December 6, 2024 – Georgia Wildlife Blog

We have a feeling that the rest of 2024 will go by in a blur due to work, school holidays, family gatherings and holiday shopping. Make time slow down just a little by planning a fishing trip, even if it is just for the day or an afternoon. 

NEWS TO KNOW

• New State Saltwater Record: Marcus M. Hannon, 24, landed a Lane Snapper weighing 2 pounds, 15.8 ounces on Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. This will be both a new state saltwater record and a new eligible species for saltwater state records. Find out more in the new edition of the Coastlines Georgia publication at Coastalgadnr.org/Coastlines/December2024.
• Looking for the Perfect Gift Idea? If you need a gift idea for your outdoor recreation enthusiast, we have a great suggestion. Gift them a hunting or fishing (or combo) license to help them enjoy the wild places they love. Check out more info at GeorgiaWildlife.com/searching-perfect-gift-your-outdoor-enthusiast-look-no-further.
• Stay Up-To-Date with State Fish and Wildlife Info: You can get information delivered to your email in-box (choosing the topics you want to know about), or through social media (like Instagram and Facebook), or our Blog, or the Georgia Wild e-newsletter.

This week, we have fishing reports from North, Central, and Southeast Georgia. Southwest Georgia report will be back next week. Slow down the December blur and let’s Go Fish Georgia!

(Fishing report courtesy of John Lee Thomson, Fisheries Biologist with the Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division, with help from Region Staff and Local Experts) 

The cold weather has things finally matching the calendar and the fish will be switching over to their winter patterns. Bundle up and hit the water. Those willing to brave the elements could be rewarded with a fish of a lifetime. Tap into the tips and tricks for the local experts and guides featured below. Go Fish Georgia!

RESERVOIR REPORT 

LAKE ALLATOONA 

Bass (Courtesy of Ken Sturdivant of Southern Fishing): Bass fishing is fair. The lower temperatures tend to bring out the bigger spotted bass and make them more predictable. This is the month have the jerk baits ready. Stay shallow now and go deeper as the month goes on. For the jerk baits use a 7 foot medium action Shimano Expired rod with 10 pound test Sunline Sniper fluorocarbon. The lighter line allows more action and also gets the bait to its max depth. Target points and creeks and avoid the very backs. Concentrate on the front quarter of the creeks. Have an all white Mini Me spinnerbait with white blades on windy days. Run points with this technique for quality spotted bass. Later in the month continue to use these techniques. Soon start to rely more on the jig like the Little Spotty jig by Picasso. Slower is always better. A good consistent location to throw a jig toward the end of the month is on bluff walls. This technique typically holds throughout the winter. 

Crappie Fishing Report (Courtesy of Red Rooster Baits):

• Air Temp: High: 72 – Low: 36
• Wind: Up to 25 Mph
• Lake Level:  832.70′ and Slowly Dropping (Click Here For Current Water Level)
• Water Temp: 58 – 62
• Water Clarity: Clear to light stain (Allatoona Green)
• Area Fished: Block House, Galt’s Ferry, Little River, S-Turns, & Victoria Areas
• Jigs Used: UV Shad – Dagger, UV Smoke – Dagger, Lemonade – Slab Dragon, Blue Glimmer – Slab Dragon, Tre’s Gold – Slab Dragon, Sour Grape – Slab Dragon, Pappy’s Magic – Kic’n Chic’n, Glow White Ice – Talon 2.0 and ‘Lectric Chicken – Small Fry
• Technique: Trolling & Casting Jigs

We hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving Week and last week of November 2024! Team Red Rooster was busy catching nice crappie on Lake Allatoona during the early part of week and enjoying this late fall weather! What a blessing it is to have such a great fishery and we are thankful for the men and women who practice conservation to keep this lake strong for generations to come! The week started off with a bang as we spent Monday trolling for crappie and we were not disappointed! The lake is coming down and cooling off but still around 4.5′ higher than it was this time last year so the brush is still holding crappie until the lake comes down to around 830′. We were targeting brush and structure in the 12′ – 15′ range pulling 1/16th & 1/24th jig heads at .7 – .9 mph. The 1/16th jig heads at this speed will keep the jigs running around 6′ deep. The 1/24th jig heads at this speed will keep the jigs running around 4′. The Crappie were suspended anywhere from 6′ to 8′ over brush and structure. When the sun came up over the trees we added some 3/32nd jig heads as we started searching for roaming crappie in 10′ – 12′ of water in mid-creek to the mouth of creeks. We did manage to catch a few open water crappie but for the most part they are still holding to brush. We caught doubles and triples when we trolled our jigs over the brush and structure. We had a good day trolling and as the lake level and water temps drop the crappie will only get more active, start schooling up and roam the creeks and flats. The Slab Dragon in Lemonade, Tre’s Gold, Blue Glimmer & Sour Grape, the Kic’n Chic’n Tre’s Gold & Pappy’s Magic, the Talon 2.0 in Glow White Ice and Small Fry in ‘Lectric Chicken were the main trolling colors this week. We got a good another great report from Hunter Moore with Moore Outdoorz Guide Service that they are finding active crappie on brush and deep water docks and his clients caught several slab crappie as well as some nice hybrids.! Hunter had great success casting to brush and on deep water docks where using the newly released UV Smoke on a 1/16th oz. jig head. Hunter and his clients were using other colors that were not producing but when they tied on the UV Smoke Dagger they started catching the crappie! UV Smoke Dagger is the latest color enhanced with an Ultra Violet additive that enhances light reflection in low light conditions. The UV Shad Dagger was also doing well in the early morning and late evening. Lord willing Team Red Rooster will bring you another report next week! We now have a years worth of fishing reports archived on the site. Be sure to check out the archives for November 2023 and see what we were doing this time last year! Make sure to download the Red Rooster Long Line Trolling Guide for tips on how to troll for Allatoona Crappie. 

LAKE HARTWELL 

Bass: (Courtesy of Ken Sturdivant of Southern Fishing) — Bass fishing is fair. Bass are relating to the main lake points. Work finesse worms on a Weedless Wonder head and be patient on sunny baked rocky points and rocky area. Rapala DT10 and the Rapala X Rap in shad are can work while fishing the rocky points. Most of the fish are spotted bass. Drop shot rigs and jigging spoons are working for the deeper water suspended bass but this gets a little tough on those really windy days. With the falling temperatures and clearing water fish will begin stacking up on deep water roadbeds and humps in 15 to 30 feet of water. Use small jigging spoons or drop shot rigs to catch these deeper fish. On the drop shot use a #1 drop shot hook and finesse worms similar to a Zoom meathead or Roboworm on feeding fish. 

LAKE LANIER 

Bass (Courtesy of Phil Johnson Phil Johnson pjohnson15@hotmail.com 770 366 8845) — Bass fishing on Lake Lanier is good and getting better by the day. Currently the lake is about four feet below full pool and the water temperature is running between sixty one and sixty three degrees. Look for the water temperature to drop over the next week as the cold weather rolls in. The bass have made a strong move to their winter locations and more will follow. The ditches, ledges and end of long points in the thirty-five plus foot range are holding good numbers of bass. The bad news is these fish are still roaming with bait which can make it hard to keep up with them. As the water cools more they will settle down more into the deeper areas. The half ounce spoon, Damiki Rig, drop shot, jig and worm have all produced bass over the last week. For the spoon and drop shot look for the structure in the thirty-five-to-fifty-foot range that has bait around it and work the bait vertically around the structure. The Blue Lily and Sweet Rosy Lanier Baits drop shot worms have worked the best. For the Damiki Rig a three eights’ head with a three-inch Cast swimbait has been very effective targeting the bass you see on FFS. Cast this bait and let it sink to the depth of the bass and slowly retrieve it. A jig can be worked at any depth you prefer from ten-foot docks to the middle of the ditches. A brown primary color with either orange, chartreuse or red mix or a green pumpkin trailer is working well. It’s hard to beat a green pumpkin trick worm worked on the same structure as the jig. The winter bite has definitely started and there are no big boats to contend with so bundle up and Go Catch ‘Em!

Crappie (Courtesy of Captain Josh Thorton 770 530 6493) — Get ready for an unforgettable Lake Lanier crappie fishing adventure! With water temperatures in the low 60s, the crappie are becoming increasingly active, and we’re seeing more and larger fish. Currently you’ll find excellent crappie fishing in shallower waters from 10 to 20 feet deep above a bottom ranging from 15 to 30 feet. Crappie minnows are proving highly effective, particularly around brush piles in open water. This past week a mix of minnows and jigs yielded the best results roughly a 50/50 split. To maximize your success, we recommend using an ACC Crappie Stix one piece rod and reel, spooled with 4 6-pound test K9 line. A Garmin LiveScope, protected by a sonar shield cover, will significantly enhance your ability to locate fish. A Power Pole will provide essential stability and control while fishing. For a truly personalized experience and to secure your spot please contact Captain Josh Thornton directly at 770 530 6493 to schedule your Lake Lanier crappie fishing trip. Looking for additional tips and strategies to improve your crappie fishing game? Visit my websites for helpful resources and insights: http://www.crappieonlanier.com and http://www.fishingwitheverydayheroes.org. We look forward to sharing the thrill of the catch with you! 

