May 2, 2025 – Georgia Wildlife Blog

Fishing Supports Conservation Efforts! The Sport Fish Restoration Act (SFRA) turns 75 this year. This program distributes funds to state agencies using federal tax revenue brought in exclusively from manufacturers of the fishing equipment that you purchase. For over seven decades, this incredible program has funded fisheries conservation efforts, enhanced fishing experiences, and connected millions of people with America’s waterways. 

NEWS TO KNOW:

This week, we have fishing reports from Central, Southeast, Southwest and North Georgia. Anglers, thank you for supporting conservation through your fishing equipment and license purchases. It is thanks to you that we can Go Fish Georgia!

(Fishing report courtesy of Hunter Roop, Region Supervisor and Fisheries Biologist 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 FULL, 70’S

Bass (courtesy of Ken Sturdivant’s Southern Fishing Report): Bass fishing is good. There are lots of bass shallow and Flukes and the new Magnum Trick June Bug worms are working. Spotted bass are being caught all over the lake. Shad Raps, Ito Vision 110 stick baits, Rapala X Raps and all the regular plastics are hot. With a little stained water change to baits with some chartreuse in them like the citrus colored Rapala Shad Raps. Up in the creeks use a 3/8 ounce Strike King Spinner bait on anything on the bank and then add the dark colored Trick worm or a jig. Sight fishing for bedding bass will be easy especially up in Rocky River. As the water continues to warm, get a buzz bait on the banks especially afternoon’s.

Bass 2 (courtesy of SC DNR Fishing Reports): Guide Jerry Kotal (706-988-0860) reports that into May bass should be up shallow feeding on spawning blueback herring off shallow points, although at the end of April the herring spawn seemed to be slowing a bit. The fish will take topwater lures and flukes, but live herring are often impossible to beat. Once the herring spawn wraps up fish will move deeper again.

Striped Bass (courtesy of SC DNR Fishing Reports): Guide Wendell Wilson (706-283-3336) reports that in May some striper should be found off the sides of the same points where the herring are spawning, but by the end of May when herring move out to deeper water the striper will get around deep trees in 40-50 feet.

Crappie (courtesy of SC DNR Fishing Reports): Guide Wendell Wilson reports that the crappie spawn essentially wrapped up in April, but in May the fish will stay fairly shallow around brush. They can be caught within a few feet of the surface on minnows or even trolling jigs.

Catfish (courtesy of SC DNR Fishing Reports): Guide Jerry Kotal reports that by the end of April the channel catfish bite was really good, and in May it should get even better. Channel cats will be caught pretty much everywhere including points, pockets, coves and more on cut herring.

CLARKS HILL IS FULL, 60’S

Bass (courtesy of Ken Sturdivant’s Southern Fishing Report): Bass fishing is good. The weather will cooperate and so will the bass and so go shallow. Go up the river for the more active fish. Up the rivers, use a small craw worm and jig in dark reds or blacks. It is a good idea to try the ½ ounce Strike King spinnerbait in bright blades and skirts and an all white Chatterbait. Also flip a blue and black jig and pig combination late in the day. The lower lake bass are up shallow and the Mann’s Baby Minus One crank bait and the Rattlin Rouge in clown color are both working. For any soft plastic go to the pumpkinseed Zoom u tail worms and a Texas rig on points in the creeks at 8 feet or less. Work any soft lures or live baits slowly. On the dark overcast days, use a black Zoom trick worm on a super light Texas rig. Never overlook a buzz bait all day also.

Crappie (courtesy of SC DNR Fishing Reports):  “Salty” Lane showed off a few nice crappie when stopping by McDuffie PFA this week. He brought them in on jigs and released them into the grease later that day.

LAKE OCONEE IS FULL, 70’S

Bass (courtesy of  Ken Sturdivant’s Southern Fishing Report): Bass fishing is excellent. Look for any spawning shad on the rip rap and fish this area. The action first thing in the morning is fast so have the bait ready to go. The shad spawn will not last long after the sun gets up so be on the water at daylight. There are lots of good largemouth bass being caught on this pattern. A buzz bait, white spinner bait, or a ¼ ounce Rat T Trap would be the bait of choice. A Bass Pro ¼ or 3/8-ounce Strike King spinnerbait in the white with double willow leaf blades will be a good bait to use. Fish this spinnerbait around any shallow water rocks. These fish are in less than 5 feet of water near the rocks. After the sun gets up, fish around docks and long points. Fish a Carolina rigged worm in the watermelon seed or watermelon candy colors with a 24-inch leader. Along the bank will also catch a few fish.

Tournament Summary (courtesy of ABA news):  Tony Couch of Buckhead, GA took home the win at the American Fishing Tour Division 72 tournament, held April 19, 2025, on Lake Oconee. Couch brought a five-bass limit to the scales weighing 17.70 pounds, securing the first-place trophy and a cash payout of $830. His bag was anchored by a 5.07-pound largemouth that helped seal the victory. The next tournament for Division 72 is the 2-Day Championship, set for June 7 on Lake Sinclair and June 8 on Lake Oconee. For more information, contact Director Benny Howell at 770-365-4795.

