Went kayak fishing out of Lavonia South, only open Corps ramp on the lake, yesterday afternoon/evening.
Place was a zoo, have only seen more people there once and the dock was avaliable then.
Not having the dock available made it a real mess for those with motorboats. Sure glad I had my kayak.
Headed off toward the dam trolling a jointed x rap on one pole and large rooster tail trailing a sassy shad on another in about 15-20ft.
Managed to catch 2 small white bass on the jointed xrap.
Did not see any action on the top of the water whole time I was out.
Had my cast net with me but did not run across any shad.
I worked the dam looking for flooded structure or schools of fish.
Going toward the outlet in about 8-10 feet and coming back in 15-25 feet.
Stopped at a couple of my spots from last year to try drifting worm or stink bait under float at different heights but nothing.
Had something pull my float under 2x but when brought back in whole worm still there.
Left the rod I was catfishing with in the water with worm on it while trolling back. Actually caught 2 white bass on the trebble hook with worm it trolling.
Put a small jointed minnow on as got dark and moved close to dam. Got several bites but was probably going to fast to hook the small fish.
Tried fishing the worm and also lures along the brush around where small island was on way back to ramp but no bites.
Not a great day of fishing, but really nice weather and first time out this year without my waders on.
Really great to be out on the open water even though the lot at ramp was overflowing, very few boats along the dam.
Happy Easter to all
Everyone stay safe.

Went kayak fishing out of Lavonia South this afternoon/evening.
Not too much traffic at ramp so threw my cast net there for shad.
Caught one medium size shad first throw then no more. My first in a castnet this year.
Caught a handful of 4" white bass that I threw back.
Headed off towards the dam to see if I could get a catfish.
Trolled the jointed xrap on the way and caught 2 white bass 11-12 inches on the way.
Slowly drifted along the face of the dam with shad out on 2 poles and throwing various lures around the boat.
Worked way back along dam face and then along brush up to island where I put out the catfish rods again.
Finally trolled back to the ramp.
No bites after the initial 2 white bass.
Lot at ramp had several vehicles in it but no lines for boaters waiting for the ramp.
Very light winds today, which made for a very nice sunset on the water.
The few boaters I talked to all caught white bass today.

Went kayak fishing out of Lavonia South this afternoon/evening. Got there after the rain and out on the water as sun started poking threw making a very nice day.
Found a handful of shad with the cast net and several small white bass I threw back.
Trolled small umbrella rig on one poll and jointed xrap on another in 15-20 feet and slowly worked way towards dam.
When saw fish threw out marker buoys and slowly drifted through. Also put out one poll with part of medium shad under a float.
When got to dam, put out large shad a little above the water and one pole with medium shad under a float.
Worked along face of dam a ways and back in 10-15feet. Early on drifting .2-.4mph. Once wind picked up wend out to deeper water then let wind blow me back towards dam as I slowly paddled down dam.
Would also throw out the jointed xrap while drifting. Managed one bite on the medium shad under the float in about 8feet which turned out to be a 13' white bass.
After fishing wind a while changed back to trolling back to island and tried some cat fishing around the island while worked lures around the area.
No bites other than the one white bass today.
Did see a few fish 15-30feet along the dam, just could not get any to bite today.

Went kayak fishing out of Lavonia South yesterday afternoon/evening.
Place was a madhouse with the warmer temps more jet skis and ski boats were at the ramp.
Seemed everyone wanted to get off the lake about the time I got my Kayak loaded up and to the ramp. Have never had to wait to launch my kayak before.
It was all worth it as it was a nice warm day with mild winds.
Did a lot of trolling yesterday and managed to catch 5 white bass on the jointed xrap.
Took my fly rod and tried fishing grasshopper pattern and popper around trees/brush and over flooded vegetation. No luck there.
Put out some range cubes then came back to them a couple hours later. Marked off the baited area with buoys and tried some Stubbys.
Managed one small catfish. and then hooked into the line of the marker buoy. By time I got it in, treble hook was entangled with line wrapped around buoy also.
Tried the fly rod with small hook and worm in same area. Caught a handful of perch.
Also hooked into a larger fish which put up quite a fight on my 3 wt. Forgot I had not swapped out to a stronger tippet so after fighting for a while it broke off. Was pretty fun while it lasted though.
Things are gradually changing for the better near the dam.

