Our north Georgia streams are low and clear and hot!  However, some good fishing opportunities are still out there for your holiday weekend fun; just pick carefully.

River Bass and Bream

This is a best bet, especially for kids.  Wet-wading with small jig/curly-tail grubs, spinners, or even poppers on a fly rod is a lot of fun.  The best bite is at dusk, so plan to be on the water from 6 or 7 until dark, which happens a bit earlier (8:30) these days.  We’ve had fun on river bass and bream the last two weekends, especially from 8 to 8:30.  Tip: the big pools are low and clear and the fish are spooky. Don’t push a wake at them or you’ll shut down the whole pool.  Stalk very slowly or, better yet, cast from the bank. Be the blue heron.

An even easier method is to fish some moving water.  Fish in an upstream direction so that your outline and your wake don’t spook your quarry. Stand in the riffle and cast upstream, into the tail ends of pools that are formed just above rock ledges, log jams, and boulder fields. Be ready for a quick, smashing strike.

Stocked Trout Best Bets

Take advantage of the cooler nights coming up and maybe you'll catch a fish like this in one of Georgia's many trout streams!

Cooler nights are allowing DNR staff to stock a few more trout streams for your holiday weekend.  Best bets: Hooch and Blue Ridge tailwaters, Holly Creek, Mountaintown Creek, Hooch on the WMA, Smith Creek above Unicoi lake, Wildcat, Tallulah, Holcomb, Rock and Cooper.

Wild Trout

High elevation streams, although low, can still fish well if you practice stealth.

Lake Lanier

Check out Lake Lanier reports here!

Shane Watson Guide Service provided the following for us:

Date Fished: 8/30/2011

Water Temperature: 86

Water Clarity: 4 feet or greater

The striper fishing has been great most days on Lake Lanier. Your best bet is to fish a 1 oz white Spro or Capt. Mack jig with a Shadalicious trailer 9 colors out at 3.0 mph. Downlined bluebacks fished 40 to 100 feet deep over the main channel and in deep creek channels have also been working well on our boats. Capt. Mack’s 4 arm u-rigs are also producing. There are smaller stripers over a 35 to 50 foot bottom around points and humps, but all of the 15 to 25 pound fish we’ve caught the last two weeks have been out over deeper water and over deep timber.

And, Jimbo On Lanier – Jimbo’s Spotted Bass Guide Service offers this:

Date Fished: 8/27/2011

Water Temperature: 86

Water Clarity: 2-3 feet

I was out on a full day trip today … (we) did pretty well, and sacked about 13 lbs with our best five and caught somewhere over a dozen fish — not too bad for August. We caught fish on jigs, topwater, dropshot, and, of course, the Fish Head Spin. Most of our fish were over deep water, but we did catch some solid fish in 25-30 as well as shallow. Scott did great in learning the dropshot and caught several through the day. We were able to drop straight down and catch them today. Previously I have had to cast to them to get bit in most cases, so that was a pleasant surprise.

Free Fishing Days Coming Up

September 24 is a Free Fishing Day in Georgia. No fishing or trout license is required. This applies to all waters in the state, but you must be a Georgia resident. Help us get the word out to families with kids about the Buford Dam Kids Fishing event  and the Unicoi State Park Outdoor Adventure Day. There are kids events throughout the state as well.

Note: Thank you to Jeff Durniak for his report. Jeff Durniak is the regional fisheries supervisor for Wildlife Resources Division’s Region II.