King Of The Panfish: Fishing For Redear Sunfish (Shellcracker)

[King.Of.Anglers.Jeremiah]

Jeremiah, on Lake Seminole, they like all those baits and also grass shrimp.




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Grass shrimp are among some of the best natural Baits but normally overlooked

 

[NE GA Pappy]

I used to fish way up on the North end of Lanier. From 1965 through 1990.
Go under the Highway 53 bridge out of Gainesville.
Immediately you will see a long steep bank on your right that runs parallel to the highway for maybe 1/4 mile. Got some depth all the way from 40 feet to one inch along that bank.
That was always the hottest shellcracker spot on the lake as far as I was concerned. Plus the water color up there is better. I wouldn't think too much has changed that far up the river although it has been quite a while since I was up there. But it's a starting point. If somebody sent me up there to get shellcrackers, that's where I would go. (there may be residences along that stretch now)
And that submerged island as you enter the Chestatee there just above Browns Bridge was another favorite shellcracker spot. Fishing on the bottom with a slip sinker rig and worms. We used to have to circle around and around to search for it with the depthfinder but now I suppose it is marked on maps with GPS waypoints. (the fish down there don't know about waypoints however)
I can't tell you much about anything below Browns Bridge (except is it a zoo with the pleasure boaters)

doesn't Hwy 53 cross the lake twice... once at the Chattahoochee River, and then again at the Forsyth County line? I take it you are talking about the river channel bridge.... IIRC it is called Boling Bridge, and they just opened the new bridge across the lake

 

[NE GA Pappy]

when ever someone starts talking about north Lanier, my brain automatically goes to north of Clarks Bridge Road. I was raised in Cornelia, and my Pappy lived off Clarks Bridge Road going on out toward Brookton. We use to fish the lake but very seldom did we fish south of Clarks Bridge. We did use to tie up and crappie fish in the summer at Clarks Bridge. We fished on up beyond Hwy 52 where the lake basically narrows down to a river again.

 

[OleCountryBoy]

Used to live in central Florida. Lake Kissimmee south of Orlando is the first place I’d go for Shellcracker in large quantities. Used to catch easy limits in a few hours on wigglers in the lily pads. Just go early March and find all the boats piled up and get in the middle. They weren’t the 1+ pounders but easy fillet sized and an occasional pound plus.

 

[crackerdave]

Used to live in central Florida. Lake Kissimmee south of Orlando is the first place I’d go for Shellcracker in large quantities. Used to catch easy limits in a few hours on wigglers in the lily pads. Just go early March and find all the boats piled up and get in the middle. They weren’t the 1+ pounders but easy fillet sized and an occasional pound plus.

Those fillets are some of the best eating there is!

 

[Cmp1]

Just heard yesterday at the VA clinic that there's 5 in of ice on the two lakes near me,,,,saw a few brave souls out there,,,,
Anybody interested?

 

[crackerdave]

Just heard yesterday at the VA clinic that there's 5 in of ice on the two lakes near me,,,,saw a few brave souls out there,,,,
Anybody interested?

Not unless it's in one of those heated little shacks!

 

[Cmp1]

Not unless it's in one of those heated little shacks!

Shanty with a 30,000 btu propane heater,,,,bait shop on the lake,,,,

 

[crackerdave]

Shanty with a 30,000 btu propane heater,,,,bait shop on the lake,,,,

That's the ticket!

 

[Cmp1]

That's the ticket!

No way I can put a hole in the ice,,,,got a portable sonar setup too,,,,
The Deeper Sonar system,,,,

 

[King.Of.Anglers.Jeremiah]

Thx,I crappie fish in that vicinity a lot so may take some worms next spring and give it a try. In forty years if fishing Lanier ,have only seen one shell cracker.

Caught a few at Lanier but normally bycatch. They'll even grab a bass worm every so often. They're HUGE in Lanier but I've seen bigger in Allatoona personally. You'll see them on beds and think they're bass from the sheer size of the things

 

[King.Of.Anglers.Jeremiah]

For anyone looking to use a catalpa worm:

Cut the head off, hook the worm from the opposite side, push the worm over the hook so it's inside out over the shank with the hook point exposed.

 

[King.Of.Anglers.Jeremiah]

Shellcracker pattern swim jigs, swimbaits and crankbaits are an overlooked pattern for Largemouth Bass in the spring and summer as well, but for whatever reason they don't seem to work the rest of the year