Linesides (courtesy of Doug Nelms with Big Fish Heads Guide Service): Doug mentioned that this week some of the big stripers have finally showed up. There have been some knocking on the 20-lb door in the Richland Creek area. One angler caught a 19 lb behemoth on artificial. But, if you’re going for quantity over quality, just downline shad over the schools and you’ll stay busy with 2-3 pounders.

LAKE JULIETTE

Linesides (courtesy of Jeff Mooney with All Seasons Guide Service): Jeff reports that the lineside bite remains strong as water temperatures continue to rise on Lake Juliette. In the month of May, hybrids and striper will be feeding heavily around first and last light, and anglers can use their electronics to locate linesides on primary and secondary points. Downlining or freelining herring or large gizzard shad can bring in some of the bigger striped bass that will start to show up in May, such as this 13-lb striped bass caught last week with Mooney’s crew. The hybrid numbers are excellent and put up a heck of a fight, with 4 – 6 lb hybrids being common in Juliette this year.

LAKE SINCLAIR IS FULL, 70’S

Bass (courtesy of Ken Sturdivant’s Southern Fishing Report): Bass fishing is good. Fish are shallow and they are biting all the soft plastics in the backs of the major creeks. Grass and a Texas rigged lizard is hard to beat. Work the rocks on the bridges by slow rolling a Stanley 1/2 ounce spinner baits with willow leaf blades. The silver and white skirts on a spinner baits and Rat L Traps in bright chrome and baby bass colors are working. Bass are moving super shallow in the creeks. Bright fire tiger Bomber crank baits can catch these fish. The river bass are on ledges and Bomber Model A crank baits in crawfish and fire tigers are catching these fish. There are plenty of bass shallow in the creeks and these fish are easy to catch. Up the river, work heavy brush for over the old structure on main lake points. The fish are 4 to 6 feet deep. Add a rattle in any plastic lure and add some Bang scent. Later in the day use a larger Poe’s 400 bright crank bait on light line.

LAKE JACKSON IS FULL, 60’S

Bass (courtesy of Ken Sturdivant’s Southern Fishing Report): Bass fishing is good. Just spend all day fishing docks. Start out early and use a jerk bait, a spinnerbait and a buzz bait. After early top water stay in the creeks and fish the docks and any wood with Senko’s and Stick O’s on a 3/0 Mustad hook. Add a nail weight to the center of the bait so it will sink and also use a light Carolina rig. A Rapala DT 10 in hot mustard on ten-pound test Sufix line will also work. There are fish biting up the river in the current and again stay shallow. A Zoom trick worm is deadly on the shallow targets all day. For a bigger fish, head up the river and use a 3/8-ounce Lucky Craft Redemption spinner bait with white skirts and gold and silver blades a silver blade and white skirt buzz bait on anything on the edge of the water. Now is the best time of the year to run into any of the shallow creeks and coves and use the Lowrance Structure Scan technology to scan an area. This technology can see the bait and the fish. Set the DOWN SCAN in Auto Depth on the red palettes and the SIDE SCAN on the blue palettes. Set the STRUCTURE SCAN at 3 times the water depth.

PUBLIC FISHING AREA REPORT

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

Water temperatures in our public fishing lakes have maintained a range of high 60’s to low 70’s.  Anglers are reporting most catches either early in the morning or into the evening.  Many first-time anglers are reporting successful fishing trips!  On April 30th, 150 acres were burned in a prescribed fire, so anglers shouldn’t be concerned about a few persistent stumps smoldering in the background. 

Bass: Many anglers are reporting success with plastics on a Texas or Carolina rig.  Watermelon red worms work well on sunny days, while a purple plastic worm is effective on cloudier days.  Fish in and along woody structure, docks, or vegetation lines for the best chance of success.  

Linesides: Use chicken livers in areas with lots of bird activity for the best chance of producing success.  Many small hybrids and striped bass are being caught in Clubhouse and Bridge Lakes.  

Channel Catfish: The catfish bite is consistent.  Some anglers are reporting catfish caught in the 4-9 pound range.  Fishing either chicken livers or stink baits on the bottom is the go-to for most catfish anglers. McDuffie angler Jerome caught this nice channel catfish on Willow last week.  

Bream: Bream on the PFA have not been caught frequently in recent weeks, though anglers targeting

bream should use live worms in and around structure in the lakes during peak hours of sunlight. Deeper drop-offs on points and jetties will also hold larger bluegill and shellcracker when they aren’t actively nesting.

