The Drovers Old Time Medicine Show - Prater's Creek Gazette

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Fishing report	The Prater's Creek Gazette 4th Issue Winter 2004 Page #6
Compiled by our staff’s Outdoor Editors, Bubba McCalister, and his brother Dorris The wintertime is when the real fishermen are separated from the pretenders. Some of the best fishing in our area can be found during the cold months. Just dress warmly, carry a jug of The Drover’s elixir out on the lake for that inner warmth, and you’re ready to do some cold water fishing! Lake Jocassee Largemouth bass, Fair. Dorris caught a nice one the other day using a Carolina rigged worm. I was having luck using topwater plugs and jerk baits, slowly reeling that sucker back in every time. Now the trout is biting a little early in the day, using spoons in 70 to 100 foot of water. Dorris was too hung over the morning we went out and he just laid in the bottom of the boat groaning and cursing the Drovers’ elixir, and never even got his line wet. I smacked him in the kisser with a fat trout but it didn’t do nothin’ but make him madder and sicker. The trout fishing will be getting better as the weather gets colder. Lake Keowee Largemouth bass, Good. The mighty largemouth are moving deeper into the 30-40 foot water. There’s been talk on the porch of Livwright’s General Store of schools of bass being spotted. Of course with the old men that hang out playing checkers and swapping lies, that was the only fish tale I could believe out of those lying sack of, …uh never mind. Crappie fishing is fair right now. My granny’s been catching ‘em using minners and jigs in 10-15 foot of water around brush piles. That reminds me, I gotta get myself invited over to her house for a fish fry! Lake Hartwell Largemouth fishing is fair to good. Try using crankbaits and topwater lures. The Hartwell Largemouth is a noble fish. Striped and Hybrids are real good right now. You need to use live herring with down-rods in some deep water around a river channel in 35 foot of water or so. The fish are moving toward Portman Shoals. Crappie, fair using small and medium minners along with small crappie jigs in 10-15 ft of water over brush and underwater structures. Catfish, Good using chicken livers on the bottom. Prater’s Creek The trout were jumping in me and Dorris’ waders the other afternoon. We hardly had to cast. We were using Dorris’ homemade flies and them trout couldn’t resist ‘em! Carp, Excellent! The carp fishing is always good in Prater’s Creek, and this season is no different. Ain’t nothin’ like carp and grits. Try using dough balls, molasses, and beads to land that prize carp. With your left over dough you can make biscuits to go with your carp! And pour the leftover molasses on them! Remember folks, if you ain’t gonna eat it, Catch and Release! Let that fish live another day and get fatter. And don’t worry about them PCB warnings in the Seneca River area of Lake Hartwell, that’s just a bunch of hooey. Me and Dorris eat fish from there all the time and it ain’t hurt us one iota.

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Fishing report

The Prater's Creek Gazette

4th Issue Winter 2004 Page #6

Fisherman Logo Compiled by our staff’s Outdoor Editors,

Bubba McCalister, and his brother Dorris

The wintertime is when the real fishermen are separated from the pretenders. Some of the best fishing in our area can be found during the cold months. Just dress warmly, carry a jug of The Drover’s elixir out on the lake for that inner warmth, and you’re ready to do some cold water fishing!

Lake Jocassee Largemouth bass, Fair. Dorris caught a nice one the other day using a Carolina rigged worm. I was having luck using topwater plugs and jerk baits, slowly reeling that sucker back in every time.

Now the trout is biting a little early in the day, using spoons in 70 to 100 foot of water. Dorris was too hung over the morning we went out and he just laid in the bottom of the boat groaning and cursing the Drovers’ elixir, and never even got his line wet. I smacked him in the kisser with a fat trout but it didn’t do nothin’ but make him madder and sicker. The trout fishing will be getting better as the weather gets colder.

Lake Keowee Largemouth bass, Good. The mighty largemouth are moving deeper into the 30-40 foot water. There’s been talk on the porch of Livwright’s General Store of schools of bass being spotted. Of course with the old men that hang out playing checkers and swapping lies, that was the only fish tale I could believe out of those lying sack of, …uh never mind.

Crappie fishing is fair right now. My granny’s been catching ‘em using minners and jigs in 10-15 foot of water around brush piles. That reminds me, I gotta get myself invited over to her house for a fish fry!

Lake Hartwell Largemouth fishing is fair to good. Try using crankbaits and topwater lures. The Hartwell Largemouth is a noble fish.

Striped and Hybrids are real good right now. You need to use live herring with down-rods in some deep water around a river channel in 35 foot of water or so. The fish are moving toward Portman Shoals.

Crappie, fair using small and medium minners along with small crappie jigs in 10-15 ft of water over brush and underwater structures.

Catfish, Good using chicken livers on the bottom.

Prater’s Creek The trout were jumping in me and Dorris’ waders the other afternoon. We hardly had to cast. We were using Dorris’ homemade flies and them trout couldn’t resist ‘em!

Carp, Excellent! The carp fishing is always good in Prater’s Creek, and this season is no different. Ain’t nothin’ like carp and grits. Try using dough balls, molasses, and beads to land that prize carp. With your left over dough you can make biscuits to go with your carp! And pour the leftover molasses on them!

Remember folks, if you ain’t gonna eat it, Catch and Release! Let that fish live another day and get fatter. And don’t worry about them PCB warnings in the Seneca River area of Lake Hartwell, that’s just a bunch of hooey. Me and Dorris eat fish from there all the time and it ain’t hurt us one iota.