12 pound large mouth bass from Huddleston Pond—Justin's biggest Catch to date!
LETS GO FISHIN
By: Laura Soper
Since before he was old enough to walk, Justin Crum learned to cast a fishing rod. You can usually find him bass fishing in any of our area lakes and ponds after he finishes his shift as a chef at Katie Lou’s Cafe in Senoia. You may have talked about fishing with him over the last few years while he was the assistant deli manager at The Fresh Market. When I chatted with him this week, he had just put a brisket in the smoker at Katie Lou’s and was heading home only long enough to grab his fishing gear to hit his favorite fishing spot. Even though Huddleston Pond is home to the biggest population of bass over five pounds, he prefers the open waters of Lake McIntosh which is fed by Shoal Creek and Line Creek.
Large mouth bass, a trophy fish, are stocked in our county’s waters with the exception of Lake McIntosh or so Justin has been told. According to this expert bass angler, the best months of the year to fish for bass are February, March, and April. If you need a little guidance on how to get started, Justin graciously shared his extensive knowledge on the subject with me so read on and soon you can be sitting on the dock of the lake or the bank of the pond reeling in a big one!
For beginners, Justin recommends the Lew’s brand spinning reel. It is a good quality reel at a reasonable price. A nice, inexpensive starter rod is the Berkeley Lightening Rod. It can also be found at Walmart or Academy Sports for around twenty dollars.
As for fishing line, hooks, and lure, Justin suggests purchasing an 8-pound test line, Berkley Trilene specifically. Hooks may also be purchased at Walmart, and not all hooks are created equally. Look for the blue and white packaging of the Gamakatsu size 1/0 hooks. Usually sold in a package of six, these are off set worm hooks. Finally, the Zoom Trick Worm is the bait of choice for bass. The color of the worm is important as the “Green Pumpkin” should be used if the water is clear, and the “Junebug” color should be used if water visibility is two feet or less. The hook should be put on in a way that the hook is hidden under the skin of the worm. If you want to fish deeper than five feet, then a split shot weight of 1/16 of an ounce mounted about one foot above the worm will slowly sink your bait to a greater depth.
Here is a video that takes you step by step on how to rig a zoom worm:
With just the right gear to get you started, Justin recommends fishing at sunrise and later in the evening before sunset. That is usually when fish are biting. These times of day are optimal for the spring months, but once the heat of summer is upon us, the early bird gets the worm or in this case, the early worm gets the fish. Set your alarm clock to “really early” and be ready to fish as the sun is coming up in the summer. Otherwise, you will likely catch nothing but a sunburn if you go fishing later than the first couple of hours of daylight.
All ponds in Peachtree City are open for fishing for Peachtree City residents and their accompanied guests with a valid fishing license. All anglers ages 16 and older must have a fishing license which can be purchased at Walmart, Kmart, or online. See detailed guidelines here:
http://www.peachtree-city.org/index.aspx?NID=869
Tickets are commonly issued so plan ahead and purchase your license before you head to the water.
Bass fishing is a very popular sport for all ages. Many high schools have fishing teams and colleges often offer scholarships for top anglers. Justin recommends reading all that you can on the sport in order to develop your skills although nothing beats the trial and error of experience on the water. Justin recommends buying the fishing magazine, FLW, at Walmart while you are picking up your gear. It is a valuable resource for both beginners and experienced anglers.
Check out a preview here: http://www.flwfishing.com/tips/magazine-features
If you are interested in taking fishing lessons from Justin, you may email him at honda71489@yahoo.com . His knowledge and love of fishing is unsurpassed, and if you are lucky, he may even take you to his favorite fishing hole!
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