February 21, 2025 – Georgia Wildlife Blog

If you are heading out for an early chance at getting on the water, be sure to fill up the thermos with some hot coffee (or apple cider, hot chocolate, etc.), and prepare for the frigid temps. Dress in layers, like thermals, thicker pants (or coveralls), mid-layer item (like a flannel shirt or light jacket), heavy coat, hats, gloves, etc. Keep your life jacket on when in the boat. If you fall in the water, the shock of the cold temperature will inhibit your ability to respond quickly. That life jacket can keep you afloat until you can get back in the boat or get help. Be careful moving around in your boat – watch for slippery surfaces. Take a friend with you so you can watch out for each other (and celebrate each other’s catches or call each other’s bluff that the fish was “this big”). Tell someone where you will be and when you expect to return. 

NEWS TO KNOW

• Georgia’s State Wildlife Action Plan needs YOUR input! This critical plan guides statewide efforts to protect our native species like gopher tortoises, bald eagles, and Chapman’s fringed orchids and keep them from becoming more rare and costly to conserve. You can review the plan from February 19 – March 21 at GeorgiaWildlife.com/WildGeorgiaSWAP. 
• CoastFest is Coming! The Coastal Resources Division hosts this fun festival, scheduled for March 22, which brings together a wide range of activities, exhibits, and live entertainment, offering a fun and educational experience for visitors of all ages. Find out more at coastalgadnr.org/coastfest.

This week, we have fishing reports from Southeast, Southwest, North and Central Georgia. Layer up, bring a friend, grab the coffee and Let’s Go Fish Georgia!

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

Winter is back, so it is up to judging how much of a warmup behind a front will get the fish biting again. Some folks got on good bites in both salt and freshwater and some did not put all the pieces together. This week’s rains have all of the south Georgia rivers rising – some are in the floodplains.

River gages on February 20th were:

• Clyo on the Savannah River – 8.3 feet and rising
• Abbeville on the Ocmulgee – 12.5 feet and rising
• Doctortown on the Altamaha – 9.3 feet and rising
• Waycross on the Satilla – 12.1 feet and rising
• Atkinson on the Satilla – 9.1 feet and rising
• Statenville on the Alapaha – 8.9 feet and rising
• Macclenny on the St Marys – 4.6 feet and rising
• Fargo on the Suwannee – 6.4 feet and rising

New Moon is February 27th. To monitor all the Georgia river levels, visit the USGS website. For the latest marine forecast, check out weather.gov/jax/.

OCONEE RIVER/LAKE SINCLAIR

The first Catfish Legends Tournament of the year was attempted on Saturday at the Balls Ferry Ramp on the Oconee River, but rain the day before flooded the river. They made a last-minute move to Lake Sinclair and held the catfish tournament. First place (36.59-lbs.) and big fish (13.22-lbs.) was Team Soggy Bottoms. Catfish Champions took second with 29.75 pounds, while third was Team C & H with 28.65 pounds. If you are interested in future tournaments, check out Catfish Legends Tournament on Facebook.

ST MARYS RIVER

Matt Rouse fished the upper river on Monday and had a good couple-hour trip. He threw a white curly-tail grub and caught 5 nice crappie (3 of them around 12 inches) and a stumpknocker. He also put shrimp on the bottom and caught a couple nice channel catfish. Sammy Gaskins fished Tuesday afternoon and caught 25 fish (17 were crappie). He usually flings small spinnerbaits, but I did not ask him what he used. Note: The Temple Landing is currently closed while the GA Wildlife Resources Division boat ramp crew rebuilds the ramp. It will be a much-improved facility when they finish the project. The projects typically take a few months to complete, but it is always weather and river level dependent. We will hate seeing the popular Shady Bream Tournaments come to an end! You may want to check out the new trail Bream Reapers Fishing Tournament (on Facebook) if you are interested in fishing bream tournaments. Many of the details are still being developed, so you can comment about how you would like to see them run.

OKEFENOKEE SWAMP

I fished the east side by myself on Saturday and checked lots of different areas. I caught a few fliers or pickerel from each spot then moved on. I caught a couple really big fliers – pushing 3/4 pound. They ate a chartreuse back pearl 2-inch Keitech rigged on a 1/16-oz. Flashy Jighead. The pickerel ate crawfish Dura-Spins and chartreuse back pearl 3-inch Keitechs fished unweighted around vegetation. Several jackfish inhaled the swimbait and cut me off. I caught and released a total of 14 fish that morning. On Tuesday, Bill Stewart fished with me on the east side. Water temperatures were in the upper 50’s most places we fished. We caught and released a total of 23 fish with a half-dozen pickerel, a 3-pound bowfin, and the rest fliers. We caught a half-dozen smaller 6 to 7-inch fliers by pitching pink Okefenokee Swamp Sallies on a bream buster pole, but casting worked best. I caught my fish on a white (gold blade) prototype in-line spinner I’ve been using for the last year. Bill caught his on a chartreuse back pearl 2-inch Keitech on a 1/16-oz. Flashy Jighead. The most impressive fish were the half-dozen fliers over 8 inches that we caught. Our biggest was 9 1/8 inches long. If you want to catch a big flier in the swamp, now is the time to do so. Our biggest pickerel was 19 inches, and it inhaled Bill’s fire tiger-chartreuse blade Dura-Spin. Bowfin were elusive this week, as they didn’t want to chase down our lures in the colder weather. With the rising water levels, they’re also likely moving out of the canals into the flooded prairies. The most recent water level (Folkston side) was 121.0 feet.

DODGE COUNTY PUBLIC FISHING AREA (near Eastman)

Ken Burke had a great trip to Dodge County PFA (GeorgiaWildlife.com/dodge-county-pfa) on Saturday. He caught and released 7 bass for a total of 21 1/4 pounds. His biggest two were 3.75 and 3.5 pounds. He fooled all but one of them with a crankbait, and that one outlier inhaled a shaky head worm. He also fooled a 1-lb., 10-oz. slab crappie. Ken said that the bass are feeding up in the shallow water ahead of the spawn. Another angler following schools of shad with forward facing sonar was able to coax 30 small bass (a pound to 1 1/2 pounds apiece) to eat.

