August 8, 2025 – Georgia Wildlife Blog

School is back in session. Bet the kids are jealous that fish have “schooling” opportunities all year long. 🙂 Want to ask those weary-school students how their week went? Reward them with a fun fishing trip because I bet they will be more willing to tell you school stories when they are out on the boat or fishing from the bank. 

NEWS TO KNOW

• Ocmulgee PFA Temporary Closure: Improving facilities sometimes means a short-term temporary closure. Ocmulgee PFA is having some road repair and paving work done and will temporarily close Aug. 18-22. Find out more about this PFA at GeorgiaWildlife.com/ocmulgee-pfa.
• Hunting & Fishing Night + Braves Game! On Saturday, August 23, baseball meets the great outdoors at Hunting & Fishing Night at Truist Park. Join Georgia DNR in The Battery Atlanta for a night with the Braves! Get tickets at gofevo.com/event/Huntingfishing25.

This week, we have fishing reports from North, Central, Southeast and Southwest Georgia. School is in session during the week, but when the weekend hits, Let’s Go Fish Georgia!

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

RESERVOIR REPORT 

LAKE ALLATOONA IS FULL, 80’S

Allatoona Bass (Report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant via www.southernfishing.com) — Bass fishing is fair. There are tons of tiny bait around and tons of tiny bass feeding on them. Lots of 9-to-13-inch fish. Small bait is the key to getting bit right now. Tiny Zoom flukes and the new 3 1/2 jointed Big Bite jerk minnow are good choices fished on the drop shot. Whether fish vertically on Lowrance sonar or thrown at schoolers this is the number one choice for bites right now. The top water bite is decent at daybreak and sundown. Small walking style bait and poppers are the best choice. The crank bait bite is very slow. At night the jig head tipped with a trick stick in green pumpkin and a jig are the best option around boat docks and lit areas. We have Bass fishing waypoints for $99.00 for this lake. Ask for a sample kensturdivant@att.net.

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.

LAKE BLUE RIDGE

Lake Blue Ridge Bass — This impressive Alabama Bass was landed by an angler named James, who caught the fish on a popper fly that he hand-tied himself. An incredible catch on a fly rod — and even more rewarding with gear made by hand!

LAKE HARTWELL IS DOWN 3.3 FEET, 80’S 

Hartwell Bass (Report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant via www.southernfishing.com) — Bass fishing is fair to good. Lake levels remain good, and the bass fishing picked up some with all the cool nights we have been having this past week. The majority of the good keeper bass are still holding in ten feet of water and better. Some deep water docks are still producing some of the better bass while fishing jigs. Use the Carolina rigs along the rocky ledges and deeper creek channels. Fish these rigs really slow to be effective. Using four-inch worms instead of the standard six inch will also increase the catch. Some anglers are still using their drop shot rigs in water fourteen feet and better. A light weighted or free-falling fluke or worm around the bridge pylons is working. Try fishing these baits right at the pylons and just letting it fall. Watch for any line movement while fishing this method. Deep water cranking a Rapala DT10 or DT14 through the suspended bass is also very effective. Use these baits on the rocky channel ledges and bounce them off the rocks. Recreational boat traffic is still heavy on the weekends, so be careful. We have Bass fishing waypoints for $99.00 for this lake. Ask for a sample kensturdivant@att.net 

LAKE LANIER IS DOWN ONE FOOT, 80’S 

Lanier Bass (Report courtesy of Phil Johnson through Ken Sturdivant via www.southernfishing.com, pjohnson15@hotmail.com 770 366 8845) — Bass fishing on Lake Lanier is fair. The lake is currently about one foot below full pool and dropping. The water temperature is in the upper eighties and overall, the lake is clear. The fishing is typical for this time of year with the bass staging in the twenty-five-to-forty-foot range on humps, long points and ledges. Finding structure in these areas is a major key to locating the bass. There are several ways to catch the bass right now from shallow to deep. A Skimmer, Gunfish or Chug Bug are all good choices for the bass when worked over the deeper structure and on the random schooling fish. Days with some winds have made these baits even better. If you can’t find the top bite then the Drop Shot, Flutter Spoon and Spot Choker with a two eight Keitech have been the go-to baits. On the Drop Shot the Blue Lily, Morning Dawn or Sweet Rosy have been producing bass around the brush. For the Spot Choker, it can be work at all depths of the water column whether you find the fish on the bottom or suspended around the brush. For around the brush, throw the Spot Choker past the brush and burn it back over the brush and kill it for a second. Watch how the bass react as often this will trigger the bite. The Flutter Spoon can be worked by dropping it vertically and speed reeling it up or by making long cast on an area and using a pump and drop retrieve Using the FFS now to locate both the bass and their position is very important to the presentation you choose with any of these baits. It’s hot but they will still bite so Go Catch ‘Em!

