Enjoy this last little bit of “warmer” weather…apparently, we have the “Big Chill” coming soon!
The holiday season is here! Do you know what you are getting your favorite angler? We have the perfect gift – a “license” to do what they love best. Read more HERE.
This week, we have fishing reports from Southwest, Central, Southeast and North Georgia to get you ready to go – check ’em out below!
SOUTHWEST GEORGIA
(Fishing report courtesy of Rob Weller, fisheries biologist with Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division, with help from Region Staff and Local Experts)
LAKE WALTER F. GEORGE AND LOWER CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVER
The bass fishing on Lake Walter F. George is very good right now. Bass are being caught along the hydrilla beds with crank baits and Carolina rigs. They are also being caught in 30 feet of water on jigging spoons near ledges. Crappie are schooling and feeding along the creek channels and there have been several reports of good catches. A recent netting survey by the Wildlife Resources Division found good numbers of larger hybrids, fish from 3-5 pounds, near points in the lower part of the lake. A good way to find hybrids and striped bass this time of year is look for birds feeding on schooling shad.
FLINT RIVER
The Flint River is still low and clear and there have been reports of some really nice shoal bass being caught including several in the five pound range. Fishing for shoal bass will continue to be good until winter rains cause the river to become high and turbid. The following USGS gauges of river level may be useful when planning your next fishing trip. The following USGS gauges of river level may be useful when planning your next fishing trip:
LAKE SEMINOLE
The bass fishing can currently be described as good on Lake Seminole. Anglers are catching fish on topwater as well as spinnerbaits around hydrilla beds. The crappie fishing has improved as the water has cooled. A good place to start looking for schooling crappie this time of year is along the channel in 15-20 feet of water.
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.
LAKE RUSSELL IS DOWN 1.2 FEET, CLEAR, 60’S
Bass fishing is fair. Remember this time of year is all about the bait; find it and you are more than likely going to find the fish. The fish are holding tight to some form of wood cover. Bass are in the brush piles in around seven feet of water and deeper. Small jigs and small worms are the best early. Use the Red Shad color for any stained or off-color water and the pearl for the clear water, especially south of the Highway 72 Bridge. Use 12-pound test Sufix Elite clear line and a 1/4 ounce Bullet weight. Remember this time of year is all about the bait find it and you are more than likely going to find the fish. Try the 4/0 VMC hook on the three inch and a 5/0 on the four inch. Locating deep water brush piles on your Lowrance is necessary to find the bait and then the bass. Submerged stumps on the backside of the points are good areas as the weather gets colder. When fishing water deeper than five feet, be sure to fish the bait slow and don’t be afraid to make several presentations into each area.
CLARKS HILL IS DOWN 8.9 FEET, 60’S
Bass fishing is fair. The cold weather will get the shad die off started and the fish will be coming up to feed on these shad. Fish the channel ledges with deeper diving crank baits like the RS7 Shad Raps and the Rapala DT10 in shad and silver colors will work the best. Making long casts and keeping the bait in the strike zone longer will be the key. Use a slow, but steady retrieve after the bait is deep and try some Storm Suspend Strips to get the baits deeper. Use light ten-pound test line for the best results.
LAKE OCONEE IS FULL, 60’S
Bass: Bass fishing is slow. Using a small crankbait around the shoreline where you can find some rocks will be your best bet. A number 5 shad rap or a ¼ ounce Rat L Trap fished on ten-pound test line with a medium action rod will work best. Cover a lot of shoreline and you should catch a few fish. Using a spoon where you find baitfish in the colder water will also work well. A few fish are still being caught under docks using a 3/8 ounce Strike King Jig, Black/Blue with a Zoom Salty Chunk in the watermelon color. Work this bait on the docks in the mouth of the pockets and coves or use around any blow downs.
Hybrid: Hybrid fishing is fair and live bait has been the best bait to use. Fishing around the dam and in the mouth of Richland Creek have been a very good area. Using a spoon fishing around the schools of baitfish down the lake will bring a few good fish.
Crappie: Crappie fishing is slow and the fish have moved back into deeper water and are very tight to cover. Using live bait over brush piles or trolling the creek channels using jigs tipped with a minnow will catch fish.