TROUT REPORT 

Trout (Courtesy of John Lee Thomson, WRD Trout Stocking Coordinator) — With the cold weather and lows flows across north Georgia, mountains streams will run low and gin clear over the weekend. The naive DH stockers are beginning to wise up, and a deliberate stealth approach will need to be deployed. With stream water temperatures in the 40’s, take the time to enjoy a good weekend breakfast and coffee and then head out. All the mountain DH sections offer a great shot at landing a quality brook trout but, if it is the single day trout slam you are after, try Chattooga and Smith. Check out the brilliant colors on this Toccoa River DH rainbow courtesy of the USFWS stockings.

Warmer weather and rains are forecasted to return next week. This will literally change the most productive tactics and fishable waters overnight. Watch dam generation schedules and rainfall/runoff to pick fishable locales where the water isn’t too high or muddy. USGS stream flow gauges, fishing guides, and local tackle shops are great info sources! Smaller watersheds, like Smith Creek DH, will shed heavy rainfall much faster than large basins such as the Toccoa River DH, and will therefore have many more fishable days. Always have a small stream Plan B ready in case your Plan A gets rained out.

(Fishing report courtesy of Hunter Roop, Fisheries Biologist and Central Georgia Region Supervisor with the Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division, with help from Region Staff and Local Experts) 

PUBLIC FISHING AREA REPORT

McDUFFIE PUBLIC FISHING AREA (courtesy of McDuffie Hatchery Manager Chalisa Fabillar) —

Striped Bass: Lots of smaller (likely 2024 year class) striped bass are being caught by anglers on Clubhouse and Bridge on cut baits and stink baits by anglers fishing for catfish. The occasional 2-4 lb striper will also be caught. Keep in mind that the daily creel limit for striped bass on McDuffie PFA is 15 fish per day with only 2 exceeding 22″.

Bream: Angler reports are pretty light except some redear are still biting. Fish lively nightcrawlers or red wigglers on the bottom and be patient.

Bass: Bass fishing has also been slow with few reports coming in. Target deeper structure with a shaky head or drop shot and pack your patience.

Catfish: They’re biting! Lots of good catches recently of quality fish in the 2 – 6 lb range. Successful anglers are fishing livers or stink baits on the bottom.

Reminder: Live fish/minnows are not allowed on our PFA!

FLAT CREEK PUBLIC FISHING AREA (courtesy of Fisheries Technicians Amory Cook and Deven Thompson) –

• Water Level: 80.5” below full pool
• Water Clarity: 23”
• Water Temperature 65.5 F 

Bass: The bass fishing has been fair this past week. Targeting shallow structures and moderate depth flats should produce good fish. Jigs, underspins and crank baits will be your best lure choices. There have been reports of 3-4 lb bass caught from the shoreline. 

Bream: Deeper coves and flats should still be holding good sized shell crackers. For the bluegill, 2-5 feet of water near the bank should also produce good fish. As always, red wigglers will produce fish. 

Crappie: As a result of dropping water temp, the crappie bite should be picking up. Catches will no longer be limited to the overnight anglers.  Live minnows have been producing a majority of the catches. Regular catches are reported from the fishing pier. 

Catfish: The catfish bite has dropped off slightly. Persistent anglers will still be able to catch fish and can look forward to next year’s fishing trips as over 6,000 intermediate catfish have been stocked since October 24. 

ATTENTION ANGLERS: Flat Creek PFA staff are conducting an annual angler (creel) survey on the lake this year. If you are approached by a PFA staff member after your fishing trip, please take a moment to answer their questions and share information about your fishing success (or, lack of success, whichever may be the case). These surveys are a valuable management tool that can improve our understanding of the fishery and ultimately improve fishing quality on the reservoir.

