If you follow Georgia WRD on any of our social media outlets, such as Instagram, Twitter or Facebook – you have seen some mighty nice bass caught this past week. These images, plus all the good intel found below, should (hopefully) get you excited and ready to hit the water! Good luck and happy fishing!

This week, reports below include Southeast, Central and North Georgia. Should you be searching for fishing information (tips, techniques and more) on other locations, be sure to check out the Reservoir and River Prospects on the WRD website – these have all been updated for 2017 and give you targeted information for specific locations!

SOUTHEAST GEORGIA

(Fishing report courtesy of Bert Deener, fisheries biologist with Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division, with help from Region Staff and Local Experts)

The Satilla River is getting right, and the catches were good this week. Ponds produced some good fishing, as did saltwater (primarily whiting). The warmouth bite in the Okefenokee Swamp is firing off. First quarter moon is April 3rd. To monitor all the Georgia river levels, visit the USGS website http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ga/nwis/rt.

ALTAMAHA RIVER

A 10.20-pound bass was certified this week from the Oconee River (a tributary to the Altamaha). Tracy Johnson of Alston caught the new river record bass on the Oconee. Connie at Jaycee Landing Bait and Tackle reported that catfish were tops this week, and some impressive flatheads ate goldfish. Redbreasts and bream were fooled with crickets. Worms accounted for some quality shellcracker catches. Donna at Altamaha Park said that crappie, shellcrackers, and bream were caught in the tidewater. Crickets and worms produced the panfish, while worms fooled some good creels of catfish. The river level was 5.0 feet and falling (70 degrees) at the Baxley gage, and 7.3 feet and cresting (67 degrees) at the Doctortown gage on March 28th.

SATILLA RIVER

I floated the upper river with my son and his friend Eli on Saturday afternoon. We started our day watching Blake Davis catch a 5-lb, 14-oz largemouth bass from a root wad by pitching a plastic worm to it (see inserted image). That was an impressive fish. Congratulations, Blake! After admiring his catch, we continued our float with the boys messing around on SE GA Blake Davis Bass - 3 17 -IMGP4721sandbars while I fished a little bit. I managed to catch and release 24 panfish on Satilla Spins. Early in the trip an 1/8-oz. dreamsicle (orange/white) version worked well, while 1/8-oz. bruised banana gold was best the rest of the day. A half-dozen of the redbreasts were true roosters over 10 inches, but the bluegills were all hand-sized and below. Some hand-sized stumpknockers were also mixed in. The water had just a slight stain to it, and it was significantly warmer than the week before. I have no doubt that a hard-core lure flinging venture by two skilled anglers could result in a 100-fish day right now. Michael of Winge’s Bait and Tackle in Waycross said that redbreasts are biting crickets and a few are starting to hit beetlespins from the reports he received. He also heard of crappie still biting minnows in the deeper holes. Catfish were caught with pink worms and shrimp fished on the bottom in deep holes. The river level on March 28th at the Waycross gage was 5.9 feet and falling (68 degrees) and at the Atkinson gage was 5.1 feet and falling.

ST. MARYS RIVER

Bass were again tops this week, with fish ranging from 6 to 10 pounds reported. Good-sized catfish were caught by putting shrimp on the bottom, while bream and redbreasts were eating lures and minnows in the tidal portion of the river. The river level at the MacClenny gage on March 28th was 1.6 feet and falling.

OKEFENOKEE SWAMP

The best reports I received were from the West side this week. Lots of warmouth and fliers were caught in Billy’s Lake. Pitching crawfish to cypress stumps is the traditional approach for warmouth, while fliers are duped with a little fly called an Okefenokee Swamp Sally. Yellow is traditionally the best color, but pink is my favorite. Right now, fishing it under a float is the best, but you can catch them by pitching the fly without the float also in the waming water. Try both presentations to determine which is most effective on any given day. An angler fishing the Suwannee River near Fargo caught a dozen bluegills by throwing beetlespins. They also caught a few pickerel (jackfish) and bowfin (mudfish). Weeds are still bad on the east side. Fishing for warmouth and fliers around the open patches has been good, though. Michael Winge said that the warmouth bite has picked up, with the fish moving up to spawn.

