Seminole - GA South Results: Feb 18, 2012
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When seasoned Seminole angler Steve Stewart makes the statement, “It was the best Big Fish day I’ve ever had on Lake Seminole”, It’s probably time to save up for an extra tank of truck gas, and make plans to head to Wingate’s Lodge for the Bigmouth Bass day of a lifetime. Steve reported catching between 25 and 30 bass that weighed 5-pounds or more including several 8 and 9-pounders!!
Steve, of Donaldsonville, Ga, and his veteran back-of-the-boater, Johnny Creel teamed up to put together a 24.01 pound bag for Saturday’s event. The bite had slowed way down, and although they put together a bag of nice sized fish, it was nothing like what he anticipated after his record setting day weeks earlier.
Steve explained that two weeks ago there were lots of big bass still holed up in deeper water, but also a lot of them were making their way into the shallows. And then nature did what nature does, delivering a very windy and frigid front, apparently convincing the early arrivers to back off and wait for things to calm back down a bit.
Steve and Uncle Johnny (as he is fondly called around FOM), are very well respected for their ability to drag Carolina rigs through and around some of the deep water hideouts of Seminole. The high winds that drove the bass back out of the shallows in many parts of the lake, likely became a deal breaker to many of their competitors, while playing nicely right into their strengths. Steve said the only bite they could get was with the Carolina rig.
Johnny described a lack-luster, very long and slow day of dredging the deeps for their fish. The bite was very slow, with them managing only about one strike per hour. They moved shallow for lunch, testing to see if things were beginning to turn back on. After boating two dinks in the shallows, they moved back out to slowly, albeit methodically, grind out the rest of the day. Their best fish of the day went 5.83-pounds, but wouldn’t prove big enough to take either of the Big Fish prizes, which both fell to 6-pouns Seminole Hawgs.
Steve said they were sitting in water about 13-foot deep, throwing their rigs off of the slopes into a depth of about 25 feet, and pulling them back up the hill. Steve also shared what he believes are the three best plastic colors for Seminole: June Bug, Watermelon Seed, and Green Pumpkin. Those three, and maybe a few hundred practice hours on the water, may be all that’s needed to turn a couple of weekend Seminole bass warriors, into a tournament team capable of competing against almost any team in the country.
This is the 5th win for Steve and Johnny with the South Georgia Division, boating them over $1,200 and 200 points for the 2012 Divisional Points Race. Stewart and Creel also won the Prestigious FOM Southeast Regional Championship a couple of seasons ago, highlighting their ability to always be contenders on Lake Seminole.
Fishers of Men National Sponsors; Skeeter Boats, Yamaha, Stren, Pflueger, Strike King Lure Company, Nester Hosiery, Markel American Insurance, Marshall’s Marine, Power-Pole, Duckett Fishing, Buckeye Lures, Keelshield, Solar Bat, Jacobs Glass, Helly Hansen Workwear, and Rejuvenade