PARADISE PUBLIC FISHING AREA (near Tifton)

The  GA Wildlife Resources Division is beginning a bass study at Paradise PFA (GeorgiaWildlife.com/paradise-pfa) and will be tagging bass over the next month. If you catch a tagged bass, clip the tag and return it along with the information requested on a tag return form. The forms are available on the porch at the area office. Each person returning a tag will receive a custom-embroidered ball cap and be entered into a drawing for a Yeti cooler. Each angler will only receive one cap, but there is no limit to the number of times you can be entered into the drawing. More information at GeorgiaWildlife.com/catch-tagged-bass-when-you-go-fish-georgia-paradise-pfa-and-earn-cap.

LOCAL PONDS

Joshua Barber fished a clear-water pond on Saturday and had 7 bass on stick worms and one on a grub. The biggest was a couple pounds. A Blackshear angler fished a pond on Saturday and fooled some nice bass with stick worms. His largest was 4 1/2 pounds, and his biggest 5 weighed 18 pounds. Laurel fished with her dad BJ in a Brunswick area pond over the weekend and had a blast. They landed 14 bass in just a few hours by flinging Trick Worms. Chad Lee fished with his friends Daniel and Regan on Saturday afternoon. They caught a great mess of crappie and several bass. The crappie ate a slammin’ chicken Assassin Tiny Shad rigged on a pink 1/32-oz. Zombie Eye Jighead, and the bass inhaled Christie Craws. Chris, Becky, John Ross, and Ella Kate fished their pond on Tuesday evening. They caught several bass, but John Ross had the monster. They released it without weighing it, but it looked like a 6 or 7-pounder.

SALTWATER (GEORGIA COAST)

Capt. Tim Cutting (fishthegeorgiacoast.com) had two good trout days this week. On Tuesday they cleaned 17 trout and had about the same number of shorts by flinging bay shrimp (Fourseven Lures) rigged on Zombie Eye Jigheads. On Thursday they had almost exactly the same results but caught them on Fourseven 3.5-inch swimbaits and 4-inch grubs. They finished the day by flinging live shrimp under a Harper Super Striker Float and caught a limit of redfish with a couple oversized fish. Shane and Joshua Barber fished this week out of Crooked River and had a good time. They tried sheepshead but did not get on them and then switched to flinging artificials for trout. They ended up catching around 25 trout, but only 2 were keepers. A chartreuse Kalin grub and plastic shrimp fooled their fish. They found a small area that held all of their fish – typical of wintertime trout fishing. Tommy Sweeney did not get out on the boat but caught several trout from a nearby dock by slow-rolling Crush City swimbaits. Capt. Duane Harris fished with friends John Marshall and Spud Woodward on Tuesday and put it on the redfish. They caught 24, including a few oversized fish. Brentz McGhin surf-fished on Jekyll Island Saturday and caught a handful of whiting. He said it’s a little too early for that bite. After your next trip to the Georgia coast, drop off your fish carcasses in the freezer at the GA Wildlife Resources Division 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).

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

FLINT RIVER

Water temps were slowly rising but cold weather is forecasted again for this week.  Several rain events have moved through the region dumping several inches of rain across the state.  This will raise river levels and decrease visibility.  Fishing will be fair at best.  Bass can be caught with large profile baits that generate vibration such as chatterbaits and spinnerbaits. Morone species such as white and striped bass will increase feeding to prepare for the upcoming spawn.   Use live shad or any shad imitation bait.    

CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVER

Water temps were slowly rising but cold weather is forecasted again for this week.  Several rain events have moved through the region dumping several inches of rain across the state.  This will raise river levels and decrease visibility.  Fishing will be fair at best. Morone species such as white and striped bass will increase feeding to prepare for the upcoming spawn. Use live shad or any shad imitation bait.  Catches of black crappie are being reported in deep bends around brush.    

LAKE BLACKSHEAR (Photo Credit: Daulton Evans)

The weather has decided to jump back into winter, so this week fishing will likely be a bit slower than last week. Despite that some fish are still biting and we are getting some reports that Crappie as well as Largemouth bass are starting to move into shallower water. It won’t be long until the spring spawning will be starting, so if you’ve had your rod stored this winter it’s time to break it out and make sure you have everything you need. If you are low on tackle stop by Flint River Outdoors to top off on your way to the lake.   

LAKE WALTER F. GEORGE

According to Ken Sturdivant’s Southern Fishing Report, bass fishing is good with a lot of bass coming from shallow water. The central lake area continues to be the best overall, mainly because of having warmer water than the rest of the lake. But some of the larger fish have come from the colder areas, although the bite is extremely slow. The Lowrance Structure Scan and Down Scan technology will work very well even in 10 feet of water. Anglers can cover 68 feet of bottom at 10 feet deep with the 455 frequency beam. Small crank baits and Rat L Traps have accounted for most good catches. Try a #5 Shad Rap or #4 Shad Rap RS in fire tiger, shad, and chrome and blue. Good limits have also come on #306 Rocket Shads, #200 Bandit, Rat L Traps in ¼ and ½ ounce sizes. Most catches are coming from main lake banks and points, and a short distance inside the mouth of coves.

Crappie fishing seems to be getting better, if that is possible. Good catches are being harvested mostly with jigs. The size of the fish remains good with most fishing being caught coming in at a half pound or large.

