Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

Tolleson remains in first in Junior League Bt CART BAXTER the ffOlfE JOURNAL After 15 regular season games, Tolleson Supply' has claim to first place in the Perry Junior League Major League for 11-12 boys. Tolleson has a 4-2 record. Pitchers with the best Lake Blackshear offers excellent fishing for middle Georgia residents Bass anglers in south central Georgia don't have to drive far to find excellent fishing. In fact 8,515-acre Lake Blackshear is within an hour’s drive for a large number of eager anglers. Within the region howev er for one angler, Jim Murray, the lake is literally out his back door, as he’s lived on the bank of the lake for 27 years. A sales man for the Dawson Tarpolum Co.. Murray is on the lake every chance he gets, fishing for bass. When asked for the most important fishing advice he could give readers, Murray did not hesitate to answer. "Many years ago I fished with a Mr. Wiggins who was a very knowledgeable Lake Blackshear fisherman, and I found his advice worked for me," Murray said. “He said in the spring time or in the dead of win ter, fish shallow in Lake Blackshear and you’ll always catch fish. I have found that to be excellent advice for this lake and it has worked for me," Murray continued. “In the springtime 1 might be fishing for bedding bass in the back of Cannon Branch with a slow moving jerk bait or spinner bait. I might also try working a Texas rig worked through the cypress roots; but rarely will 1 fish water over five feet deep," he explained. “That's because my theo ry is that on Lake Blackshear, a shallow run ning bass is looking for something to eat, aggres sively cruising the water A deeper suspended bass on the other hand is restful and not interested in feed ing and it’s tough to make him bite." Murray said. When pressed to name his favorite lure, Murray said he really didn’t have one, but normally he uses a white or chartreuse spinner bait, which he makes him self. For year round action, a Texas rigged worm is hard to beat, he said. “These are good shallow water lures and that’s all 1 normally need," he added. On a recent bass club tournament, Murray pulled out a chrome rattle trap that caught bunches of 12 - 13 inch bass, but only pulled in two keepers over the 14 inch limit. “That’s typical of the majority of bass caught on the lake right now, but ./ ; V ' Von nv\ vf know when v;ou nwv novd to reach me. HHHi • MHRH records are Michael Deibert of Tolleson, 2-0, and Daniel Peak of MMM, CPA, 3-1. Kiwanis pitcher Shane Ashley leads the league in strikeouts with 34 in just 18 innings. Jordy Stokes of Alltel and Ashley are the home run leaders with three each. Pj jjppj John Trussed Home Journal Outdoors some larger bass are pre sent. In fact, I hung into one large bass that I could n’t turn at all and it soon broke off." said Murray. Interestingly the bass tournament Murray was participating in was won with a limit of shoal bass caught above the Ga. 27 bridge in the Flint River. According to Wildlife Resources Division Fisheries Biologist Paul Loska. anglers can expect to find Blackshear’s bass in robust condition, like fat footballs. Loska said recent creel and stocking surveys on Blackshear found the bass in very good condition and averaging one to one and a quarter pound. The “new lake effect" resulting from enriched nutrients in the lake and a low fish population when the lake was refilled after the 1994 flood has led to several great fish spawns and rapid growth of the expanding fish population, said Loska. As the Blackshear bass population grows and expands, the fishing will be very good for many years in the future. Anyone who fished Blackshear prior to the flood was very familiar with the algae problem. It was primarily of the Lyngbya variety a blue green algae, Loska said. The WRD took advantage of the down time at the lake to establish native plants in the lake. Approximately 80 percent of the noxious plants have been removed and those native plants were planted at the mouths of several well known coves to create a natural fence of sorts to keep out invading plants. That plan has worked but some unwanted plant varieties are creeping back into the lake, so the prob lem has not disappeared. Loska said while the lake was down fisheries biolo gists examined the lake bed for locations for new fish attractor sites. The WRD placed wooden pallets, old Daniel Peake and Dusty Denton are tied for the best batting average, hitting .500 each. Casey Hillstrom is hitting .462 while Stephen James is batting .462. Jordy Stokes rounds out the top five batters with a .421 average. auto tires, and concrete chunks around fishing piers in Veterans State Park. Pallets and concrete rub ble were also dropped near the Wolf Thick boat ramp, at the north and south sides of the entrance to Cedar Creek, on the south side of the mouth of Boy Scout Slough, and at the north entrance point to Spring Creek. This type of man made cover is also planted along the river channel between the U.S. 280 bridge on the north and the railroad bridge just to the south. A dozen new fish attrac tors, composed of 56 PVC and plastic Geo-web struc tures, were placed in the lake. They were sunk along ledges which drop off into the old river channel from Smoak Bridge bn Swift Creek up to the mouth of Spring Creek. Each is marked with a buoy. These sites are ideal for anglers to work over with a shad colored crankbait, rat tletrap or Texas rigged dark blue worm. In the deeper water, especially around the Geo - Web structures, a Carolina rig with a 3 - 5 foot leader would probably bring more success. For the abundant smaller bass, a two-hook worm will increase your percentage of hook ups. '* Both Murray and-Loska say effectively fishing around cypress trees and their tangled root systems is the key to catching Blackshear’s spring bass. Cypress threes are common