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Smokin Fisherman tournaments are coming up! 

The Smokin Fisherman is located in Clairmont, North Hall County on Hwy 129 next to the Shell station.  We have all the information on who is catching what, and where.  If you are new to the area please come by for a visit.

Fishing is the activity of hunting for fish. It is an ancient and worldwide practice that dates back about 10,000 years with various techniques and traditions and it has been transformed by modern technological developments.

Fishing continues to be a favorite pastime in the United States, in 2001, 16% of the U.S. population 16 years old and older (34 million anglers) spent an average of 16 days fishing. Freshwater fishing was the most popular type of fishing with over 28 million anglers devoting nearly 467 million angler-days to the sport.

Take good care of our lakes and streams, after all they belong to everyone.

You can help to take care of our lakes, rivers, and other waterways so that others may enjoy these areas for years to come by practicing good stewardship.

* Don't Litter... take along a trash bag or other receptacle for collecting your trash so that you can deposit it in the proper trash receptacle. Use proper dumping stations instead of tossing refuse into the water.
* Make sure that you use the correct type of bait and fishing gear permitted in that area. There may also be limits on the number, size, and kind of fish that you can keep. Check with your destination ahead of time to see what the local regulations allow. If you use a boat or watercraft when fishing, check to see what kinds of watercraft are allowed at the body of water where you are going to fish.
* Pay attention to local procedures and cautions for cleaning your watercraft after you leave the water so that you don't encourage the spread of npn-native species, such as the Zebra Mussel, to the next body of water you may visit with your boat.
* Don't fish in areas where it is not permitted. These areas have been declared "off limits" to fishing to protect wildlife, vegetation, or for your safety.

Building a Better Brush Pile

Steve Masters
Bringitbaits.com ProStaff

If you really want to get serious about setting out brush piles prepare yourself for some hard work, but it can pay off big later. Bass will use brush piles throughout the year but the heat of summer and winter are the prime times to fill your livewell with brush pile bass or turn that 14 pound limit into a 20 pound sack with a big brush pile kicker. I'm not advocating breaking any laws but the ol chain saw and pruning shears method is hard to beat. About the best way to legally get and sink trees is asking someone clearing a lot off for construction for the ones they cut. They had rather give them to you than have to deal with them themselves almost every time. Another way for me at Lake Mitchell was after a tornado had gone through, there were prime hardwoods of all sizes along the bank blown over. A lot of my brush piles are large trees I've found floating down the river. If I'm just out fishing for fun I usually have a few concrete blocks in the floor of my boat just in case. You'll probably be surprised how much you can find to sink if you get in the habit of looking for it while on the lake.

A lot has been said about Christmas trees good and bad. Personally I use them, but they only make up about 20% or less of my pile. A bass isn't going to sit around starring at a Christmas tree all day. They need some bulk, something they can get under for shade or cruise around in looking for food. Just like the bass the bait fish need something they can hide and move around in if they are going to hang around. A couple of Christmas trees or bushes placed beside the main pile gives bait fish somewhere to gather. Think of these as the bass' dinning room. I can put up having to vacuum my boat afterwards if it means more fish in the boat. I've tried the pvc pipes sticking out of a bucket with concrete in them. I don't see these as good brush piles but an addition to the main pile.

What to use for the main pile? To me nothing works better than a real tree, preferably any hardwood, but I want turn my back on a big pine if I catch one floating along. Before sinking a tree think about getting hung up in it. Trim all the twigs and smaller limbs. The more forks it has the better. Point the treetop towards where you'll be fishing from. Jut before I untie and let it sink I tie a concrete block to the under side of the trunk to keep it up off the bottom. A tree trunk lying flat has little to offer a bass. Construction sites are great for finding brush pile material. There's a gold mine in those dumpsters, and it's free. You may get some strange looks but I've never had anyone object to me getting something they have to pay someone to haul off. One thing I like to do is liquid nail a few pieces of 4" black drain pipe into a large landscape bucket, let it sit a few days, fill the pipe about half way up with concrete, then while wet flip it all over so the concrete falls to the bottom of the pipes. What you wind up with is a stump sitting a foot or so off the bottom with 4" roots around it and it will all last forever.

See what you can find and let your imagination go to work, just keep in mind shade, security, and ambush. Speaking of lasting forever I use only copper wire scrapes for tying my blocks to brush. Nylon rope and treble hooks are not a good match. One of the few things I never use is palettes, too many pinch points to get hung in. My most productive brush pile has a good size tree, a 10 foot fiberglass column with blocks on each end to keep it off the bottom a bit, a couple of Christmas trees, and five landscape buckets with a three foot pvc pipe sticking up from the center. I cut slits in the pipe and glued small real-estate signs into them. Like I said be prepared for some work, and use your imagination. Also prepare yourself to fail. I've place brush piles in some really good looking places that have never produced a fish. If fish aren't using an area don't expect them to use your brush pile.

Size and location. I want my pile to be about the size of my boat. large enough to hold multiple fish but I can fish it in 15 minutes or so. As far as location there's the obvious creek channel intersections, and bends, but my favorite is to place one in 8 to 10 feet leading into a shallow pocket that has little natural cover, especially light on vegetation. Think about whether or not it will be seen, or cause a hazard when your lake is at it's absolute lowest level. Location could be an article by itself. As for when winter is no doubt the best time, fewer eyes, and all the leaves have fell. Good Luck and hope to see you on the lake, especially if you dragging bp.

Please check back for details or come by the store for all your tournament needs.  Check out our new reels and great deals on tackle for next time you hit the lake.