Shared From the GON Fishing Report. Bass: (Report courtesy of Capt. Sam Williams, with Hawks Fishing Guide Service)  — This extremely cold winter weather and snow have these fish totally confused and deep where there is warmer water. They will cruise around the causeways and banks up river searching for baitfish where there is rock structure on the banks. The sun will warm these rocks changing the water temperature a little on the surface. The bass are really lethargic and need aggravating. Use lures that emulate shad and work them slow. If your electronics show fish, repeat the presentation over and over, sort of the way you tease a bedding bass. They are lethargic, they are not burning energy and needing food. If you find the deeper fish, working a horizontal jig amongst them may cause a strike. As this water warms, the bank fishing will be good as the shad and baitfish will be searching for food, and the bass will need nourishment to replenish their energy. Topwater plugs like Spooks and popping plugs will be good hard-bait choices. Texas rigs baited with soft plastics will work, as well as jigs with creature baits. Shad-colored baits with threadfin shad dots are a good choice. Always watch for the birds feeding, and as the water warms, the shad action will start up.

Multiple Species: (Report courtesy of Capt. Sam Williams, with Hawks Fishing Guide Service) — Crappie are on the deep man-made and natural structure. Tip your jig with a minnow and suspend it just above the fish. You must keep it above the crappie. Panfish will be eating wigglers and crickets where you find bank cover as the water warms. Catfish will be working the creeks in deeper water as long as it stays cooler. Bait your jugs with cutbait or crawlers and set them close to the bottom. Rod fishermen will need to tightline on the bottom. The same bait will work for them, as well. Dress really warm during this really cold weather and be real careful moving around your boat. Keep your life jacket on. It will help warm your upper body. If you go overboard, you only have a few minutes before hypothermia sets in. It is safer to have someone with you.

LAKE SEMINOLE

Lake Seminole is a hub for bass tournaments this time of year! Last weekend, Tifton BassBusters kicked off their 42nd season as a club at Lake Seminole. The weather was very windy and cloudy for most of the day which made for adjustment periods to find fish. A lot of the main lake and Spring Creek flats have been hammered over the last few weeks with sizable tournaments and local pressure. Most of the big females are still in prespawn modes as indicated by the amount of buck bass up shallow or cruising around the sandbar flats. There is bedding going on, but the bigger wave will be with next month’s full moon. Chad McMurrian started off his season with a win as he stuck to his roots and bucked the trend as he traveled well up the Flint River to get away from the crowd. He was rewarded also with big fish for the day that topped the scales at over 5lbs. He caught his fish on a Zoom Baby Brush Hog and his own custom spinnerbait by CRM Lures. Jace Newton wasn’t far behind as he brought home a solid second place finish for his efforts. Jace used a Zoom Green Pumpkin Ultravibe Speed Worm to entice his fish. Third place was Tyler Wilson and did all of damage with a white Gambler Lures swim jig. Tyler said he wanted to stick to his strengths and his confidence bait. James Kilby brought home fourth place. He caught all his fish on a Zoom Magnum Red Bug Ultravibe Speed Worm. Ed Newton finished 5th on the day utilizing a Zoom Ultravibe Junebug Speedworm and a rattle trap to get his work done on the day. Keith Green was awarded the top coangler prize as he caught all his fish on a Zoom Watermelon Red Ultravibe Speedworm as well. Keith had to slow roll his bait to be successful as well.

12 fish over 21 inches in the Florida BASS Nation Kayak Series/Georgia BASS Nation Kayak Anglers joint event on Lake Seminole! Fishing was a bit tough with all the pressure from the college tournament, but the lake still kicked out a bunch of bigs. Steve Owens took home the title for the second year in a row with a 100-inch mega bag! He also won Big Bass with a 23.5-inch monster. Sunjammers pro Trent Steege came in 2nd with 92.75 inches edging out Eric Hawks in 3rd by way of his 21-inch kicker. Florida Brian Nelli finished in 4th with 91 inches breaking the tie with Garin Butler in 5th with his giant 23.5 incher. All five of those guys qualified for the 2025 Florida BASS Nation Kayak Series State Championship!

Photo Credits for above images: Tifton BassBusters and Matt Vogt.

BIG LAZER PUBLIC FISHING AREA

The fishing overall is about the same as last week. However, the water level is up, and the lake is stained due to the storms that have recently passed through. Fishing success should continue to increase as we quickly approach springtime weather.

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

RESERVOIR REPORT 

Allatoona Bass (Report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant via www.southernfishing.com) – LAKE ALLATOONA IS FULL, 50’S – Spotted bass are fair. Use small worms and jigs for a few slow strikes. The bigger fish are not biting due to the cold water up or down lake. Stay down lake and work baits very deep. Texas rigged worms and a 3/16-ounce weight, and an n#1 Mustad hook will be the best way to get lures deep to the fish. Green worms in a variety of shades will be the best way to draw these fish to the baits. Use a small Zoom green or black Zoom mini lizard with red flakes. Be sure to work the baits very slowly. Live night crawlers on a 1/8-ounce jig head worked vertically on and around deep docks can work. Use the vertical presentation and let the bait rest dead on the bottom. This tactic works better later each day. Spoons have been slow all week, but a few days of warm weather can get the spots active. Sit over the main lake points at depths of 20 to 45 feet.

Side Note about Allatoona Bass (Courtesy of Chris Smith, fisheries biologist with Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division) – This weekend’s NOEoutdoors Bass Tournament at Lake Allatoona saw some impressive catches! The winning team brought in a two-day total of 37.55 lbs and also landed the tournament’s biggest fish—a massive 11.54 lb largemouth. The second-place team wasn’t far behind, weighing in 31.22 lbs over two days, with their biggest bass tipping the scales at 9.92 lbs. Several other anglers hauled in fish exceeding 5 lbs., making for an exciting weekend on the water. Congratulations to all the competitors!

