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Outdoors •The following fishing\re port is compiled each week by the Houston Times - Journal. Lake, weather and fishing con ditions are reported by telephone from contacts listed at the end of each report. If you would like additional lakes or rivers listed, please call the newspaper at 987-1823. If you would like a free picture of a catch you are proud of printed in the paper, we will be happy to shoot and publish the photo. Fishing forecast 1994 predictions from the Fisheries Section, Wildlife Re sources Division, Georgia Department of Natural Re sources. Jackson Lake: The 4,750 acre impoundment is located in Jasper, Butts and Newton counties in Central Georgia, and is owned and operated by Georgia Power. Access is generally good with eight boat ramps. For additional information on fishing access, including the location of boat ramps and bank fishing opportunities and lake drawdown schedules, contact Georgia Power's Land Department, 180 Dam Road, Jackson, Ga., 30233 or phone 404-775-4753. The Georgia Wildlife Resources Division (WRD) maintains 15 fish attractors which are provided to enhance angler's suc cess. These are marked with a white buoy and maps showing their locations are available at WRD offices and from local marinas. WRD has tagged several hundred bass and crappie in recent years. There is a $5 reward for the return of each tag. Infor mation obtained from returned tags will be used to formulate management plans for these popular sport fishes. If you de sire to release a tagged fish, simply cip off the tag before re turning the fish to the water. Postage-paid envelopes for the return of these tags are available from marinas, bait shops and boat dealers around the lake. Lake Jackson may be the best bream lake in middle Geor gia. Bluegill and redbreast sunfish typically range in size from five to seven inches. However, redear sunfish (shellcracker) are also numerous and much larger. Serious panfish enthusi asts targeting redear will be rewarded with catchers from seven to ten inches, and individuals weighing one to one-and a-half pounds are available. Catfish are the second most harvested fish on the lake. The catfish fishery is comprised primarily of white catfish and several species of bullheads. Look for the average size of these species to be three-quarters to one pound. Large channel catfish 10 pounds or better are there for the dedicated catfish angler, but expect the average size to be about two to three pounds. Crappie abundance and average size have not changed no tably in recent years. Look for the most often harvested sizes to be nine to ten ounces. On the other hand, catches of "slabs" (one-and-a-half to two pounds) by seasoned crappie anglers will not be uncommon. Largemouth bass abundance has not changed in recent years. The average bass should weigh just over three-quarters pound. On the average, better than one-quarter of the bass eight inches or larger in size are 15 to 25 inches. Because most bass anglers on Jackson release their catch, bass are abundant enough to satisfy all bass anglers. Look for lunkers to be fairly abundant and the average bass in the creel to be about two pounds. hybrid bass have been stocked annually since the early 1980 s. Plans are to maintain the fishery with annual stockings at levels based on available prey (shad) abundance, which is vital to the survival and growth of hybrids as well as other sport fishes. Hybrid catches should average two to three pounds, with some individuals up to seven or eight pounds. Oconee Lake: This 19,050 acre Georgia Power impound ment was formed by the construction of Wallace Dam in 1979, The lake was approximately 60 miles east of Atlanta near the towns of Madison and Greensboro. Lake Oconee's primary function is hydropower generation and is operated by with Lake Sinclair as a pump-storage facility. This unique operation in combination with the lake's long and narrow shape produces noticeable water flow during power generation. Standing and topped timber plots were left along creek and river channels as fish attracting structures. Public access is readily available through eight USFS and Ge orgia Power facilities and several lakeside marinas, which of fer lodging, food, bait, tackle and related services. Primary fisheries include largemouth bass, crappie, white and hybrid bass. Crappie account for the largest portion of fish harvested each year. Crappie are caught year-around, but the best condi tions for good catches occur from February through April. As water temperatures begin to hover around 60 degrees, try catching crappie around stickups in shallow water, looking for bedding fish. Spawning white