all over Blackshear, but Loska picks Cannon Branch, Gum, Limestone, and Spring Creeks as prime places to narrow your search. Because of its shallow nature, Blackshear warms up early in the spring and top water- baits such as buzz baits, trick worms or floating frogs will draw a strike early in the morning or late in the day around the cypress trees. Generally, it's best to cast the bait right up next to the trunk of the tree and let it rest long enough for the ripples to fade away before a very slow and erratic retrieve is begun. Often those short jerky movements of the bait imi tate a wounded prey that can draw a vicious strike from a hungry bass. (continued in two weeks) The GcorghStriwbary Festival Night in the Park 7:00 p.m. _Jtr Band concert SBf Band concert May 8 - Saturday Downtown 9:45a.m. JjfF • Gospel Fest W (o o _ 1 ■ • Games & Kj m 11 “Live Entertainment & Jazz Bands M Fun Stage %. •Children’s jjjjF • Grand Parade JpF V •Trash toi&easures Market fffir S •Classic Cars m fl •StrawberryCook-O^fiP^ •flfce Parking and Shuff!| Patch i May 8 - -8,1999 Sponsored in Strawberry Growers Association for moOTnformation call 912-847-2663 Here are results of games during the past week: Kiwanis 7, Baxter, CPA, 6. Shane Ashley had the game winning, 3-run home run. Alltel 7, MMM, CPA, 1. Josh O'Neal, Alltel pitcher, had a complete game win. Casey Hillstrom and Stephen James each hit home runs for Alltel. MMM. CPA 7, Baxter. CPA 6. Daniel Peake of MMM was the winning pitcher. He also hit a dou ble and two home runs while driving home six runs. Alitel 18, Tolleson 14. Stephen James had a two run home run for Alltel while Bruce Vance had a two-run home run for Tolleson. Tolleson 10, Kiwanis 8. Brett Hill of Kiwanis went 4-4 including two doubles. Ryan Sims of Tolleson was 3-3 including a triple. Clark Continued from page 6A meters into the race and took a hard fall onto the asphalt track, skidding then rolling over on the track. After getting medical attention and several small bandages from trainer Mike Edgar, Katie went on to run the 200- meter race, and anchor her 4 by 400 meter relay team. Katie is one of my favorite young folks, any way, and her courage and dedication swelled my heart with even more pride for this outstanding young freshman. Baseball From page 6A the team, hit .292 and led the team with 12 runs bat ted in. Jones also had eight doubles to lead in that cat egory. Walker and Trevor Jones had the team’s only home runs of the season, with Jones leading in runs scored with 13, followed by Virden with 11 and Shell with 10. Coach Billy Sellers loses seven seniors off this year’s team, including Ron Marshall, Matt Hardy, Tate Parker and Chad Ekey, along with Shell, Walker and Trevor Jones. Home Journal sports cov erage each week features coverage of local high school teams. Follow the Panthers and the Hornets with sports writers Phil Clark and Alline Kent. Subscribe today. Call 987- 1823. ■a ir t : f | A bristle lErrsr sss ntors in leading the re of 308. Deerfield fion 3-AAA champi won the title on the >.' t * The Westfield Hornets, region 1-AAA champions, came up short in their bid for a third state champi onship over the past four years. The GISA champions in 1996 and 1997 finished third with a team score of 311. Freshman Jon David Kennedy shot a one-under 71 to lead the Hornets. Joe Todd shot 75 for the day while R.G. Lamar scored an 82. Matt Moore was in at 83 while Mitch Greerrecorded anß7. The four top scores count toward the team total. Christie, a junior at Stratford, is among the top young female golfers hi the south. Her 70 placed her on the GISA all-state team along with Kennedy. Todd, Drew Bowen of George Walton and Michael Monahan of Deerfield. Pre-tourney favorite Southland finished well of the pace with a team 341, good for ninth in the 15-team field. Augusta Prep was fourth at 315. Felton cops top SUU honor SnciAL TO the Home Journal CEDAR CITY, Utah Former Perry High School basketball standout Tarvish Felton brought his college career to an end with the top Southern Utah University award. Felton was named co- Male Athlete of the Year with Mark Wright, a mem POOLINGS CONSTRUCTION Yn\ type work now. i*\islin« homes \\e spoti<ili/e in moling 468 Jallappa Rd., Dooling, CA (912)433-2108 • Cell phone (912)952-8370 Liability & workmen's comp GEICO IS HIRING 2500 EMPLOYEES “ AND THEY WANT YOU! Successful Completion guarantees an Interview with GEICO CERTIFIED CUSTOMER SERVICE SPECIALIST PROGRAM at ruddle Georgia TECHNICAL INSTITUTE' S Day classes start May 10 & June 21 - 5 weeks from 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. Mon-Fri. Night Classes start May 10 - 8 weeks from 6 p.m.-9pm. Mon-Thur Learn the skills you need to compete for entry level jobs in service, hospi tality and retail industries. Learn modem ideas and approaches to customer service such as Thinking Skills VProblem Solving Skills VSkills in Managing the Difficult Customer VBasic Computer Skills Qualifies for HOPE Grant Call 988-6850 and enroll today! Classes fill up quickly!! /T\ \ Henderson / \ village J \ Country Retreat / \and Restaurant/ Come visit Langston House Restaurant at Henderson Village where every meal Is an experience to treasure. « a neat... Three course prix fixe menu at $25 per person. Our unique a la carte menu is also available, priced from S3O upward. You are also invited to experience our exquisite Sunday Brunch Buffet at $19.95 per person with complimentary antique carriage rides. Call for Reservations: 912-988-8696 125 South Langston Circle Perry, GA 31009 Wcd., May 5. 1999. Houston Home joumai ber of the SUU track team. Alex Herzog, spokesman for SUU, said Felton is a physical education major and a senior. Felton was a member of the Southern Utah basket ball team. The award was presented during the recent annual Thunderbird Awards Night. that dfeecia/ Occasion? £Then wait no nwt*e ! Page 7A