Hartwell Stripers in late Oct? GUIDES?

[Dixie Chicken]

Hi guys,

Mama and I are taking our Fall fishing trip, and being as the Elite was rescheduled and RUINED that trip, and the Big Bass Tour is on Guntersville that week, it's back to Hartwell we go. No problem as we really enjoy Hartwell (might even be retiring there in a few years).

Would like to get in some BIG striper fishing while we're up there, never really caught a hawg. Then again, we don't actively fish for them.

I know the best way is long lining / trolling and live bluebacks. Even catch them on hair jigs (which I have plenty of).
Could use some input on where they might be running end of October.


ALSO... I'm thinking about just hiring a guide. Never hired one on Hartwell and am open to suggestions. Thought about surprising the wife with that one.
Being as this is our annual 'anniversary trip' thought she might like it. After all, it was HER that suggested we buy a bass boat!

(cross posting this one in the SC forum as well)

[MYRX]

You might call Stan Bagwell @ 864 414 9724. I use him every year hybrid and striper fishing. Tell him you specifically want to target a big striper and see what he says. When I go, I am usually looking to fill the cooler and we limit out.

[Dixie Chicken]

You might call Stan Bagwell @ 864 414 9724. I use him every year hybrid and striper fishing. Tell him you specifically want to target a big striper and see what he says. When I go, I am usually looking to fill the cooler and we limit out.

I will put him on the list and give him a ring. THANKS brother for the heads-up! I've decided if they're working during Covid, and we can work out a day when we're there that'll work, that I'm going to surprise the wife and we'll go.

Been busy for going on two weeks solid now doing 'projects' on the boat. Sorta side tracked hooking up with a guide.

Moving from 9's to 12's (getting ready for the 52" Ghost) and removed a flush mounted 9 for a 12 mounted on the Precision Sonar mount. That lead to doing some detailing work on the boat. Ended up pulling the lower dash pieces off both consoles, removed the glove box door on one, and detailed/reconditioned those. Then all the gauges on the drivers console and wet sanded to make it slick as glass, just wanted to clean up fingernail scratches here and there. Then applied 2 layers of (2 different) ceramic coatings before putting the new sonar mount on. That lead to 'why not just detail the whole boat' thoughts. Little scratch here or there, couple 1" tiny dock rash spots right under the rub rail, a little wear in the splash well... so I figured I'd wet sand those and do a total correction. WEARING ME OUT, but BOY it's looking good!

Told mama tonight it'll sit 3" higher in the water and run 10 MPH faster because of the 115° water slip angle from the GTechniq Crystal Serum & EXO v3 combo. Water literally will jump right off the boat..... that or the boat will jump out of the water!

[billfish3r]

My family and I are also planning on a fishing trip sometime next month. Its been a while since weve had a family trip because of the pandemic. Im still planning the itinerary. If you need more information on fishing in Georgia, you should visit this website.

[Dixie Chicken]

Well, we went last week. Hoping when we scheduled that surely by the end of October it'd start being more like Fall.
One word.... WRONG!

Did have a cool night before we went, then one the day after, and watched the water temp go down a bit. By the end of the week it was higher than it was when we showed up. Heck, it went up 2° overnight Wednesday night!

Didn't get a chance to go out on a striper trip. Talked to a couple guides, and they basically said (without saying it), that they didn't want to take my money. Only reliable bite was 20'+ drop shotting. Might catch something in the mornings or evenings when they were chasing shad in the back of the creeks, but that was hit or miss. Just a much better food source when they're loading up on shad.

Honestly... we almost came home Tuesday. Wife has been fighting a rash since June. It's stumped our local doctor (and the PA), then they sent her to a dermatologist before we left. He took 2 chunks of flesh (skin biopsies he called them). His nurse called Tuesday, biopsies came back as Leukemia cutis. Basically a rash caused by Leukemia. We're seeing the cancer doc Friday. Have no idea what strain of Leukemia (4 total, and 3 of 4 are pretty ugly). Can't even fathom at this point what is going to happen. Just know I can't function without her.

[zaprod71]

Well, we went last week. Hoping when we scheduled that surely by the end of October it'd start being more like Fall.
One word.... WRONG!

Did have a cool night before we went, then one the day after, and watched the water temp go down a bit. By the end of the week it was higher than it was when we showed up. Heck, it went up 2° overnight Wednesday night!

Didn't get a chance to go out on a striper trip. Talked to a couple guides, and they basically said (without saying it), that they didn't want to take my money. Only reliable bite was 20'+ drop shotting. Might catch something in the mornings or evenings when they were chasing shad in the back of the creeks, but that was hit or miss. Just a much better food source when they're loading up on shad.

Honestly... we almost came home Tuesday. Wife has been fighting a rash since June. It's stumped our local doctor (and the PA), then they sent her to a dermatologist before we left. He took 2 chunks of flesh (skin biopsies he called them). His nurse called Tuesday, biopsies came back as Leukemia cutis. Basically a rash caused by Leukemia. We're seeing the cancer doc Friday. Have no idea what strain of Leukemia (4 total, and 3 of 4 are pretty ugly). Can't even fathom at this point what is going to happen. Just know I can't function without her.

Prayers for your wife, Sir.

[fishnfool38]

Dixie chicken I'm sorry to hear that and I know what you mean by not functioning without her. My wife and I do everything together...I don't want imagine without her!
Anyways prayers for your wife and you, stay strong for her so she will fight it.

[Dixie Chicken]

Thanks guys. Yep, it's been a heck of a couple weeks.

Friday's appointment was at the hematologist. We knew her from Deb's folks seeing her before they both passed in 2016. So that's where she wanted to go. She had the results of the blood work from 9/28 and said it wasn't normal, but wasn't really bad so she took 9 vials and did some in-house and was sending some to the lab. Figured OK, time to do standard procedure stuff, schedule a CT and bone marrow draw etc. That was going to happen next week.

She came back in the room as we were leaving, and I could see the look on her face, things had changed. She took out her phone and called a doctor/professor she works with at Emory and said she was calling her then and there, we needed to see her asap. That was Friday.

We go in the morning. Looks like they'll at least do more lab work, and based on the conversation, might be doing the CT and bone marrow as well. Want her there an hour early to get the 'tests' done.

I had met my wife there Friday so she didn't have to drive all the way home from work, then we turn around and go back north. Being disabled with a VERY bad back, I walk outside the house with a cane, even inside at times. Of course there are times I can hardly walk, even using a walker around the house. And you would KNOW after we got home I somehow managed to pinch the nerve at L5 (YET AGAIN) and have been hobbling around all weekend. (Already ruptured L5 twice) Spent most of yesterday in bed. They say the Lord never puts more on you than you can handle. I tend to disagree based on the last 4 back surgeries and literally hundreds of procedures. I don't know how I'm going to make this work.

I don't even remember driving home following one another. Just seemed I was staring at the hood of the truck.

Sorry guys... bit off topic.

[ChampioNman]

Prayers lifted for the both of you.

[Firecop188]

Prayer's lifted sir.