bass up the Oconee and Appalachee rivers during March and April may force anglers to make a tough decision between this fishery and crappie. Appreciable num bers of white bass begin to move upstream as river tempera tures break 55 degrees. Hybrids tend to make this same migra tion a little later than white bass during years with strong river flows. A major peak in hybrid fishing coincides with the threadfin shad spawn during April. The shoreline spawning habits of the shad attract and concentrate hybrids to accessible areas. Many breaking and submerged hybrid schools will be found in the middle third of the reservoir from late spring through Please see Predictions, page 9A Plastic Moon Time Calculator available. Send $5.70 to: Moon Time Calculator, SPR Sports, P.O. Box 177, Mound, MN 55364 oceaotiao ' vV* Anglers go vertical for the big bass Merely mention the concept of vertical fishing or doodling to most fishermen and their response is, "Get out of here!" Most fishermen are just not willing to position a boat over 35 feet or more water and fish a worm or jig straight up and down in old standing timber or brush piles. Only when there is a case of have to will most of them do it Admittedly, it can be some of the most boring fishing known. But, on the other hand, it can also be one heck of a productive method of catching big bass. To me, catch ing is a lot more fun than being, no matter how you catch your fish. There is also the age old feeling among bass fishermen that in order to catch a fish, you must cast to ward some type of structure. A rock, tree, flat with stumps or a point that breaks gradually with structure are prime targets. Casting towards structure is a very tried and true method; but, there are occasions and lakes where vertical fishing is most productive. Lake Lanier is about the best ex ample I can give you. Vertical fishing sounds easy and simple; but, it takes a good bit of patience and ability to accomplish this. You must have good electronic locators to vertical fish. The choice of electronics is whatever you have confidence in. Over the years I have used most of the electronic locators on the market Bottom Line Electronics, as far as liquid crystal goes, is about the best electronic locator on the mar ket for bottom resolution and fish pinpointing. Liquid crystal will never take the place of a good paper Garden tips offered for growing season With the gardening season com ing in, check the following tidbits to help in your gardening endeav ors. Centipede grass has been known for its ability to tolerate a low pH (4.5 to 5.5), but it actually will do better at a more normal pH range of 5.5 to 6.5. Since Georgia soils tend to be low in pH, lime can be of benefit on centipede lawns. To determine a soil's pH, take a soil sample to your local county extension office and have an analysis done. If no soil analysis is available and if the soil has not received lime in two years, apply 50 pounds of lime per 1,000 square feet of turf. You Caladium lovers are no Conservation pays for endangered game In 1900, white-tailed deer num bered only about 500,000. Today, they number nearly 20 million. In 1900, the Rocky Mountain elk population was around 40,000. Now, it’s close to one million. The wood duck population was heading for extinction in 1900. Now, the wood duck is the most common waterfowl in the eastern United States. The National Shooting Sports Foundation reports that at one time these three examples of wildlife woe considered endangered species, but today each is flourishing thanks to to the science of wildlife man agement. This successful new science studies the needs of a par ticular species of wildlife, what it needs to maintain its numbers in its habitat, and how it relates with other animals and with men. Early research in this new science revealed that if habitat con ditions were favorable for a given species, its numbers could quickly increase. This understanding stimu lated the growth of state wildlife agencies. Today, state wildlife agencies now manage more than 42 million acres of prime wildlife habitat across 50 states. Only 50 years ago, pronghorn antelope faced possible extinction. Wildlife managers implemented stocking, transplant and habitat im provement projects aided by a new law that placed a tax on sporting firearms and ammunition. Between 1937 and 1947, more than 7,000 pronghorn antelope were rounded up and released to new ranges in an effort to start new herds. By 1946, the pronghorn popula tion had increased to more than 230,000, nearly 20 times the total that had existed two decades earlier. , Today, wildlife management I Gone L tjg J| :; I I '**' :<* David and I Susanne Andel graph, but economics is