PARADISE PUBLIC FISHING AREA (NEAR TIFTON)

Bass, bream, and catfish were caught in good numbers this week. The most interesting bite has been hybrid striped bass caught in Lake Bobben. Catfish anglers fishing chicken livers on the bottom started catching the feisty battlers, and they caught several each trip. Lakes Bobben and Russell were stocked with hybrid striped bass over the last couple years, and the biggest fish are pushing 3 pounds now.

LOCAL PONDS

Nathanael Johnson of Blackshear caught a nice bass from the pond at General Coffee State Park on Monday evening. Michael Winge reported that bream, catfish, and bass were the best bites, but a few crappie were still being caught. Artificial lizards produced some nice bass this week. Expect the buzzbait bite to pick up by the weekend with the warming temperatures. A 16.03-pound bass was certified from a Wilkinson County pond this week.

SALTWATER (GA COAST)

A few Blackshear anglers fished out of St. Marys for whiting and landed 21 of the tasty bulls. Their biggest was well over a pound. Shrimp fished on the bottom was the ticket for them. By the number of boats in the sound, the whiting bite must be wide open. A few tripletail were caught this week. Mike and Trish Wooten of St. Simons Bait & Tackle said that whiting, black drum, red drum, sheepshead, and sharks were all landed from the pier this week. Blue crabs were caught in decent numbers.  You can monitor the marine forecast at www.srh.noaa.gov/jax/.

BEST BET

It is earlier than usual, but the redbreasts and bream are chowing Satilla Spins, worms, and crickets on the Satilla and middle St. Marys rivers. Some giant bass were caught last week, and there will probably be some more wall-hangers caught over the next couple weeks in ponds and lakes. Look for a buzzbait to produce some big fish early and late in the day. Whiting are a great bet in the sounds on days when the wind will allow you to fish for them.

CENTRAL GEORGIA

(Fishing report courtesy of Steve Schleiger, fisheries biologist with Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division, with help from Region Staff and Local Experts)

Reservoir Fishing Reports Courtesy of Southern Fishing with Ken Sturdivant.  See  (http://www.southernfishing.com/current-fishing-report.html) for most recent updates.

LAKE RUSSELL IS FULL, CLEAR, 60’s

Bass fishing is good.  The small cuts and shallow coves are sporting low 60’s for water temps and this is where the big bass are hiding.  Look for the small pockets of warmer water near the main river and this is where the bass are roaming.  Fishermen are using the Strike King Spinnerbaits early in the morning looking for that real big bite but are resorting to crank baits.  The water is only a little stained so the numbers of bass will be coming on crank baits.  Lowrance down Scan technology can scan much wider areas with the narrow beams so anglers can see the bait, the structure and the fish four times better than with sonar.  Find the bait and you will find the fish.  Use a variety color of Shad Raps and jerk baits with the shad patterns being the best.  Use a slow retrieve and cast the baits up close to the bank and work the points and bowls thoroughly.  The worm fishermen are finding the watermelon seed is the best color and it doesn’t matter if you rig it Texas or Carolina style.

CLARKS HILL IS DOWN 9.7 FEET, 60’s

Bass fishing is good.  The herring are on the move shallow and the bass are eating them. Watch the sea gulls that are diving to the water and cover this area in the shallows.  The numerous small pockets and the points that run out towards the channel are another good place to fish top-water and crank baits.  The spinnerbait bite is working and the Lucky Craft Redemption lure with all silver blades is best.  Use the Shad Raps in shad color in the cleaner water and the fire tiger or crawdad colors if you go into the rivers up the lake.  Lowrance down Scan technology can scan much wider areas with the narrow beams so anglers can see the bait, the structure and the fish four times better than with sonar.  Find the bait and you will find the fish.  Try the larger #7 or #9 Rapala size for the bigger bass and downsize to the #5 Shad Rap for numbers.  Stick with the more natural colors like gizzard shad, silver and blue and shad.  Baby bass colors in the crank bait are another good choice as the smaller bait fish move up to the shallower warmer water as well.

