get cold overnight last night.
The water was clear, but not too clear, and a very good level. No one else was fishing, so I can’t claim the fish had been beaten up, and I had my choice of spots.
Time wasn’t an issue either. I had a set of lure photos I needed for work, which I accomplished, but adding fish to the equation would have added significant value. So I worked the area thoroughly, and would have stayed longer had then fish given me reason to.
And while I don’t have a ton of experience where I was fishing and don’t really know how it fishes through the seasons, I’ve enjoyed good days there, and the habitat definitely is good.
Like I said, no excuses. The simple truth is that the fish won today.
The Georgia Bass Slam provides a great opportunity to explore Georgia’s diverse bass fisheries and lends itself nicely to Fishing on Foot.
At the start of this year I set myself the challenge of trying to achieve the Georgia Bass Slam. Earning the slam requires catching at least five of 10 black bass species, all in Georgia waters where you have permission to fish and with a minimum size of 8 inches or the legal minimum size for the waters fished. I also self imposed the challenge of achieving the slam by Fishing on Foot, whether wading or walking the bank.
Mission accomplished. I ended up catching qualifying fish of seven bass species.
largemouth bass
Bartams bass
shoal bass
spotted bass
Chattahoochee bass
smallmouth bass
Coosa redeye bass
The three I didn’t get were the Tallapoosa bass, Altamaha bass and Suwannee bass. I did catch one Tallapoosa bass, but it was less than 8 inches in length. I never found my way to waters where the other species live.
About the Georgia Bass Slam
Coosa redeye bass
The Georgia Bass Slam was established to create a fun challenge for anglers and to raise awareness about Georgia’s diverse black bass fisheries.
Georgia has 12 distinct black bass species. Two pairs of species are looked at together for the purpose of the slam, both because of the difficulty of field identification and because of extensive hybridization outside native range. Largemouth bass and Florida bass are treated as one species for the slam, as are spotted bass and Alabama bass.
To certify qualifying fish, you simply submit a photos of the fish on a measuring tape and one of you with the fish and list the species, county it was caught from, length and your name and fishing license number.
Anglers who achieve the slam receive a prize packet and have their names listed on the Georgia Bass Slam page of the Wildlife Resource Division website and at the GO Fish Education Center.
For me the bass slam was a fun challenge, and I certain I’ll try it again and see if I can notch any of the other species. You’ll find videos about all of this year’s catches on my Fishing on Foot YouTube channel.
I really enjoyed learning about the different species and their behavior and studying the range and habitat of each to figure out where I might be able to find and catch them. A few of the species I’d never targeted before.
It was also fun exploring new waters, including some really good spots that were pretty close to home that I had never fished before.
Fishing on Foot 