Went kayak fishing out of Lavonia South again Sunday 4/26.
Ramp just keeps getting crazier as more jet skis and boaters keep increasing in number.
Hope that Corps will open up some more ramps to relieve the overcrowding. Maybe the governors directives will help a little there.
I tried trolling a bit but no action. Saw some brush just sticking up above water in about 6-8 ft. Decided to break out the fly rod.
Put a size 6 hook and worm on and continuously caught small large mouth and white bass for about 2 hours.
Caught one 3" catfish which got revenge on me when pulled out hook and a handful of perch a bit bigger than hand size.
Decided to troll around a bit and see if I could catch something a little bigger. Had jointed xrap on one pole and fly rod with a white meat whistle I had tied on other side.
Managed to catch one 10-11" white bass on the meat whistle.
Baited the spot I was at last Thursday and came back to it a little before dark.
One catfish rod with an 1/2-3/4 inch strip of perch out where it drops off to 12-16 feet. One light rod with either stubbies or small piece of perch over baited area.
Put a 12lb leader on my 3wt fly rod, #6 hook and some worm. Not long after hit water the big fish took it again.
Fought the fish for over 20 minutes. Could keep it from swimming away and was able to move it to side of kayak where it would not tangle in anchor line but could not get it to come up.
Finally got a brief view of it and knew I would need the net.
Reached back for the net and it tangled on the handle and drag wheel of my abu 6500 reel.
With one hand fighting the fish and the other trying to get net and tangled rod into my lap I succeeded only to now just have a mass of green net wrapped up in handle and drag wheel such that you could barely see the handle or reel.
Finally got the fish up to the surface and guess it was 28-30 inch buffalo. It rolled over and as i reached down to grab it in mouth it did one final act of flipping around which broke the line.
Next time out I go with 20# line and a rubber net positioned so I will not pull it into my baitcaster.
Afterwards began cutting the net off my abu. Shortly thereafter, one of the lines I was throwing toward baited area got tangled in the line with larger perch strip.
That pole was thrown the other direction from the baited area so knew a fish had to have taken my line up this direction.
Quicly got my line untangled and started reeling. I discovered I did have a cat on it and it turned out to be a 7# blue cat.
Decided it was time to go and discovered that somehow I had lost my minnow bucket with a few perch still inside.
It was dark so turned my light on high and searched for a bit downwind but could not find it.
Trolled back to ramp leaving the larger perch strip out a little ways behind the kayak and rooster tail on another rod but no bites..
Even with a long steak of few fish or even bites, 2020 has had a couple really great fishing days so far and I am encouraged about what is ahead.

Went kayak fishing out of Lavonia South again yesterday afternoon/evening.
Ramp was very full but nothing like the crazienss of last week or weekend.
Nice warm temps and mild winds made for an enjoyable day on the water.
Started out trolling with jointed xrap on one pole, yumbrella rig on another and meat whistle fly on fly rod.
Caught 3 on the meat whistle, nothing on the others.
Tried different crank baits, rooster tail, jigs and slabs still could not get bites even though I was seeing several fish on finder.
Switched over to a silver spoon, about 2.5 - 3 inches, and I caught 6 white bass 10- 12" in about 30 minutes.
I actually stopped to try to catch some perch for some catfishing and to bait my spot to try to land the big fish I have been battling.
Forgot to fill up on the range cubes but put out a couple of handfuls.
Caught several small white bass on worm with fly rod near brush but could not find any perch.
Went back to my baited spot and discovered I had left my headlight in the truck. Fortunately the moon was shining bright and with my finder and light on flags I could see my marker buoy, rig and bait up hooks.
Managed 3 small catfish and some more small white bass on fly rod with worm.
Did not see my big fish, he is probably resting up for the bit battle but I have my net and have learned a few things.
Before heading back looked towards ramp and there were several boats queued up waiting to get off the water.
Trolled back to ramp but did not have any bites.
Another great day on the water and fishing continues to improve.

Kayak fished out of Lavonia South this afternoon/evening.
Cooler temps kept many of the jet skis and skiers and pleasure boaters home today. Ramp was busy but not crazy chaotic.
Big news, Got a buffalo on my 3wt fly rod right at 25 inches and 11 lbs.


Started out fishing for white bass with spoon on one rod and meat whistle with small split shot on the fly rod.
Managed to get 11 staying on edge where goes from 7-8 ft down to 12 t. caught 3 on fly rod and rest on the spoon.
Added a stinger hook to the meal ticket and did not see near as many short strikes.
Baited the spot hooked into the large buffalo last couple outings with range cubes and came back in about 1 1/2 hours.
Then went to try to catch some perch for a little catfishing.
Found some flooded bushes and caught 4 good size perch and 5 small white bass on the fly rod using worms.
Cut up one perch and put out a 1/2 inch strip on my catfishing rod where drops off to about 12 ft. Then let out line as I went over to the baited location and put on the clicker.
Caught 1 small cat and a couple of white bass with 3 wt fly rod, size 6 hook and worm.
Down to my last section of worm and no sign of any big buffaloes. Decide to throw a bit off to the side and something gently takes the worm but does but does not swim off.
Slowly increased tension on line and it took off. Went up to the surface and made quite a commotion. A good size buffalo but not so big I could not fight it. I could also get this one up off the bottom without any problems.
After a few minutes, fish was pretty worn out so brought up close and tried to get into the net.
Fish kept finding new strength when it would get close to the kayak or net.
Finally managed to get it to the kayak and convinced it to swim into the net.
It was not the big one but definitely a good time on the 3 w fly rod.