WEST POINT LAKE IS DOWN 6.7 FEET, 70’S
Bass fishing is fair. Bass including the large mouth and spots are hitting buck-tail jigs on some of the main river points up around Liberty Hill and Wolf Creek. During the day, the bass are deeper and can be caught using Carolina rigged worms in 18 to 20 feet of water. Vertical jigging with a 1/2 ounce to 3/4 ounce spoon can also be productive on sharp drop offs. The best tip is to look for feeding fish and throw any shad imitation lure. Spoons and Rat L Traps are good lures to throw. Zoom Super Flukes on any wood or large rock points can take fish. Be sure to scan the areas with the Lowrance Structure Scan and Down Scan technology and it is a must to find the bait.
LAKE SINCLAIR IS DOWN 1.6 FEET, CLEAR, 70’S
Bass fishing is slow. The cold weather and falling water temperature will probably make shallow fishing much tougher. Crank baits and jigs had become the primary baits drawing strikes in shallow water. Most of these fish have been located in coves from the mouth to near the very backs. The fish that have moved toward the backs of coves are mostly near the center basin. Some good cranking choices are Poe’s 300, Rapala DT10, Fat Free Shad #6, and Bandit Flat Maxx. The best colors have centered on chartreuse combinations like green tiger, Gable chartreuse, and fire tiger. The falling water temperatures will cause the bass to drop back to slightly deeper water in the same locations. Now using the same baits in deeper versions could be the answer. Jigs in a 3/8 ounce size will work around docks and other cover. Zoom’s Pro Chunk works well when added to the jig. With the water getting colder, fish both the crank baits and jigs very slowly. Carolina rigs fished in the same areas could get real good as bass become more sluggish.
LAKE JACKSON IS DOWN .86 FEET, 70’S
Bass fishing is slow. Black bass and some spots are barely biting. Take along an assortment of jerk baits in the black and silver or green and gold combination in both the large and smaller sizes. Docks and points are the places to start first thing in the morning. If top water activity is occurring either out in the middle of the lake or close to the shore, throw a bream pattern Pop R around the docks and work it as close as possible to the dock but be careful not to work the bait too fast. Follow it up with a jerk bait in the same areas and pause the bait several times for two or three seconds before resuming the retrieve. On the points, work both baits in the same manner and concentrate on the whole point, both sides, as well as the drop off area directly on the point. Stay off the point and make casts as long as possible keeping the bait in the water as much as possible. Try the points with a Rapala #5 and #7 suspending Shad Rap in the black and gold or fire tiger combinations. Crank it slow and allow the bait to bump or grind into the bottom whenever possible. A very slow retrieve will be necessary at all times. Pausing the crank several times during the retrieve is also triggering the bite later on during the day.
FLAT CREEK PFA
- Surface Temperature: 64.9˚ F (18.3˚ C)
- Water Level: 6’ 2” Below Full Pool
- Water Visibility: 21”
The water temperature has continued to drop as the cooler days and nights have finally arrived. The anglers at Flat Creek are really starting to see the difference. The crappie fishing has improved with good reports of fish being caught trolling; throwing to tree tops and fish attractors, we have had several reports of bass being more aggressive as the water has cooled and making fish easier to catch. The wintertime, as the temperatures start to drop again, is an often overlooked great time of the year to get out and go fishing. Here’s a list of what the anglers are reporting to have had great success using for each of the following:
Bass: A Finesse Jig with Strike King’s Rage Tail Craw in a Green Pumpkinseed, White spinnerbait or Flukes. Shad Live Target Swimbaits. Plum or June Bug colored ‘Ol Monster worms by Zoom. Watermelon or Pumpkinseed Culprit worms. Savage Gear 3D Bluegill. Buzz bait.
Bream: Worms- Red Wigglers and Pinks, meal worms and crickets were reported to be working on bream.
Channel Catfish: The last anglers that were catching catfish used a combination of the following: chicken livers, frozen catalpa worms and uncooked shrimp.
Crappie: Minnows, Mister Twister Curly Tail Grubs in bright colors. Strike King Mr. Crappie Scizzor Shad Jig in any of the four available colors.
