The colder the water temperatures the slower the bait should be worked. “I work the jig slowly along the bank pitching it right up next to the rocks,” said Derek. If the water is extremely clear he’ll drop back to 15-lb.

Derek fishes the jig on a medium-heavy casting outfit spooled with 20-lb. Berkley Power Jig in brown with a green pumpkin Zoom Big Salty Chunk Trailer. model with a black or blue back is hard to beat, especially when the water temperatures rise a little on consecutive sunny days.ĭerek’s jig of choice is a 1/2-oz. In fact the two fish we caught were on these lipless crankbaits, and one of the fish was four pounds. On the day we were out we also fished a Rat-L-Trap around the rocks and had good luck with it. Derek prefers to fish the Shad Rap on a spinning rod spooled with 10-lb. Both shad and crawfish are plentiful in the lake. 7 Shad Rap is a good choice of bait in either the natural shad or crawfish color. Often the bass will strike on that hesitation or just as the bait starts moving again. When the bait hits a rock, he hesitates the retrieve briefly letting the bait suspend momentarily before moving it again. Cranking the bait down quickly he bumps it into rocks and stumps along the bottom trying to drive an active fish to strike. He sets up with his boat right up next to the bank and makes long casts parallel to the shore line. When fishing that bait, he can stay on the move and cover a lot of water.

After that youʼll need to jig a spoon.ĭerek will usually start with the crankbait first to pick up the more active fish. To catch Stone Mountain bass in the fall, fish around rip-rap until the water temperature dives below 50 degrees. The fish should be right up next to the bank in five to eight feet of water especially on bright sunny days when the rocks are warm.ĭerek swings a chunky 4-pounder into the boat. “Jigs and small crankbaits fished close to the rocks are usually a good bet.” “Early in the month before the water drops below 50 degrees you can usually find fish on the rip-rap that borders sections of the shoreline,” said Derek. I had the pleasure of fishing the lake with Derek in early November, and he showed me how he would go about catching bass on Stone Mountain in December. Derek holds the current jonboat-tournament lake record for Stone Mountain with a bass weighing in at 9.1 pounds that he caught on the lake during competition a few years back. One such group, Southern Jon Boat Anglers, held its Top 6 championship on the lake this year, and Derek Snider, of Locust Grove, and his partner Mike Meason, came out on top. In fact, many of the area jonboat clubs make the lake at Stone Mountain a regular stop on their bass-fishing tournament trails. The 370-acre lake on the property provides some fine fishing opportunities. There is one element of Stone Mountain Park, however, that is often overlooked. Train rides, laser shows, and excellent golf courses and campgrounds add up to a great experience with a wide variety of attractions to please family members of all ages. More than 4 million people pass through the gates each year to enjoy the beauty of this 3,300-acre natural marvel and all that goes with it.

Stone Mountain Park, east of Atlanta, is Georgia’s most visited tourist attraction.

Stone mountain duck boats