River Fishing with the Megabass Vision ONETEN Jr. Jerkbait 

Thank you very much I really appreciate it! I'll definitely be posting more Shoal Bass videos!

@@ShoalBandit I'm a Shoal Bass fanatic... it's my favorite fishing target! I grew up with the Kinchafoonee Creek (a tributary of the Flint River) bordering my family's property in Lee County near Albany. We used to call them Redeye Bass in the 80's in Southwest GA, long before they were formally recognized as a separate species. I live in metro Atlanta now and frequent the local waterways when I'm not fishing on my home lake... you've inspired to tie on a Jerkbait and try the Hooch above Lanier!

@@bobgibbs4105 Some locals in South GA still call Suwannee Bass 'redeye bass' but the Shoal Bass was actually classified as a Redeye Bass from 1940-1999. I was targeting Walleye in that video but didn't catch any so it turned into a 'jerkbait' video. I'll probably try a crankbait or curly tail grub next time.

Thanks I'm glad you liked it!

Thanks the fish are definitely getting more active!

Yes I've caught catfish and drum on crankbaits, spinnerbaits, spoons, worms, jigs, and now jerkbaits. lol

Many years ago I was fishing during a cicada hatch period and the carp were tearing up the Rebel crawfish that I was using. That was a really fun few days.

@@STinGa157 They really love cicadas I caught a carp on a Zara Spook at Lake Lanier one summer during a hatch. lol

Excellent question Tom...according to GA law boaters only have a right of passage down 'navigable' streams. In GA, the courts have relied on an 1863 statute to conclude that “a navigable stream must be capable of transporting boats loaded with freight. The mere rafting of timber or transportation of wood in small boats shall not make a stream navigable.” Georgia's courts have even defined the width, length, and draft of the barges required under the state's streambed title test. Few rivers in GA qualify under GA law as 'navigable' due to the fact many barges are over 200 feet long, and few rivers would be able to support such boats including the Chattooga, Etowah, and Toccoa (for example) which are frequently used for all kinds of recreation-kayaks, canoes, rafts, tubes, fishing, etc.. The state owns the bed of navigable streams and adjacent landowners own the bed of non-navigable streams. If the state owns the bed, the stream is open to the public for fishing, wading, boating, and other public use and the owner of the adjacent land only owns to the low water mark (edge) on the bed of the stream [Official Code of Georgia Annotated (O.C.G.A.) §44-8-5]. If the stream is non-navigable, the adjacent landowner may determine who can and cannot come onto the stream to fish or boat. If different landowners own the land adjacent on either side of a stream, they each own to the thread or center of the main current. Now that's the GA law as it's written but having said all that I've only been asked to leave non-navigable streams a few times in my life. That's one reason I prefer to have a kayak even if I have to drag it. I'd rather do that than trespass on somebody's land and by staying in the stream I keep a lower profile, avoid poison ivy, ticks, etc.. I also move around a lot and I try hard not to give people a reason to run me off. Streams stocked with trout are WAY more problematic because landowners frequently pay to have them stocked. Many also install feeders over/along the stream. Some even build artificial barriers to impound the stream or to prevent the trout from leaving the section in their backyard. That's why I usually make every effort to avoid streams stocked with trout or fish farther downstream where the water is too warm for them.

@@ShoalBandit Thanks for your reply. I asked the same question over on a FB page and it stirred up quite a few answers. Many quoted the same statutes that you did. Thanks again!

@@STinGa157 No problem glad to help. You're going to find most landowners in GA either don't know the law or choose not to enforce it which is a good thing.

Welcome to bass fishing! I'm going to make a video about that section at some point this year, but it's not really known for bass fishing. Some of the real (and perceived) reasons for this are crime and pollution from Atlanta (especially Peachtree Creek). Also, some effort was made to channelize the river for navigation in the 19th century (before railroads) so most shoals in that section were actually blown up. Today there aren't too many rocks to fish or stand on. Access to fish the river from the bank is also extremely limited to nonexistent. That's why most people fish from Morgan Falls Dam to around Paces Ferry Rd. You really need a boat to fish below that section effectively. Most anglers use jon boats with gas outboards and bow mount electric motors. You can also use a kayak which is what I do. It's just a lot more work. There's much better bank fishing for bass IMO along Sweetwater Creek, Anneewakee Creek and Dog River (above the reservoir). Snake Creek at Banning Mills is another good spot. Good luck!