MARBEN PFA
- Water temps: Mid 50’s
Bass: December brings cold temperatures and shorter days. Despite our best efforts at Marben, fishing really slows down this time of year. Anglers should try crank baits or rattle traps in the 6 to 10 feet of water range. Do not be afraid to try a Texas rig in the same depth. Anglers will tend to slow things down this time of year to really entice lunker bass. Many anglers will target larger bass this time of year but getting these fish to bite will take patience. Mid-day will be the best times to target bass giving the sun a little time to warm the water just a touch. Submerged timber and rock beds are good habitats to target when seeking bass at Marben PFA. Fishing slow and patience is needed this time of year.
Crappie: Crappie are probably the most aggressive fish anglers will find at Marben this time year. However, do not expect to hook one with every cast. Finding them may require a little effort. Remember though, the crappie bite can turn on at any moment in these small lakes. Flooded timber is the preferred habitat and the most popular bait is live minnows and yellow/white jigs. The best thing about targeting crappie this time of year is typically crappie will bite throughout the day! Try fishing cover approximately 10-14 feet throughout the day. Expect crappie to move into shallower water on warmer days in December.
Bream: Bream fishing will be slow at Marben. Coldwater temperatures and shorter days all play a factor with the decrease in activity. Anglers should expect bream fishing to be best with higher mid-day temperatures. Remember that bream are deeper this time of year so to be successful anglers will have to target deeper water in order to increase your chances.
Catfish: Look for catfish to be extremely sluggish this time of year. Patience is necessary if anglers are in pursuit of this fish. Anglers should target days when it is sunny which should warm the water in order to get catfish moving. If warmer weather continues, the catfish will be more aggressive as we progress through December. Livers, worms and stink bait are the preferred choices if targeting catfish at Marben.
McDUFFIE PFA
- Water temperature range across lakes: hovering around 55-60⁰
- Water Visibility: 18 – 54 inches
Bass: Bass fishing pressure has remained steady across the PFA. The bass are chasing the shad in Lake Willow so increased feeding activity should translate into better fishing. The bass fishing has remained slow and steady. Rodbender and Willow Lakes have received a stocking of golden shiners and goldfish forage so if anglers match the forage they could catch a lunker in either lake. Lake Rod Bender, the trophy bass pond, is open year-round and anglers can harvest one bass (22) twenty-two inches in length or longer. There haven’t been any recent reports of a big bass being caught in Rodbender.
Bream: Slow – The PFA’s anglers have not reported catching bluegill or redear since last fishing report.
Channel Catfish: The channel catfish bite has slowed down due to temperatures changes. Channel catfish can be caught during winter months but they must be located in each lake. The Lakes that have received a supplemental fall stocking of catchable-size channel catfish are Jones, Willow, Clubhouse, Breambuster, Bridge, and Beaverlodge.
Striped Bass: An angler reported catching small stripers in Bridge Lake. The water temperature on McDuffie PFA is below 55-60 degrees so the stripers should begin biting. Stripers are school feeders so if one striper is feeding they are all feeding.
SOUTHEAST GEORGIA
(Fishing report courtesy of Bert Deener, fisheries biologist with Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division, with help from Region Staff and Local Experts)
It has been a very good week in both freshwater and saltwater. Trout and redfish were tops in saltwater, while crappie and bass were the best bites in freshwater. Full Moon is December 3rd. To monitor all the Georgia river levels, visit the USGS website HERE.
ALTAMAHA RIVER
Paul and Steve Williamson fished some oxbow lakes off the Altamaha over the holiday weekend and caught 3 bass and a needlefish. No, that was not a misprint – a needlefish wandered upriver all the way up to the Jesup area. Heather at Jaycees Landing Bait and Tackle said that crappie, catfish, and redbreasts were biting well. At Altamaha Park, catfish and crappie were the best bites. Minnows produced most of the crappie. Flatheads and channel cats were caught with live bait, worms, and cut bait fished on the bottom. The river level was 2.6 feet and rising (58 degrees) at the Baxley gage, and 3.9 feet and falling at the Doctortown gage on November 28th.