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

FLAT CREEK PUBLIC FISHING AREA (courtesy of Area Manager Amory Cook and Fisheries Technician Deven Thompson) —

Bass: The bass bite has been on this past week with lots of catches being reported! Soft plastics, specifically craws and trick worms, have produced some great catches! Target steeper banks and flats for your best chances.

Bream: The bream bite has slowed down, with only small to medium-sized fish being reported this past week. Despite the tougher conditions, the chance for bigger panfish is still there. Red wigglers, fished on the bottom, should definitely get you some bites! Target flats near the bank for bedding fish and then brush piles and over hanging trees for the actively feeding fish.

Crappie: The crappie bite has picked up with most of the crappie holding off shore while chasing schools of shad. During lighter hours, when they are not actively feeding, crappie seem to hold to offshore structures and creek channels. While live minnows always seem to produce some good fish, jigs are outperforming minnows lately. Jigs that imitate small ‘young of the year’ shad are working the best – BG jigs in Monkey Milk and Baby Shad patterns should do well during the shad spawn. Try a slow cast and retrieve method, reeling through  schools of shad and around structures. Low light hours are producing most of the bites.

Catfish: The catfish bite has seemingly slowed again, most likely due to their spawning season approaching. Catches are still possible with the right bait choices and cut bait or liver will always get bit. Late afternoon into the early parts of the night should be the best bite times for the coming weeks.

Also, if you are lucky enough to land a catfish that you believe to be over 10 pounds (~30 inches long), please notify PFA staff–we are looking to establish the PFA’s channel catfish record, which currently is wide open.

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

• Marben Public Fishing Area
• Water level: All ponds are full.
• Pond Closures: Margery, Hillside, and Clubhouse ponds remain closed while under renovation.
• Water clarity: All the lakes have visibilities ranging from 24” to 48” depending on rainfall amounts and frequency.
• Surface temperature: Water temperatures are in the low 70s to low 80s and increasing with warmer weather.
• Marben PFA Fishing Guide

Bass: The females have spawned and pulled off the bank in 5-7’ of water.  Jigs have proven successful for the females and creature baits attract the attention of the males as they are actively guarding fry. Top water baits are also useful right now.  Warmer temps will push the fish deeper in late May.  

Crappie: Crappie have finished their spawn.  However, they are still gathered in small pockets in 3-6’ of water.  Jigs and jigs tipped with minnows work well.  Remember to present your bait above or the same depth as the crappie.  Adjust the depth you are fishing until you find the fish.  Brush piles in 3-5’ of water is a good start.  Crappie will move deeper as the water temps rise. 

Bream: The bream are preparing to spawn.  Use crickets and red wigglers in 2-4’ of water off of points and the backs of coves.

Hybrid Bass: A few hybrids are being caught at Bennett.  Bass minnows and larger jerk baits work well.

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

The rivers are dropping out, tides are better in saltwater, and fish in ponds, lakes, and the Okefenokee are feeding with reckless abandon. Pretty much pick where you want to fish this weekend, and you should catch fish. Pick right, and you may just have your best trip of the year.

River gages on May 1st were:

• Clyo on the Savannah River – 5.8 feet and rising
• Abbeville on the Ocmulgee – 6.1 feet and rising
• Doctortown on the Altamaha – 8.3 feet and rising
• Waycross on the Satilla – 6.2 feet and falling
• Atkinson on the Satilla – 5.9 feet and falling
• Statenville on the Alapaha – 4.0 feet and falling
• Macclenny on the St Marys – 2.6 feet and rising
• Fargo on the Suwannee – 3.2 feet and falling

To monitor all the Georgia river levels, visit the USGS website. For the latest marine forecast, check out weather.gov/jax/.

ALTAMAHA RIVER

The panfish reports were decent this week from the backwaters. Lower river reports were better than the upper river. Miles Zachary won a bass tournament last weekend on the river. He is about to release a new line of buzzbaits called BDD Buzzbaits made with Gamakatsu hooks. Check them out on bertsjigsandthings.com in the near future.

SATILLA RIVER

The annual Satilla Riverkeeper Fishing Tournament is underway. For updates and information on joining the tournament (it’s not too late!), check out Satilla Riverkeeper on Facebook. I had several very good reports this week, and all of them bragged about how fat the redbreasts are. Seth Carter floated the river twice this week and caught over 100 fish each day on Satilla Spins (rooster bug-chartreuse blade was especially deadly!). You can check out his adventures on YouTube. Kyle Meyer and Neal Bulla fished the upper river on Wednesday casting Satilla Spins and flinging poppers on a fly rod and caught over 30 redbreasts, bluegill, and stumpknockers. Stan Rhodes and Dave McGlamry fished the upper Satilla on Friday and had a great day. They said that the river has been as beautiful as ever. They had a great bite early, and then it slowed as the sun got up. When the smoke cleared, they had 27 keeper redbreasts, bluegills (some were the big, purple-faced rascals), and channel catfish. They caught their fish on Satilla Spins (crawfish and black/chartreuse), crickets, and crawdads. The water in the upper river is getting right for floating. Expect to drag over sandbars and around trees.