Allatoona Crappie (Report courtesy of Red Rooster Custom Baits via http://www.redroosterbaits.com)

• Air Temp: High: 70 – Low: 37
• Wind: Up to 20 Mph Gusts
• Lake Level: Approx. 838′ (Click Here For Current Water Level)
• Water Temp: 48 – 50 (Down from 56 degrees at the first of the week)
• Water Clarity: Stained with a brownish/green tinge – Heavy Stain/Muddy after rains
• Area Fished: Little River, S-Turns & Kellogg/Owl Creek
• Jigs Used: Sour Grape – Kic’n Chic’n, Lemonade – Kic’n Chic’n, BlueGrass – Small Fry, ‘Lectric Chicken – Dagger, Sour Grape – Talon and Tannic Flo Orange – Kic’n Chic’n.
• Technique: Trolling

Here we go again! Heavy rains hit Lake Allatoona and North Georgia causing a sudden 9′ – 10′ change in water level by Valentines Day. We got out the first part of the week and had great success before the heavy rains. For the 2nd year in a row, almost to the day, we had heavy rains that halted our trolling season for a week or so due to the heavy run off into Lake Allatoona. There will be a lot of debris, logs, pinecones as well as muddy water to contend with for the next week or so. If we are lucky, the trash will be at a minimum by mid to late next week and hopefully we can get the trolling sticks back out. With that being said, the first part of the week was perfect before the weather changed. We focused on the North End of the lake in the Little River area where the water temp was approaching 56 degrees due to last week’s warm front.  On Monday, our fish came from anywhere from 6′ of water to 12′ of water, with fish suspended at 4′ to 8′. We trolled a mix of 1/24th oz. jig heads and 1/16th oz. jig heads at speeds between .7 mph to 1 mph. We targeted flats and creeks and wound up with around 30 nice keepers. We talked to some other folks that had been on the water since the morning, and they had a good number of keepers as well. As of Friday, the water temp had dropped back to around 50 degrees due the rain and night/day temps. That’s Lake Allatoona February crappie fishing for you…one week it feels like spring, the next week it is cold, rainy and windy. You just have to play the hand your dealt but if we get 3-5 days of temps in the 50’s to 60’s, the water temp will rise quickly, and you need to be on the water trolling for active crappie. We also saw a few boats anchor down and were casting jigs up into shallow cuts. On a side note, we trolled our newest crappie jig, Kic’n Chic’n XL all day and it did not disappoint. The Kic’n Chic’n XL is a larger 2.3′ version of our original 1.7 ” Kic’n Chic’n. The Kic’n Chic’n XL is a paddle tail crappie jig with a larger profile that is working well in the stained/muddy water. This bait is now in production and is available for purchase in the Red Rooster Store and soon on the website. If you are interested in trying the Kic’n Chic’n XL, give us a call and we will get one in your hands! If you don’t know what colors to choose, check out our Combo Packs, this will save you a lot of time with proven stained and clear water colors. Lord willing, we will have another report for you next week. Be sure to check out the archives for February 2024 and see what we were doing this time last year!

Allatoona Fish Attractors: Find locations of DNR fish attractors and much more information for a variety of water bodies, including Allatoona, at GeorgiaWildlife.com/fishing-forecasts.

Hartwell Bass (Report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant via www.southernfishing.com) – LAKE HARTWELL IS DOWN 2.4 FEET, 50’S – Bass fishing is fair. Fish the rip rap rock both early in the morning and again after the sun beats down on it for at least 45 minutes to an hour. Any wind that might be blowing into or along these rocks will only help and not hurt the fishing. Number five Jointed Shad Raps can be used in close to the rocks and use a Rapala DT10 while fishing out a little deeper. Bounce these baits off the rocks then stop the bait for a two count then continue to reel it in slowly. A lot of the strikes will occur during the time the bait makes that dead slow rise, so be ready for any change in line direction. Carolina rigs with finesse worms and creature baits are fair. Slow rolling a 1/4 Fish Head Spin and a Zoom pearl Fluke added along the bottom will also work. Any color of green or brown seems to be the best producers. Add a small amount of scent to the baits to cover any plastic or human scent on these baits. Keep a Zoom pearl Zoon Super Fluke ready all day. This bait on braid can be cast a long distance. 

Lanier Bass (Report courtesy of Phil Johnson. pjohnson15@hotmail.com (770) 366-8845) – LAKE LANIER IS FULL, 50’S — Bass fishing on Lake Lanier is good. The main lake is clear with the backs of some creeks and up the river having slight to moderate stain. The deep bite is still the most productive bite, but the shallower bite is beginning to show up. There are good bass to be caught in the forty-five-to-sixty-foot range, but you have to search to find them as they are not in every ditch. Once you locate them you can catch both size and numbers with a white half ounce spoon, a Damiki rig or a three eights ounce Spot Choker rigged with a two eight or three five Cast or Keitech paddle tail. Electronics are critical in finding these bass as they are often very tight to the bottom and not giving off strong return signals. Structure is helpful but not critical to the location of these fish. Look both in the ditches and along the sides to find where they are positioned for the day. Once you can get one to bite you will often see numerous fish show up on your screen. The worm and jig bite are producing on the steeper banks, ends of long points and deeper docks. Use a three sixteenths shaky head with either a green pumpkin trick worm or Senko. Working these baits very slowly just like the other baits is key to getting strikes. The water is cold which makes the bass sluggish so be sure to slow down your presentations. Look for the water temperature to rise some over the next week to ten days and the shallower bite to improve. They are still biting but it takes some work to find them right now, but you can still Go Catch ‘Em!

Hartwell Walleye (Courtesy of Kyle Rempe, fisheries biologist with Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division) – We made our way out to Walker Creek ramp (Lake Hartwell) on Tuesday after the flashboards at Lake Yonah had been reset and flows returned to a normal state. The increase in water being passed down the river alongside warmer temperatures must have been appealing to quite a few walleye, because we wound up netting 16 fish during about an hour of shock time. Despite the high numbers caught we only saw two females in the mix, and cooler weather in the near future will likely delay the bulk of the Walleye from making an upstream spawning run just yet. Keep a close eye out for updates, as the main wave will likely start sometime in the next few weeks once water temperatures climb a bit higher. 

