Newspaper Page Text
2B I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I dawsonnews.com
Wednesday, May 23,2018
Top-water lures working on almost every kind of fish
By Eric Aldrich
Lake Lanier remains over full
pool. The lake is 1,071.55 feet,
or 0.55 feet above the normal
full pool of 1,071. Lake surface
temperatures are rising into the
mid- to upper-70s.
Main-lake and lower-lake
creeks mouths are clear to slight
ly stained. The upper-lake creeks
and pockets are stained and the
rivers are stained. The
Chattahoochee River below
Buford Dam is clear. Check gen
eration schedules before heading
out to the river by calling 770-
945-1466.
Bass fishing remains very
strong.
You can catch fish this week
using many different techniques
and lures, but why would you
want to when you can catch
them on a top-water plug? The
strikes from spotted and large-
mouth bass are ferocious, and
the action is going on all day
long.
Lake Lanier’s spotted bass are
eating herring and shad as they
feed and heal from the spawning
process. The bass you catch may
have bloody tails and scars, but
don’t worry — this is normal
after the spawn.
Bass get beat up from the
spawning process because the
males rub and push against the
females to help them release
their eggs. The also get bloody
tails from fanning silt off their
nests.
The best top-water action has
been occurring in the creek
mouths and secondary points
close to main lake. Cast
Sammys, poppers, Zara Spooks
or your own favorite top-water
plugs. Work your lures from the
shore out over the points and
humps that top out in less than
20 feet deep. When you start
shallow and cast out deeper, you
increase your odds because you
pull the fish in shallow instead of
scattering the school out deeper.
Keep a Big Bites Suicide Shad
rigged to cast to fish that strike
and miss your top-water plugs.
Have a secondary follow-up bait
ready to catch more fish; other
lures like a Fluke, Jerk Shad or
SPRO McStick will also work
well for missed strikes.
If you prefer a slower pace,
you can catch fish on shaky
heads, whacky rigs or other
types of worms in the pockets,
around docks and on secondary
points and humps in the creeks
and rivers.
Night-fishing has been good,
and the bass continue to eat after
the sun sets. My sponsor, SPRO,
builds some of the best crank
baits on the market. A SPRO
Little John DD, RkCrawler or
Fat Papa in darker colors have
been great choices.
Target rocky areas in the creek
mouths, then cast your lures
shallow and work them slow and
steady along the bottom. It’s
amazing how well crank baits
don’t snag when you learn to
retrieve them correctly.
Striper fishing is also very
good right now. The same top-
water plugs as mentioned above
will provoke vicious strikes from
these hard-fighting fish. Cast
your lures over points and
humps around the creek mouths
and main lake.
The top-water action is so
good that you can almost ditch
the live bait and cast top-water
plugs all day long. The best
action is early and later in the
day, but stripers will often school
on the surface during active
feeding periods throughout the
day.
The most productive methods
have been pulling herring on flat
and down lines or planner
boards while casting top-water
plugs or bucktails from the bow
of your boat.
FROM 1B
Coach
But wrestling looked
very different in Dawson
County 30 years ago.
When the high school was
located at the modem day
junior high, there was
nowhere for the wrestling
team to practice inside the
small gym.
“We practiced in the
lunchroom,"’ said
Howington. “We had to
move the tables and then
pull the mat out, make sure
there wasn’t any peas or
com inside the mat.”
Every day after school
the team would meet in the
lunchroom, move the tables
and pull out and mop the
mat before Howington had
even left his last class of
the day.
“That’s what I liked
about them. The kids were
always dedicated, hard
working and self-suffi
cient,” said Howington.
They wasted no time
running or weight training.
All practice time was used
on the mat where
Howington would often
run situational drills to
teach his wrestlers how to
maneuver certain scenarios.
“I wouldn’t necessarily
show them exactly how to
do it,” said Howington. “I’d
give them the broad defini
tion of what they were sup
posed to be doing and they
figured out the best way on
their own.”
When the time came for
the state championship in
1987, Howington knew he
had a great group of kids
that would fight for the
win, but with an all-star
suffering from an injury
FROM 1B
Brady
“I originally didn’t know
I was going to be this com
mitted to it and love it this
much but after I started
playing over these past few
years I just fell in love with
the sport and especially my
teammates,” said Brady.
“They really helped me
grow through it so that’s
been really fun.”
While she was new to
the sport and learning the
ropes, Brady never let that
stop her from becoming
the best athlete she could
be.
Porter said there were
times that Brady wasn’t the
most skilled player on the
court but that there was
nobody that would out
work her.
“She knew what her
strengths were and she
knew what her weaknesses
were and she absolutely
worked on her weaknesses
because she wanted to be
able to contribute,” Porter
said.
The hard work paid off
as Brady became the first
athlete in Dawson County
history to sign a volleyball
scholarship.
“It’s amazing to have the
first scholarshipped athlete
in two years out of that
program,” said DCHS
Principal Richard Crumley.
“Remember that it’s never
too late to get involved and
find something that you’re
passionate about and put
your efforts into those
things and good things will
happen for you.”
The young program has
seen quite a bit of success
in its short two years. Just
this past year the team
reached the first round of
state playoffs after defeat
ing rival Lumpkin County
in a region tournament.
And at the program’s
banquet in October 2017,
Brady was named the
defensive player of the
year, averaging almost 8
digs a game and having a
91 percent service average.
Brady didn’t just earn a
volleyball scholarship from
Reinhardt, however; she
also received an academic
scholarship for her 4.2
GPA and a women’s lead
ership scholarship.
“It takes not only a fami
ly but with all the friends
and the administration and
all the coaches to have a
student grow from elemen
tary, middle and on into
high school and once they
take that next step to fur
ther their education and
become a college athlete it
takes everybody,” said
Brady’s father, Kip.
