About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 21, 2020)
SPORTS Bill Murphy Sports Editor | 770-718-3415 | sports@gainesvilletimes.com Unties gainesvilletimes.com Friday, February 21,2020 LAKE LANIER FISHING REPORT HIGH SCHOOL BASKCTBALL Bass fishing still strong in high waters BY ERIC ALDRICH For The Times Lake Lanier’s water level is at 10,76.66 feet, or 5.66 feet over the full pool of 1,071 and ris ing very close to the record level of 1,077.14 feet recorded in 1964. Water temperatures are in the low 50s. Note that many of the CORPS boat ramps remain closed due to high water conditions. The main lake and creeks mouths below Browns Bridge are only slightly stained and remain very fishable, even with the high-water conditions. Many of the pockets mid-way back in the creeks are also clear enough to catch good fish. The backs of the creeks and the inflow from the rivers are very stained to muddy. The Chattahoochee River below Buford Dam is clear directly below the dam, but it gets muddy quickly downstream from rain inflow. Check generation schedules before heading out to the river at 770-945-1466. Bass fishing has actually been decent, even though the lake is higher than I have seen it my lifetime. With the pool rim reaching almost record levels, there is a whole lot of new shore line which can be overwhelming to anglers. Bass do move up shallower during high water but anglers will do well to break down areas with steeper banks and ditches (bass highways) that these fish follow and concentrate their efforts there. Start your day with moving lures like a Rapala DT 10, SPRO RkCrawlers or even a SPRO McRip and target the rocky points and reef markers at around 15 feet or less. A lot of reef markers are roughly 10 to 12 feet tall, so they can really clue you in to where to cast. Other lures like small swim baits, jerk baits or jig head worms can work well in these same areas. Because there is so much “new” water, anglers may do well to keep on the move and cover water with spinner baits or chatter style lures like Blue Heron Lures make. Target steeper banks and make casts paral lel to the drops to keep your lures in the strike zone. My Lowrance’s traditional 2/D imaging has really saved the day by allowing us to deter mine if the bass and baitfish are present or if a move is in order. Keep a drop shot rigged with a Big Bites Shakin’ Squirrel or a Lanier Baits Fruity Worm in green colors ready at all time and drop to any arcs or lines you see that indi cate fish directly below the boat. Striper fishing remains hit and miss, but many anglers are catching fish even where the water is stained. Stripers don’t necessarily vacate water just because it’s muddy. Stripers have lateral lines that allow them to “feel” the movement of baitfish. Experiment with larger baitfish in areas with a thick stain and you may be rewarded for your efforts. That point being said, locating the areas where clearer main lake water meets the cloud ier rain inflow may still be your best bet. Mud lines concentrate bait, and stripers use them as underwater “walls” where they can ambush bait. Fish live bait on flat and down lines or pull umbrella rigs in these same areas to catch the stripers that are located around water color transition changes. I owe credit to Mack Farr for making another great point. A lot of the stain we see on the sur face is superficial and only runs a few feet below the surface. There may be layers of stained water that have much clearer water located below them. This creates a low light condition below the surface layer where strip ers may be feeding all day long. The night bite should really pick up down by the Dam soon so get out your Bomber Long A’s and SPRO McSticks but until the lake level falls run slowly if you get after dark. Crappie fishing is starting to pick up. Troll ing multiple poles or “spider rigging” has been a good way to cover water and locate fish. The hardest part of trolling right now will be keep ing your lines cleared of pine straw or surface debris. Stagger your rods and run the short ones on the back of the boat and increase the length so that the longest ones are up front. Use light 4 to 6-points test and rig them with small jigs. Run your trolling motor at about 1/2 mph. The docks are also holding good schools of fish. Target docks with lots of brush planted around them. Docks that have beaver hutches can be a hassle for dock owners, but a boon for crappie anglers. Shoot small crappie jigs up under them or, if you have permission from the dock owners you can downline crappie min nows directly below the docks, just above where the brush is located. Bank Fishing: Bank anglers have been catch ing stripers on minnows fished just above the bottom. Use a l-ounce sinker on your main line tied