Kayak fished out of Lavonia South last night.
A more reasonable amount of folks at the ramp than I have seen in a while.
Trolled area for white bass and caught 6 and a nice crappie on silver spoon.
Used range cubes to bait for carp/buffalo. Came back and managed to hook into one on my 3wt fly rod. When it saw the net and kayak made a mad dash to bottom and tangled in brush, and old fishing line.
Managed to catch several shad and tried using them for some catfishing after dark. Did not have any luck.

Went kayak fishing for a bit out of Lavonia South yesterday evening/nigh after the wind let up a bit.
Managed to catch a couple large shad with castenet.
Started of trolling with spoons. Caught a couple white bass, one over 13", and a 16" catfish.
Then slowly trolled to dam and started down dam looking for catfish in about 12', Stopped at a couple of places to fish with small piece of cut shad on one pole under a float and larger piece in deeper water. Managed to catch 1 keeper crappie on the shad. No luck on catfish.
Finished up night trolling back to dock with jointed xrap and dragging larger shad.

Took a chance on the weather yesterday afternoon and went kayak fishing at Lavonia South.
Figured could get a little fishing in before front passed, wait out the high winds and heavy rain, then get a little bit more in afterwards.
As it turned out missed all the rain and the winds got stronger but not near point I could not control my kayak.
Decided to just troll for white bass and maybe try for some perch with my fly rod.
Fished between ramp and dam before front and managed 2 white bass. One on spoon and one on jointed xrap which was 13".
My finder was not showing many fish in the area either.
When winds picked up stayed closer to shore and saw an area where the water was calm down by the small island.
Went down there till wind died down some and did some fly fishing for perch and caught several and a white bass.
When wind let up,decided to troll to the railroad bridge and back. Saw an coupel fish surfacing and cast to them but no bites.
When made it back close to ramp decided to try little cove just north of ramp. Trolled around once then decided to try for some perch with fly rod.
Caught a few more perch and all of a sudden the surface of the water a little ways away just exploded with fish chasing bait.
Threw out my spoon and managed to catch a few before they left the area and I could not spot them anymore.

Kayak fished out of Lavonia South yesterday evening.
Wind was stronger than forecast and since coming from north built up 1' waves.
Could not find any shad.
With higher winds and no shad decided to troll just a bit for white bass then catch some perch and go catfishing.
Only caught 1 white bass while trolling.
Managed to see lots of fish in deeper water but they did not like rooster tails, spoons, deep crank baits, jigs, slabs or worms.
Found some submerged brush and tried for perch using worm. Waves made it hard to tell what was happening but managed to eventually catch 2 perch.
Cut small portion of perch off and put under a float on 2 polls. Managed to catch 5 channel cats up to 16".

I kayak fished out of Lavonis South again yesterday afternoon/evening.
Lots of boats on the water and parking lot overfull, but not chaotic at ramp.
Started off trolling for white bass between ramp and dam. Saw a few, missed a few hits and only managed to catch one.
Decided to try poppers on fly rods around trees and brush but nothing showed any interest.
Since I was not able to find any shad with my cast net decided to fish flooded brush with worm and managed to catch a handful once I found them.
Now that I had bait I could go try to do some catfishing.
Used cut perch under floats on a light pole and on 3wt fly rod and action was pretty constant.
Frequently had bit on other pole while getting another fish unhooked and on stringer and trying to getting ready to throw out again.
Managed to catch 7 catfish 16-20 inches.
Really fun to catch these on the light tackle.
Put out the smallest perch about 5 inches on my catfishing rod under a float in deeper water but never had any bites on it.

Forgot to add the picture from Saturday evening.
Nothing impressive, but a couple good meals and mighty fun on lite tackle.
Plus first good catfish outing of the year.

Kayak fished out of Lavonia South yesterday evening. Very surprised there was hardly anyone there even though temps were warm with light wind.
Managed to easily find some shad with cast net.
Began trolling for white bass but came across an area in 14-16ft with high fish concentration. I threw out buoys and made several passes back and forth across the area. No bites.
Then decided to stop a short distance away and fan cast around buoys with slow retrieve.
Still no bites so tried small hook and worm and got one small cat and a crappie.
Switched over to some crappie jigs and may have got some bites but could not hook them. There was something in the area which would catch my hook frequently hanging me up.
Decided to go do some catfishing.
Put out an umbrella rig with large jig, money minnows and paddle tail swim baits as I paddled across deeper water towards the dam. No bites though saw several fish.
Used shad on light pole and 3 wt fly rod under a float. Also about 1/2 of 5-6 inch shad on my ugly stick under float in deeper water.
There was something that would pull float under for a bit but never get hooked. Frequently stealing bait.
Managed to catch 4 catfish 18-20 inches and a couple of smaller ones.
Saw several gar in the area and they liked coming up almost to the kayak at night.
Slower than last outing but managed to bring home enough for a couple of meals.

Ocelot, I enjoy reading your posts as I fish lavo n most of the time as it is close. I hope to meet you on the lake someday. Stay safe