LAKE OCONEE IS FULL, THE LAKE IS CLEAR ON THE SOUTH END, STAINED UP THE LAKE AND INTO THE RIVER, TEMPERATURE 58-62

BASS: Bass fishing is good.  The best results over the past week have been on a Carolina rig with a 5-6 in worm in green or pumpkin, fished around sea walls in the middle of the big coves and creeks from 44 bridge south to the river bend area.  Small crank baits fished along the side of the docks in the middle of the coves out to the main lake will produce.  Lowrance down Scan technology can scan much wider areas with the narrow beams so anglers can see the bait, the structure and the fish four times better than with sonar.  Find the bait and you will find the fish.  You can also add fishing a Rat L Trap around any deep dock and around rip rap early.  Some fish are starting to move into the creeks and coves so don’t be afraid to move in and out of the coves and pockets, fishing all depths of water.

STRIPER: (Striper report by Captain Mark Smith, Reel Time service. Call 404-803-0741, reeltime@bellsouth.net) – Striper fishing is good.  The fish are starting to move to the dam.  Live bait (bass minnows) have been the best over the past week.  There are still some fish in the river bend area of the lake, use your Lowrance to locate the schools of bait and the stripers will be close by.  Live bait and spoons are working to catch these fish.

CRAPPIE: Crappie fishing is fair.  The fish are moving into the creeks.  The fish are still deep around 12 feet in most places.  We have been using heavy jigs to get down to the fish.  Long lining jigs over the fish will produce good catches.  Spider rigging will also catch some fish.  Some of the bigger fish are starting to show up in the rivers.

WEST POINT LAKE IS DOWN 2.66 FEET, CLEAR & 60’S

Bass fishing is good.  Pick any creek and spend the day as the bass are roaming in 3 to 13 feet of water.  Use the Shad Raps, the Strike King 3/8 ounce white Colorado and Willow leaf combination and a trick worm in green pumpkin.  Work the baits slowly early and then go to the crank bait in case the spinner bait bite is not on.  Cast a Bill Norman Deep Little N in a chartreuse color to these same fish.  Use a stop and go retrieve with the crank bait early morning and a fast retrieve later in the day.  A Carolina rig with a 4-foot leader and 3/0 wide gap hook and Zoom lizard in a chartreuse pumpkin seed will work.  Use a Jacks Juice garlic scent lure on the lizard and fish it across the points.  Spots need to see the Mini Me spinner baits with all pearl white blades and a white skirt.

LAKE SINCLAIR IS DOWN 1.5 FEET, CLEAR, 60’S

Bass fishing is good.  Crank baits, spinner baits, and jigs will be the baits of choice for the next few weeks.  Fire tiger or Craw colored SPRO Little John crank baits will catch fish consistently the next few weeks on primary and secondary points in the stained water.  Shad colors will work best on the lower end of the lake where the water is clear.  On windy days a chartreuse Buckeye Lures spinnerbait with gold Colorado blades will produce bigger bites on the docks, sea walls, and grass inside the spawning pockets.  Lowrance down Scan technology can scan much wider areas with the narrow beams so anglers can see the bait, the structure and the fish four times better than with sonar.  Find the bait and you will find the fish.  Once you have located a pocket holding a concentration of fish, slow down and flip a Texas rigged June bug lizard or a Buckeye Lures mop jig under dock walkways.  This will produce a big bite from those lazy pre spawn females that wouldn’t fall for the reaction baits.

