As of 7 a.m. this past Sunday, official winter set in, and from the looks of West Coast, Midwest, Ohio Valley and New England, it has set in to stay awhile.

I remind you again the water off the California Coast is colder than its been in 20 years.

This past Saterday at 10 minutes to 11 a.m., a big bald eagle pitched into the tall hickory tree over my house about 10 seconds went on out over the lake to catch his lunch, any native American would call that a “blessing.”

Now for an update on the apple snail, they are gaining ground, little wads of pink eggs are growing rapidly. My hope is the small aligaters don’t take a liking to them.

Now the Georgia DNR liscene comissioner after filing on my two boats for liscenes on Nov. 10, 2008, the one on my ganue came within one week but the one for my red Ranger still has not come, my next door neighbor, Wayne Barwick, filed in May 2008 and has not got his yet. That is just plain “sorry.”

Last Monday before day lite, three people saw a black bear cross the junction of Cool Springs Road and Highway 97. Think that odd, a deer hunter near LaGrange, Ga., killed a Florida cougar from his deer stand?  What’s he doing that far north?

Our own Hydrilla Gnat’s, Andy Koundourakis, Mike Prindle and Paul Tyre have been growing their hair out for the last year and a half.  They shaved their heads yesterday to donate that hair to Locks of Love. What a great effort on their part to put up with that long hair for that long, but some lucky kids will get that hair for a wig because they can’t grow any.

Our good friend, retired Marine Scott Kerslake, who winters with us here was down in Gainesville visiting his mom and while he was down there, he tested the waters at Rodman Dam and caught a 10-pound, 12-ounce bass on a Gambler Ugly Otter.  We are right proud of him.

We ain’t sed much about the fishen, well its because we ain’t had much fishen. The Flint crested at flood stage (25.3 feet) Thursday and the Spring Creek crest at 252 Bridge (at 17.4 feet). The only thing that is still bitten is the jackfish. There has been a lots of them taken on spinner baits, they do seem to like a spinner, only one catch of perch was made on jigs.  We wish all a Mary Christmas and a Happy Prosperous New Year, you will if you go with God.

Wingate’s Fishing Report

December 21, 2008

Lake surface temp: 64Lake level: Near fullClarity: DingyFlint:  ClearingChattahoochee: Full and muddySpring Creek: ClearingReport provided by: Jack Wingate