Lake Lanier Crappie (Report courtesy of Captain Josh Thornton (770) 530-6493) — Lake Lanier crappie fishing is good the water temperature is 52 the large fish are in small groups roaming in open water and in large groups under docks Crappie have been at depths of 5 to 10 feet above a 20 to 40 foot bottom. Crappie minnows have been 1/2 of the bite this week and jig the other 1/2 Small 1.25” jig black with a chartreuse tail have worked well. For your best fishing experience consider using the following equipment: a one-piece ACC Crappie Stix rod and reel paired with 4 or 6 pound test K9 line with an Atx lure company jig. Further optimizing your efforts, a Garmin LiveScope, protected by a sonar shield cover, and a Power Pole are highly recommended. 

Lanier Stripers (Report courtesy of Buck Cannon (404)510-1778) — Lake Lanier stripers are still setting up for the spring run and are waiting for the weather to stabilize, be patient they will be under the birds and around the bait. Using your electronics and the mapping system of your electronics find the ditches and contour layout of the lake bottom. Trolling the Mini Macs and the full-size umbrella rigs to search the water for fish once you find them the downlines using blue back herring seems to be most productive. Depth of 40 to 60 putting your bait just above the fish will trigger a bite. Top water could happen at any moment so be prepared. Remember to wear your life jacket. Buck Tales 404-510-1778 Call to setup your springtime trip before it gets busy, this could be your personal best!

Lake Lanier Fish Attractors: Find locations of DNR fish attractors and much more information for a variety of water bodies, including Lake Lanier, at GeorgiaWildlife.com/fishing-forecasts.

West Point Bass (Report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant www.southernfishing.com) — FEBRUARY 14, 2025        

WEST POINT LAKE IS DOWN 5.6 FEET, 50’S — Bass fishing is good. Schools of both spotted bass and largemouth can be caught on jigging spoons and drop shot rigs on deeper offshore structures. But as the water warms suspending jerk baits, unweighted flukes, Senko’s and the Mooch Minnow on a lead head are moving shallow. Try to fish these baits in or near any shallow cover or around schools of baitfish in the back of pockets. Fish the open water in the pockets with a 1/2-ounce Rat L Trap, a Strike King Lucky Shad crankbait or an A rig. Crankbaits on rip rap or chunk rock is also a good pattern. The shallow bite will only get better as the water warms. The creeks seem to always warm first.

West Point Fish Attractors: Find locations of DNR fish attractors and much more information for a variety of water bodies, including West Point, at GeorgiaWildlife.com/fishing-forecasts.

Lake Weiss Mixed Bag (Report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant www.southernfishing.com) — WEISS LAKE IS DOWN 2.5 FEET, 50’S — Bass are being caught on several different patterns. Try fishing rip rap around bridges with spinnerbaits, small crankbaits and Zoom Super Flukes. Use the unweighted Zoom trick worm or an unweighted Senko. One other pattern is to look for fresh blowdowns with the leaves still on them. Try a McStick jerk bait or Zoom Super Fluke worked around the outer limbs. Lots of spotted bass are caught by casting Spot Remover heads loaded with Ultravibe Speed Craws or just dragging a Carolina rigged Zoom Finesse worm or Mini lizard around sloping gravel banks on the side of main lake points.

Northwest Georgia Mixed Bag (Report courtesy of Jack Becker aka Ga Waterdog) — I made a trip to Seed Lake in the north Georgia Mountains. It’s my favorite lake for perch, and chain pickerel. I have also caught walleye there while fishing for spotted bass. The lake is between Lake Burton and Lake Rabun. It is only 240 acres. I spend most of my time in the river section below Burton Dam. There are some deeper pools 10 to 15 ft deep but also some very shallow areas less than 3’ deep. I mapped the river using Humminbird’s auto chart live several years ago. It makes it a lot easier to navigate.  Be extremely careful if you go upriver. The single lane launch ramp is a challenge in itself.  Very narrow and makes a dog leg at the bottom. It takes some practice to launch a boat. I go there quite often in the fall and winter, on a weekday and very seldom see another boat.  A Kayakers dream. Georgia DNR has added several fish attractors, and you can get the GPS coordinates on their website. I used shiners, with a small spit shot around lay-downs along the bank and caught a few perch for fish tacos and this bonus pickerel on a gold blade bait.

Upper Chattahoochee Walleye (Courtesy of Josh Stafford, fisheries biologist with Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division) — We shocked the upper Chattahoochee on 2/18. Water was moderately stained, Water temp was 45, and one foot higher than in previous weeks. We netted the first 4 walleye on the Chattahoochee of this season and one large (32 inch) striper.

TROUT REPORT 

Trout Info: To learn about Georgia’s diverse trout fishing opportunities including the latest stocking information, check out the Georgia DNR Trout Fishing page at GeorgiaWildlife.com/Fishing/Trout. 

Trout Stocking: Check the latest weekly stocking report to see if your favorite creek was stocked. Good luck and Go Trout Fish Georgia!

Trout Fishing Opportunities for Those With Disabilities: Check out these sites that are open to the public and offer specific amenities for anglers with disabilities. Find the list at GeorgiaWildlife.com/Fishing/Trout.

Trout and More (This report courtesy of Unicoi Outfitters) — This week’s theme is “work around the rains.” Streams are just starting to drop from this week’s four inches of rain. Headwaters and midsized WMA streams have already dropped to fishable levels today, while large trout streams and our warm rivers will need more time to recede to safe fishing levels. So, head high for your best trout bets.

There’s some hope for tomorrow, while Sunday will likely be blown out by the violent overnight storms in the forecast. Last week’s delayed harvest stockings have spiced up those GA streams, while a new NC DH stocking plan for 2025 gives us hope for a fun spring to our north. It’s still a bit early for spring runs in our lakes and warmwater rivers, but GAWRD is providing great weekly intel on the status of those runs.

Headwaters: They are still a tad high but very fishable. Spoilcane was high, clear, and 46F at 10am today. The Hooch on the WMA looked good, too. Dry/dropper combos should put you on fish. More will hit the dropper until warm afternoons boost stream temps again and get more fish to look up.