LAKE JACKSON IS DOWN .81 FEET, 60’s

Bass fishing is good.  The water has finally gotten clear enough to fish Jackson this week and the bass are hitting a variety of baits.  Look for the early spawners in ten days.  There are a lot of bass roaming and looking for that perfect area to start these process.  Go about midway up the rivers and look for the small flats off the main channel.  Lowrance down Scan technology can scan much wider areas with the narrow beams so anglers can see the bait, the structure and the fish four times better than with sonar.  Find the bait and you will find the fish.  These are the areas that will be the most productive this week.  A few of the larger bass are taking the white spinnerbaits with the majority of the bass coming off the cranks.  Several anglers like the crawfish color in the Rapala DT10 while most of the locals are throwing the balsa wood crawfish and perch color Shad Raps.  A slow to medium retrieve and an occasional digging into the bottom seems to be the preferred way to fish the cranks.  Points along with docks and the flats off of points about midway up the rivers and creeks is the only place limits of bass are being caught.

FLAT CREEK PFA

  • Surface Temperature: 73.3˚ F (23.0˚ C)
  • Water Level: 6’ 4” Below Full Pool
  • Water Visibility: 26.5”

As we progress into the warmth of summer the fish are starting to stack up around the fish attractors to take advantage of the shade and gamble on the possibility of an easy meal. During the cooler parts of the day the fish are cruising the shallows hoping to grab an unsuspecting small fish or invertebrate.  If you are fishing from the bank try casting the edges of cover.  If you are fishing from boat try fishing near any of the fish attractors or the large rock piles.  The visibility is currently clearer than usual. Until the lake darkens again, brighter artificial lures are expected to work well.  Here is a list of fish and what has seemed to work the best for each species:

BASS: Plum colored ‘Ol Monstor worms by Zoom.  Watermelon or Pumkinseed Culprit worms.  Most dark colored worms.  Crankbaits have not worked well.

BREAM: Worms (Red Wigglers and Pinks) on a Carolina rig. Near cover or near the shallower water during a full moon.  Tube jigs on a 1/8 oz. jig head.  Crickets have not worked well.

CHANNEL CATFISH: Red Wiggler worms, frozen Catalpa worms, and chicken livers tied to the hook with thread to prevent the liver from being easily pulled off the hook.

CRAPPIE: Chartreuse/white teaser tails, or similar color pattern in Triple Ripple.  Blue-bodied teaser tail with a chartreuse tail and most brightly (not yellow) colored teaser tails with an inch or two of the tail trimmed have worked very well.

McDUFFIE PFA

  • Temperature: Current range across lakes: 69.62 – 72.68 ⁰F
  • Water Visibility: 18 – 54+ inches
  • McDuffie PFA’s fish cleaning station is now open.

BASS: Largemouth bass bite has slowed down due to bedding activities.  Anglers have been catching small bass.  One angler caught a five pounder and another four or five pound bass self-released in Willow.  McDuffie PFA’s anglers are spreading the fishing pressure across the seven PFA lakes. Rodbender, the trophy bass pond is open year-round and anglers can harvest one Bass (22) twenty-two inches in length or longer.  This regulation is strictly enforced.

BREAM: Bream, both bluegill and redear are being caught in shallow water across the PFA.  Willow Lake is producing nice shellcrackers.  Rodbender also has bream both bluegill and redear.

CHANNEL CATFISH: Catfish are biting in all PFA lakes with Willow being the hot spot.  Anglers fishing Rodbender have reported several five and six pound channel catfish being caught.  An angler reported while fishing Rodbender for catfish his twenty pound test fishing line was snapped.  The best fishing is on the bottom using chicken liver, worms, stink-baits, or home made baits.  Later, in the spring catfish can also be caught in shallow water by fishing with worms or crickets under a bobber.

STRIPERS: Stripers were biting in Clubhouse and in Bridge Lakes.  Boat and kayaks anglers are catching stripers on small crank baits and Shad rap mid-lake or along the lake channel.  Stripers are biting on chicken liver fished on the bottom while anglers were targeting catfish.

MARBEN PFA

  • Water Temps – Lo/Mid 60’s

BASS: Bass are extremely aggressive this time of year.  This aggressiveness is very beneficial for anglers seeking “lunkers.”  A variety of techniques can be used this time of year when targeting bass.  Texas rigs, crankbaits, slow and fast fishing, shallow and deep just about everything is working this time of year!  Look for bass to mainly be in 5 to 10 feet of water.  Bass will be occupying a variety of habitat from flooded timber to shallow points.  Schooling shad in the morning are often good targets while targeting rocky banks and points on windy days.  Four to six pounds are normal this time of year but hearing or even seeing a 10+ is not uncommon on Marben Lakes.