pushing most fishermen over to liquid crys tal. It doesn’t matter what you use, rather you must be proficient in what you use and have confidence in what it is showing you. This can only come by use and practice. fr y f iS ' [}s\ WfcNtefra Jit 0; ■ ■ .’7 " 'y.' •’ w ' ' - -y- -y ** mm mMHHBm =3 w mH■■■■H Vertical fishing, or doodling, will help anglers land those hard to find large lunkers. doubt anxious to plant your tubers for the summer Caladium crop. However, the best results will be obtained only until the soil temper ature reaches a consistent 70 de grees. Ordinarily, this will be around May 1. An alternative to planting them directly in the ground is to plant the tubers in nursery pots and force them to sprout early. Place the pots outdoors on a two inch layer of pine straw to insulate them from the ground. With forcing the tubers to sprout, it is possible to have leaf ing Caladiums three-to-four weeks earlier than if they were planted in a bed. Now that the yellow blooms of IPSPff , W|» . ' V- *. V-'.'" >* ‘i *-t - v 'I, • i *. *• * . •*. tV' <. * ’ yU: f * ' *'’r Many endangered game species, such as the whltetall deer, have been saved through hunter and conservation groups. programs, combined with regulated hunting to maintain herds at healthy levels, have raised the pronghorn antelope population to a healthy level. Regulated hunting is an impor tant part of managing wildlife. Wildlife experts agree that a species with adequate habitat can be hunted during a regulated season without adversely affecting its future. Hunters and organized sports men's groups have long been ardent financial supporters of wildlife con servation by their purchase of hunt ing licenses, payment of special taxes and fundraising efforts. Today, outdoor enthusiasts fur nish more than $1 billion for con Houston Times- Journal Saturday, Apr! 23, 1994 Houston Times -Journal - Using your electronic locator, locate brush piles, old standing timber or rock piles. Scan these ar eas well looking for bass holding right in the tress or rocks suspended above them. The weather will dictate their lo cation. Position your boat directly over the fish and drop the bait right in front of their nose. It won’t take long before you’ll know if they are interested. Don’t waste a lot of time over the area if the bass are not biting. Leave and go on to the next spot, remembering to return later in the 8 Tim L Lewis I Ag. instructor, J| Perry High School B forsythia have faded, it is time to begin the spring pruning season. Shrubs such as forsythia, quince, spirea, and camellia can be shaped now for summer growth. Older forsythia limbs will be dark brown, while younger ones will be green. Remove about one-third of the older servation a year. Yet, these same people have been criticized as the biggest threat to a species’ exis tence. In 1844, the New York Sports man's Club organized an effort to capture and penalize poachers for il legally killing game that was sold UCP slates bass contest Unitcd Cerebral Palsy (UCP) of Greater Atlanta announces the 2nd Annual Moby-ln-Thc-Morning Bass Tournament on Saturday, April 30. The tournament will take place oijl Lake Allatoona at Allatoona Page 7A day. This type of fishing is very easy to do. Once you get the hang of it, feeling strikes becomes second na ture. If you are new to this fishing method, the best way to start is to let the spoon free spool to the bot tom. Once the spoon has reached the bottom, reel out the slack with the rod tip pointing in the five o clock position. When ready, raise the rod tip to the eight-to-10 o'clock position. Make several snappy, quick jerks Please see Vertical, pace 9A wood and half of the newest branches to promote vigorous flow ering next year. If you notice white grubs in your garden soil, you will want to know that they are the immature stage of several flying beetles that appear annually in June. The grubs are much more vul nerable to insecticides during this time of their busiest root-feeding activity, which is in late summer and early fall. If you see from eight-to-ten grubs per square foot of soil now, then treatment will be necessary in the fall. If you see fewer grubs than that, most likely natural forces will control them, making poisons un necessary. to fancy city restaurants. This effort became a catalyst for the formation of similar clubs in other eastern cities as early as 1850, and their efforts to preserve wildlife resources continues today. Please see Animals, page 9A Landing Marine Resort from 6:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Anglers will be competing for over SIO,OOO in cash and prizes. Moby of KICKS 101.5 FM is chairing the tournament. Over Please see Moby, page 9A