Our On the Water SONAR School is designed to teach anglers how to read all the latest technology. Bring the boat and any machine we teach all brands! We teach this class on customers boats with their technology. These machines can offer Sonar, CHIRP, Mapping, Side Scan and Down Scan and Forward Facing Technology. We started these schools to help anglers how to find and catch more fish. We go over how to rig the transducers and tune the depth finders. There are many schools of fish on offshore structure that the typical angler never knows are there. Learn about the latest mapping technologies. How to properly mount and maintain transducers. Spend the day using your electronics. On Lake Lanier we find the road beds, humps, standing timber and brush piles where the fish live. See sunk boats! The school is 7 hours exclusively on Lake Lanier and costs $350.00. All the details for our On the Water SONAR School is on our web site on the “Schools” page. Call after 5pm 770 889 2654 kensturdivant@att.net. We have open dates for On the Water SONAR School. Bring the boat. Call or email Ken Sturdivant 770 889 2654 kensturdivant@att.net 

Lanier Stripers: (This Lake Lanier Striper report is by Buck Cannon. (404) 510-1778) — Lake Lanier stripers have been schooling mid lake from Vanns Tavern to the dam. Live bait blue backs down to 40 to 50 feet deep is best. Once you locate the schools you can use a jig of your choice of a buck tail or a spoon. Drop it through the fish and watch your line and if it stops set the hook and hold on. Trolling leadcore and umbrella rigs will bring some fish to the boat. Leadcore at 8 colors at 2.5 to 3.5 mph and 9 jigs on the umbrella rig 100 to 150 feet back at the same speed. Keep your eyes open on your electronics and avoid possible problems as you cover humps and creek channels. Remember to wear your life jackets. 

Lanier Crappie: (This Lake Lanier Crappie report is by Captain Josh Thornton (770) 530-6493) — Lake Lanier crappie fishing is good. The water temperature is in the mid-80s. All the rain in the past few days has helped cool the temperature down a little. The fish are active early in the morning before sunrise. Open water brush is productive. The deep fish are biting better than the shallow fish on docks. Crappie have been at depths of 20 to 35 feet above a 25-to-40-foot bottom. The jig color combo that worked the best for me this week was the white and chartreuse single tail 1.5-inch jig. 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. To schedule your guided Lake Lanier crappie fishing trip, please contact Captain Josh Thornton at 770 530 6493. Additional information and helpful fishing tips can be found on our websites: http://www.crappieonlanier.com and http://www.fishingwitheverydayheroes.org 

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

WEST POINT LAKE IS DOWN 2.4 FEET, 80’S 

West Point Bass (Report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant www.southernfishing.com) — Bass fishing is slow. Fishing has been slow with the higher temperatures. Most fish are coming from deep water road beds and hump’s when current is present. Use Carolina rigs and shaky heads worked slowly. When generation is at its strongest and bait is present use deep diving crankbaits in shad patterns. The best colors have been watermelon and green pumpkin when using a Carolina rig and deep crankbaits in a shad pattern. There is an early morning top water bite on schooling fish before the sun tops the trees on schooling fish. For these fish use a Whopper Plopper and have both a large one and a small one just in case. The best locations for these schooling fish have been on the southern end of the lake, south of Wehadkee Creek.

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.

WEISS LAKE IS FULL, 80’S

Lake Weiss Mixed Bag (Report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant www.southernfishing.com)– Bass fishing is good and they are being caught on deep brush 8 feet or more, under deeper docks, and on the creek and river channel ledges. Pig and Jigs, Crank Baits, Spinner Baits and Carolina rigged plastics are all producing some good Bass. After the rain we have had, look for some good bass to move to culverts under roads and the falls at Yellow Creek where fresh water is running in the lake.

TROUT REPORT 

Trout Info and Trout Stocking: To learn about Georgia’s diverse trout fishing opportunities, including the latest stocking information, visit GeorgiaWildlife.com/Fishing/Trout.

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) — Summary: Welcome to August!  It’s a good news/bad news time of the year for region anglers.  First, the bad news: it’s still hot and fairly dry.  Many trout waters have been too hot for much success. And now the good news, of which there is plenty.   Did you see the weather forecast??? Hooray!  We have a cooler week ahead of us, which will reduce headwater trout stream temperatures and give y’all a shot at stockers and high elevation wild fish. The two icy tailwaters will still fish well, and GAWRD has another decent stocking list posted today.   The river bass bite has been very good when waters clear between summer storms.    A few stripers are a bonus catch.  And Lanier spots are still in play!