CRAPPIE: Crappie will remain the most sought after fish at Marben, at least through April.  Crappie can be found in 5 to 10 feet early morning until evening.  Submerged timber is a very popular target when targeting this fish.  However, crappie can also be found hanging around rock piles and edges.  Reports of anglers catching crappie ranging in size from one to two pounds are numerous this time of year.  Sampling efforts on Marben lakes have verified these reports.  Yellow jigs and live minnows remain the most popular baits for anglers targeting crappie.  The best thing about crappie this time of year is they remain aggressive throughout the day.  Do not be surprised if the stringer fills quickly with these fish.

BREAM: Look for bream fishing to really pick up in mid to late April.  Typically, shellcracker will start in mid-April.  Look for these fish in 5 to 7 feet on sandy bottoms.  Anglers can find this easily by walking the banks.  Anglers will find bluegill becoming the dominant catch by late April.  Worms and crickets remain the bait of choice by most anglers.  Bream can be caught throughout the day but midday in April typically is the best time.  Look for bream to be the most aggressive during the spawn while protecting their territory.  Reports of shellcracker weighing over a pound are not uncommon this time of year at Marben.  If it is quiet on the lake, that means the fish are biting.  Rarely does one give up their favorite fishing spot!!

CATFISH: Catfish fishing is picking up at Marben.  Like other fish, catfish can be found in a variety of habitat and can be caught throughout the day.  Anglers targeting rocky banks and submerged logs tend to be the most successful.  The best thing about catfish is this species is not too picky about the weather.  Stink baits, livers, and night crawlers are the most popular amongst anglers.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT FISHING AT GEORGIA PFAS: LICENSES AND MORE

NORTH GEORGIA

(Fishing report courtesy of Jeff Durniak, fisheries biologist with Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division, with help from Region Staff and Local Experts)

North Georgia’s best bets this week will be crappie and stripers in our lakes and trout of all sorts (stocked and wild) in our creeks and rivers.  The storm front that came through Thursday may dump a bunch of much-needed rain.  That may muddy the rivers for a day or two, so trout fans will have to watch the USGS river gauges carefully to judge when the rivers are fishable again.  Fish-ability/wade-ability will depend on the amount of rain and size of the watershed area (acres) of our favorite streams.  Small watersheds like Smith and Dukes drop and clear up enough to fish in a matter of hours.  The Hooch near Helen takes a day or less, if the storm isn’t a monsoon that dumps 2-3 inches of rain.  The upper Chattooga is nearly always fishable, while the DH section takes a day or two to clear and subside.  The Toccoa DH may take another extra day or two for flows to subside for safe wading. https://waterdata.usgs.gov/ga/nwis/uv?site_no=02176930

For the reservoirs, the muddy river flows should actually help our catch rates.  High water should encourage the river striper spawning runs, add some color to upper areas of the lakes to draw crappie into the bank, and create some reservoir mudlines that will be prime ambush zones.  Those mudlines in the lakes are a great place for our ambush predators, like spots and stripers.  The herring and shad will be up in the muddy water, warmed by the sun.  The predators will be just downstream, in the dingy water.  That lower water clarity gives the advantage to the ambush predators, so search out the mudlines and fish them hard in the days to some.  Here we go:

Did You Know? Accessible Trouting Sites: Some of us are not as agile as we used to be.  Please recall our lists of accessible trout fishing sites.  And there’s a brand new one this year- a really nice pier on the Tallulah River.  Thanks to the partnership between the US Forest Service and Rabun Trout Unlimited, there’s another great facility here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/conf/recarea/?recid=10498 to help those less mobile anglers to enjoy some mountain trouting. More info and the WRD list of accessible sites:

