Hybrid Bass Run On Lake Oconee

Hybrid Bass Run On Lake Oconee

It was March 22, 2012, when my phone rang at 4 am. Captain Chad Smith wants to know if I want to film a fishing show. Well, I like my sleep, but when Chad calls to do a fishing show, I don't pass it up. Chad is a well-known fishing guide on Lake Oconee for Catfish and Hybrid Bass. We have done several fishing shows together over the past 2 years and they always are a success. So, I met up with Chad about 5 am at a local marina and we set out to fish Lake Oconee. At the boat ramp, we met up with 2 fellows for Oklahoma and Alaska. Paul was from Alaska and Jason from Oklahoma. They were brothers who haven't seen each other in years, so why not get together for a day out on the water fishing. The sun hadn't broken the horizon yet as we going to our "honey hole" to fish for Hybrid Bass. Anglers were already on the water with their lights on, all concentrated near Wallace Dam. Most were in the area where we were going. Chad mentioned he had caught 32 Hybrid Bass the day before where near this spot, but tried to position where the fish were. Yes, we did manage to weave through all those boats and get to our desired spot. After anchoring down, Chad got out 6 Striper rods and opened up the bait well full of live Threadfin Shad. Bait was in the water and a fish on the line just when the morning sun broke the horizon to our east. Paul was up first, but he relled too soon. Chad told him to keep the rod in the holder until the rod bent and then reel. Then, pick up the rod and reel. After missing a few more fish, both men got the hang of it. Fish were biting every rod a once. The bite was on for over 3 hours. I wanted to put the camera down and have some fun myself, but didn't want to miss all the footage to make a great show. I counted 33 boats that morning, and we were catching most of the fish. The boats around us were almost rod tip to rod tip with us, but we were still catching more fish than they were. Chad was sitting over a 23 foot ditch that ran paraell to the right bank near the dam, and the fish were school there foraging on shad. As the bite began to slow down, people began to leave. We decided to go to the other side of the dam and try it there. Chad got out 2 heavy duty rods and 2 Umbrella Rigs. The U-Rigs had 9 - 1oz. gig heads, one white and the other green. Each hook had a white or green plastic grub. We were traveling 1.8 MPH in 18 feet of water next to the left bank of Wallace Dam when the first bite happened. Paul was up first. That rod bent double and drag was zinging. He fought for several minutes,but the fish kept taking drag. After another few minutes, he started making progress. I notice he had more than 1 fish in when the U-Rig got to the boat. There were 3 fish caught at one time; 4,7,9 pound Hybrid Bass caught at one time. This was a first for me. Jason then caught a double; 14 pound Striper and 5 pound Hybrid Bass.This action continued until early afternoon.We ended up with 48 Hybrid Bass averaging 6 pounds each and 4 Stripers averaging 8 pounds each. What a day and what a show this made. You can view it on You Tube or Face Book by going to Woody Wood Fishing Show. Hybrid Bass Run Day 1, and Day 2

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