ST MARYS RIVER

Randy Hanson fished the middle river on Saturday and caught a nice mess of catfish. He put chicken livers on the bottom for 7 good-sized cats.

SUWANNEE RIVER

Bill Stewart and a friend fished the Suwannee on Friday and caught and released 29 fish total. They had a couple big fliers, a 14-inch largemouth bass, a giant bluegill, a dozen stumpknockers, 4 pickerel up to 22 inches, and the rest bowfin up to 5 pounds. The panfish ate coachdog, black/chartreuse, and crawfish 1/8-oz. Satilla Spins, while the pickerel, bass, and bowfin bit crawfish-brass blade Dura-Spins. The most impressive catch was their stumpknockers. They had 4 of them that weighed 9-oz. each (that’s BIG for a stumpknocker!). Larry and Joshua Barber fished the river on Tuesday and caught 15 bullhead catfish, a couple bowfin, and a warmouth by fishing shrimp on the bottom. Shane and Joshua Barber fished the river on Thursday and caught 10 pickerel (jackfish), a dozen spotted sunfish (stumpknockers), 8 bowfin, a bass, and a gar. The panfish ate a bumblebee-colored Satilla Spin, while the other species ate crawfish or black/chartreuse Dura-Spins, bass-style spinnerbaits, or beetlespins. The river is low enough that it’s tough to get around.

OKEFENOKEE SWAMP

I fished the west side for 2 hours on Friday to check the latest bite and caught bowfin constantly. I started casting Dura-Spins for about a half-hour and caught several bowfin then switched to bottom fishing with cut flier and a Mirage jig until I ran out of bait. Then, I trolled toward the ramp for about a half-hour and caught them doing that, as well. I ended up catching 34 fish total (an 18-inch pickerel and 33 bowfin up to 5 pounds). The best Dura-Spin color (and only color I used….) was crawfish-brass blade. Chuck Dean fished the east side early this week and caught 15 bowfin to 3-lb., 7-oz. He tried trolling, but there was too much floating vegetation. He switched to casting and started picking up fish. He threw jackfish, red/white, and fire tiger-chartreuse blade Dura-Spins and caught them on all those colors. Matt Rouse fished the east side boat basin on Tuesday morning. He caught 4 pickerel up to 16 inches in about 10 minutes by flinging a blue and silver Rooster Tail spinner. The water level on the west side was 4.45 feet on the gage at the park boat basin. The most recent water level on the Folkston side was 120.70 feet.

LOCAL PONDS

Jimmy Zinker fished ponds and lakes in South Georgia and north Florida this week at night targeting trophy bass. He caught a bunch of smaller bass with Squeaker Trophy  Bass Buzzbaits and his customized Jitterbugs. His biggest was a respectable 5-lb., 9-oz. bass, but he missed an absolute giant at about midnight on Friday night. Daytime bass fishing reports were good. Lots of smaller bass were caught on wacky-rigged worms, spinnerbaits, and topwaters in southeast Georgia ponds.

SALTWATER (GEORGIA COAST)

The big new moon tides muddied the water, and I received fewer reports this week because of it. Brandon Young fished the St Andrews Sound area on Saturday and struggled for 3 1/2 hours to find them. On their last stop they did and caught 7 fish. All were on a popping cork with live shrimp, and they had 4 redfish and 3 flounder. Capt. Tim Cutting (fishthegeorgiacoast.com) fished Fourseven and Berkley plastics Wednesday for some nice reds, trout, and flounder. On Thursday Leslie Timmerman fished with him and got on the same species. They fished plastics, shrimp on a Redfish Wrecker Jighead, and live shrimp under a Harper Super Striker Float and caught fish on all of it. They caught both slot and overslot reds, a half-dozen flounder, and 7 trout – one was a monster. They had to move around a lot on Thursday, but the fish they caught were really good quality. 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) 

LAKE BLACKSHEAR Photo Credit: Jason Miller

Bream are bedding! Bluegill can be found on beds just offshore and are biting on crickets. Shellcrackers are being found commonly around 3 feet of water near cypress trees just a few feet apart and are biting on worms. Crappie are biting just as good as they have been, with people reporting easily reaching their daily limits. The reports with the highest number of crappie bites are using ATX Lure Company 2-inch baby shad paired with Litewire 1/24^th sickle #4 hooks, if you are needing to get some check out Flint River Outdoors.

