Info Provided by: Jeff Durniak, GA DNR North Georgia Region Fisheries Supervisor and North Georgia Region Fisheries staff

It’s okay to have a crappie day!

Cooler-full of crappie caught on Lake Hartwell last March.

Cooler-full of crappie caught on Lake Hartwell last March.

No, really.  We’re heading toward late January and this time of year the crappie season kicks off on many of our reservoirs.  We hope you enjoy this brief compilation of crappie fishing tips, and get motivated during the next warm spell to go “shoot a dock” (with a jig, not a bullet) and catch a bucket-full for supper.

Oh yeah, we have a bit of news on the other, minor species here in north Georgia- critters like stripers, bass and trout.  But for this week, crappie is king.  So, have a crappie day!

Crappie

Crappie Videos

Crappie Reports

Crappie Articles

Crappie Friends: Lanier Crappie Anglers Club

Georgia Crappie Rules and Regulations (p. 15)

Even a Crappie Biologist!

Biologist Patrick O’Rouke will speak to the Lanier crappie club on January 30, also, so mark your calendars: http://www.laniercrappieanglers.net/

Trout

Trout report and video from Landon:

“Dear Puddle Watchers,

I fished Smith’s Creek this afternoon (1/11/14) after the front came through. Waters around Helen were running high and muddy upon arrival but Smith’s was running just high and a little stained. Fish were very scattered in the high water but when I found one I usually could find a couple more in the general area. I caught many fish in water less than 18 inches that usually is dry or has just inches of water depth. I dredged my pink tail leech, a Walt’s worm and a large BWO nymph on a jig hook and they all took fish but nothing was as consistent as the pink San Juan that I stuck on late in the day. I doubled my catch rate out of the culvert pool with it in the last hour as I did pounding a large stretch of stream for the first three. All fish were rainbows and chunky between 8 and 13 inches. The keys to success? Watching the weather radar and knowing that Smith’s is always a great back up plan when every other area stream is blown out. It was a beautiful afternoon out and it’s a shame I didn’t see more folks on the stream.”

– High Water Fisherman

Here’s a bonus feature (VIDEO)

Free How-to:

FYI from Unicoi Outfitters newsletter

“Finally, we will again this year offer the free Orvis 101 Fly Fishing classes every Saturday during May and June.  We ask that you call us (706-878-3083) and register for the classes but there is no cost.”

Striper Report from the Pond

From Henry Cowen: “ January can be a very iffy month on all our area lakes in North Georgia. Here lies the problem.  If the water temperatures…”(continued in newsletter)

More great reading: Click on “Up the Creek” and read “Muddy Water.”

Bass

Youtube Bassin’:

Ryan’s video was so much fun last week, I dug around and found a few more kids’ productions of a different flavor: BASS!  Enjoy.

VIDEO: Are you ready for the “adrenaline rush?!”  Reid’s got a pretty good “waaah- HOO” going, doesn’t he?

VIDEO: Ryan’s biggest bass ever!

Detailed Lanier black bass report and tips from Jimbo.

Stripers

Mike and Ken’s Lake Lanier Striper Report (Look up in the “Trout” section for Henry’s report)

Deep Walleye

“Hi Jeff,

Here is a picture of me from today, 1/13/14, at Lake Lanier on a spoon in 40 [feet of water].  I also caught a 3-pounder close to the same place.”

-Alex Weissman

Lake Burton Boating Access

Looks like Burton’s back online.  Here’s a report by fisheries technician Tony Anderson. Did you know that the late winter months are typically when the biggest bass of the year are caught by anglers and brought to the hatchery for weigh-in? http://www.georgiawildlife.com/Fishing/Burton

“Looks like a two lane renovated boat ramp At Murray Cove is now open for business. Also, there is a new constructed courtesy dock. Please see the attached photo of the Georgia Power Company improvements.”

-Tony

DNR in Action

“Hey Jeff,

So how cold was it last week?  It was soooo cold that our Burton raceways froze over for a day!  See the picture.

On January 8, our Lake Burton Hatchery staff assisted Summerville Hatchery staff in transferring 45,900 four-inch rainbow fingerlings to Buford Hatchery, where they will been grown to catchable size and then stocked. In addition, 50,000 rainbow fingerlings provided by Summerville were stocked by Lake Burton staff and Calhoun office staff at 10 separate sites along the Toccoa Tailwater, from Tammen Park below Blue Ridge Dam to the public access at Horseshoe Bend, just south of the state line.  Hopefully these little guys will spread out and start growing up to provide some great opportunities for tailwater anglers in the months and years to come. It was a cold but productive day for our trout hatchery co-op.”

-Jeff Stewart, Assistant Manager

Lake Burton Fish Hatchery

Conservation Hero

This dude puts his stocks where his fly rod is!  Congrats to longtime angler/conservationist and regular DNR volunteer Roy Lowe on his efforts to make Habersham’s trout waters better for everyone.  Tip of the fishing cap to ya, Rocket!

More info on Soque River Watershed Association (SRWA)

New Regs

The new 2014 Georgia Fishing Regulations are hitting store counters and DNR offices this week.  See pages 17,33 and 34  for some faces you may recognize.

Good luck wishing for that warming trend, so you can have a crappie day!