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I took up fishing earlier this year when I was looking for a bit of an escape from the real world. My roommate at the time had started fishing and it just seemed like the thing to do. Living in the heart of Atlanta I wasn't too keen on traveling to fish due to the imminent traffic jams that I'd have to sit through, so I began using google maps to track down any blue spot or line with biking distance.
A few of the small ponds near me were key in honing my skills, but I eventually found my way to the creek that ran nearby my apartment. Notorious for it's pollution and wastewater runoff, I don't think there are many anglers that even think twice about fishing it. The more I wandered this creek and continued to find more holes with more and more fish, I fell in love with creek fishing. Being able to catch so many species from a body of water I'd crossed over thousands of times before was fascinating to me.
Having caught the fever I eventually started expanding how far I was willing to travel to fish. I'm sure it was somewhere on here I stumbled across the shoal bass and Sweetwater Creek. A 30 minute drive in either direction with the flow of traffic working in my favor, it made for a worthwhile trip. My first time visiting the park, my day off of work unfortunately coincided with heavy rain the day before, and the chocolate milk water along with faster moving current contributed to being skunked. Well, I finally made my way back on Tuesday, and my luck was much better! My only goal was to catch a single shoal bass, but I ended up catching a handful as well as a few nice spotted bass and some that seem to be a shoal spot hybrid. I felt like I had the creek to myself. It was bliss.
First fish of the day. No skunk this time!
Closer to a shoal bass, but this one seems like more of a mutt?
Getting colder...
There it is! Finally, my first shoalie!
Got easier to catch after I got the first one of the day! Beautiful fish!
I was using an inline spinner and got it caught on a leaf. While I was popping to lure to get the leaf off, this guy came out and swiped at the lure and missed. I cast out again and brought it right in front of him. He wasn't going to miss it this time! Big fish of the day for me, and a blast to pull in on light tackle.
Last fish of the day. Told myself I needed to catch one more before I could leave. Happy to end with another shoal bass.
A few of the small ponds near me were key in honing my skills, but I eventually found my way to the creek that ran nearby my apartment. Notorious for it's pollution and wastewater runoff, I don't think there are many anglers that even think twice about fishing it. The more I wandered this creek and continued to find more holes with more and more fish, I fell in love with creek fishing. Being able to catch so many species from a body of water I'd crossed over thousands of times before was fascinating to me.
Having caught the fever I eventually started expanding how far I was willing to travel to fish. I'm sure it was somewhere on here I stumbled across the shoal bass and Sweetwater Creek. A 30 minute drive in either direction with the flow of traffic working in my favor, it made for a worthwhile trip. My first time visiting the park, my day off of work unfortunately coincided with heavy rain the day before, and the chocolate milk water along with faster moving current contributed to being skunked. Well, I finally made my way back on Tuesday, and my luck was much better! My only goal was to catch a single shoal bass, but I ended up catching a handful as well as a few nice spotted bass and some that seem to be a shoal spot hybrid. I felt like I had the creek to myself. It was bliss.
First fish of the day. No skunk this time!
Closer to a shoal bass, but this one seems like more of a mutt?
Getting colder...
There it is! Finally, my first shoalie!
Got easier to catch after I got the first one of the day! Beautiful fish!
I was using an inline spinner and got it caught on a leaf. While I was popping to lure to get the leaf off, this guy came out and swiped at the lure and missed. I cast out again and brought it right in front of him. He wasn't going to miss it this time! Big fish of the day for me, and a blast to pull in on light tackle.
Last fish of the day. Told myself I needed to catch one more before I could leave. Happy to end with another shoal bass.