MARBEN PUBLIC FISHING AREA (courtesy of WRD Fisheries Technician Jacob Landry) –

• Marben PFA Information
• Water Level: All the ponds are full or nearly full with the exception of Otter, Lower Raleigh, Little Raleigh, and Upper Raleigh. Margery is under renovation and closed till further notice.
• Water Clarity: Clarity varies but most water bodies have up to 24-46” visibility.
• Surface Temp: mid-60s.
• Marben PFA Fishing Guide 

Bass: Bass are still maintaining an early fall pattern; however, bass should be transitioning to late fall/winter movement patterns with upcoming colder weather. Bass will respond well to spinner baits and crank baits this time of year.

Crappie: The crappie have started to moved toward shallow water and bunching up around habitat. Use jigs tipped with minnows or a “search-style” bait such as a curly tail jig.

Bream:  Bluegill and some shellcracker are being caught on or near the bottom. Red wigglers and wax worms are a good choice for bait.

Other: Shad have recently been moving into shallower water and will remain active until water temperature dip into the 50s. Shad-style lures would likely be good for both largemouth and hybrids. Additionally, anglers have had success with red worms and other live baits. Use weedless-style lures in ponds with heavy vegetation.

RESERVOIR REPORT

The reservoir reports below are brought to you by Ken Sturdivant’s Southern Fishing Report, with contributions from Region 3 WRD Fisheries staff, local guides, and anglers.

LAKE RUSSELL IS FULL, 60’S

Bass: Bass fishing is fair. Look for current breaks at the mouths of both rivers. The fish are grouping up in the slack water behind islands and points on the main part of the rivers and in the backwaters. Fish a Spro Little John in fire tiger or chartreuse with black back. Use a slow retrieve as the fish are a little finicky with the cold water. If the cranking bite slows down, switch to a Texas rig in the same areas. Use a 6-inch finesse worm from Big Bite Baits in black. Fish super slow in the areas where the bait schools are. Try the Spro Aruku Shad 75 in Red Crawfish on main lake points.

Striped and Hybrid Bass: Few reports coming in at this time, but with the cold weather finally stabilizing anglers can expect the linesides to be scattered on points and open water mid-lake. Trolling live baits can be a great way to cover lots of water while locating schools. Topwater activity can start to pop up this time of year and birds can be helpful for locating schools of bait.

Crappie: Try fishing deeper in December, targeting brush in 15′ – 25′ of water. Downlining jigs or minnows and suspending just above brushpiles or active schools will be fish on the line, so lean heavy on the electronics to identify these habitats.

Perch: Fish along the bottom in deeper water, 20 – 40 feet. Live minnows and even nightcrawlers can attract perch.

CLARKS HILL IS DOWN 2.7 FEET, 60’S

Bass: Bass fishing is fair. Get out on the main lake points and use the Rapala DT10 crank baits. Also look on the secondary points in the creek and ride by them and watch the Lowrance for the bottom to drop to 35 feet deep. This is where the fish stage after cold fronts. Find the ditches with grass on them and then locate the shad on the sonar. This will be the most productive areas mid-day until dark. Shad colored Rapala #5 Shad Raps fished on eight-pound Sufix line in the ditches appears is working. The Rapala DT6 will also work and use no more than ten-pound test line. Main lake points are also productive but remember the bass are scattered about. Ease over a point watch the Lowrance Down Scan and zoon in one time and sit still. The bass may be dead on the bottom and the Down Scan can see them.

LAKE OCONEE IS FULL, 60’S

Bass: Bass fishing is fair. The bait and the bass are scattered. Small coves mid lake in the pockets are holding bass on the outside edges. Jerk baits and plastics are producing the most bites. Work the fronts of the pockets as well as all the way in the back. Bandit 100 and 200 crankbaits, small Rat L Traps and swim baits will be choices. Richland Creek there is a consistent bite mid-day on the docks with the jig shaky head and a Zoom 4-inch mini lizard in green with red flake. Also try the walkways of the docks. A shaky head with a Zoom speed worm or something small with a curly tail or a small jig with a lively trailer are the baits to try. Laydowns are also a pattern but not on consecutive days. Jerk baits that suspend are the baits of choice since there are a lot of fish and bait schools suspended. Look for the shad to move all the way back in the pockets as the water cools and start their way out by the time.

LAKE SINCLAIR IS DOWN 1.1 FEET, 60’S 

Bass: Bass fishing is slow. Wait until mid-day then head into the creeks and find warner water. In the Little River arm use 3/8-ounce terminator spinnerbaits with Oklahoma blades and chartreuse skirts or big shallow crankbaits like Bandit’s Flat Max. As the water continues to cool down, don’t forget to slow your retrieve speed down and experiment with a stop and go retrieve. Lately a floating Zoom trick worm in black or Junebug with little or no weight around docks has been fair in Island Creek and Rocky creeks. Again, the retrieve speed has been slow to slower. Fish a Rapala #5 Shad Rap in chartreuse and pearl or crawfish in the same area if you see shad on the surface. A few better than average fish have been caught on a Carolina rig fishing points from Nancy Branch and south toward the dam on a Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Craw in green pumpkin.