LAKE LANIER

CRAPPIE

  • http://forum.gon.com/showthread.php?t=895108
  • Lake Report from Jake/Unicoi Outfitters (http://www.unicoioutfitters.com/index.shtml) – I fished the northern creeks both Saturday and Sunday. Found them from the middle portions of the creek to the back. Had some luck early on fishing minnows on a slip bobber over brush, then loaded the boat shooting docks once the sun came up. I had the most luck with a 1/32 oz jig in chartreuse.
  • Lake Lanier Crappie Fishing Report (March 29 2017 – from Dan Saknini, member of the Lanier Crappie Angler’s Club. laniercrappieanglers.net) – Water temperature is about 63 degrees and rising.  Fishing remains good to excellent.  Early morning and late afternoon – evening are the best times to fish.  Signs of the times:  turtles are swimming and sunning in the backs of the creeks; the ducks and geese are laying their eggs and are on their nests; the daffodils and tulips are in full bloom, the trees are continuing to bloom; pollen is everywhere, including floating on the water; the bluegills are near the banks in the shallows; but the most telling sign is that we are catching the dark colored (purple-black) male crappie near the banks.  All these signs indicate that the spawn is in full swing, and should peak with the full moon phase.  The biggest challenge this spring on Lake Lanier has been that the water level is ten feet below full pool.  Our typical fishing spots for this time of year are on dry land, and we are having to discover unfamiliar spots that are now in the correct depths.  The fish are scattered.  Some are in the shallows, some are on docks with structure at 15 feet or less and some are anywhere in between.  It is challenging to find those sweet spots, but once you do, it will pay off.  That is why we are always on the move, not spending more than about 20 minutes per spot.  Bobby Garland and Jiffy Jigs remain our “go to” jigs, and a minnow under a cork is always a good option right now.  You may need to take your allergy medicine before heading out, but getting out on the water right now is worth it! If you are local, drop in to our club meeting this Thursday (March 30) to hear the DNR fish biologists Pat Snelling and Chris Loony discuss the walleye, crappie and white bass fisheries on Lake Lanier, 6:30 at Hammonds Fishing Center. Stay safe on the water and always wear a life jacket!

STRIPER

The first two weeks of April are the annual period when stripers run out of our north GA reservoirs and up the rivers, in their failed attempts to spawn (because there aren’t NE GA striper lanier alan on fly 3-22-17enough free-flowing river miles to allow eggs to hatch before hitting the sediment).  Low river flows this year will make navigation hazardous, so exercise extreme motorboating caution, float a yak, or hike in and bank fish where there’s some public access.  Folks can still head toward the Coosa, Etowah, Hooch, Chestatee, Nottely, and Tugalo rivers to intercept some of these spawners on their mission.  Good luck.  Remember the $10K Lanier bounty on a fifty pound striper, too.

(From WRD Fisheries Biologist Pat Snellings) – Lanier Stripers and Spots

  • https://www.facebook.com/CatchingNotFishing/
  • This week we continued our spring striped bass electrofishing sample on Lake NE GA striper lanier 27lb shock 3-28-17Lanier. Water temperatures are in the low 60s and we are still seeing good numbers of fish shallow especially where you can locate bait. Our best numbers of striped bass came from Ada Creek along clay banks and points. Most of the fish we have been seeing have been in the 6-10 lb range, however, we did get a nice 27 lb female in 4 mile creek on Wednesday (see image to the right). If you plan on going out this weekend be safe and if you catch a trophy be sure to let us know! http://www.georgiawildlife.com/Fishing/AnglerAwards

TROUT – LANIER TAILWATER

COOSA RIVER

(From WRD Senior Fisheries Biologist Jim Hakala) – The white bass spawning run is in full swing.  Best bite is at Mayo’s Lock and Dam and many of the tributary mouths along the main river channel.  While female white bass numbers seem lower than normal this year, size quality is very good.  A number of 2-3 pound egg-laden females have been observed in recent surveys.  Crankbaits and jigs are always good bets for anglers pursuing white bass.  The smaller, but no less aggressive yellow bass are VERY abundant in the river now as well.  These mini-linesides look very similar to white bass, but have a distinctive yellow tint on their body.  Small crankbaits, inline spinners, crappie jigs and even worms will illicit strikes from yellow bass.