SATILLA RIVER
Michael of Winge’s Bait and Tackle in Waycross said that effort has been low with the low river levels. Crappie were the best bite, and minnows fished in deep holes produced the best catches. Quite a few catfish were caught by anglers fishing shrimp on the bottom. The river level on November 28th at the Waycross gage was 4.4 feet and rising (61 degrees) and at the Atkinson gage was 3.2 feet and rising.
ST. MARYS RIVER
Bream bit this week before the river level spiked with the rains. Crickets produced most of them. Catfish were caught with pink worms fished on the bottom. The river level at the MacClenny gage on November 28th was 5.8 feet and falling.
OKEFENOKEE SWAMP
The only report I received was from anglers who caught bowfin (mudfish) while fishing for catfish on the bottom. The flier bite should pick up over the weekend with the consistently warm afternoon temperatures. Pitching sallies will be an effective presentation. I usually use a small balsa float this time of year and set the hook as soon as the float twitches (fliers will rarely sink the float like a bluegill does). The water level on the east side is 120.47 feet (about a foot higher than I usually like it for peak fishing).
PARADISE PUBLIC FISHING AREA (NEAR TIFTON)
Ellie, Timothy, Teresa, and I spent a day over the holiday weekend hiking the nature trail,
Timothy Deener caught and released this slab crappie on Saturday while trolling a Texas hippie Assassin 2-inch Curly Shad at Paradise Public Fishing Area near Tifton (he caught it in Lake Patrick)
paddling, and fishing at the area. During the short time we fished, we caught a big crappie and a couple small bass. The crappie inhaled an Assassin Texas hippie 2-inch Curly Shad and the bass ate a chartreuse Curly Shad fished on a 1/16-oz. Flashy Jighead. Another angler trolling on Lake Patrick caught 11 nice crappie by trolling curly-tailed grubs in the deeper areas. Several folks reported catching nice bass, mostly on plastic worms. The bream bite was good in several lakes for anglers fishing crickets and beetlespins.
DODGE COUNTY PUBLIC FISHING AREA (NEAR EASTMAN)
An angler reported throwing swimbaits and catching an 8, a 5 and a 3-pound bass over the weekend. The big catfish were eating mullet gut. If you’ve never spun aged, stinky mullet gut around a hook, you’re missing a thrill…ok, maybe not.
LOCAL PONDS
Chad Lee and Daniel Johnson continued their assault on quality bass. They averaged 5 to 10 bass per trip, and their biggest this week was a solid 5-pounder that ate a black/blue Christie Craw. Michael Winge said that the best bite in Waycross area ponds was for crappie, and minnows were the best bait. Pink worms produced some catfish, while shiners worked for bass. With the warm afternoons this week, expect the bream bite to pick back up.
SALTWATER (GA COAST)
A pair of anglers fishing artificials in the Brunswick area the middle of last week caught 20 keeper trout. Another pair of anglers threw artificials up in a small creek and caught their limit of trout in just a few hours of fishing. On Saturday, some Waycross anglers fished out of Crooked River and caught 5 redfish and 42 trout. They caught reds on chicken-on-a-chain Sea Shads fished on a Flashy Jighead, spinnerbaits, and minnow plugs. Many of their trout came on Flashy Jigheads suspended under Equalizer Floats. Their best Sea Shad colors were Mississippi hippie, Calcasieu brew, and Texas roach. On Sunday afternoon, a trio of anglers fished out of Crooked River and caught 11 trout. Their fish were fooled with space guppy Sea Shads skewered on Flashy Jigheads and suspended underneath Cajun Thunder Floats (3-inch cigar float) and Texas roach Sea Shads fished on an 1/8-oz. Flashy Jighead and fished without the float. Mike and Trish Wooten of St. Simons Bait & Tackle said that sheepshead were biting extremely well, and tons of whiting were caught from the pier, as well. Blue crabs were caught again in good numbers this week. You can monitor the marine forecast HERE.
BEST BET
The weather forecast is for stable, warm weather for the next week. Under those conditions, pretty much all bites should fire off. Afternoons will be best for most species, as their activity level should be highest during the warmest part of the day and as daylight diminishes. Big tides will return with the coming full moon, but you can still catch lots of trout and redfish around Intracoastal Waterway creek mouths and oyster bars. I usually do best fishing artificials around high tide when the tidal fluctuation is big.