LAKE WALTER F. GEORGE

According to Ken Sturdivant at Southernfishing.com, Bass fishing is very good. Most bass have moved shallow to the spawning coves. Some are still on secondary points, but most have moved to as well as on the rip rap on bridges and culverts. Look on the shallow protected spawning banks in the spawning areas. Shallow running crank baits Chatter Baits jigs and Texas rigged lizards and worms are catching a lot of fish. Flipping a Stanley green jig and adding a Zoom twin tail trailer will work almost all day. The Rapala Sha Raps will work around wood structures and docks, and this has been the pattern of choice for bass right now. A Weedless Wonder head paired with a Zoom Trick worm in green pumpkin on points is also working. The grass pattern is starting to pick up as well. Use a white buzz bait if the sun is out and black buzz bait if it gets overcast along the edges of the grass and cover lots of water. Later this month look for largemouth bass to be moving to the ledges. A variety of baits and patterns will be working so be prepared to adjust.

The shellcracker and bluegill bite continues to be strong. Look for bedded fish in 2 to 6 food depths in areas with a sandy bottom. Most fish are being caught on red wigglers and pond worms. There is also a good chance of hooking up with a channel catfish or two while targeting bream.

LAKE SEMINOLE

Kyle Cortiana pulled off the win at the final event of the Toyota Series Southern Division on Lake Seminole with 72lbs 6oz! “The winning fish I weighed in this, all week came on the ol’ minner! I paired my brand-new Magnesium Spinning Rod/Reel Kistler Rods combo and my Helium Medium Lite with a YUM 5-inch Sonar Minnow rigged on a 1/4oz Eagle Claw Fishing Pro V Bend Eagle Eye jig head (colors purple firetiger and pearl). I was fishing giant fields of standing timber & decided to go a little risky by sticking with a lighter 10lb fluorocarbon leader. The water clarity and fishing pressure is what led me to that decision. I did break off several key fish due to this decision but still believed it helped generate more bites, so it was worth the risk.”

Hayden O’Barr finished second in the Toyota Series. He did most of his damage with a Rapala CrushCity Freeloader on either a 1/8- or 1/4-ounce head. He threw the minnow on a TigeRodz with Eternity blanks, using a 6-foot, 10-inch, medium-light model.

For more info on the top ten baits on Lake Seminole were for the Toyota Series: check out this article by Major League Fishing: Top 10 baits from Lake Seminole – Major League Fishing.

CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVER

Striped bass are ending their runs in the tail races as water temperatures rise. You may be lucky and catch a straggler. To do this try some shade-colored lures or live bait for the best outcome.

Crappie are biting below the Columbia dam/lake Andrews. Live minnows or jigs are a solid choice for targeting crappie. There is a mayfly hatch happening in this area so try mayfly style lures to match the natural environment.

Hybrid striped bass are looking like monsters in the Chattahoochee! They are fun to catch on a shad or minnow lure. They put up a good fight and provide a good time for the whole family! 

FLINT RIVER 

Shoal bass, largemouth bass, and striped bass are stacking up below the dams on the Flint River. Shell crackers are on gravel beds to spawn. There are some real hogs out there waiting to be caught. Be sure to check river conditions before heading out below a dam and wear a life jacket!

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

RESERVOIR REPORT 

LAKE ALLATOONA 

Panfish Report (Courtesy of GB’s Lake, Red Rooster Custom Baits) —

• Air Temp: High: 84 – Low: 59
• Wind: Up to 10 Mph Gusts
• Lake Level: Approx. 840′
• Water Temp: 74 – 78
• Water Clarity: Clear Green!
• Area Fished: Victoria Area, Kellogg/Owl Creek & Galt’s Ferry area, Illinois Creek
• Jigs Used: Motor Oil Red – Dagger, Black & Blue – Dagger and UV Shad – Dagger
• Technique: Casting

Crappie, Shellcracker and Bluegill fishing on Lake Allatoona in May should be fantastic! We have been focusing on Shellcracker and Bluegill the last couple of weeks and it has been an absolute blast. The weather at the end of April was great and we were able to get on the water a few days this past week.

The crappie are starting to make their move to brush in the 10′ – 12′ range which is typical this time of year as that is post spawn behavior. Crappie jigs like the Slab Dragon and Dagger on a 1/16th oz. jig head thrown in and around deeper brush and around docks should produce some nice slabs.