Wes’ Hot Fly List: 

• Dries: purple haze, tan elk hair caddis, parachute and hard body ants, micro chubby Chernobyl, Royal Wulff.
• Nymphs & Wets:
• Stockers: red squirmy worm, peach egg, micro girdle bug, black woolly bugger, tan and olive mops, pink tag jig.
• Mountain streams: hares ear, drowned ant, pheasant tail nymph and soft hackle, UV green weenie, prince nymph.
• Streamers:
• small black and olive buggers, bank robber sculpin, micro dungeon.
• (Bass & stripers) two tone stealth bomber, crawfish jambalaya, dead ned. Supernatural peanut, sweet baby cray.
• (Panfish) mini stealth bomber, Boogle popper #8, brim reaper, girdle bug.
• (Carp) squirmy hybrid, carp bitters, identity crisis. 

Headwaters: Most small creeks have been getting recharged by afternoon storms. Unfortunately, the rainfall runs off quickly and streams warm back up when the sun shines again.

Cooler weather is forecast, so the wild trout bite will be resurrected as long as those nighttime air temps drop back down into the 60’s. Float an Adams or ant at high elevations and north slopes to fool a few wilds before they resume their summer siestas. Hit the drought refuges, where fish are packed in, spooky, but competitive for the few bugs in the drift.

Stockers: GAWRD published another decent stocking list today. Hit those streams early to catch cooler water and more cooperative fish. The higher uphill and earlier you go, the cooler the water. Take those stockers home for dinner, as the “double trouble” combo of warm water and angling stress will do most of them in. Find stocking information at GeorgiaWildlife.com/Fishing/Trout. 

Parting Trout Note: Want to do more to support trout fishing in Georgia?  Consider upgrading to a Trout Unlimited license plate this year. See more info at GeorgiaWildlife.com/licenseplates.  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.

(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) 

This Central Georgia fishing report is made possible through information from Ken Sturdivant’s Southern Fishing Report, and contributions from Region 3 WRD Fisheries staff, local guides, and anglers.

RESERVOIR REPORT

LAKE RUSSELL DOWN 2 FOOT, 80’S

Bass (courtesy of Ken Sturdivant’s Southern Fishing Report): Bass fishing is fair. When the fish set up in their summer patterns, the big largemouth can be tough to catch. However, there is no shortage of spotted bass and they can be a lot of fun to catch. When they are moving water set up on main lake structure and wear the spots out by cranking down with a deep diving crank bait, dragging a Carolina rig or vertical jigging with a shaky head or drop shot. Rocky points with brush piles, the reef markers around the dam or vertical structure like bridge pilings can all be good. Try picking off a few fish with the crank bait. Then slow down and pick apart the structure with the Zoom finesse worm rigs once the fish are found. Watermelon is always a good color, and red bug will also produce. Use the Lowrance Structure Scan down Scan technology to scan an area and find the fish. Find the fish with the Lowrance Side Scan and Down Scan technology. Now use the Active Target to spot the fish out in front of the boat.

Bass 2 (courtesy of SC DNR Fishing Reports): Guide Jerry Kotal (706-988-0860) reports that bass should be in fairly tight, deep schools in August. Fishing with deep-running crankbaits or drop shot rigs around deep structure will be the best pattern, and of course live bait will catch fish. You can also find some shallower largemouth in the creeks. At the end of July, the bite was still strong, and they hope it stays that way in August.

Striped Bass (courtesy of SC DNR Fishing Reports): Guide Wendell Wilson (706-283-3336) reports that in August they expect to continue to find a good bite for striped bass on the lower end of the lake with down-lines. Another group of fish will be found in shallower water below Hartwell Dam where cool water temperatures on the upper end of the lake can draw in stripers.

Crappie (courtesy of SC DNR Fishing Reports): Guide Wendell Wilson reports that fish should still be caught on deeper brush in August, but at the end of July the creeks were pretty dead and you had to fish the main lake. With some cooling this could change in August, but to start off the month expect fish to be in coves off the main body of water. They will be caught on jigs and minnows.

Catfish (courtesy of SC DNR Fishing Reports): Guide Jerry Kotal reports that fish will be caught this month in 10-35 feet of water on cut herring and more.

