Local Anglers Handle “Fishing In A Freezer”

The pull of possibly catching a big fish apparently is strong. Just ask the 14 two-man teams who endured the elements to compete in last Saturday’s North Georgia Striper Club tournament on Lake Lanier.

The anglers were met by 25-degree temperatures and periods of heavy snow, and the insides of boats became encrusted with ice.

“It was definitely a day for the hard-core, ain’t no doubt about it,” said Marietta’s Fred Duncan, a Lake Lanier striper guide who teamed with Ryan Smithwick of Acworth to win the tournament. “It was like fishing in a freezer. I’m not in any hurry to get back out there.”

Duncan, who operates the Striper-Hybrid Guide Service, said it snowed so hard around noon that it created “white-out conditions.” The day began frigidly, when Duncan and Smithwick netted threadfin shad to use as bait. His wet hands, from throwing the cast net, never really got warm.

Duncan and Smithwick won the tournament with two stripers weighing 25.5 pounds, including the big fish, a 14.4 pounder. They caught 10 keepers on the day. Steve Frazier of Marietta and Doug Kimbrell of Gainesville finished second with an even 20 pounds.

Duncan says striper fishing becomes more difficult when the weather gets as cold as it has been the past two weeks. Using small shad helps. The threadfin gather up in the backs of the coves when it gets real cold, Duncan said, and they are relatively easy to find and net.