to a swivel with a 3 to 4-foot leader tied to a #1 Gamakatsu Octopus Hook. Place a medium to large shad hooked through the nose and make a long cast out around to where the water drops off deep. Set out multiple poles and set them in PVC or commercial rod holders and wait for the action. Stripers are fish that fight extremely hard so make sure to use at least 12-pound test line, and make sure your drag is set to give a little so that you can land the fish that bite! Eric Aldrich is an outdoor writer, marketing specialist, guide and bass angler. He is currently booking teaching trips for Lake Lanier’s spotted and largemouth bass. Reports are based on personal experience and permission from a close network of friends. He would love to hear from his readers, so please email him at esaldrich@yahoo.com. Remember to take a kid fishing! Season ends in Savannah Photos by JEREMY SIMMONS I For The Times Cherokee Bluff’s Bosko Norman goes up for a basket against Windsor Forest in the second round of the Class 3A state playoffs Thursday in Savannah. Cherokee Bluff falls to Windsor Forest in second round of state BY DONALD HEATH For the Savannah Morning News Windsor Forest assistant basketball coach Dancial Jackson “just wanted to keep the train moving. ” Filling in for head coach Aaron Clark, who was out because of a family illness, Jackson had the Knights rolling nicely in the second round of the Class 3 A state basketball tournament. Windsor (25-4) used its pressure defense to force 18 turnovers and its uptempo offense created easy shots on the inside as the Knight defeated visiting Cherokee Bluff 80-55 on Thursday night. Windsor Forest advanced to play Cen tral, a 55-43 winner over Hart County in the second round. “We had two great practices and everyone seemed right,” Jackson said. “I thought we’d play well from the start. I saw the positive energy. ” Clark missed Windsor’s last two prac tices, but the Knights didn’t miss a beat with its high-energy assistant. Sophomore D’Ante Bass, a 6-foot-7 perimeter player, scored 15 of his 17 points in the first half. Mike Cabellero added 16 points and Ray Williams and Shamar Norman had 12 points apiece. Cade Simmons sanks six of his team’s 10 3-pointers to lead Cherokee Bluff with 18 points. The Knights, who extended their win ning streak to 13 games, were at their frenetic best while forcing 11 turnovers and taking a 38-27 first-half advantage. Windsor had 8-0 and 9-0 runs in the first quarter and hit the Bears with a 12-0 haymaker in the second quarter. With 2:28 left in the half, the Knights held their biggest lead of the half, 18, at 38-20 before Cherokee Bluff fought back. Bass had a steal and finished with a towering, one-handed dunk to end the first 8-0 spurt. He sank a long jumper to finish off the 9-0 run and make it 17-6. Williams came off the bench and had eight points to fuel the 12-0 run. But Cherokee Bluff was hard to dis courage. The Bears ended the first quarter with six straight points and the second quarter with seven straight. Griffin Neville’s long 3-pointer, the Bears’ sixth of the game, trimmed Wind sor’s lead to 42-35 with 5:07 to go in the third quarter. But the Knights answered with another 8-0 spurt and sealed the win with a dominant 17-2 clip in the fourth quarter. In the final minute, a Williams pass off the backboard for trailing Jamon Lonnon’s dunk sent Knights’ fans home happy. “I’m guess I’m 1-0 now,” Jackson said. “We played well.” CURTIS COMPTON I The Associated Press Atlanta Braves outfielders Ronald Acuna and Marcell Ozuna run sprints around the bases during baseball spring training on Sunday in North Port, Fla. ATL\NTA BRAVES Acuna’s versatility is big for depth in the outfield Atlanta Journal Constitution In some ways, it’s hard to believe the Braves are entering Year 3 of the Ronald Acuna era. Acuna, then baseball’s No. 1 prospect, was promoted in late April 2018 and has since captivated audiences with his power, speed and oozing charisma. The Braves have made the postseason in both seasons of Acuna’s career. He’s become one of the sport’s exciting, marketable stars. In 2019, his first full season, Acuna left little on the table: The All-Star outfielder hit .280/.365/.518, generating a legitimate pursuit of 40-40 that fell just shy at 41 hom ers and 37 steals. That’s why when best friend and sec ond baseman Ozzie Albies suggested that Acuna would pursue an unprecedented 50-50 campaign, few met his words with surprise; Acuna joyfully chases the road less -- or never -- traveled. “When you look at 50-50 or something like that, it’s not really a goal you feel des perate (for) or in great need of trying to achieve,” Acuna said through team inter preter Franco Garcia. “What you want to do is help the team succeed in any way ■ Please see BRAVES, 2B