Striped bass are also moving upstream from Lake Weiss into the Coosa and Oostanaula River systems.  Anglers can expect striped bass numbers to increase in the river over the next couple weeks.  Stripers are ranging in size from 2 pounds all the way up to 30+ pounds.  Live shad, cut-bait and crankbaits are all good bets for targeting stripers on their spring spawning run.

ALLATOONA

WHITE AND HYBRID BASS

(From WRD Senior Fisheries Biologist Jim Hakala) – The white bass run is in full swing on the north end of the lake.  Best concentrations are in the Etowah and Little rivers.  Prop boats should be able to cautiously navigate the Etowah River up to the first shoal where the rocks are still 1+ feet out of the water. Going above that shoal in a prop boat will be risky.  Target shallow banks just about anywhere in these areas with crankbaits (ex. rattle trap), roostertails, and Alabama rigs.  If fishing deeper water with a spoon, the bite is best early in the day.  Later in the day follow the birds to find feeding schools of fish.  Hybrid striped bass have been mixed in with these schools of white bass.  Both have been seen busting the surface right before dark on the north end of the lake near Knox Bridge.  Live bait and artificials are both working on the hybrids.

(From Hollis Latham) – I took the kayak out to Hollis Q Lathem Reservoir today 3-26 and had an absolute blast. The bass are super feisty right now and can be found in shallows. I worked pockets of timber all day and it paid off big time. I managed 11 to hand and lost several others in about 3.5 hours-time. Most of the fish came on a Wacky rigged Senko with the rest being fooled on the fly with a Gurgler. Biggest to hand was pushing 3 lb. I did have 6 lb+ fish wrap me around an underwater tree and snap my line.  Why is it always “The one that got away?”

NE GA bass lmb HLatham 3-26-17

Pretty Largemouth Caught By Hollis Latham

TROUT STREAMS

Small Stream Wild Trout: Got an Adams and a caddis?  It’s on, everywhere:

NE GA trout stocking loading Chatt truck at Buford2 Apr 2016

Chattooga Hatches: Rabunites Dale P and Injun Frank got into a great afternoon hatch of caddis and mayflies last week somewhere in the Chattooga backcountry.  When I asked where, I got the standard Rabunite autoreply of IDBIS: Where? – “I don’t believe I said.” (I.D.B.I.S.) http://rabuntu.org/site/about/educational-programs/for-beginners-a-rabunite-101-primer/how-to-speak-rabunite/ , I guess we’ll all have to hike in and discover these honey holes on our own! https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/scnfs/maps-pubs

 

Sad Chattooga News: After several years of bliss, yesterday (3/28) members of the GA Foothills TU chapter reported that several of their vehicles were broken into at the Highway 28 parking lot, with vehicle contents stolen.  Law enforcement staffs of both wildlife agencies and the US Forest Service have been notified.  Please be aware of this problem and take the necessary precautions to protect your valuables.  When I go, I leave nothing of value inside the passenger area of my (old) car, and only bring minimal equipment with me.  Anything that is not on my person is locked up in my trunk, out of sight.  Hopefully our fine LE officers will find and nail this wrongdoer soon.

Family Trouting: Try the small lakes that are stocked early in the season, when water temperatures are cool enough for some good trout action.  Sites: Nancytown, Vogel, Black Rock, Rock Creek Lake, Winfield Scott.  Learn more by visiting the national forest or state park website for each. http://www.georgiawildlife.com/Fishing/Trout

Trout Friendly Pipes! Kudos to our US Forest Service friends for safe speck passages: https://www.facebook.com/GeorgiaTroutUnlimited/photos/a.193485332154.138207.102970162154/10154315763662155/?type=3&theater

Helen Trout Tournament Winners: https://www.facebook.com/Helen-Trout-Tournament-108687935822485/?ref=settings