Shellcracker Report: (Courtesy of Dontre Weaver) –– Shellcracker and Bluegill have been on fire the last 2 weeks and hopefully will continue throughout May! Our good friend Dontre Weaver had a great day on the water and provides this week’s Allatoona Shellcracker report. With the water temps approaching the lower 80’s and the lake on a consistent rise it is time to bring out the ultralights with your favorite live worm, fly, jig, or a container of crickets. Shellcracker are in the midst of spawning currently and it is a prime opportunity to get in on some amazing bed fishing. My current setup is a 6’6 Rainshadow “Revelation” RX-7 graphite rod with titanium guides. It is super light, strong and custom built by Fred Duncan. I am using 6 lb test with a #2 Aberdeen eagle claw hook and #5 or 3/0 split shot about 12″ – 18″ above the hook. I have found, unlike bass, that Shellcracker will continue to pick up unwanted items out of their bed. If you find a good concentration of fish on beds during the front on the spawn, you will more than likely find golden larger females in the presence of brute dark males. Both will do their best to keep items out of the bed. Shellcracker tend to bed in or near structure amongst a sandy gravel bottom. Over my 25 years of fishing for Shellcracker and bluegill I have found that there is no right or wrong place to fish on Allatoona for them! It is more based on habitat and timing. Watch your water temperatures, moon phases, watch how the lake rises as this will open up spawning grounds, turn on your sidescan and fish. Bluegill tend to spawn with Shellcracker and several weeks after the Shellcracker finish, and will often utilize old Shellcracker beds. Lake Allatoona is such a special fishery, and we can all do our part in protecting the lake and our precious fish swimming in it. Remember to take only what you can clean and eat. Catch and release is always an option as well. It is an honor for Red Rooster custom baits to allow me to write this week’s fishing report. And if you want to step away from the big water you can always visit us at GB’s Lake for a fun day of fishing with friends and family! GB’s Lake has been a family owned and operated pay lake since 1955! We will be back on the crappie soon enough when they transition to the brush piles in the month of May.

LAKE BLUE RIDGE 

Walleye and Trout- (Courtesy of Captain Eric Crowley, Lake and Stream Guide Service (706-669-4973) —

• Temp 70
• Level full -2ft
• Clarity 8ft

This lake really comes alive in May. The walleye are crushing the spawning herring early in the morning.  Look for active bait up shallow before dawn and concentrate on those areas after sunrise.  Jerk baits, jigs, live bait, and trolling can all be used to catch fish this month. Target depths in May can run from just a few ft to 50ft depending on weather conditions.  Get your baits to the fish and then fine tune your color options upon success. We have seen some real quality fish so far this year as well as numbers thanks to DNR’s continued stocking efforts.

The trout bite has fired up for summer and the newly added rainbows are literally jumping in the cooler some days. Small spoons, jerk baits or even live bait at the proper depths will all catch fish this month. Most trout are running 15 to 18″ with some 20″ fish showing up as well. These lake fish are much tastier than their river-based cousins based on their diets and make great table fare.

Also, congratulations to Brandon Wright for catching the new lake record spotted bass on Blue Ridge this week coming in at 6 pounds, 8 ounces, beating the old record by 4 ounces!

CARTER’S LAKE 

Walleye and Striper- (Courtesy of Captain Eric Crowley, Lake and Stream Guide Service (706-669-4973)

• Lake Temp 70
• Level full
• Clarity 5ft

The spring walleye bite has been great with numbers and big fish. The fish are feeding pretty shallow at night and holding near shore after sunrise. Targeting the 25 to 50ft range has been most productive for daytime fishing. Slow trolling, jigging, or live bait are all good options for success. We are fishing relatively slow as the water at those depths is still chilly. On sunny days the fish will be tight to the bottom on cloudy days look for suspended fish holding slightly off the bottom. The areas around woodring branch boat ramp, Worley creek, and the dam have been holding lots of walleye. Our avg fish remains around 22″ which is a great eating fish size.

The striper bite last month was the best we’ve seen in recent years for big fish on both live and artificial baits. The best bite is still early in the day on big fresh caught Alewives. Other baits just don’t get the attention of the fished natural forage. Start shallow and work your way deeper. Flat lines, planers and down lines can all be utilized this month. Look for fish in the creeks early then work the banks to deep water . If trolling stripers is your preferred method, it’s time to get your rigs and bucktails out as well. Depth control is key.

LAKE HARTWELL 

Bass– (Courtesy of Ken Sturdivant, The Southern Fishing Report) — LAKE HARTWELL IS FULL, 70’S – Bass fishing is good. Use a Zara Spook ad a Pop R top water bait and try to throw it as close to the bank or across a wide flat. With a steady retrieve, walk the dog and don’t stop the bait for any reason. Some short strikes will occur but keep the bait moving. Follow up all short strikes with a green pumpkin lizard, a worm and then a Zoom pearl Super Fluke. On the sides of the points, use a Rapala #5 Shad Rap or a jointed Shad Rap in the crawdad or green crawdad color. Use ten-pound test line while cranking for best results. Any lay down trees that are near a creek channel needs a good working over as well. The crank baits cranked and then stopped right at the end of the tree will draw a strike if one is hiding in the tree. Many anglers are finding the bass way up in the rivers on small, isolated trees and new flooded willow grass. If all else fails, use the Carolina rigged Zoom lizard and both small and large ones anywhere on the lake from the bank out to 15 feet deep. The bass will find it.

LAKE LANIER 

Carp– (Courtesy of Josh Stafford, GA WRD Biologist) — We got a new lake record set by a youth angler for common carp on Lake Lanier. Taylor caught the carp on a ball of oatmeal, and it weighed 22 pounds and 2 oz. Beating the previous record by about 2.5pounds. Congratulations Taylor on an awesome catch!