NORTH GEORGIA
(Fishing report courtesy of Jeff Durniak, fisheries biologist with Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division, with help from Region Staff and Local Experts)
Anyone watching north Georgia’s long range weather reports is expecting winter’s arrival next week, so they will plan some fishing trips ASAP to take advantage of our lingering mild weather and warmer-than-normal water temperatures. Best bets this weekend include deep reservoir bass, scattered stripers and hybrids under their strike indicators (gulls and loons), and especially trout in the larger, slightly warmer streams and tailwaters. Since we’re really in a short-term drought in the mountains, trouters should take advantage of the wading opportunities in our bigger waters like the Chattooga and Toccoa. Afternoons are a better bet than mornings, since PM water temps approach fifty degrees, while those morning lows hover around forty and the fish simply don’t have much of an appetite. Bluelines are pretty well frozen, and those little wild trout are now dug in under rocks and not very cooperative. Check Water Data Info HERE. Winter rains will make these big trout rivers much more difficult to wade-fish, so get to them while they’re down. Here we go:
Areas like this are just waiting on you to visit! Beautiful scenic shot of the Toccoa River – Delayed Harvest trout stream
Ken’s Reservoir Reports The Southern Fishing Report
LAKE LANIER
Bass: (This report brought to you by: Jimbo Mathley Jimbo on Lanier) – Lake Lanier is down 5.4 feet, the creeks are stained and the main lake is clear & 60’s. The lake conditions have remained much the same since my last report. The surface temp has dropped by 1 degree and the lake has dropped .1 feet. The areas around Browns Bridge and above are continuing to show signs of turnover. The lower lake from about 6 mile north looks like it is starting to turn as well. The areas down around Bald Ridge Creek and Shoal Creek still look mostly clear in the main body and in the main river channels, however the creek arms are starting to show some stain. The fish are still spread out both in the mouths of the creeks and further back in as well. The schooling bite is minimal but still present in the backs of creek pockets around daylight and again in the afternoon. Try a jerk bait or a Sebile on the schooling fish. If the fish do school and are chasing smaller bait fish, or you are having a hard time getting the fish to commit to swimbait or jerk bait offerings, try a spy bait. Count it down and work it slowly. A Picasso ShakeDown Head with a finesse worm and a Chattahoochee jig are still good for some bites on clay and rock points as well as in the brush the spoon bite has again been very good over the last week. We are finding spoon fish out in 30 45 ft. at the mouths of ditches, as well as further back in some cases. The spoon bite has definitely been our dominant pattern this past 2 weeks and seems to be consistent every day in terms of its presence. The bite is always there, but some days it is better than others that’s just fishing. If you want to learn the deep bite with a spoon, now is the time!
Striper: (This Lake Lanier Striper report is from Big Fish On guide Service) – Striper fishing is fair. Every day is a new day. One day you can find and catch fish and the next day the fish seemed to have disappeared and when you do find a few fish they will not 
bite. One day they only want small baits and the next day Herring is the ticket. We have been taking a variety of baits including medium shiners, blueback herring, medium gizzard shad and a few Trout. We are relying on our Lowrance HDS and the Sea Gulls to find the fish and this is when the Lowrance Structure Scan can pay huge dividends. If you are having trouble finding the fish pull a combination of free lines, planner boards and down rods in areas with a high concentration of bait fish. In addition, keep someone on the front deck casting a buck tail jig as you pull baits. Use split shots on the free lines and vary the distance behind the boat and planner boards to cover a wide area both horizontally and vertically in the water column. Vary the speed on your trolling motor from .7 to 1.0 MPH. The Sea Gulls can be used to locate feeding Stripers. The key is to keep your eyes on the water looking for Gulls feeding on bait fish pushed to the surface by feeding Stripers. Once you find schooling fish the Buck tail jig with a small fluke trailer and the Sebile Magic Swimmer have been the “go to bait”. Always deploy a free line Herring when you are casting for schooling fish. Look for the lake water temperature to continue to drop as the weather forecast is calling for a cold front with much colder temperatures this week. The water temperature is currently in the low 60’s. The water is lightly stained in the creeks and clear on the main lake. The lake is 5.49 feet below full pool.