CLARKS HILL IS DOWN 2.1 FOOT, 80’S

Bass (courtesy of Ken Sturdivant’s Southern Fishing Report): Bass fishing is fair. The bass are deep at 18-to-25-foot range. This is when the Lowrance Down Scan technology can cover four times more bottom than regular 20 kHz. Fish it with a green Zoom Magnum Finesse worm and also a Texas rigged Ol Monster worm. A 1- or 2-ounce Jig in camo color is also producing around the isolated structure on the main lake points. Color is not really specific any form of green pumpkin is good. Early in the morning and late in the evening throw a buzz bait around stick grass on the bank. Spend some time on the main lake and use the Lowrance Structure Scan and Down Scan technology and search the creek mouths right at the river. This technology can spot individual fish, schools of fish and most importantly, schools of bait fish. The cloudy days make the shallow bite last longer. As the day moves on, change from the top water baits to a submerged or bottom bait. Keep working slow. The ledge bite is good around any type of cover or bend if the water is moving. A good sonar will find some good brush or other cover. Heavy jigs are a good choice. Black, blue or browns are doing well.

Bass 2 (courtesy of SC DNR Fishing Reports): Guide Josh Rockefeller (706-513-6152) reports that August is usually a tough month for bass fishing on Lake Thurmond, but at times July fished better than expected in deep water and August could too. One group of fish is shallow feeding on bream and will take topwater lures and buzzbaits, while another group of fish is offshore. They will take soft plastics on the bottom around humps and brush – but the best bite is when they come up to take topwater lures or flukes.

Tournament Update (courtesy of WRD Fisheries Biologist Aaron Gray): Clarks Hill Lake recently welcomed youth anglers from across the nation for two Bassmaster National Championships. Rex Reagan and Max Moody from Pickett County High School (TN) bested the 249-boat field in the High School Championship with a three-day total of 36-11—their second consecutive national title! The local angler duo of Roper Putnam and Jack Story, who are part of the Clarks Hill Fishing Team, came in just a pound shy of Reagan and Moody, firmly anchoring the runner-up title. Trent Allen of Lakeland, FL, fishing solo, brought an impressive 8-8 largemouth to the scales to capture the Big Fish honors. In fact, Allen’s lunker proves to be the largest fish recorded in any Bassmaster tournament on Clarks Hill! During the Junior National Championship, the Tennessee duo of Parker Smith and Carson Randan emerged victorious with a two-day total of 20-7. Congratulations to all of these youth anglers for a successful fishing season!

Braggin’ Bass: Akira VanMater enjoyed a successful day of fishing and earned some bragging rights with this 5.07 pound largemouth caught at Clarks Hill.

Striper and Hybrids (courtesy of SC DNR Fishing Reports): Little River Guide Service (706-210-3474) reports that in August catchable fish should be concentrated in a small area in the lower lake where they will be caught on down-lined herring in deep water. Earlier in the day they can be shallower, and as the day goes on, they will move deeper. A lot of fish will be in the vicinity of the oxygen lines.

Crappie (courtesy of SC DNR Fishing Reports): Little River Guide Service reports that there is traditionally very little fishing activity for crappie in the heat of August, but fish are usually around deep brush where they can be caught on minnows. At the end of July, the bite was better than expected in the backs of creeks and it could stay the same this month.

Catfish (courtesy of SC DNR Fishing Reports): Captain Chris Simpson reports that in August fish will continue to move shallower early and late and deeper during the heat of the day. Fan-casting baits at a variety of depths is the best pattern. Exercise caution, but night-time is often the right time to fish for catfish in the summer on Lake Thurmond.

Catfish 2 (courtesy of WRD Fisheries Biologist Aaron Gray): Anglers of all ages have reported catching catfish across Clarks Hill this summer. Channels have been providing steady action on a wide variety of cut, live, and stink baits. Pick your ol’ reliable, tried-and-true favorite bait, and you should be rewarded in no time! For flatheads, brothers Paxon & Connor Smith show off a nice pair weighing 40 and 26 pounds they caught together on a recent morning. Hudson Dow was all smiles while showing off a recent catch of his own – proving that the fish don’t quit biting in the rain!