LAKE JACKSON IS FULL FEET, 60’S

Bass: Bass fishing is fair. With water temperatures dropping so be prepared to work baits slowly. Jigs can produce all year and now is the time to practice with these bait. A Strike King 3/8 ounce bait with a Zoom Salt trailer will be good baits now. Colors will vary daily depending on sunny days or coldly days. A square bill Little John crankbait with some chartreuse in it is my go to crankbait. Any hard structure can find bait fish close by like hard clay or any kinds of rock. A ChatterBait fished around docks and laydowns will catch some good quality fish as well. This time of the year is pretty simple just be patient. Don’t forget a blood and blue jig around these same locations. Next month look for colder water temperatures and look for the shad to bunch up even more.

(Fishing report courtesy of Capt. Bert Deener, Retired Georgia WRD Fisheries Supervisor, with help from Region Staff and Local Experts)

It’s been a cold, windy week, but the fish are moving into their winter patterns. That usually means feast or famine. The hope of a “feast” day keeps me going back on the water in my coveralls! Saltwater has slowed a little this week, but the rivers are getting decent again.

River gages on December 5th were:

• Clyo on the Savannah River – 6.7 feet and rising
• Abbeville on the Ocmulgee – 2.3 feet and falling
• Doctortown on the Altamaha – 7.1 feet and falling
• Waycross on the Satilla – 8.8 feet and falling
• Atkinson on the Satilla – 7.6 feet and falling
• Statenville on the Alapaha – 5.3 feet and falling
• Macclenny on the St. Marys – 2.7 feet and falling
• Fargo on the Suwannee – 3.5 feet and falling

First quarter moon is December 8. To monitor all the Georgia river levels, visit the USGS website. For the latest marine forecast, check out weather.gov/jax/.

ALTAMAHA RIVER

Jimmy Hall and Brinson Thornton have had some great days bass fishing the Altamaha this week. They had several nice fish to about 5 pounds on plastic worms. I also had a report of an angler catching a couple dozen nice shellcrackers. He must have found the hole they’re overwintering in…

SAVANNAH RIVER

Mark Vick fished the Savannah River oxbows for a couple hours on Monday afternoon and caught 4 crappie and 4 giant fliers by pitching 1/16-oz. crawfish Warmouth Whacker Jigs and Tennessee shad Specktacular Jigs. The bite was on when he slowed his presentation way down and fished deep (about 15 to 16 feet).

OKEFENOKEE SWAMP

This week, reports were slow with the cold weather. Most folks said they caught a few bowfin or fliers, but not many. The water is finally down below 121 feet for the first time in about a year. That lower level pulls fish off the prairies and into the canals. The bite is going to get silly as it keeps dropping. The most recent water level (Folkston side) was 120.94 feet.

LOCAL PONDS

Joshua Barber fished from his kayak in a Manor area pond on Saturday and had a great evening. He fooled 20 bass up to 2 pounds, a few crappie and bluegill, and a 5-lb. bowfin. Minnows, shiners, and chartreuse back pearl Keitechs fooled them.

DODGE COUNTY PUBLIC FISHING AREA (near Eastman)- More Info at GeorgiaWildlife.com/dodge-county-pfa — Ken Burke fished on Thursday in the cloudy, windy conditions and only managed 2 bites from bass, but they were really nice ones. One ate a crankbait and the other a shaky head worm. They weighed 4-lb, 10-oz and 4-lb, 12-oz.

HUGH M. GILLIS PUBLIC FISHING AREA (near Dublin) – More info at GeorgiaWildlife.com/hugh-m-gillis-pfa — Ken Burke fished the area for about 5 hours on a trip late last week. He had 4 bites and caught all four bass. Their total weight was 6 1/4 pounds. He fooled them with a Frittside crankbait.

PARADISE PUBLIC FISHING AREA (near Tifton) – More Info at GeorgiaWildlife.com/paradise-pfa — The crappie bite has remained decent at the area. When it gets cold like this, folks usually catch some giant crappie off the pier in Lake Patrick using both minnows and jigs.