Brady, who is set to
graduate May 24, will be
pursuing pre-med at
Reinhardt in the fall. After
she lost her grandfather
two years ago shortly after
he had open heart surgery,
Brady plans to specialize in
cardiac rehabilitation to
help heart surgery patients
recover after surgery.
FROM 1B
Football
“We have a system in
place. You know, we lose a
good group and you hope
the ones who a ready to
play step in,” said Maxwell.
“It’s just that group is gone
and the next group has to
come in and play. We’re
trying to build tradition and
have success and we’ve
been blessed to have that
my three years here.”
As far as negatives go,
Maxwell said he didn’t see
any during the spring
scrimmage.
“We’re going to make
mistakes, you know, and
that’s football. We’re going
to make mistakes in game
five, but we just got to keep
getting better, coach them
up and I try to keep a posi
tive atmosphere with the
boys and set the expecta
tions and we try to have fun
and get better,” said
Maxwell.
Maxwell is entering his
fourth year as head football
coach in Dawson County
and his 30th year coaching
in his career.
“I’m just blessed to have
the opportunity to go out
here with these young men
and enjoy the journey, not
so much focus on the desti
nation where we’re going
but take a step back, take a
deep breath and enjoy it.
See how things unfold and
if it’s not, whatever needs
to be dealt with we’ll make
adjustments and go up and
attack the day,” said
Maxwell.
The team wrapped up
their spring practice last
week and will begin sum
mer practices June 4. The
first game of the season is
Aug. 17 at Habersham.
and unable to compete he
worried the team wouldn’t
be able to overcome.
“He went off the mat
and hit his elbow on the
gym floor and separated his
elbow. That worried me a
little bit but the rest of them
came through.”
The hard work and deter
mination of the players
paid off, earning them the
GHSA wrestling champi
onship, the first state title in
any sport in Dawson
County history.
The team returned to
state in 1988 and was run
ner-up. For his impressive
leadership of the Tiger
wrestlers, Howington was
selected as the Class A
Wrestling Coach of the
Year for both 1987 and
1988.
“Those were some good
times. I looked forward to
practice and meets,” said
Howington about his time
in Dawson County.
He retired as a wrestling
coach in 1988 and from
teaching in 2004.
But he is far from being
done with the sport as Tiger
wrestlers to this day see
Howington in the stands or
on the mat.
Howington’s nephew,
Kelton LeBaron, has anoth
er year of high school
wrestling left and
Howington is sure to be
there to cheer him on. This
last wrestling season,
Howington attended many
local matches as well as
regional and state to cheer
on the Tigers.
“It’s kind of tough on me
sitting there in the stands
watching them and won
dering what it’d be like to
coach now a days,” said
Howington.
As for his plans to slow
down, Howington said he
will be a referee as long as
he can.
“I’m going to keep that
up as long as I can get up
off the mat,” said
Howington. “I can get
down alright. It’s getting up
that’s the hard part.”
Howington, along with
Georgia’s six other induct
ees, will have his name dis
played on a plaque at the
National Wrestling Hall of
Fame in Oklahoma.
• 16 Colors in Stock
•Delivery Available
(706) 265-3099
www.metalroofingsalesinc.com
82 Etowah River Rd.
Dawsonville, GA
Weber®
Spirit® II E310" Black
3-Burner LP Gas Grill
Model #45010001 T 232 6691
T 220 815 5
Traeger®
Tailgater 20
Wood Pellet Grill
• 19,500 BTUs
• Digital thermostat
• 300-sq.-in. cooking surface
• Fully automatic auger
• 10-lb. pellet hopper
Model #TFB30LZB T189 1261
with purchase of any Genesis II grill.
with purchase of any Spirit II grill.
SAVE $45
BONUS
20 lb. Premium Hardwood
Charcoal Briquettes (#221917)
FREE when you buy #185 784.
$149
Blackstone®
28 in. Griddle
Cooking Station
28 x 16-in. cooking
surface. Two
30,000-BTU burners.
Low to high settings.
Push button ignition.
‘ Model #1517 T189 128 1
$149
Weber®
22 in. Original Kettle"'
Premium Black Grill
363 in. of cooking space.
Plated-steel hinged cooking
grate.Porcelain-enameled bowl
and lid. Built-in lid thermometer.
High-capacity ash catcher.
Model #14401001 T185 7841
Copper 185 785
Crimson 185 786
Model #14402001
Model #14403001
Assorted other
flavors available
YOUR CHOICE
4.99
Kingsford®
4 pk. Grill Liners
Model #6129994100 T 215 371 F12
4 pk. Heavy-Duty Aluminum Barbecue Pan
Model #3549994100 T 215 365 F12
4 pk. Veggie and Fish Griller Pans
Model #6119994300 T 215 367 F12
45 sq. ft. Heavy-Duty Grilling Foil
Model #3979994100 T 215 366 B35
4PK 15.5x10 Grill Bags
T 233 069 B24
SALE
2/$5
hth®
1 lb. Super Select
Pool Shock
Treatment
Kills bacteria and
algae. Restores crystal
clarity in 24 hours.
Convenient—easy
to use. T 162 651 F15
1 1
SALE
169.99
ORCA®
26 qt. Cooler
Holds 24 cans. Keeps ice cold up to 10 days.
Lid gasket provides tight seal. T220 900 1
MULCH, ALL COLORS 4/$10
FREE SHIPPING* WHEN YOU CHOOSE SHIP TO STORE AT
FOR ELIGIBLE ITEMS AT PARTICIPATING STORES
16 Moonshiners Way, Dawsonville • 706-525-5140