LAKE OCONEE IS FULL, 80’S

Bass (courtesy of Ken Sturdivant’s Southern Fishing Report): Bass fishing is fair. There is a good early bite using top water lures. Fishing around rip rap where there is deep water nearby is a good choice. A good bait to use is a Pop R or a #5 Rapala Shad Rap. After the top water slows fishing a Carolina rigged worm in the watermelon seed or watermelon candy colors with a 24-inch leader will be a good bait to use. Fish this bait on the long point or a sharp drop off. Before fishing use the depth finder to see if there is bait then fish in this area. No bait then bait fish move to another location. A big crank bait fished on these points will also bring a few bites. Another good area to fish is the underwater islands. These areas need to top part of the island is in 10 to 12 feet of water, cast your bait to the top part of the island and work baits to deeper water. Flip a bait under docks there are some fish being caught by working the docks near deep water. The main key is when Georgia Power is moving water.

Catfish (courtesy of WRD Fishing blog contributor Blake Ogden): Blake and Brant took the kids jugging on Oconee recently and caught a good mess of blue catfish jugging a spread of Catawba worms, cut bait, and live minnows. Blake said the Catawba worms generally outperformed all other menu options. The catfish bite will remain steady lakewide during the month of August and pick up considerably at night. The bite will also pick up considerably during pumpback periods. Driving across I-20 this week revealed that Oconee is heavy stained due to recent rains, but that won’t stop catfish from remaining active as they rely heavily on scent cues to hone in on prey. Given the poor visibility on Oconee across the lake right now, catfish will be a best bet this weekend.

LAKE SINCLAIR IS DOWN 1.1 FEET, 80’S

Bass (courtesy of Ken Sturdivant’s Southern Fishing Report):   Bass fishing is slow. Look for a shallow bite on the shallow points, sea walls, and docks that are adjacent to deep water. River channel swings and creek mouths are best. Some fish can still be caught on a Spro frog around grass beds as well. Texas rigged soft plastics and jigs fished around boat houses and lay down trees have been most productive when looking for the shallow bite. There are still a lot of fish holding on deep offshore structure lake wide. This has been the most consistent pattern this week, especially on the lower portion of the lake. Most of these offshore fish are holding in depths of 18 to 25 feet. Look for points that drop into the river channel, offshore humps, or ledges that contain rocks or some form of wood cover. These places are easy to find with the Lowrance HDS Structure Scan technology. Drop shot rigs, flutter spoons and football jigs will all produce on these offshore structures. The deep bite will be best when Georgia Power is moving water.

Bream: By August, shellcracker fishing on Lake Sinclair slows compared to the spring peak, but persistent anglers can still find success targeting deep, shaded areas with harder bottom, and aligning their fishing effort with full moon windows when shellcracker will bed. Using electronics or scanning shallow water for saucer-shaped depressions will reveal large spawning beds, and opportunity for success. Focus on the edges of creek channels, main-lake flats, or points with sand or gravel substrate in 4 – 8 feet of water. Areas near Twin Bridges, Crooked Creek, and Rooty Creek often hold scattered fish through late summer. Bottom fishing with red wigglers or small pieces of nightcrawler on a Carolina rig is the go-to tactic. Early morning and evening hours offer the best chance for active fish, especially in areas with some current or cooler inflows. Be patient and prepared to move often to locate reliable concentrations of late summer redear.

LAKE JACKSON IS DOWN 1 FOOT, 80’S

Bass (courtesy of Ken Sturdivant’s Southern Fishing Report): Bass fishing is fair. The fish are on their summer holes. The channel swing under the power lines and the hump at the mouth of Tussahaw Creek have both recently been hotspots. Several baits are working for the deeper fish, both spots and largemouth. Big crank baits, like DD22s or Strike King 6 XDs, are working in the 16-to-18-foot range. On some days fish want a slower presentation. Use a 3/4-ounce Net Boy Baits football jig in green or brown colors. Tip the jig with a 4-inch Big Bite Baits Kriet Kreature in craw and orange color. For a more finesse bait, use a 1/4-ounce Net Boy Baits screwball jig head with a Big Bite Baits Squirrel Tail worm in watermelon or green pumpkin color. Dipping either bait in JJ’s Magic will help increase bites and hook up percentages. One other option for largemouth is to run up the Yellow River or South rivers above the bridges and fish a 1/4-ounce buzz bait around blow downs and log jams early or late in the day. Some bites can be explosive, so use heavy line or braid to muscle these fish.

Catfish (courtesy of WRD Fishing Forecasts): Lake Jackson provides an array of catfish species with fishable populations including bullheads, channel, white, blue and flathead catfish. Jackson holds a greater proportion of large sized channel and blue cats than most other central Georgia reservoirs and most will average 3-5 pounds. If anglers are patient, some trophy channel catfish exceeding 20 pounds are available. Anglers should target deep holes mid-lake for trophy catfish. Highway 36 bridge on the South River Arm has been a popular area when targeting large catfish. Most trophies caught have been at night. Lake Jackson is an untapped resource for anglers targeting catfish. The current lake record flathead exceeds 50 pounds! Cut shad and liver fished on or just off the bottom is effective. Night fishing with live bream may also produce some quality catfish. Target the deep waters near the dam or deep holes on the outside bend of the old creek channels. Flathead catfish will typically be found near rocky structures or hard bottoms.  Mid-lake and the South River arm are current hot spots on the lake. Popular areas include the South River Arm near the 36-bridge crossing. Most large fish caught have been by anglers fishing at night.

RIVER REPORT 

Savannah River Bass (courtesy of WRD Fisheries Biologist Aaron Gray): Tim Rountree weighed in this impressive 9.3 pound Savannah River largemouth on his way to securing the win in a recent tournament. While Clarks Hill gets more attention for its bass fishing action, local anglers shouldn’t pass up an opportunity to fish the Savannah River in Augusta, as long as the flows are safe for launching (which, they are not currently). Check the flow before you go, here.  The Savannah offers unique opportunity to catch a variety of Georgia’s black bass species including largemouth, Bartram’s, and even the occasional (non-native) smallmouth bass.

PUBLIC FISHING AREA REPORT

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

Overall, fishing activity has slowed with the recent heat wave, but cooler weather this week has increased angler traffic and success at McDuffie.  Anglers are reporting less successful trips on the PFA during the mid-day window, but better activity in the morning and evenings. Overcast, cloudy days like we’ve had recently will create excellent, long windows for great fishing activity.  Throughout the month of July, McDuffie PFA treated nuisance algae on PFA ponds, so anglers should enjoy catching more fish and less hangups on vegetation in August. Fishing early mornings or early evening periods will be the best bet for avoiding the heat and aligning with the best bite windows for bass, bream, and other species on the PFA. Night fishing is a great option on Jones for catfish anglers during August!

Bass: Bass anglers are successful when targeting deep structures and features.  Use a Wacky or Carolina rig in deep water around logs or stumps.  Swim baits that mimic golden shiners will also be effective when fished deliberately around riprap on dam faces.

Striped and Hybrid Bass: Few striped or hybrid striped bass have been caught on the PFA recently.  Anglers should use chicken livers on Bridge or Clubhouse Lake to have a chance at landing a lineside.

Channel Catfish: Catfish are a best bet option during the month of August.  Anglers seem to have better luck in the mornings while using either chicken livers or artificial bait.

Bream: Quality bream catches have challenged some anglers recently, but the numbers are always there. Target bream using traditional summer terrestrials like live worms or even better, crickets, in and around shallow habitat and brush.

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

FLAT CREEK PUBLIC FISHING AREA (courtesy of Area Manager Amory Cook) —

Bass: Anglers are reporting success from a wide variety of lures. Topwater frogs, buzzbaits, and rubber worms in red, green, and blue have been producing catches between 2 and 6 lbs.

Bream: The bream bite has slowed slightly, but fishing during cooler hours should continue to produce catches. Red Wigglers continue to produce.

Crappie: Use live minnows and jigs while targeting deeper, cooler water overnight and early in the morning since Crappie are hugging tight to structure.

Catfish: Anglers fishing at night and early in the morning are reporting 5-6lb catfish while daytime anglers are reporting 1-3lb catfish. Catfish are being caught on chicken livers, live baitfish, and cut baitfish. Also, if you are lucky enough to land a catfish that you believe to be over 10 pounds (about 30 inches long), please notify DNR staff, we are looking to fill the PFA 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 or nearly full.
• Pond Closures: Margery, Hillside, and Clubhouse ponds remain closed while under renovation.
• Water clarity: 16” – 24”
• Surface temperature: Upper 80s+
• Marben PFA Fishing Guide

Bass: Early morning and late afternoon have been the most productive for bass.  Several nice hybrid bass have been caught at Bennett Lake.  There are large schools of small shad on the surface most every afternoon late.  Smaller largemouth have been observed feeding on schooling threadfin on Fox Lake in the open water. 

Crappie: A few crappie are being caught this time of year.  If you fish for crappie in August, your best bet is to fish deep (> 10 ft. depths) and cover a lot of water.  Look for suspended fish over large brush piles. 

Bream: Most of the larger bream are being caught on the bottom in deeper water near dams and creek channels, unless they are on the bed around the full moon.  Waxworms, crickets and pink worms continue to be good bait. 

Channel Catfish: Several nice channel catfish have been harvested at Fox Lake.  Anglers are fishing with night crawlers and cut bait on the bottom on flats adjacent to deep water.

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

Few people reported fishing this week. Between the heat and kids going back to school this is typically a time of year with few reports, but the bite is still good most places. The Okefenokee Swamp and ponds and lakes have been producing good catches. The rivers were almost perfect before the rains this week, so that’s going to be hit-and-miss again while some stretches are rising and some falling.

River gages on August 7th were:

• Clyo on the Savannah River – 6.7 feet and rising
• Abbeville on the Ocmulgee – 7.6 feet and rising
• Doctortown on the Altamaha – 7.6 feet and rising
• Waycross on the Satilla – 7.9 feet and falling
• Atkinson on the Satilla – 8.1 feet and rising
• Statenville on the Alapaha – 3.0 feet and falling
• Macclenny on the St Marys – 3.6 feet and rising
• Fargo on the Suwannee – 4.3 feet and rising

Last quarter moon is August 16th. To monitor all the Georgia river levels, visit the USGS website. For the latest marine forecast, check out weather.gov/jax/.

OKEFENOKEE SWAMP

It was a great bite this week, even with the rains and rising water levels. On Friday, Kings Bay held a “Family Day” for their folks on the east side at the refuge headquarters. They rented canoes, went on tours, and fished in the boat basin. I helped some of them fish, and they caught a total of 37 fish in a few hours that morning. Jace had a bowfin catch that earned him an angler award from the Wildlife Resources Division. He fooled that and a bunch of other bowfin with a lemon-lime Dura-Spin. The crawfish-brass blade version also worked well. Callie caught a nice pickerel on that one. Warmouth bit well for Myron and me by pitching crawfish and popsicle Warmouth Whacker Jigs around the basin edges. Myron had the biggest bowfin of the day – a 5-pounder. John and Michelle fished with me on the east side Tuesday, and we caught a total of 29 fish in a half-day trip. It was a “Plan B” kind of day – obstacles were thrown in the way pretty much all day, but Plan B worked great at each obstacle. The most productive presentation was trolling Dura-Spins, and the lemon-lime, crawfish-brass, and crawfish-orange blade (that I grabbed accidentally while trying to get another brass blade version) colors were tops. They also caught a chunky warmouth on the crawfish-orange blade. Michelle had the biggest bowfin at 4-lb., 4-oz. We got the boat out and everything put away right before the skies opened up. John with Hog Island Boatworks brought up one of his rotomolded v-hull fishing boats, and we fished on the west side Wednesday morning. The boat was really stable and fished extremely well. He set the boat up with oars, and they worked great for positioning, especially while fly-fishing. We tried fly-fishing off the big front deck, but the fish didn’t want a fly that morning. They were slow to bite a cast lure, also, but they chewed trolled Dura-Spins. We caught bowfin, warmouth, and a giant pickerel (22-incher right before we went in) on crawfish-brass blade, lemon-lime, and white-white blade. We also tucked into a spot and caught a couple fliers by pitching pink Okefenokee Swamp Sallies on bream buster poles. John caught his first flier with the little fly. The most recent water level on the Folkston side was 121.00 feet (rose 0.44 feet this week – that’s a bunch of water in a system the size of the Okefenokee!). The water level on the west side was 4.56 feet on Wednesday.

DODGE COUNTY PUBLIC FISHING AREA (near Eastman)

Gavin Smith caught a 1-lb., 11-oz. crappie on the area this week. There were lots of bass caught by anglers throwing crankbaits and plastic worms around schools of shad and shoreline cover. Shane Ryals fooled a bass that weighed 2-lb., 11-oz. The biggest bass reported was 4 pounds.

OCMULGEE PUBLIC FISHING AREA (near Hawkinsville)

Ken Burke fished the area this week for 4 hours and had 3 bass hooked. He landed 2 of them, and they weighed 6.75 pounds and 4.75 pounds. Both of them ate a crankbait. Note: The PFA will be closed August 18-22 for repaving.

LOCAL PONDS

Joshua Barber fished a Waycross area pond on Tuesday afternoon and caught 8 bass (nothing big). He fooled them with topwater frogs and soft plastics. He lost a 5 to 6-pound class bass right at the boat. The bream have been biting off and on. An angler caught some big coppernose bluegills from a St. Marys Pond on Thursday afternoon. George topped his personal best bass by flinging a topwater popper this week in a Brunswick area pond. To say that he was excited is an understatement!