Foothills TUer Bob sent me some nice pics and just a few cryptic clues, so I’m surmising that he had a good day at Smithgall during a recent high-flow event, and might have used a leech pattern to fool these beautiful wild bows.

GATech 5Rivers clubber Will: I know I’m too late for today’s report, but I caught a few good fish today (2/7). It started at Smith DH where the fish couldn’t resist a size 20 pheasant tail. There was certainly no shortage of fish, and they were very willing to eat. Then I headed to a blue line to take advantage of the warmer water temps, and the brookies were certainly munching! I ended up lucky enough to land my personal best southern Appalachian brookie- a 9” male with a humpback and the first signs of a kype. After releasing him, he stayed right next to me recovering while I watched him in awe for a solid minute. What a day!”

Delayed Harvest Streams: Most fished well before the floods and they should fish well afterward. You’ll just have to wait for flows to drop to fishable levels before getting back on them. Watch those USGS gauges. The combination of fresh stockers and high, stained water has spelled success for Smith DH anglers yesterday (water temp 50F) and again this morning (48F at 11am). The squirmy worm hatch was in full force as I walked along the creek.  As long as the water stays high and stained, big and bright or buggy flies will be your best bets, so toss squirmies, eggs, buggers, and rubberleg stones.  Then drop back to smaller, natural-colored nymphs as the water clears. Use your submerged boot as an index of clarity.

Winter breaker Kason was out of school and having a great morning today (14th) with his champion fishing guide, his father Josh.  Deep-dredged squirmies under an indicator were being inhaled in the softer seams of a deep pool. Kason caught a handful of bows and a real pretty brookie while I stopped by. After I left, Josh texted me, exclaiming that Kason just got a brown to complete his first-ever GA trout slam!

The stream got crowded by my noon departure, so go early or late this weekend to avoid the most competition for honey holes.

UO buddy Hillis had a nice day on Feb 7 at Smith DH. He said, “Jeff, I had a great day fishing Smith today. Caught several, all on a Walt’s Worm. Started fishing around 10:00. Almost immediately I had a really big one hooked, but unfortunately it broke my tippet. Later I had another large one hooked, and it took off like a rocket and broke off. Finally, I managed to land a big one. All the other fish I caught were decent but not large. I caught rainbows and browns.

I tried several flies with very little success until 1:00 or so when I put a Walt’s Worm on and that was the silver bullet. Before that I met a guy on the stream fishing a brown wooly and having a lot of luck with it. He gave me one and said it was guaranteed to catch fish, but unfortunately for me it didn’t work. I tried drifting and stripping it with no luck. I then put a strike indicator on and dropped a Walt’s worm off the end of the wooly and whammo I started catching fish, all on the Walt’s Worm. I gave one of my Walt’s Worms to a fellow fisherman who was fishing with a tenkara set up and not catching anything. He tied it on and caught a fish almost immediately. He was so grateful; said it was his first fish caught on the tenkara. It made me feel really good. Usually, almost always, it’s the other guy giving me a fly that works. I had to leave and wasn’t able to stick around and see if he caught anymore. I hope he did. Following my fun day on Smith my wife and I had a late lunch at my favorite BBQ restaurant. Could not have asked for a better day.”

Tailwaters: No recent reports. Be on the lookout soon for black caddis squadrons.  Jimmy saw a bunch on the lower Hooch, below trout waters, last week.

Private Waters: Nacoochee Bend fished well for our guests earlier this week. Plenty of fresh memories were made by our guests, the Veterans Fly Fishing group, based in Dahlonega.

Parting Trout Note: Want to do more to support trout fishing in Georgia?  Consider upgrading to a Trout Unlimited license plate this year. Aside from being a great looking tag, each purchase or renewal of a Trout Unlimited license plate directly supports Georgia’s trout conservation and management programs. Hatcheries and wild trout efforts both benefit from the trout tag. Find out more license plate information at GeorgiaWildlife.com/licenseplates.

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

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.

RESERVOIR REPORT

LAKE RUSSELL IS DOWN 0.5 FEET, 50’S

Bass (courtesy of Ken Sturdivant’s Southern Fishing Report): Bass fishing is fair and secondary points seem to be the pattern. Be sure to get to the backs of the coves that have the highest concentration of bait. Use shallow to medium diving crank baits on the secondary points lake wide. The best ones to fish will be the ones with rock and sand in combinations. The #5 Shad Raps along with a Rapala DT6 has been the best baits. Some fish are after Chatter Baits in all white with a little chartreuse on the skirt. The bigger bass last week want the small cranks and hit any rip rap. The sun should shine this weekend, and the rip rap might be worth checking out with the Rapala RS Shad Raps and the Rapala DT10’s. The suspending jerk baits, unweighted flukes, Senko’s and the Mooch Minnow on a lead head are moving shallow.

Bass 2 (courtesy of SC DNR Fishing Reports): Guide Jerry Kotal (706-988-0860) reports that early in February bass should still be caught deeper in the main lake and at the mouths of creeks around the bait schools where other species including perch are feeding. They will be caught on jigging spoons, drop shots, and jigs. However, later this month anglers will notice bass start to move shallower regardless of weather conditions are they prepare to stage for the spawn.

Striped Bass (courtesy of SC DNR Fishing Reports): Guide Wendell Wilson (706-283-3336) reports it was a decent January for striper, but they are hopeful for a better February. This month some striped bass will be caught around the same deep bait schools where other species are feeding, but other striper will be roaming. Following the birds and covering water with free-lines or planer boards is usually the best pattern – even though the birds were not especially helpful in January.

Crappie (courtesy of SC DNR Fishing Reports): Guide Wendell Wilson reports that in late January a few crappie started to show up again around deep bait schools, and this month they will get more and more common. Early in the month they will take minnows fished around deeper schools of bait, while later in the month they will be caught trolling in the creeks as they begin to stage for the spawn.