Crappie: (This Lake Lanier Crappie report is from Dan Saknini, member of the Lanier Crappie Angler’s Club) — Water temperature is in the upper 50’s and is dropping slowly. Some creeks have a slight stain and since we’ve not had rain lately, these areas can be a degree or two warmer. If you notice bait in these areas, there are most likely crappie clinging to the brush piles. Some schools of crappie are moving to more shallow brush piles, in the 10 foot depth range. Don’t confuse stand-alone brush piles with blow downs, as that is more of a spring pattern. Some of the bigger fish are moving to docks in the middle to backs of creeks, and they are eager to bite. We’ve been using a variety of jigs, both soft body and hair jigs, in 1/24 and 1/16 ounce. Our conclusion is that the color does not matter right now. The bite should continue to be strong. There is plenty of bait out there, and the fish are still feeding on small threadfins, so pay attention to the bait in the creeks you are fishing. Live bait instead of jigs should also work well. If you like long line trolling, this is the time of the year that should produce. The backs of the creeks are ideal areas for that method, using your trolling motor at higher or variable speeds. Look for flat bottoms in those areas. Double up on the curly tail jigs with two per rod, each with 1/16 ounce jig heads. Use the short rods in the back of the boat and longer rods toward the front, with two foot differences in length. Your jigs should be running at about eight to ten feet below the surface. If you like to fish with live bait, a slip cork is a must if the fish are at eight to fifteen foot depths. Otherwise, a Carolina rig and egg sinkers with swivels on each side using the down line method with crappie minnows should also work.
LAKE ALLATOONA IS DOWN 7.6 FEET, 60’S, CLEAR
Bass: (This Lake Allatoona Bass fishing report is by Tournament angler Matt Driver) – Bass fishing is fair to good. This month bass are moving out deeper and continuing to follow migrating shad patterns. Look for the Lowrance to show the suspended bass. The Float n Fly and jerk bait bites are getting good. As water temps drop into the low 50’s and sometimes into the high 40’s by the end of the month, fish activity tends to slow, but the bite is still good. We target main lake bluff walls and secondary points near channel swings. This time of year, the bite can be hit or miss, especially after a strong cold front where we have bluebird’s skies. Many times when the bite gets tough rely on the Lowrance Structure Scan and Down Scan technology along with the world’s best sonar and fish a drop shot. We use 6 pound test Sunline Sniper Fluorocarbon with a 3/16 or ½ ounce weight with a Gamakatsu drop shot hook and a Big Bite Limit Maker in silver and blue. The bite can be light, so be on guard. Fish from Stamp Creek north to Little River.
Striper: (This Lake Allatoona Fishing Guide Report is brought to you exclusively by Robert Eidson of First Bite Guide Service) – Line side fishing is good and getting better. The fall bite is starting to heat up. The north end of the lake is still producing some nice stripers, along with good numbers of white bass. The bigger stripers are eating gizzard shad fished on planer boards and free lines right at sunup and again at sundown. Look for these fish from Little River up to Fields Landing and as far south as Kellogg’s. The hybrids and white bass are really starting to school and blowing up all over the lake right now. We have seen some big schools breaking the surface from the dam to the S turns. These busting fish will eat almost anything you throw at them. When these fish go down, they will still bite threadfins and small gizzards fished on downlines, as well as spoons. Bait is starting to get really hard to net, so be sure to take some with you. Striper Soup has plenty of fresh shad of all sizes in stock. The seagulls are starting to show up and will make finding the fish a little easier for us over the upcoming holiday break. Remember, Allatoona has very few loons. If you see birds diving on Allatoona, this normally means there are lineside nearby. If you troll, keep pulling your Mack Farr u rigs 60 to 120 feet behind the boat at speeds between 2.4 3.1 mph.