Stripers– (Courtesy of The Striper Experience (678-300-4865)) — The lake is at 1071.90 (.90 feet above full pool) and the Corps has been doing very little to drop the lake which has kept the northern reaches of the lake very muddy as there is very little flow and lots of rain.  Water temps are in the low to mid 60s.  Most creeks go from a moderate stain to muddy after the recent rains as you move to the back.  The main lake is mostly clear below the GA 53 bridges, and again the rivers are muddy.  The spring striper bite is really getting fired up and Capt Mack’s Perfect Planer boards and flat lines will be the technique that will catch the most fish in April.   Herring, of any size, and small to medium shad will be your best bait choices this month to catch numbers of fish.  Make sure you match your hook size to your bait size.  Herring pinned on a #2 or #1 Gamakatsu Octopus Circle, small shad on a #1 or 1/0, and medium gizzards on a 4/0 or 5/0 circle should do the trick.  Using a smaller hook will keep your herring and small shad lively longer since they won’t have to lug around a big chunk of steel and allow them to swim much freely.  Place your bait 25-50 feet out, clip on your Perfect Planer Board and run the first (outside) set 60’ from the boat.   Repeat with the second (inside) set of planer boards the same 25-50 feet back and then 30’ away from the boat.  Flat lines are next to be put out straight behind the boat anywhere from 50-100’ behind the boat.  Adjust the lengths and even add a #3 split shot to figure out where the fish want to eat as the day progresses.  There will be a lot of fish up both river arms once the muddy water settles out and should stay up there through April.  Northern creeks like Lathem, Yellow, Wahoo, Ada, Gainesville, and Little River will all be good places to look.  At the first of the month there will still be fish roaming over deep water in the middle of most creeks, but as the water temp warms into the mid 60’s the fish will move to the 15-30 foot points and humps throughout the lake.  This will be the start of our top water artificial bite and time to tie on a Zara Spook, Chug Bug, Gunfish, or a white 1/4oz StriperTackle.com Pro Ultra Swing swim bait head and Clear Silver Glow 3.5 inch Keitech Swing Impact body.  The Pro Ultra Swing has an articulated hook and will add even more action to any swim bait body.  As you ease around these areas with your live bait spread out the back of the boat you can make long casts from the front of the boat to these spots and pick up a few extra fish. April is an awesome month on Lanier for everything from little fish to some absolute giants.

WEISS LAKE 

Bass– (Courtesy of Ken Sturdivant, The Southern Fishing Report) — WEISS LAKE IS DOWN 2.5 FEET, 67’S — Bass fishing is great and a lot of bass are starting to go shallow in the back on the bays and coves. Some Bass are bedding. The largemouth are mostly shallow and most are spawning and there are still bass on the points and drops near the spawning areas. A 3/8 ounce black and blue Stanley jig with a Gene Larew salt craw trailer in June bug color or a 4-inch tube rigged Texas style in June bug. A 6-inch Zoom lizard is also working well.  

Crappie– (Courtesy of Ken Sturdivant, The Southern Fishing Report) — Crappie fishing is fair and they are spawning and a lot have spawned over the past week, the bite is getting tougher every day. They are being caught long line trolling with Jiffy Jigs in colors JJ01, JJ08, JJ13, JJ17, JJ20, JJ31 and Marks Blue. Shooting docks is producing fish. Spider rigging on deeper cover near spawning areas is also producing fish.

WEST POINT LAKE 

Bass- (Courtesy of Ken Sturdivant, The Southern Fishing Report) — WEST POINT LAKE IS DOWN 2.7 FEET, 70’S — Bass fishing is good. The lake is way up so watch for floating debris. The bass are on the banks. Zoom’s pumpkinseed lizard either on a Texas or Carolina rig and fish anything in the water. The Rapala Shad Raps and Bandit crank baits are good all day. Upriver the dark blue jig and a Zoom salt trailer on the heavy bank cover can get a strike. Stay close to the river current on points. Buzz baits are working almost all day and use a silver blade and a white skirt. It’s hard to beat the original Lunker Lure or a Whopper Plopper on heavy live can be good all day in the pockets lake wide. The fish are at a lot of depths and moving shallow all day. Watch the shallow for any shad schools and the bass are going to be there too. The Rapala #5 Shad Raps in the shad and baby bass colors on 10-pound test line will load the boat. Cast a Zoom Super Fluke in baby bas at them too.