Catfish (courtesy of SC DNR Fishing Reports): Guide Jerry Kotal reports that February is still not a month when very many people will be targeting catfish, but if you concentrate on deep water you can pick up a few channel catfish.

LAKE OCONEE IS FULL, 50’S 

Bass (courtesy of Ken Sturdivant’s Southern Fishing Report): Bass fishing is fair. Fish in an area with lots of sand on the banks. The shad are spawning in these and other pockets on ditches on the flats leading to the pockets. Rat L Traps are good search baits and can allow anglers to cover lots of water. Also, out on the ledges there are a few sweet spots and Lowrance Side Scan technology along with the C Maps can show anglers the best locations on the ledges. In the pockets, try spinnerbaits and jigs both swimming jigs and working a jig slow across the spawning flats. Some are still transitional, and patterns change from day to day. Bass are being taken in brush piles in 6 to 12 feet of water using jigs Carolina rigs with lizards or frogs and with Texas rigged worms. Green and red flakes in a Zoom mini lizard on a very light Texas rig on the shady side of docks is a good all day tactic. 

Habitat Updated (courtesy of WRD Fisheries Biologist Chad Kaiser): A team of staff from WRD Fisheries in Walton, Georgia Power Company, Greene and Putnam Rotary Clubs, and a local bass club worked together to sink donated Christmas trees in Lake Oconee this week. These Christmas trees will be excellent targets this spring for crappie and bass anglers on Lake Oconee! Check out fish attractor locations for Lake Oconee by visiting the 2025 Fishing Forecast map for Lake Oconee, here.  

Upcoming Event (courtesy of ABA news): The next AFT D72 tournament is scheduled for tomorrow, February 22, 2025, at Lake Oconee, launching from Sugar Creek Marina. For more information, contact Division Director Benny Howell at (770) 365-4795.

CLARKS HILL IS DOWN 3.5 FEET, 50’S

Bass (courtesy of Ken Sturdivant’s Southern Fishing Report): Bass fishing is good. Warm weather sent some fish shallow. Dead sticking a fluke might not be as effective as last week. Start off by checking out the ledges and drop offs and slowly work back up to the shallow water. Use the Down Deep Husky Jerks and Rapala DT14 on the ledges and switch to the Rapala DT10 and #5 and #7 RS Shad Raps later on in the day. Fish the windblown points and banks. Go to the Weedless wonder lead head and a Zoom green pumpkin trick worm and pick apart the heavy cover. Lowrance Structure Scan technology can make the search a lot faster. Scan five times the depth of the water with the Structure Scan Side imagining technology and fined the bait and the bass will there close by.

Bass 2 (courtesy of SC DNR Fishing Reports): Guide Josh Rockefeller (706-513-6152) reports that in early February fish will still be related to deep brush or rock in the creeks and ditches, although very early in the morning they will often be found shallow – and even schooling – in the very backs of ditches. Fishing swimbaits and jigs will be effective all month, and of course increasing numbers of anglers will be out deep throwing a minnow-style bait in open water. As temperatures warm this month then fish will move towards their pre-spawn and then spawning locations and stay shallower more of the time.

Striper and hybrids (courtesy of SC DNR Fishing Reports): Little River Guide Service (706-210-3474) reports that during February fish will still move around a lot, and one day you could find a big school in one area but then overnight it could be 5 or even 10 miles away. Continue to look for the birds and bait to locate fish. Free-lines, planer boards and down-lines could all work depending on where and how deep the fish set up.

Crappie (courtesy of SC DNR Fishing Reports): Little River Guide Service reports that February is one of the best months of the year for catching big fish. As the weather warms, they will begin to stage for the spawn and can be caught trolling in the backs of creeks. 

Catfish (courtesy of SC DNR Fishing Reports): Captain Chris Simpson (864-992-2352) reports that February should again be a very good month for catfish on Clarks Hill. Anchoring on creek channel ledges and fan-casting cut gizzard shad, white perch and herring will be the best way to target big blue catfish. So far this season the creeks have out-fished the main lake.

LAKE SINCLAIR IS DOWN 1.2 FEET, 50’S 

Bass (courtesy of Ken Sturdivant’s Southern Fishing Report): Bass fishing is fair. Keep an eye on the water temperature when fishing new water and try to stay around the warmest water. With Lowrance HDS machines turn on Heat Map on the Map screen and watch it all day for the warmest waters. Crank baits, big, bladed spinner baits and jigs have been best this week when fishing for shallow fish. The Spro Little John MD 50 in the fire craw color will get a bite when fished extremely slowly over primary and secondary points in the rivers, as well as short pockets located near deep water. A chartreuse and white spinner bait with a large gold #7 willow leaf blade slow rolled around laydown trees on the main riverbank will get fewer bites but look for them to be big fish. A black and blue ¼ ounce jig is great for flipping docks in short pockets or docks that have brush around them. Many fish can be caught deep right now as well with most of the deep fish being in 28 to 40 feet of water. A gold spoon will catch these fish that are relating to bait schools in deep water. Try to find some kind of structure in the same depth the fish are holding. The Lowrance HDS Structure Scan system is very helpful for finding the fish and the fish holding structure.

Tournament Update (courtesy of ABA news):  Sam Montgomery of Milledgeville, Georgia, claimed victory at the American Fishing Tour (AFT) Division 72 tournament held on February 8, 2025, at Lake Sinclair. Montgomery brought a five-bass limit to the scales, weighing in at an impressive 18.53 pounds, which earned him the first-place trophy. Sam also secured the tournament’s Big Bass trophy and purse with a 6.64-pound largemouth. Josh George of Loganville, Georgia, finished in second place with a five-bass limit totaling 17.85 pounds. George caught a notable 6.41-pound bass.

Sinclair GON-tel: New to fishing Lake Sinclair? The GON community offers some good information for early season fishing tactics, find it at forum.gon.com/threads/has-anyone-been-to-sinclair-lately.1065579/#post-14605135.

