Beasley Brother's 2006 Hunts are brought to you by these fine sponsors:

Georgia Bass'n

- By Keith Beasley -

We are very lucky to have some good friends that live in Georgia. We make a point to be there as often as we can and the following pictures and stories will let you know why. All of the Largemouth Bass in these photos were released back into the same lake they were caught. Pictured left, Keith (7lbs), Kevin (10.7lbs) and Cory (10.1lbs)

  We have been very lucky over the years to hunt and fish in Georgia. Upon some very lucky circumstances Paul and Kevin met two gentlemen in the Orlando Bass Pro Shops store. As my two brothers stood in the turkey section striking calls these two fine men informed them they were scaring the birds away on the video they were watching at the end of the isle. After a few laughs and introductions a relationship was started and one we will always be grateful for. We have since been to Georgia four times and met many of their friends and others. We have been blessed to swap hunts and have them in our neck of the woods. We are continuously amazed at how the people of Georgia love to hunt and fish; it doesn't end there though. It seems they really have the right perspective and cherish the outdoors as something very special. They are some of the most genuine, friendliest people we have ever met. Paul, Kevin, our good friend Cory Johnston and I usually make the trip together each year. Our trips started with hunts for big southern wild boars but have taken on some other adventures as well. Cory is a professional fisherman for Shimano and encouraged them to lead us to some big southern largemouth bass. In 2005 they did just that. Cory packed Shimano rods and reels for all and they took us to a large lake they promised held big fish. After an afternoon of fishing we left there amazed at what we had just experienced. We caught four bass over 8 lbs and one that cracked the elusive 10 lb mark. When we returned to Canada we could not wait to tell the stories and show the pictures! Cory's fishing partners are his dad Lynn and younger brother Chris. All three are professional anglers who spend all summer on the water either fishing tournaments or pre-fishing in preparation for them. We knew once Lynn and Chris saw the photos that we would have company the next time down.

Cory, Lynn and Chris Johnston in their Ranger bass boat. We are very grateful to be able to spend hours fishing with these guys. Not only are they avid anglers and hunters they are really good friends. They all belong to the Shimano field staff team and spend their summers catching big fish all over Ontario in professional fishing tournaments.

   In the fall of 2006 Lynn got the itch and a trip was planned which included taking the Ranger bass boat from snowy and cold, Peterborough, to sunny and warm southern Georgia. On December 30, 2006 we piled into the Suburban and began the lengthy twenty hour drive. We drove straight through and when we got there we were really anxious to hit the water. When we reached the Georgia border on the 31st it was a balmy 25 degrees. We met our hosts and immediately put the boat in the water. The shoreline of this lake is surrounded by cane and bulrushes and quickly drops off into six or seven feet of water. We worked the shorelines staying about 20 yards out casting in and slowly working our baits back to the boat. We soon realized the fish were not holding tight to the cover but seemed to be 10 yards from the bulrushes in the deeper water. Being the middle of winter, the fish were in deeper water and seemed to be very lethargic. We all tried different baits to see what was working and quickly found the jigging pig tipped with a full lizard was what they were hitting best. We simply let the bait hit bottom then gently hopped it back towards the boat. The bites were not aggressive but subtle. You would often feel weight as you tightened the slack or even better feel your line tick as they hit. With each bite we would reel up the slack line, set the hook and hold on. Our method seemed to be working as we caught 15-20 fish each day. The lake was full of fish but at this time of year we had to work hard for every strike. The first few fish we caught were in the 2-3 lbs range, and then Cory hooked into a solid 7 lb fish. That got the blood boiling and things just got better from there.

Lynn wasn't long showing all us young guys up. He is pictured here with a beautiful 8 lb largie. By the end of the week he may not have caught the biggest fish but he certainly caught the most.

   Mid-way through the second day Lynn set hooks on a heavy fish. We all waited with anticipation as it came to the surface. It was huge and when Cory lipped it and pulled it into the boat we all chuckled as we stared at a 9 lb monster. The next day Kevin caught its twin and we decided that the trip was worthwhile with those two brutes alone. It had been months since any of us had been on the water so two 9 lb bass, shorts, t-shirts and a warm breeze seemed to be exactly what we all needed. The second last day on the water everything seemed right; the weather was nice and we had high hopes. We hadn't been fishing 10 minutes when Cory who was at the front of the boat set the hook with a grunt. As he did the water erupted and we all dropped our poles to watch. He fought his fish for a few minutes before getting him any where near the surface. When it finally broke water we all stared in amazement as we knew he had a world class bass on. I nervously fumbled with it at the side of the boat but eventually lifted his 10.1 lb trophy over the side. We laughed, high fived and took a lot of pictures. It was an incredible moment!

The fish are in their winter state this time of year. The bites were slow as the fish appeared very lethargic. We found jigging pigs tipped with full 6" lizards being slowly bounced on bottom to be the trick. The slow presentation seemed to get them biting. Keith is pictured here with a 7lb bass.

   We fished hard for a few more hours catching a few more but nothing really big. As we came to the opposite side of the lake from where Cory had caught his, Kevin who was at the back of the boat suddenly gave the familiar hook set. We all knew the drill and stepped aside as Kevin fought his fish of a lifetime. The water exploded as his fished danced across the top numerous times. We looked on in awe as we all realized this one might even be bigger. When we finally landed the over grown beast we couldn't help but sit back and admire such an incredible fish! We couldn't wipe the smile off Kevin or Cory's face as we pulled the two giants out of the live well and weighed them. Kevin's was a whopping 10.7 lbs and had eyes that were the size of a deer's. We proudly took lots of video and photos then released the two champs like all the others back into the lake. It was a fishing trip to remember with fish of a lifetime. We hope we can return to fight them another day. Chris and I did catch fish around 6 lbs but left the glory to the other three this time.

This picture really needs no caption as the photo and smiles say it all. These two monster bass were the highlight of our week. They were caught on opposite sides of the lake only hours apart. They sure were glad they were using Shimano gear as they hauled in these world class diesels. Kevin's weighed a whopping 10.7 lbs, was 27" long and had a girth of 19 1/4". Cory's was not far behind weighing 10.1 lbs, was 25 1/4 inches long had just over 18" girth.

On this trip we used rods and reels sponsored by Shimano. They are first class products that gave us confidence while fishing for world class fish. When setting the hook on monster bass and then reeling them in we were very grateful to be using the best!

The weather was cloudy and windy most days and in the high 60's most of the time. We fished every day as we all really enjoyed being away from the Canadian winter; it was a great holiday. Chris is pictured here with a 4 1/2 lb bucket-mouth.

This is how we were welcomed to Georgia! As we approached the boat launch this 5 foot gator was laying on the landing pad. We saw dozens of gators over the week with the largest being a stunning 13 feet long! The lake is full of them and we really enjoyed watching them...from a distance. The rule of thumb for judging size is the number of inches between the tip of his nose and his eyes, equates to how many feet long he is.

Beasley Brother's 2006 Hunts are brought to you by these fine sponsors: