October 24, 2025 – Georgia Wildlife Blog

Bass fishing in Georgia is at its best during the fall, when cooler temperatures and active fish create exciting opportunities for anglers across the state. From largemouth bass lurking in Public Fishing Areas to spotted and shoal bass in rivers and reservoirs, Georgia offers diverse options for every level of angler. Our staff has worked hard to stock many ponds throughout the state, providing accessible places where families, beginners, and seasoned anglers alike can enjoy quality fishing. Popular waters across Georgia are managed to support both strong bass populations and memorable outdoor experiences. Whether you are casting from the bank of a neighborhood pond or working a lure across a sprawling reservoir, bass fishing in Georgia brings together the thrill of the catch with the beauty of fall landscapes.

NEWS TO KNOW:

• Go Fish Education Center – Fall Harvest: Every Weekend in October! Celebrate the season with family fun all month long. The Fall Harvest event features activities for all ages, making it a perfect weekend outing. Join in the autumn excitement while exploring everything the Go Fish Education Center has to offer! More info at Facebook.com/GoFishEducationCenter. 
• Fish a Delayed Harvest Stream: Delayed Harvest trout season begins November 1 on five designated Georgia streams—Chattahoochee River, Toccoa River, Amicalola Creek, Smith Creek, and the Chattooga River. From November 1 to May 14, these waters are catch-and-release only with single-hook, artificial lures, and are stocked monthly by WRD and partners to provide anglers with outstanding trout fishing opportunities.

This week, we have fishing reports from Central, Southeast, and North Georgia. Southwest Georgia will be back next week. Cooler fall weather means great bass fishing across Georgia’s lakes, rivers, and ponds, making now the perfect time to cast a line and Go Fish Georgia!

(Fishing report courtesy of Hunter Roop- Region Supervisor, Ken Sturdivant’s Southern Fishing Report, and Fisheries Biologist with the Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division, with help from Region Staff and Local Experts)

RESERVOIR REPORT

LAKE RUSSELL IS FULL, 70’S

Bass (courtesy of Ken Sturdivant at www.southernfishing.com): Bass fishing is good. Spotted bass are roaming up on the points and flats all during the day and retreating to deep water stump beds. Either way, these bass can be caught all day long. The shallow water fish can be easily caught with Bandits and Rapala #5 Shad Raps. Try the deeper water for some of the bigger Bass. The Rapala DT10 and DT6 in shad or hot mustard slowly retrieved over heavy cover caught some bigger fish. Also try the green tiger and use a stop and go retrieve during the slow periods to trigger a strike. Carolina rigs can also be used on the ledges and deeper water structure. Zooms green pumpkin u tail work all day.

Bass 2 (courtesy of www.dnr.sc.gov): Guide Jerry Kotal (706-988-0860) reports that in October bass will normally be caught on the bottom in deep water in both the main lake and creeks. In addition to live bait they typically take drop-“shot rigs and jigging spoons.

Striped Bass (courtesy of www.dnr.sc.gov): Guide Wendell Wilson (706-283-3336) reports that in early October fish are traditionally very scattered, but this month they should start to leave the ends of the lake and move back towards the middle. Both free-lines and down-lines should catch fish if striper can be located.

Crappie (courtesy of www.dnr.sc.gov): Guide Wendell Wilson reports that October is often one of the very best months for Lake Russell crappie. Fish can be caught in the creeks around brush, and both jigs and minnows should catch fish. Sometimes they will also be stacked up on the bottom in open water around bait schools.

Catfish (courtesy of www.dnr.sc.gov): Guide Jerry Kotal reports that this is not generally a month when he targets catfish very much, but he does pick some up on jigging spoons while fishing for bass. Catfish can be targeted with cut herring fished on the bottom around schools of bait.

LAKE OCONEE IS FULL, 70’S

Bass (courtesy of Ken Sturdivant with www.southernfishing.com): Bass fishing is good. Start at the mouths of the creeks and coves with a small crank bait fished down sea walls and around the boat docks. Continue to move into the coves and creek and find the bait. The fish will be close by. When there is a little chop on the water or overcast the spinnerbait bite and shallow crank bait bite turns on. Use a Lucky Craft RC1.5 in chart root beer or a Picasso chartreuse and white spinnerbait around weed lines. The buzz bait bite has taken off over the past week. The middle of the coves with wood sea walls have been the best producer. Make sure and have a trick worm or fluke ready as a backup bait if the fish miss the buzz bait. When the sun comes out and the blue bird skies appear another great option is flipping a Big Bite Baits Fighting Frog in black blue around pads and in the mats that are at the mouths of pockets.

Linesides (courtesy of Captain Doug Nelms with bigfishheads.com Guide Service): Back on the Oconee fishing grind from his recent Michigan salmon fishing trip, Doug reports, “The striper bite has picked back up with the cool days we’ve been having on Lake Oconee.  Its still a little early for the gulls to get here, though excellent fall fishing is just around the corner.” With water temperatures dipping back down into a preferable range for striped bass and hybrids, a more consistent schooling and feeding pattern should begin to emerge, which translates to better fishing opportunities for Oconee anglers. Locating the schools is the trick to success, as these species become more mobile and less sluggish in the fall. As Doug indicates, gulls, herons, loons, and other bird activity can help anglers locate shallow bait schools, which are often being pushed to the surface by a feeding frenzy of stripers and hybrids. Freelining live bait over these schools, or casting a slightly larger than average shad-imitating swim bait like a Sebile can be a great way to take advantage of surface-feeding fish in the fall.

CLARKS HILL IS DOWN 4 FEET, 70’S

Bass (courtesy of Ken Sturdivant with www.southernfishing.com): Bass fishing is good. Cooler temperatures have activated the bait fish and this has sparked a feeding frenzy. Stained water can be found up in the creeks and rivers. Small rock outcrops along the bank and around the islands are producing bass in the rivers. The 3/8 ounce Rattlin Rapala’s in the red fire Crawdad, the Fire tiger with black heads and the Silver Tennessee Shad are excellent colors this week. On the main lake and off any sharp points, use the Rapala DT10 and the Husky Jerks. On the sharp drop offs, the Down Deep Husky Jerks can be used to catch the suspended bass hanging out on the ledges. The Lowrance Structure Scan and Down Scan technology will make finding the bait, the structure and the bass. Also, slow crank the jerk baits on the sides of the points. Use the crank bait during the fall to add a few extra fish.

Bass 2 (courtesy of www.dnr.sc.gov): Guide Josh Rockefeller (706-513-6152) and tournament angler Tyler Matthews report that in October schooling action should be widespread on Thurmond (better known in Georgia as Clarks Hill), and there should also be a lot of fish moving back into the creeks. Topwater lures that imitate shad and herring will work well until it gets really cool, and then a square-bill crankbait will be hard to beat. You can usually still catch fish on a buzzbait in the first part of the month but by the end of October that can get less effective.

Striped Bass & Hybrids (courtesy of www.dnr.sc.gov): Little River Guide Service (706-210-3474)  reports that this month fish typically start to head towards the mouths of creeks and usually back into them as they are able to spread out more in cooler temperatures. There should be good schooling activity and fish should generally be in the top of the water column, although down-line fishing should still be effective.

Crappie (courtesy of www.dnr.sc.gov): Little River Guide Service reports that in October fish will likely gang up around mid-depth brush piles and submerged timber. Generally creeks in the middle and upper part of the lake will fish best, and crappie will eat minnows or jigs. Late September was already good for crappie.

Crappie 2 (courtesy of DJ Hadden with Hadden Outdoors):  The crappie bite is strong in brush piles from 15-25 feet of water. Early morning and late evening feeding periods have been consistent bites lately, especially on either minnows or small 2” jigs.

For largemouth and spotted bass, schooling activity has been strong, especially if you can locate main-lake or main-river channel humps in 15-25 feet of water. Fish are often elevated in the water column around these, and chrome topwaters, white or silver flukes, and chrome Krej jerkbaits have been the ticket lately as bass key in on shad. For striper, the evening bite near the oxygen line has still been the most productive. Keep an eye out for schooling activity and fish accordingly.

Catfish (courtesy of www.dnr.sc.gov): Captain Chris Simpson (864-992-2352) reports that the last three months of the year are the most consistent time to catch a big catfish on Lake Thurmond, with the big fish bite kicking off in earnest in October. Anchoring on deep structure is about the most consistent way to catch large blue catfish or flatheads this month. The creeks can be good depending on whether bait has moved into them, and gizzard shad and white perch are hard to beat for the bigger fish.

LAKE SINCLAIR IS DOWN 1.5 FEET, 70’S

Bass (courtesy of Ken Sturdivant with www.southernfishing.com): Bass fishing is good. There are a lot of fish shallow. Top water baits continue to produce, including some of the large bass. Most any top water bait could produce, but a buzz bait is probably the most consistent right now. A good strategy is to have two baits tied on, one a half ounce size and the other a half ounce. Alternate between the two until a couple strikes occur with the same size. Black or other dark colors can be good in low light conditions, with chartreuse or white being good otherwise. Most quality bites are coming from near the mouth of coves to half way back in coves. Blow downs, brush, stumps, and shallow dock posts have been the best targets for the last few days. Spinner baits have also fooled a lot of fish lately from the same cover. If buzz baits and spinner baits don’t produce, try jigs and soft plastics around the same wood cover. A 3/8 ounce jig in black blue with a Zoom Fat Albert Twin Tail works well as a swim bait. The same jig with a Zoom Pro Chunk works well when slowly working the bait through the cover.

LAKE JACKSON IS FULL, 70’S

Bass (courtesy of Ken Sturdivant with www.southernfishing.com): Bass fishing is fair and it’s best to stay down lake and fish are on docks right off the river bends. The river is stained and a bright crank bait can be good on points off the pockets and on ledges at 6 feet. Down lake use the Rebel Deep Wee R shad-colored baits on docks and points. Also cast a dark Texas rigged Zoom Bush Hog in the larger sizes slowly worked on the docks on the lower lake. Later each day use the Enticer buzz bait on lower lake grass beds. Cast these baits right on the banks and pull them slowly over the grass. The Lowrance Structure Scan and Down Scan technology will make finding the bait, the structure and the bass. A larger dark worm over the grass and around docks can get a strike.

PUBLIC FISHING AREA REPORT

McDUFFIE PUBLIC FISHING AREA (courtesy of Fisheries Technician Nick Brewer and PFA Manager Chalisa Fabillar) —

With the drop in temperatures, especially in the mornings and evenings, anglers are having more successful trips on our PFA.  Anglers are catching bass, catfish and sunfish frequently, and as the weather continues to cool, this trend should continue.

Bass: Early morning bass fishing has been lit the last few days. Anglers are reporting increasing activity, especially in Jones Lake. This morning, McDuffie angler Mike caught this 2-pounder from Willow Lake along with a 4-pounder from Jones Lake.

Striped and Hybrid Bass: Dropping temperatures should make hybrid and striped bass more active.  Anglers should fish with chicken livers in deeper water when targeting stripers.  Areas with lots of bird activity can indicate good areas to target.  While the bite is still slow, Clubhouse should begin picking up in the coming weeks.

Channel Catfish: The catfish bite has picked up quickly after last week’s dosing of Jones and Beaver Lodge. Nightcrawlers and chicken livers patiently fished on the bottom will bring in a limit in short time.

Bream: Bream on the PFA are being caught frequently with worms and crickets. Anglers report the most success when fishing near structure in all of our lakes.

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

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

Bass: Anglers are continuing to report that Powerbait Swim Shad are producing the most catches, but shallow-running, jointed square-bill crankbait lures are landing fish as well. 

Bream: Red wigglers continue to produce Bream.  

Crappie: Cooler weather is promising extended catch times for crappie. Use live minnows and jigs. 

Catfish: Catfish are being caught on nightcrawlers. Remember the PFA lake record for catfish is still open and the minimum requirement to qualify is 12lbs or 32in long. You must have the catch weighed on a certified scale and properly documented.  Should you land a catfish that you believe to be at least 12 pounds (about 30 inches long), please notify DNR staff.

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” – 40”
• Surface temperature: Low-to-mid 70’s.
• Marben PFA Fishing Guide

Bass: Bass will be moving shallower. Anglers should try either spinner baits or cranks baits. Shad style lures have a good chance of catching largemouth and hybrid bass.

Crappie: Crappie remain in deep water at this time. Try fishing over suspended brush or structures in deeper waiter using jigs tipped with minnows.

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

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

It’s been a great fall bite from about everyone who reported. Both fresh and saltwater have been good. The Okefenokee Swamp bite (where I’ve spent time this week) has been excellent!

River gages on October 23 were:

• Clyo on the Savannah River – 4.5 feet and falling
• Abbeville on the Ocmulgee – 1.1 feet and steady
• Doctortown on the Altamaha – 3.9 feet and falling
• Waycross on the Satilla – 7.3 feet and falling
• Atkinson on the Satilla – 3.8 feet and rising
• Statenville on the Alapaha – 2.0 feet and steady (I believe it may be broken…)
• Macclenny on the St Marys – 2.1 feet and falling
• Fargo on the Suwannee – 1.8 feet and falling

First quarter moon is October 29th. To monitor all the Georgia river levels, visit the USGS website. For the latest marine forecast, check out weather.gov/jax/.

OKEFENOKEE SWAMP

Jim Hunt and a few friends stayed in the cabins at SC Foster State Park and fished the west side of the swamp late last week and the weekend. They fished from canoes they rented at the state park and caught about 15 to 20 fish (about 5 pickerel and 15 bowfin) per canoe per day. Most of the fish were on Dura-Spins, but they had some on Warmouth Whacker Jigs, as well. The group caught 4 or 5 warmouth, and Jim was surprised that his first one ate the big Dura-Spin spinner. He was introduced to how aggressive those panfish can be! Alan Eatmon fished with me on Saturday on the west side. He had fished with me before on the east side, but this was his first time at the Fargo entrance. He used an 8-weight fly rod the whole time and caught 13 fish total (a warmouth, a pickerel, and 11 bowfin). He caught them all on my Bladed Flies in the fire tiger, electric chicken, and whitetreuse colors. His biggest was a 3-lb., 11-oz. bowfin that put a serious bend in his long pole! I went back out for an hour after the trip and vertical fished cut flier (until I used up the one fish I cut up) on 1/16-oz. Mirage Jigs and fooled 15 bowfin to about 3 pounds. Archer and Vonnie came down from north Georgia and fished with me on Wednesday on the west side (SC Foster State Park). It was a gorgeous day (other than being a little windy), and the fish were chewing. We caught and released a big flier in the boat basin on a pink Okefenokee Swamp Sally, but that was the only flier we caught. We then trolled Dura-Spins, and the bowfin were cooperative! They quit on fish number 50 (49 bowfin and a Florida gar) after catching 5 “doubles” and some really nice fish. Vonnie had the hot hand with the biggest bowfin of the trip (5-lb., 1-oz.), and Archer’s biggest was 4-lb., 7-oz. The best colors that day were crawfish-brass blade, lemon-lime, jackfish, and fire tiger. I went back out after their trip for an hour and a half and tried to dial in the jig bite. I used a 1/16-oz. Mirage Jig and cut flier I had brought with me and fooled 14 more bowfin (up to 3 pounds) by dropping the jig/cut bait offering to them. That is a presentation that is my go-to in the winter, and it works well in October, also. Curtis Hazel fished the east side of the swamp on Thursday and caught 2 fish. He pitched bugs for a big warmouth, and caught a 5-pound bowfin on his third cast with a Dura-Spin. For the latest information about open areas, call Okefenokee Adventures or SC Foster State Park. The most recent water level on the Folkston side was 120.44 feet. On the west side, the level on Wednesday was 3.88 feet.

ALTAMAHA RIVER

Jim Hickox and a friend fished the river on Thursday and did well for all species they targeted. They caught several small bass on lures, and they also bottom-fished. They caught a “pile” of bream and several catfish on the bottom.

ST MARYS RIVER

This is the only river where reports were slow. Several folks fishing the middle river said that they did not do well or caught nothing. The crappie should be eating in the cooler water, so that’s what I would target if I went.

LOCAL PONDS

Chad Lee fished an Alma-area pond on Sunday and put it on the crappie and fliers. He kept about 20 fish and threw back a bunch. He fooled them with tiny plastics on 1/32-oz. jigheads. Hayden Lee caught another tank of a bass this week on plastics. He’s figuring out how to make a bass eat a plastic worm! Joshua Barber had a couple good trips to ponds and small lakes this week. On Saturday he came in second and had big fish in a bass tournament. He fooled them with swimbaits at the weedy lake that the group fished. He fished 2 other Waycross-area ponds during fall break this week and caught 9 and 13 bass during those trips. Plastics were key.

HUGH M. GILLIS PUBLIC FISHING AREA (NEAR DUBLIN)

DODGE COUNTY PUBLIC FISHING AREA (NEAR EASTMAN)

OCMULGEE PUBLIC FISHING AREA (NEAR HAWKINSVILLE)

PARADISE PUBLIC FISHING AREA (NEAR TIFTON)

Area staff said that the crappie bite has picked up significantly lately. Most anglers reported catching 15 to 20 fish per trip. Typically, the bigger lakes produce the best catches, but that’s the fun of having more than 50 lakes. You might stumble into a great bite on any of the waters. I’ve done best over there by trolling or casting small plastics to offshore cover, points, and drop-offs. If you don’t have electronics, troll around until you figure out what depth and speed they want and then duplicate it.

SALTWATER (GEORGIA COAST)

Several folks caught trout this week in decent numbers but didn’t give me specifics. They used both live shrimp and artificials. Capt. Greg Hildreth (georgiacharterfishing.com) has been chasing the bull redfish in the sounds, and he said that the bite was good this week. If you have never done it, it’s a hoot catching a fish as big as your leg, and you often catch several of them per trip. Capt. Tim Cutting (fishthegeorgiacoast.com) said that his charters Tuesday and Wednesday did well on trout and redfish. 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 have live worms and crickets for freshwater. For the latest information and their hours, contact them at 912-223-1379.

Blog Contributor 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).

The Southwest Georgia report will be back next week with fresh fishing info. Until then, check out the Fishing Forecasts reports for major reservoirs and rivers to get great intel to make your day on the water successful! GeorgiaWildlife.com/fishing-forecasts

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

RESERVOIR REPORT

LAKE ALLATOONA

Allatoona Bass (This report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant, www.southernfishing.com): Bass fishing is good. We are currently experiencing turnover which is in full swing and widespread over most of the lake. Anything East (towards the Etowah) of Victoria is in heavy turnover anything to the West (towards the dam) is working on turning over. Actually it might be in full swing in the dam area by this weekend. We will see lots of bubbles surfacing and some cloudy water conditions throughout most of the main lake.

As for fishing concentrate on the creeks between about 1/2 way back to 3/4’s of the way back. Creeks are usually the last to turnover. Concentrate on any available wood cover from 2 feet deep to brush piles in 40ft of water. Fish the shallow exposed wood with Mini Me’s and Flashminnow 110 jerk baits. Fish the deeper brush with drop shot tipped with a Flat Tail or Kuttail drop shot worm in blue pearl color. Rig your #4 Gamakatsu Split Shot hook with a 3/16 ounce drop shot weight and be sure to have some 8 pound test Triplefish Fluorocarbon so anglers can detect those subtle bites in the deeper waters. For the next few months get used to hearing about the drop shot rig as it will become very effective in the months to come. Lots of shad suspended on the graph but not a lot of fish chasing them so the deep water bite is sporadic if there isn’t structure nearby. Anglers can usually pick up a fish or two by fishing the suspended schools of bait but it will be a long wait unless to find the right spot.

Mixed Bag (This report courtesy Red Rooster Custom Baits, www.redroosterbaits.com):  This week’s report is brought to you by Bayne’s Fishing & Outdoors located in Cartersville, Georgia.

ALLATOONA WEEKLY CRAPPIE, SHELLCRACKER & BLUEGILL FISHING REPORT: 

The nights are definitely starting to cool off rapidly this past week which means cooler water temps and more active crappie! We love to see the leaves start to change colors because that means that long line trolling is not too far off. The crappie are still hanging close to the brush but as the water level continues to drop the brush is getting closer to the surface. Once the brush gets within 5-8′ of the surface the crappie will start moving out to deeper water and schooling in the creeks and mouths of creeks. They will also start moving around in the flats off of the main river channel. This is a great time of year to start getting your baits, jig heads, rods, reels organized as well as to blow the dust off of your trolling bars or rod holders because the time is almost here. The good news is at least for this week is that there doesn’t appear to be any major hurricane activity which means that the lake should be pretty stable for the foreseeable future.

Crappie: We got out a few days this past week and had good luck casting a Red Rooster Dagger to active brush piles and hooked up with some nice 10″ to 13″ crappie that were fairly aggressive and put up a good fight all the way to the boat. We we were throwing the Red Rooster Dagger in UV Shad, Gray Ghost, Splatter Back and June Bug on a 1/16th and 1/24th oz. jig head with good success. Interestingly enough many crappie were hitting the jig on the fall versus chasing the bait. Jeff “Crappieman” Albright had a good day trolling flats and over brush at .7 – .9 mph using a 1/16th oz. jig head paired with a Red Rooster Small Fry in ‘Lectric Chicken and the Talon 2.0 in the Sasquatch (Black & Orange) Color. Hunter Moore of Moore Outdoorz had a great day casting the Red Rooster Dagger in Gray Ghost and Chicken Pox and a 1/16th oz. jig head. All signs are pointing to some great fall crappie fishing on Lake Allatoona!

Bluegill: As we move into fall you should be able to find the bluegill hanging around shallow docks and shallow brush, stumps and laydowns. They will be feeding up for winter and should be pretty aggressive. The tried and true method is to use a #4 – #6 gold Aberdeen hook with 4 – 6 lb. test fishing line and a bobber set about 8″ – 12″ above your cricket or worm. Aggressive bluegill have been hitting crappie jigs on a 1/32nd oz or smaller jig head as well.

Shellcracker (Redear sunfish): As the water level is dropping the shellcracker should be in 5′ to 8′ of water and feeding up for the winter as well. The rig we use for shellcracker is a #2 hook on 4 – 6 lb. test fishing line and a #5 clam shell split shot pinched on the line about 12″ – 18″ above the hook. We are primarily using either a red wiggler or nightcrawler.

Lord willing we will continue to have good reports as we move through fall and into winter!

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 October 2024 and see what we were doing this time last year!

Make sure to download the Red Rooster Long Line Trolling Guide for tips on how to troll for Allatoona Crappie.

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 SEED

Mixed Bag (courtesy of GADNR Fisheries Biologist Kyle Rempe): Things were beginning to cool down in North Georgia and that meant the start of fall gill netting for GADNR reservoir crews this week. A variety of species were sampled on Lake Seed, with Walleye and Yellow Perch being some of the more desirable fishes for anglers looking for tasty table fare. GADNR stocks over 10,000 Walleye fingerlings in the 240 acre lake annually during the spring, so it is great to come back months later and sample them in a variety of size / age classes in our gill nets. These fish are usually easier to target during early March when they are making their spring spawning run, but you never know what might bite your line when you’re out jigging the bottom for other species like crappie or perch!

Be sure to check out Lake Seed’s Fishing Forecast page for more information on the reservoir and to see where the recently added fish attractors have been placed.

LAKE HARTWELL

Lake Hartwell Bass Report (courtesy of Phil Johnson (pjohnson15@hotmail.com or 770-366-8845; report via www.southernfishing.com/): Bass fishing is good. As the water gets cooler bait fish are becoming more active. Large single shad ae roaming around the banks in the coves. Use the shallow running Shad Raps when fishing in tight. Skeet Reese Redemption spinner baits are also working early and then again around mid day. There are some real shallow water fish but they are smaller bass. The bigger quality bass are coming from five feet of water and deeper. Use the Rapala #5 Shad Raps on the wind blown points and rocky banks. Follow the wind and find the fish. Make long casts and use a slow but steady retrieve. Slow cranking a #10 Husky Jerk, working mid depths with a Zoom Super fluke or the Ito Vision 110 jerk bait will also work. Try to find areas where either a channel or ditch runs close to the points or banks. Bass are using these deep water channels as highways on roads to get to their feeding grounds. Use your GPS to mark the sharp drop offs. The Lowrance Structure Scan and Down Scan technology will make finding the bait, the structure and the bass.

LAKE LANIER

Bass (courtesy of Phil Johnson (pjohnson15@hotmail.com or 770-366-8845; report via www.southernfishing.com/): Bass fishing on Lake Lanier is good. The lake is currently about four and a half foot below full pool and the water temperature is running around seventy-four degrees. Overall, the lake is clear. For now, there are two ways of fishing on Lanier that are working and it all depends on whether the wind is blowing. When there is good wind the top water action is good using a Gunfish, Ima Skimmer or Lip Thrashin Riser over humps and long points with structure. With a strong wind the rocky points and banks are a good place to check with a Rooster Tail or a spinnerbait. The main color for the top water baits has been chrome whether it’s sunny or cloudy. On the days we have had little or no wind it’s been critical to find the balls of shad. Look for them around the humps or over the deep stands of trees that come up to the thirty to thirty five range. Look for the bass to be suspended around the shad and work either a Spybait or a three eights Spotchoker with a three-three Keitech to catch them. The key for these baits is to get them either slightly above the bass or level with them and bring the bait by the suspended fish. Once you see a reaction to the either twitch the Spybait or speed up your retrieve on the Spot Choker to trigger the strike. For both of these applications the FFS is critical. It may take some time to locate the schools of shad that have the bass around them but once you find them you can catch some quality bass. As the water continues to cool look for the top water action to increase as they feed up for the fall. The lake is calm now and it’s a great time to be out so Go Catch ‘Em!

Crappie (courtesy of Captain Josh Thornton (770-530-6493); report via www.southernfishing.com): Lake Lanier crappie fishing is good. The water temperature is 72. The fish are active early in the morning till about 11:00. The Crappie are near open water brush at 10 to 14 feet deep. This week has produced higher numbers than we have seen since last spring. Minnows have been 95% of the catch for the last week, blue and white hair Jig has been successful also. 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 a Atx lure company jig. Further optimize your efforts with a Garmin LiveScope.

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

Mixed Bag (courtesy of guide Joseph Clark, www.unicoioutfitters.com): Fishing on Lanier remains tough for stripers and good on bass. Water temps have cooled quite a bit over the past week, however cold fronts and bright bluebird skies have the stripers moving extremely fast and surfacing sporadically. Bass are schooling well around bush in the mouths of creeks. We’ve had our best luck with conventional tackle using topwater walking baits, serpentine swimbaits, and flukes. For flies game changers, clousers and somethin else’s are the best bet.

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.

LAKE WEISS

Lake Weiss Bass (This report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant, www.southernfishing.com): Bass fishing is good and with the cooling trend, and a lot of fish are being caught shallow in 3 to 6 feet of water. The shad are moving to the back of the cove’s and creeks and some good Bass are starting to move to secondary points and shallow road beds, following the bait fish. Shallow running crank baits are working well, and Rat L Traps, Spinner Baits are also producing some fish. The top water bite is good early and late also.

WEST POINT LAKE

West Point Bass Report (This report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant, www.southernfishing.com): Bass fishing is good. Fish are schooling in the shallows just before sunset. A few spotted bass are chasing shad to the bank once the sun gets up. Nearly any kind of shad imitating lure will do the trick. Bass are suspended and on the move. The bigger bass have not shown up. There are a lot of 13 and 14 inch fish and any small shad imitation will work. Keep a Pop R ready all day also. Hit the shallow brush piles and reef poles with pig and jigs for the best chance. Some are catch numbers with little problem. A spinnerbaits in the rocks on windy days will catch a few. Fish the mouths of the coves using a Rat L Trap, or Shad Raps. Some fish are still hitting top water early and late watch the gulls and that is where the top water action is taking place. Try a white buzz bait on the lead in banks to the coves for large mouths and spots.

Find West Point Lake Water Level Information at Westpointlake.info/Level.

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.

TROUT REPORT

Trout (courtesy of GADNR Fisheries Biologist Chris French): There are still holdover trout from previous stockings in a few North Georgia streams. In particular, Holcomb Creek in Rabun County by the bridge on Billingsley Cr Rd / 86B is still holding a good number of trout.

Trout (courtesy of Jeff Durniak, blog.angler.management; report via unicoioutfitters.com): Our drought continues and streams are real low and clear. Headwater trout are wary but hungry for stealthy hunters. Stockers are scarce and leftovers are best found in larger streams that got a September re-dose. The Toccoa Tailwater may be too warm, while the Lanier Tailwater should continue to fish well. Our private waters fish have made many memories for our clients, despite the low flows. River and lake bass are still a best bet til the water cools off some more, while Lanier stripers are playing hide-and-seek. The weather is perfect and the leaves have started to color-up. Bring your light leaders, small bugs, and stealthy stalks north to enjoy fall trouting in real skinny waters.

WES’ HOT FLY LIST: 

• Dries:  purple haze, tan elk hair caddis, parachute ant, yellow or orange stimmy, foam ant, micro chubby Chernobyl, royal humpy, Drymerger.
• Stockers: red squirmy worm, slush egg, girdle bug, black woolly bugger, tan and olive mops, Duracell, psycho prince.
• Mountain streams: hares ear, drowned ant, pheasant tail nymph and soft hackle, prince nymph, crazy leg stone.
• Streamers: small black and olive buggers, bank robber sculpin, micro dungeon. (Bass & Stripers) Boogle bug, wiggle minnow, sparkle minnow, clouser minnow, thrasher, polar changer.

HEADWATERS: They are drought-low, super-clear, cold and starting to catch their annual dose of aquatic insect forage: tree leaves. Headwater wild fish will be super-spooky, but hungry in these cool waters.

It doesn’t get any better than this for daily high trout stream temps! Bring your thin-water game and have fun. Hunt the drought refuges with your best deer stalk and you’ll score.

STOCKERS: It’s GAWRD’s stocking off-season, so stockers are slim pickings right now. Aim for the biggest streams that can hide some leftovers from September stockings. The Hooch headwaters and tailwaters, Tallulah, Tooga, and Cooper come to mind.

PRIVATE WATERS: Private waters are extremely low and clear. Fishing has still been very good on our guided trips, thanks to thin tippets, smaller flies, and our guides’ drought-trouting expertise.

TAILWATERS: No recent reports. Be careful wading in those heavily stained reservoir outflows. The Hooch should continue to fish well for browns, while stocked rainbows should still be fairly abundant, despite reduced off-season stockings.  Locals report that the Toccoa Tailwater is running hot due to dam repairs and sluice flows. Check with local shops &guides in Blue Ridge before heading over there.

WARM RIVERS: Area rivers are real low and clear. I crossed the Hooch at Highway 115 and it looked very fishy.

HOOCH FLOW: Find water flow information at waterdata.usgs.gov

Shoalies and spots should be packed into refuge areas to avoid predation. The topwater action may be better after lunch, once the sun warms the rivers a bit. Go soon, before chillier fall days cool off the rivers and shut down the topwater bite.

CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVER:

Trout (courtesy of GADNR Fisheries Biologist Josh Stafford): GADNR samples 5 sites on the Lanier tailwaters with an electrofishing boat to determine the health of the trout population, particularly the brown trout. Fish are netted and then measured and weighed. Biologists can determine the fishes condition with these measurements and see if the population is reproducing. The brown trout in Lanier tailwaters are not stocked but are able to reproduce and sustain their populations.

Chattahoochee Tailwater (Courtesy of Tad Murdock, www.georgiawildtrout.com):  Fall has set in. Cooler morning temperatures and shorter days have allowed the trout to start moving around and begin to eat more. With the recent rains, water levels are up from the normal fall lows. This has also caused many brown trout to begin their spawning runs on many of the North Georgia tributaries. More rains should really push these trout further up as the low water can inhibit much of their progress.  Be looking for these fish staging around creek confluences as they move further upstream. Dry flies continue to produce on the higher elevation streams while nymphs are a bit more productive in larger waters. Overcast days have been the better days to be on the water as the bluebird/high pressure days leave the trout less active and spooky. As fall continues we look forward to seeing more insects emerging as the terrestrials dwindle. More prolific midge hatches have been coming off the water along with some caddis, BWOs, and PMDs in some of the North Georgia streams. If you’re coming to the mountains to escape the bustle of the city be sure to avoid the tourist heavy areas that are drawing large crowds on the weekends. Oktoberfest in Helen, along with apple picking in Ellijay, and other fall festivals in Blue Ridge, Blairsville, and Clayton can back up traffic heading to some of the best trout waters in North Georgia.

Where to Go for 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 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.

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