Deeprig's Almanac Spring 2014

Full Moon on 3/16, a Sunday. Get on the lake Saturday, the first round of bluegill, shellcracker, and bass will be spawning. It will be a little chilly, so not the best weekend to take little kids. Dedicate this one to trophy hunting a big egg-filled breeder for the wall.


Same weekend on the coast, the fan will be blowing and make for pretty miserable conditions for most amateur anglers. But not you. You live the Salt Life. No such thing as bad weather, only bad gear. Suit up in your favorite fishing costume and hit the waterways to catch the tail end of the sight fishing season for redfish. The wind will have the water kicked up and tides will be pretty extreme on this day. Exudes for the serious, olive-white clousers for the Level Five guys. Keep your costas around your neck with flourocarbon leader so the wind doesn't blow them off. Tight lines...


UGA Spring Game 4/12, Saturday, Sanford Stadium, bring some canned goods for the food bank, attendance is free and seating is first come first served. This is a great opportunity to get in the covered club section at the 50 yard line and see what life is like at the top for 1 day out of the year. The FCA will be selling programs, but wait until the end and they'll give you one for free.

Full Moon on 4/15, a Tuesday. Get on the lake the previous Sunday, round two of the bluegill, shellcracker, and bass will be spawning. The weather will be cool in the morning and very comfortable in the afternoon. The best bite is going to be from civil dawn to 9 am. The wind will pick up from the Northwest until about 10:30am, so find a protected cove during that time period. Look for shallow water over soft bottom near a dropoff or channel.


Master's Golf Tournament- 4/7 though 4/13. Unfortunately, the Spring Game and the best fishing day are also on the same weekend as the final rounds of the Masters. You have decisions to make.




April 19th and 4/20 bo.... Salt Life. NOAA water temp averages suggest this is the weekend that water temps will reach 70 degrees and the 'haden will be back inshore. Light stains back in the waterways and the redfish won't be nearly as spooky. All the gator trout and doormat flounder will be back at their usual haunts, after spending winter on the nearshore reefs. There will be some pretty extreme temp breaks and thick weed lines on them, relatively close to shore. Catchemup bo.




Kentucky Derby May 3rd. Mint Juleps if you prefer, I like kentucky bourbon, sweet tea, and honeysuckle over crushed ice. Jefferson River Julep, a Deeprig signature cocktail.






Full moon on 5/14, a Wednesday. Unfortunately, either weekend will be a little too far on either end of full to be on the action, but it doesn't matter because both weekends will be horrible dangerous severe weather with hail and frequent cloud to ground lightning. If you can take off that Wednesday, the fishing will be spectacular. The good news is that Thursday May15th is the last day of the Delayed Harvest regulations on the Chattooga River between Hwy 28 and Reed Creek. From October, November, December, January, February, March, April, and half of May, these 9 inch rainbow trout have been fattening up. Because the weather will be horrible, it will chase away the casual anglers that normally flock to the river that weekend. Get a honey hole all to yourself, chuck crickets and worms to your heart's content, and fill up your stringer with 14 inch rainbow trout. There will be a flash flood watch in effect, so be smart. If none of this sounds interesting, the Preakness Stakes are on Saturday the 17th. The track will be sloppy.


New Moon- Sunday June 1 (and previous Saturday) will be another great day living the Salt Life. The offshore bite will be early, you should cooler out on slingers by 9 am and then bottom drop with cut haden for b-liners and bsb. Keep a freeline out with a live haden and chum up the water around the boat while bottom dropping. Keep the drag set light, the kings will be hunting. Before heading back to the rock, troll down another weedline for the man in the striped suit. Wind will pick up later in the day and you could see some pretty steep 5' seas from the North. Bottomed-Out Bogas Bo!


Full Moon on 6/13, Friday the 13th. Gentlemen, this is the weekend you will have been waiting for. There will be an afternoon high of 81, and recent rains will have all lakes at full pool, with a light stain on the water that makes it easier to trick the more finicky fish. Most of the bass will have moved off the beds, but the bluegill will be in full force. Because the bass will be off the beds, they'll be after the bluegill. Topwater at dawn over the bluegill beds will be productive until about 8am. Then tie on your swim baits and catch them until you are tired of it. If you have little kids, this is the Saturday to go. The catalpa worm hatch will be in full swing around the state, and the bluegill can't resist them. It's also a good idea to have a separate rod in the rod holder with a piece of cut bluegill on the bottom, the big cats will be out hunting them just like the bass. This is also the same day as the Belmont Stakes.




June 18-22 ATHFEST, the official end of spring and kickoff of summer. Cozy up at the Flicker Bar with the hipsters and sip ice cold Jackie O's by the main stage and nibble on street food throughout the day. There will be a severe thunderstorm that will chase alot of people away around 5pm. Just hang out under the awning at Flicker and mingle with hipsters while you watch all hell break loose. When the sun comes back out and music starts playing again, the smell of patchouli and weed fill the humid air, you refill your Jackie O in a plastic cup and at this point, you will be ready... you'll be drunk enough to wander through the streets of Athens.





So now you know. Go ahead and plan your oil changes and lawn work and chores and projects around these events. I want you all to have more fulfilling lives.