Hybrids on the River (Courtesy of Jack Becker, Gainesville. aka Georgia Water Dog. Email: aquadog45@gmail.com) — This week I made a trip up to the Tugaloo River and fished a stretch of water below Yonah lake Dam. This is the time of year I always find Hybrid Striped Bass, moving upriver from Lake Hartwell, making their spring spawning run. I took one of my fishing buddies that fished the same stretch of river almost 50 years ago. When I stopped at the old Prather Bridge, he said this is where his uncle Julian would bring him and back then the bridge was still intact.  Now only the bridge pilings remain. I used spot lock and began letting out planer boards on both sides of the boat, allowing the current to take them away from the boat.  We also used down lines, and a float off the back of the boat. Using blueback herring it wasn’t long before we caught our first fish. When the fish stopped biting, we would move a few hundred yards and start the process over again. We ended up with 18 nice hybrids and lost at least 10 more. They seem to always know where the trees are and using light 10-pound leaders cost us some fish.

TROUT REPORT 

Chattahoochee Tailwater– (Courtesy of Orvis Atlanta) — Chattahoochee Tailwater Streamer season is here, so be sure to book your trip with River Through Atlanta now for your best chance at a mature wild Chattahoochee brown trout this year! The lower temperatures at night and shorter periods of sunlight should have the wild brown trout feeding more actively and aggressively as we get closer to spawning season. Stratification (lake turnover) has started for the year, and water coming out of Buford Dam is very murky, with dissolved oxygen at its yearly low. Fish further south, around Island Ford, for best results. If you have any questions at all, feel free to come in and we will be happy to get you set up! For the Chattahoochee, state regulations require a certified personal flotation devise be worn by all anglers from Buford dam south to highway 20. Pay special attention to water release info online or call the number below for release schedules. Make sure to call the Corp of Engineers release hotline at 770-945-1466 before making your trip.

Streamer fishing is a great way to fish and possibly catch a huge brown. Nymphing is always going to be the go-to for those bottom feeding fish, the old Pat’s Rubber legs, worm patterns, midge patterns, attractors such as rainbow warriors and lightning bugs to copper johns, and the classic pheasant tails and hare’s ears in 12-18. If you are throwing streamers, anything from wooly buggers if you’re throwing the smaller rods to large articulated patters like the bottoms up and dungeon patterns by Galloup for larger rods.

Toccoa Tailwater– (Courtesy of Cohutta Fishing Company) — As we continue into Spring, stockings have picked back up, so numbers of fish are increasing. Various bug hatches have been occurring. Tan and Olive Caddis, Hendricksons, Quills, and a few March Browns so bugs are plentiful. Even some BWOs on the cooler cloudy days. Most days a Jigged Pheasant Tail with a soft hackle has been the ticket. One of my flies this time of year can be a Soft Hackle Hare’s Ear, because it can imitate both mayflies and caddis. After some of these rains, a bump in flow and stained water can get these fish keying in on Stoneflies. Mornings until mid-afternoons have been fishing the best. As TVA raises lake levels to summer pool, generations have been pretty short in the mornings. With the right weather, streamer fishing has been pretty good. If it’s a cloudy, prefrontal day, you may want to grind out some streamers on high water. That is our favorite way to hunt for trophy browns in the Toccoa and can sometimes lead to some magical moments.

Stocked Trout– (Courtesy of James Miles, GA WRD Biologist) — Trout Season is in full swing here in North Georgia! Stocking trucks are headed out almost everyday to stock some of your favorite rivers. Be sure to check out the newly updated stocking frequencies pdf on our trout page to see how many times each stream will be stocked and while your there if you haven’t already, sign up for weekly stocking updates and check out our trout fishing map to plan your next fishing trip! Happy fishing and tight lines.

Streams Stocked this Week:

• Lanier Tailwater
• Moccasin Creek
• Chattahoochee River
• Soque River
• Soapstone Creek
• Nottely River
• Wolf Creek
• Johns Creek
• West Armuchee Creek
• Sarah’s Creek
• West Fork Chattooga River
• Warwoman Creek
• Etowah River
• Nimblewill Creek
• Cooper Creek
• Tallulah River
• Holly Creek
• Panther Creek
• Middle Broad River
• Raccoon Creek
• Rock Creek
• Toccoa River
• Dicks Creek
• Boggs Creek
• Amicalola Creek DH
• Smith Creek
• Chattahoochee River WMA
• Jasus Creek
• Low Gap Creek

Wild Trout- (Courtesy of Cohutta Fishing Company) — Flow in the small streams have been staying pretty good with our Spring rains coming in. Dry droppers have been picking up the most fish. A smaller Chubby with a Rubber Legs or Pheasant Tail has been working well. A few stoneflies have begun hatching, so start expecting a few eats on the chubby. As always these creeks can be your best friend after heavy rains like today. Worms and Rubber Legs are king on days like this. As the water drops out after a few days of no rain. Dry fly fishing for our wild trout can be killer. Fishing every little riffle and pocket with an attractor fly like a Purple Haze or a Bugmeister can be a lot of fun. It’s also a good way to cover water that is too shallow for a dropper. More natural imitations like a Parachute Adams or Elk Hair Caddis are also good options. These fish can be very opportunistic, so your presentation is a lot more important than your fly pattern.

Related