@@ShoalBandit Thanks for the reply! We use a 15' jon boat with a 25 hp jet motor, and still mainly get catfish (🤮) It gets shallow in some areas. I know of a shoal island nearby (maybe 50' wide depending on water level), we fished it once, but I didn't really know how. The water around the shoal was moving fast and every cast along the sides would either get caught on branches or debris underwater or swept down stream. I've heard about the pollution being a reason many fish further north. I was also told that the tributaries is where to find bass. What are your thoughts on Under bridge fishing, like on a boat and we Anchor under the bridge?

@@E.P.7131 No problem! That's a great rig for fishing the river. From Paces Ferry to West Point, you have mostly Largemouth and Spotted Bass when it comes to species of black bass. Those fish usually like being near wood cover in the summer so if it was me, I'd target logjams, and big old hardwood logs along the bank. They're more effective as a current break than a brush pile or big brushy treetop. In a creek or river logs and trees lying parallel to the bank or almost parallel are usually a lot better than a log or tree coming straight off the bank. If I was fishing that section, I'd have a 3/8-1/2 oz. buzzbait, a 3/8-1/2 oz. chartreuse/white spinnerbait with gold and nickel blades, and a 1/2 oz. black and blue jig with a craw trailer like the Zoom Z Craw or Super Speed Craw. Those are all single hook lures that I'd use around heavy wood cover that can be fished on 17-20 lb. mono or fluorocarbon line. The only time I've tied up to fish bridges is on a big manmade impoundment usually for White Bass, Crappie, etc... When I was growing up my dad and I used to fish that way at night. We'd put out lights to attract shad. It's a fun way to fish in the summer when it's too hot to fish the lake during the day. Also, less boat traffic.

@@ShoalBandit I'm taking notes📝 Those logjams & big logs along the bank is where I lose lures mostly. I'll try it though. And I'll be looking for those exact lures & baits. In Westpoint I think I caught up on some rocks.

@@E.P.7131 Well hopefully with those single hook lures you'll get hung up a lot less. The heavier line also helps because it doesn't bite down into the wood or find every splinter. There's a classic log on Google Maps at (33.742626, -84.577016). The river is low so you can see how the current deflects off the island and the log when the water is up. When the water is down like it is on Google Maps, I'd fish the front/outside edge of the log with a spinnerbait and/or buzzbait. It's also deep enough that you could pitch a jig to the log. When the river is up over the log if there's too much current around the log the fish will be between the log and the bank. You can tell that area has less current when the water is up by looking at the way the island is eroding. When the water is up, I'd cast a buzzbait or spinnerbait past the log all the way to the bank.

They definitely hang up especially lures with treble hooks. With shallow running lures (like a jerkbait), it's usually shallow enough that I can go after them in my kayak and reel down to the lure and shake it loose with the rod tip. You have to be careful though not to break the tip of the rod or the guide.

@@ShoalBandit So you basically keep it moving and away from the bottom? In West Point Lake, I lost a couple really good lures because I had to cut the line

@@E.P.7131 Megabass jerkbaits aren't cheap so I usually fish them in open water, over or around cover. I also usually fish this lure when the water is cold, so the fish are more likely to be in areas that don't have a lot of current. That way if it hangs up, I can usually get it back.

@@ShoalBandit "In open water, under or around cover"? Open as in middle of a lake? Or center of river? Cover being low hanging trees?

@@E.P.7131 In a river I like to crank or jerk it down to (or close to) the maximum running depth of the lure, then let the current sweep it over bedrock outcrops, logs or around the outside edge of logjams. That's what I was doing in this video. Ideally, I like to cast upstream, that way I have time to get the bait down, then just barely twitch it as the current pushes the lure downstream. It's a cold-water technique. I wouldn't fish it that way now. Sometimes there's no cover, I'm just fishing the tail-end of a hole or pool. There may be some rocks on the bottom 5-10 feet deep, but I consider that 'open water'. The fish are just using the security of the deeper water as cover which they do a lot when the creek or river is low, and the water is cold.

Sure the rod is a St. Croix Mojo Bass 6'8" Medium Power Extra Fast Action but I'd rather have a 6'10" for making longer casts and moving more line on the hookset. The reel is a Shimano Sedona 4000 size. Again I like the big spool for making long casts with fluorocarbon line.