LAKE JACKSON IS 1.0 FOOT OVER FULL, 50’S

Bass (courtesy of Ken Sturdivant’s Southern Fishing Report): Bass fishing is fair. The spotted bass are on the long rocky points. Pick a #5 and #7 Shad Rap in crawfish and shad patterns. Try the new premium balsa wood Rapala Ott’s Garage Series Slim crank bait. Great wobble and side to side action for realistic movement, attracting large predators for deep set bites. This silent, flat sided body with VMC Black Nickel 1X Treble hooks. These are super sharp and they will old on better than most stock hooks. Use the crank baits on 8-pound Sufix clear line and bump the bait off the rocks. The rocks are slightly warmer bringing bait p shallow after mid-day. If the bass won’t eat the crankbait take a 3/8-to-1/2-ounce jig and work the same areas. Watch the Lowrance and fid the bait and deeper schools of fish in the mouths of coves. A Fish Head Spin or Flex It 5/8 ounce white and blue jigging spoon will catch these fish.

RIVER REPORT

Savannah River (courtesy of WRD Fisheries Biologist Aaron Gray): WRD Fisheries Tech Greg Abercrombie and Region 6 Biologist Jim Page recently conducted 2025’s first American shad boat electrofishing survey below the New Savannah Bluff Lock & Dam in Augusta. Thomson District staff sample below the Lock & Dam monthly from February through June in order to assess the American shad population during their annual spawning run up the Savannah River all the way to Augusta. While the American shad have not arrived to the Lock & Dam just yet, Greg and Jim did net one very nice 32-lb striped bass. This highlights an excellent fishing opportunity that anglers can pursue on the river early this fishing season! Freelining live bait like large gizzard shad or casting large swim baits or flukes is an excellent approach to hooking up with big Savannah River linesides this spring.

PUBLIC FISHING AREA REPORT

McDUFFIE PUBLIC FISHING AREA (courtesy of Fisheries Technician Nick Brewer)

The warming air and water temperatures have beckoned anglers back to the PFA, and they are reporting successful fishing trips! We’ll see what the current cold snap and forecasted freezing weather does for the bite over the weekend. Campground renovations have begun, with a projected completion date in 2026.  Bathrooms in the West Valley of the McDuffie Public Fishing Area are open; bathrooms in the East Valley (on the campground) remain closed.  Lime has been delivered to the PFA and will be added to our public fishing lakes later in February.

Bass: As water temperatures rise to the 60’s, bass will begin spawning.  During this time, bass will be much more aggressive and in shallow waters.  Using live worms will produce catches but also consider using lures that mimic shad or bream in and around structure.

Striped and Hybrid Bass:  As with largemouth bass, hybrids and striped bass will begin moving towards shallower waters to feed in tandem with the rising water temperatures.  Live worms will be excellent for catching hybrids, but anglers should also consider using lures that mimic shad or bream when they need to cover more water.  Anglers may also have success using crankbaits, topwater lures, or plastics in and around the shallows.

Channel Catfish: Channel Catfish are being caught frequently on the PFA. Anglers should consider using chicken livers and fishing near the bottoms of the lakes.  Crankbait or lures that mimic bait fish may also produce angler success. Check out this awesome albino channel catfish caught recently at the PFA!

Bream:  Bluegill and redear are starting to become more active, and the bite will continue to get hot as water temperatures begin to reach 70 degrees.  Anglers targeting bream should use live worms, crickets, or other lively presentations, and target shallow areas with structure.  Anglers may also seem some success using rooster tail lures and small jigs. This week, Natasha caught some nice bluegill on crickets on Willow Lake!

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

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

Bass: The bass fishing has been fair this week with quite a few larger and smaller fish being reported. Your best lure choice this week will be hard and soft bodied jerk baits around vertical structure and tubes. Use spinnerbaits around brush piles and crank baits around the banks. Weedless jigs should also produce some good fish. 

Bream: The Bream bite has also been fair with quite a few keeper sized bluegill being reported. Two bait choices I would recommend is either worms fished on the bottom, or small jigs fished along the bank. 

Crappie: The crappie bite this week has been excellent with dozens of large fish been reported, including the new PFA record, a 2lb 6oz slab! Both jigs and live minnows have work successfully, though smaller jigs have been preforming better. Use either natural or darker blue and black colored lures. 

Catfish: The catfish bite has not been consistent. There have been a few days this past week where they have been biting very well. Don’t expect the fish to be too big, with most fish only being about 3-5”; However, the occasional 2 to 6 pounder has been reported as well. Worms and chicken liver for the smaller catfish will work. Cut shad or bluegill fished on the bottom will give you better odds of catching a bigger catfish!  

Boaters Note: Due to the extremely low lake level, please use caution when unloading/loading your vessels.

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 PFA FISHING REPORT (Courtesy of Fisheries Technician Jacob Landry) —

• Marben Public Fishing Area
• Water level: Several of the smaller bodies of water are slightly low but the larger lakes are full pool. Margery is under renovation and closed until further notice.
• Water clarity: Clarity varies but most water bodies have up to 24-48” visibility.
• Surface temperature: 48 -55 F.
• Marben PFA Fishing Guide

Bass: During the colder temperatures largemouth bass have been feeding on lethargic shad.  These feeding frenzies are often against or near a windblown shoreline.  A good lure choice would be a rattle trap, jerk bait, or any crank bait that closely resembles a threadfin shad.  Look for gulls feeding.  Take advantage of the warmer weather while it lasts.

Crappie: A few crappie have moved in to more shallow water and the numbers should increase as the temperatures stay mild.  Using a jig tipped with a minnow is your best bet.  Try different depths until you find them.

Bream: Bluegill and some shellcracker bite is slow but a few are being caught on or near the bottom. Bottom fishing with red wigglers and wax worms is your best bet.

Hybrid Bass: Bennett, Fox, Greenhouse and Otter have all been stocked with hybrid bass. Most lures work but fishing with liver on the bottom seems to work best.

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