LAKE HARTWELL IS DOWN 7.8 FEET, CLEAR, 60’S
Bass: (This bass fishing report is by Josh Panyard) – Bass fishing is fair. Water Level is down 7.34 feet below full pool. As the turnover continues areas of the lake are starting to have that brownish color to them. The water continues to cool with the cold nights and early mornings. With the turnover going on the better oxygen is in the shallower areas so we continue to fish the major creek arms in the Tugaloo. The key is always the bait when we found it we fished those areas with moving baits which include a buzz bait and a crank bait. Some of the creek arm areas have stained water so they are keeping a good bit of fish shallower throughout the entire day. If you move from area to area consistently you can find numbers of fish but if you slow down the numbers won’t be there. Also look for shallow brush it has been holding lots of bait and crappie and when we find this we have been finding bass in those areas as well using a jig to catch them. Out on the main lake fish have been anywhere from 25 to 45 feet the baits we have been throwing have been a underspin, small swim bait, jig, drop shot, and shakey head. You will want to cover as much water as you can so keep the trolling motor on high hit the high percentage structure and cover and keep moving in the Tugaloo River. On the main lake same deal keep moving if you don’t get bit within the first 10 minutes pull up the trolling motor and move to the next spot. The lake is still low and there are a lot of objects sticking up out of the water and not marked so be safe out there and we hope to see you on the water.
WEISS LAKE IS AT 4 FEET 3 INCHES BELOW FULL POOL AND CLEAR AND 54 56 DEGREE (MARK COLLINS GUIDE SERVICE)
(Lake Report by Southern Fishing by Ken Sturdivant)
Bass: Bass fishing is good and a lot of fish are still shallow, in the bays and coves following the shad, Rat L Traps, shallow running crank baits and spinner baits are catching fish. The Spotted Bass are biting great in the upper Coosa River near Riverside Campground, and in the upper parts of Little River and the Chattooga River. Some fish are starting to move to a deeper winter pattern.
Crappie: Crappie fishing is good and they are biting well on the main Coosa River channel ledges in 12 to 18 feet of water. They can be caught Spider rigging with live minnows, over structure. Some fish are starting to suspend and can be caught on a Float and fly and long line trolling with jigs. Tabs cove and Little River is producing fish long line trolling.
Striper: Striper fishing is poor and a few are being caught in the Coosa River near Riverside camp ground.
TROUT
“Legs and eggs” showing a nice Delayed Harvest Rainbow Trout from the Chattooga
Delayed Harvest Trout Reports: “Legs and eggs” is just about Dredger’s favorite winter recipe for DH trouting success. The attached photo shows that hot tandem in action.
More winter trouting tips: HERE and HERE
Latest trout fishing reports and some good, old videos follow:
- Hooch News: HERE and HERE
- Toccoa News: HERE
- Tooga News: HERE, HERE, and HERE
- Ami News: HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE
- Smith News: HERE and HERE
- Dukes News: HERE
Upper Reaches of Unnamed Border River: First off, happy Thanksgiving. Can’t even
Thanksgiving Chattooga Trout for Splatek
begin to say how grateful I am to you both for your advice, tips, tricks, etc over the last year. Second, today I finally carved out an hour or so to fish IDBIS. I hiked in about 2+/- miles and started fishing. Immediately got a brown, on the dry! Then some pretty bows, then the attached brown that just made my day. Cheers for a great holiday with loads of food and good times! Splatek
Upper Hooch Tailwater: News to Know HERE, HERE and HERE
Chilly Bluelines – the Slowdown: It’s all about water temps, folks! More HERE and HERE
Holiday Road Trip Results: Dredger, What sort of egg is your favorite? Can you share details? Just getting home from Louisiana visiting family and wetting a line in the marshes (see pic): — Pescador
Boatload of December Fishing Tips by Top Georgia Guides: More HERE
The Considerate Community of Georgia Anglers: More HERE
Go right now to capture this last good dose of warm fall weather. Before you know it, you’ll be dressed like an Eskimo and dragged mall-to-mall to knock out your holiday gift lists. Of course, take a little time out tomorrow for the SEC championship, but plan a trip around that event if you can. And if you’re not a Dawg or War Eagle fan, realize that you’ll have a lot of water all to yourself tomorrow afternoon! Good luck and, as always, thanks for buying your fishing licenses and TU brookie license plates.