SALTWATER (GEORGIA COAST)

Capt. Greg Hildreth (georgiacharterfishing.com) said that the inshore trout bite has been pretty good with live shrimp under popping corks. The tarpon bite has been good, also. Capt. Duane Harris fished last Sunday with the Marshalls, including their 6-year-old grandson. They had a blast fishing on the bottom and catching a bunch of small redfish, pigfish, and sharks. 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 WALTER F. GEORGE

According to Ken Sturdivant at southernfishing.com. Bass fishing is good early and late in the day. Use the dark Texas rigged Berkley Power worm in the larger sizes slowly worked on the grass beds mid-lake. Up-lake use larger crank baits and jig and pig combos. Try the Biffle Bug on a larger weighted hook and skip it into and around the grass areas. The June bug and watermelon green are the two best colors. The up-lake bass are slow. Later each day, use a Hart tackle buzz bait with a red skirt and silver blade on lower lake grass beds. Cast these baits right on the banks and pull them slowly over the grass. A larger dark worm over the grass and around wood can get a strike. Keep a deep diving DT10 shad Rapala or the Rapala OG8 cranks baits ready and make at least 10 casts in the center of any cove or pocket before you leave an area.

LAKE BLACKSHEAR 

Although the ‘summer’ has drawn to a close the hot weather and humidity have not abandoned us. With hot weather means hot water on Lake Blackshear. Most fish species will be in deeper cooler water as the day heats up. If you are looking for bream, you can find them shallow in the mornings until around 11am and maybe after that if you hit some shade. Crappies are deep around 10-20ft, try looking around docks and use jigs or live bait to snag one. Catfish are also going to be in deeper sections around 10-20ft but aren’t as specific, seemingly favorite bait is chicken livers. If you are a bit more open to anything, you can try using some skip baits under cypress trees and boat docks and you might catch something hiding beneath, or you can try trolling around 7-15ft and wait to land something.  

LAKE SEMINOLE

According to Ken Sturdivant at southernfishing.com bass fishing is good. If fishing early in the day use a larger 1/2-ounce Lunker Lure buzz bait with a gold or silver blade and matching skirt. The Spro Frog has been working well on and over the grass beds early; stay as close to bank cover and grass lines as possible. The silver black-back and gold black-back Rapala’s on the grass lines in Spring Creek are fair. Shad crankbaits and jig and pigs in reds and blacks are good. The red shad 10-inch Culprit can also work and use a larger 5/0 Mustad offset worm hook and Sufix 832 braid. Cast to the grass and work the stumps on the edges of the creeks. Crank baits in bone and orange bellies in the creeks and on secondary points, is fair. Up the river, flip a big dark Berkley Power worms. Flip the grass lines and holes. 

FLINT AND CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVERS

It’s been raining a lot, so flows are up. Please be safe out there with the fast-moving water. Try targeting bass with a top water lure in the rifles. Another good strategy would be a Texas rig in the deep slower moving water or off a ledge. Try targeting fish in eddies or slow-moving water with red or brown lures that match the tint of the muddy water. Good luck out there and be sure to wear a life jacket!  

BIG LAZER PUBLIC FISHING AREA 

The water level is up and rising. Rain has also stained the water slightly. Other than that, there’s not a lot of change from the last few weeks. The bass fishing is still on the slow side but should pick up in the coming weeks. Still target bream in covered areas and throw live baits like crickets and worms. Worms or chicken liver in deeper water is your best chance for channel catfish success.  

SILVER LAKE PUBLIC FISHING AREA

Silver Lake: Fishing is heating up with the rain and cooler water temps.  Much of the southern end has topped out vegetation and bass are using open pockets as ambush sites.  A wacky rigged 4-inch Senko or finesse worm on a 1/4OZ dropshot has been producing consistent late summer bites.  Early top water action along weed lines is also effective.  Tossing frogs into pads and buzz baits along veg lines are a favorite.  

Frog Pond: The catfish bite has been consistent throughout the summer and continues to attract anglers.  Most channel catfish are 1-3 lbs. with the occasional 10+ pounder being hauled in.  Chicken livers and stink bait/dough have the most luck, but hotdog chunks are also getting some action from these hard fighters.  

House Pond: Bluegills have been on fire with the cooler weather and decreasing water temps.  Large 9 inch+ fish are being caught holding on to deep stumps.  Hybrids striped bass are always cruising around the feeders and some of these fish are pushing 4 pounds.  House Pond is great fun for light tackling and perfect for getting kids excited about fishing! 

Cutoff Pond: Closed for fishing.  This pond is currently being renovated and will be managed as an all-female trophy bass pond.  Opening date is TBD 

Panic Pond: Closed until Oct 1, 2025

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