LAKE EUFAULA

Jason Dixon and a couple of his Waycross buddy’s road-tripped to Lake Eufaula last week. They flung artificials for crappie and bass. They worked for their fish, but Jason had a blast catching a 2-lb., 8-oz. bass on his ultralight gear. It ate a chartreuse back pearl 2-inch Keitech swimbait on a pearl 1/16-oz. Zombie Eye Jighead. They caught some other bass and crappie, also.

SALTWATER (GEORGIA COAST)

The bite was decent this week even with the cold, windy conditions. Brandon Young and Judson Holley fished the Brunswick area Saturday afternoon. They caught 10 oversized reds (25 to 30 inches) – half on live shrimp and popping corks and the other half on 1/4-oz. jigheads and paddletail plastics. They said bait was everywhere, and the fish were chewing. A couple of Brunswick anglers fished Turtle River on Monday and caught 25 trout (5 keepers) and a keeper redfish. They also released a 26-inch redfish. Bill Stewart fished with me in Brunswick on Monday, and we struggled with the wind. We ended up catching 9 trout up to 17 inches (5 keepers) and a nice 16-inch flounder. We caught them all on 3 1/2-inch Keitechs (perch, blue/chartreuse, and bluegill flash) rigged on Zombie Eye Jigheads and Flashy Jigheads. My first one ate the lure under an Equalizer Float, but the rest were caught by just swimming the paddletails close to bottom. Capt. Tim Cutting (fishthegeorgiacoast.com) had some good trips early this week. On Sunday he took Daniel Pritchard and jigged up a couple limits of trout and some nice reds on Fourseven Lures Agitator Swimbaits pegged on Zombie Eye Jigheads. On Monday they threw live shrimp under Harper Super Striker Floats all day and had a mixed bag of trout, sheepshead, and a limit of reds. Wednesday was a tougher bite but ended up with some nice trout, reds, and sheepshead. On Thursday, he flung artificials again in a new area north of his usual area and caught a couple dozen really nice trout and released them. Tommy Sweeney fished Wednesday afternoon and crushed the trout (caught 14 keepers over 15 inches) and a 25-inch redfish. Sexy shad Keitechs on Zombie Eye Jigheads produced his fish. Jay Turner and a friend fished the Savannah area Wednesday and caught a limit of trout with a couple of 18-inchers mixed in, but they didn’t have any giants like they have been catching. They caught them on DOA shrimp and Keitech swimbaits. Capt. Greg Hildreth (georgiacharterfishing.com) fished the Brunswick area on Thursday and caught a bunch of trout. Most were undersized – he says he just didn’t pick the right spot that day. Live shrimp fooled his fish. An angler reported fishing the Crooked River early this week and catching 23 trout with the largest being 21 inches. He also had a redfish just under the 23-inch upper limit. Rickey O’Berry and a friend fished the Brunswick area this week and caught a bunch of sheepshead by dabbling fiddler crabs. Their biggest was 5 pounds, and they had several over 4 pounds. I heard of an angler fishing from a Brunswick area dock this week and catching some trout and reds. After your next trip to the Georgia coast, drop off your fish carcasses in the freezer at the Waycross Fisheries Office at 108 Darling Avenue. The Coastal Resources Division collects most inshore saltwater species so that they can determine age and growth for each species. All the supplies and information cards are in the freezer. Filet your fish then drop off the carcasses in the freezer. Wat-a-melon Bait and Tackle in Brunswick is open Friday through Tuesday each week (closed Wednesday and Thursday) They have plenty of lively shrimp and also have live worms and crickets for freshwater. For the latest information and their hours, contact them at 912-223-1379.

Blog Contributer Capt. Bert Deener guides fishing trips in southeast Georgia and makes a variety of both fresh and saltwater fishing lures. Check his lures out at Bert’s Jigs and Things on Facebook. For a copy of his latest catalog, call or text him at 912-288-3022 or e-mail him (bertdeener@yahoo.com).

BONUS REPORT: Southeast Georgia Kayak Bass Fishing

The 2024 SEGKBF Georgia Tour Kayak Series Championship was held on beautiful Lake Blackshear.  Lake Blackshear is a man-made lake on the Flint River located in Cordele, Georgia. Temperatures registered at a cool 56 degrees, and by the end of the tournament, a warm but comfortable 82 degrees. Water temperatures ranged in the high 60’s which made it perfect for fall kayak bass fishing! A total of  136″ were caught and the biggest bass came in at 18″ long. Find out more about SEGKBF at segkbf.com/.

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