My Angling Journey and Keys to Georgia Bass Slam Success

Angler Jason McRae is the ONLY angler to successfully complete the Georgia Bass Slam SEVEN years in a row AND he also caught all 10 species each year! In 2023, he was the Grand Prize Winner for the Georgia Bass Slam (all anglers completing a Slam are entered into an annual prize drawing).

Take some time to read his "fishing history" story and get ready to take notes on his tips about successfully completing a Slam:

I have been a Georgia angler for over 40 years. I grew up in North Georgia, about 30 miles north of Atlanta, and spent most of my youth finding ways to fish. I visited ponds, creeks and rivers with my dad, mostly targeting bass. Vacations were mostly just a reason to find a new place to fish, usually on a beach or pier in Florida or the Georgia coast. In fact, I was so into fishing that the one year we went to Disney World, I never made it inside the park. I just fished the lakes and canals around the resort.

When I turned 13, we got cable television, and I started watching all the fishing shows on TNN and ESPN. That is also the time that my father and I both kind of got the man-made impoundment bug and my dad bought a used bass boat, and we started regularly fishing Lake Lanier. Three years later, a steady diet of fishing shows like "The Bassmasters" fueled my interest in tournament fishing. When I turned 16, I joined a bass club. Pre-Internet, that was the fastest way to learn new techniques and improve as an angler.

For the next 15 years I was a serious tournament angler-club tournaments, pot tournaments, team tournaments, draw tournaments, fishing all over the southeast. After a while, that type of fishing didn't appeal anymore, not to mention that gas prices started going up. I had fished rivers in the bass boat but couldn't get to half the places I wanted to go. That's when I transitioned into kayak fishing. The great thing about the kayak is you can go pretty much anywhere and it's a relatively inexpensive way to enjoy the sport. Bonus: not paying out the big bucks to maintain a boat and keep it fueled gave me more time and money to fish and travel.

Kayak fishing allowed me to explore new creeks and rivers and target other species. I gained a greater appreciation for native black bass and their habitats, and I developed a more complete understanding of black bass behavior and the natural world. In 2020, I started a YouTube channelto share this type of information with other anglers and the public.

The Georgia Bass Slam debuted in 2017, encouraging anglers to catch (at least) 5 of the 10 Black Bass species in Georgia in a calendar year. By that time, I had already caught all 10 species on the list, but I had never made it a point to catch all 10 species in a calendar year. That sounded like a fun challenge, and I've been doing it every year since with my friend Alex. So far, I've successfully caught and documented all 10 species on the list every year of the program.

Tips to Streamline Bass Slam Success: Knowing the Specialists and the Generalists

It's often said, "the best time to go fishing is when you can." However, if your time and resources are limited, you can stack the odds in your favor by grouping species in categories so you can plan a trip to target specific species, stream or habitat.

Upland Stream Specialists

Redeye, Chattahoochee, Tallapoosa, Altamaha, and Bartram's bass are upland stream specialists. These species feed primarily by sight, so you need to target them when the water is low and clear. If the water appears otherwise, you're better off angling for largemouth or spotted bass on another body of water.

Most, if not all, upland species of black bass (in Georgia) start spawning in May and continue into June. When spawning, they can be extremely difficult to catch because they typically spawn in areas with lots of current and/or whitewater turbulence making it hard to present a lure and they usually won't move far to hit a lure. However, knowing the time of year that these upland stream specialists spawn is important, because post-spawn, they get a lot more aggressive, making late June-October the best months to target them. The days are also longer, and rain chances a little less likely, so you're more likely to find favorable stream conditions if/when you plan a trip.

I have found that the biggest key to successfully catching upland stream specialists, is to find areas not heavily impacted by the illegal introduction and spread of non-native species, like Spotted/Alabama bass. If you notice a lot of hybrids and/or spotted bass, you may need to find another stream.

Don't forget to note that from June through September these fish are feeding primarily on invertebrates (mostly insects that fall into the water), so you want to find and fish sections with lots of trees and bushes that hang over the water. Locate and fish areas that have lots of coarse, clean substrate on the bottom of the stream and avoid areas with excess sediment and silt, such as typically caused by land development and clearing, construction, logging, and farming. Ideally, try to find streams or sections of streams with lots of tree cover along both banks, and surrounded by fewer houses, roads, etc.

Stream Specialists

The Shoal and Suwannee bass are stream specialists. They are more aggressive, and easier to catch, when the water is low and clear. They can also be caught when the water is rising and/or has a moderate stain.

Shoal bass in the lower Piedmont start spawning around the second week of April, while shoal north of Atlanta generally begin spawning in May. Shoal bass typically spawn around high gradient shoals and can be extremely aggressive and easy to catch, especially the males. However, anglers are more likely to find favorable stream conditions (low/clear water) after the spawn. So, if you're new to river fishing or have never caught a shoal bass, June-October are probably the best months to try.

Suwannee Bass can be caught year-round but they're a lot more aggressive, and easier to catch, when the rivers are low and clear. All the rivers in Georgia that have Suwannee bass are tannin-stained to some extent, but there's clear tannin-stained water and then water that's stained due to the presence of silt and clay particles in suspension, like after a big rain. Anglers are most likely to find aggressive fish and more favorable stream conditions (low/clear water) from May-October.

When it comes to stream specialists, if you're not catching them or you're only catching largemouth, switch to areas or sections that have more current. Sections with a higher channel gradient will have more current, and current produces the habitat characteristics that stream specialists prefer-areas that have lots of coarse, clean substrate on the bottom of the stream.

Habitat generalists

Largemouth and Spotted/Alabama bass are habitat generalists that persist in lakes and streams, and can be caught virtually year-round whether the water is clear or stained. Smallmouth bass are also a generalist species, but they feed primarily by sight so they're going to be more aggressive (and easier to catch) when the water is low and clear. If you're not catching smallmouth, or you're only catching largemouth and/or spotted bass, try to find areas with more current.

Final Reminder: Don't Wait too Late to Submit

While there's no award for being the first to complete or submit a slam each calendar year, you shouldn't wait until the last minute to submit your photos and information. You might find some files have been misplaced or maybe even deleted. That happened to me last year and the streak almost came to an end-lesson learned!

I am going to try and keep my Bass Slam Streak alive this year, and I hope you will join me in heading out for your own Georgia Bass Slam. It's a great way to get to know this beautiful state, spend extraordinary time outdoors and test your fishing skills in new ways. Good luck!

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