July is coming to a close today. Despite the overwhelming news that is out there in this world of ours today, let’s try to make August the best month of the year. We can do it!

News to Know:

This week, we have reports from Central, Southeast and North Georgia. Stay strong, get outside where you can safely social distance, and enjoy the incredible natural beauty we have in our state, and oh year – Go Fish Georgia!

CENTRAL (EAST AND WEST) GEORGIA

(Fishing report courtesy of Steve Schleiger, fisheries biologist and Region Fisheries Supervisor, with help from Region Staff and local experts) 

Reservoir Fishing Reports Courtesy of Southern Fishing with Ken Sturdivant. 

LAKE RUSSELL IS FULL 80’S

Bass fishing is fair.  Current makes the fish active.  Spotted bass can be caught all day on a 3/8-ounce Rooster Tail in all white out on the shoal markers deep brush or rock in 15 to 25 feet of water when the current is moving.  A drop shot with a Zoom Finesse worm in green pumpkin or watermelon red will also do the trick.  A Carolina rigged Trick worm will catch fish.  If there’s generation happening the bite really picks up and you can switch to a crank bait like a Bomber Fat Free Shad or a Norman Deep Little N.  Bass love frogs and a Spro white one is working.  There is also a decent big fish bite for largemouth in the timber when there is water moving.  These largemouth are suspended in 20 feet of water.  Pick apart the timber with a Texas rigged Zoom U tail worm in green pumpkin and use a Venom glass rattle in the worm for extra bites.  Watch the Fish and Game Forecaster to be sure you are using the right baits during the higher activity levels.  Use the Lowrance Structure Scan down Scan technology to scan an area and you will see the fish. 

CLARKS HILL IS DOWN .32 FEET 80’S

Bass fishing is slow.  Try marking fish and bait on main lake humps that are in the 15 to 23-foot range.  Patient and slow presentations with a jig or worm will be best.  Use the Rapala Rip Stop albino shiner.  Try a Texas rigged Ol’ Monster worm or you can fish a smaller 6-inch worm on a Carolina rig.  Plum and tequila sunrise are good colors.  Cast the Rapala Rip Stop albino shiner.  For a fast-shallow bite try the Strike King Rattlin 1.5 and square bill sexy shad.  The schooling bite around these main lake humps is not really going on too well.  If they come up at first light, try a Spook Sammy Chug Bug or a popping cork rig. 

LAKE OCONEE IS FULL 80’S

(This Lake Oconee fishing report is by Captain Mark Smith of Reel Time Service. 404-803-0741) – 

  • Bass: Bass fishing is fair.  The lake is full; light stain on the north end; and clear over most of the lake.  Water temperature is 84-88 degrees. Start the day with a buzz bait fished along the sea walls and rip rap.  Then use a shaky head and fish it under deep water docks.  There are some fish coming off the deep ledges and humps on the south end of the lake.  Use a deep diving crank bait and fish it down the side of the humps.
  • Striped Bass: Striper fishing is fair. If Georgia Power is moving water, there is a good top water bite off of the points from the 44 bridge to the dam.  Use a popping cork to draw the most strikes.   They are feeding on small threadfin shad so match the hatch.

WEST POINT LAKE IS FULL CLEAR 80’S

Bass fishing is slow with the high temperatures.  Most fish are coming from deep water roadbeds and humps when current is present.  Use Carolina rigs and shaky heads worked slowly.  When generation is at its strongest and bait is present use deep diving Rapala DT10 crank baits in shad patterns.  The best colors have been watermelon and green pumpkin when using a Carolina rig and deep crank baits in a shad or baby bass patterns.  Schooling is on and off but be ready with a Zoom Super Fluke to catch them with.  A top water bait like a Sammy is also a good choice.  When they are not on top, they can be caught in brush 20 to 25 feet deep on a drop shot.  For a fast bite use the Berkley Square Bill 7.5 and 8.5 Special Craw 2 Brown Craw.  There is an early morning top water bite on schooling fish before the sun tops the trees.  For these fish use a Pop R.  The best locations for these schooling fish have been on the southern end of the lake south of Wehadkee Creek. 

LAKE SINCLAIR IS DOWN 1.4 STAINED 80’S

Bass fishing is fair.  Try Pop R’s and small Zara Spooks at first light around main lake and main creek points and docks.  With some fish use a Bass Pro Free style spoon.  For a fast-shallow bite try the Terminator stainless 3/8 super spinner bait and titanium T1 spinner bait ½-ounce.  Once the sun gets up move off these same areas and switch to deep crank baits like a Strike King 6XD and a Carolina rig on a 3-foot leader with a Senko or Trick worm.  Anglers are running main lake humps points and deeper docks catching fish.  Catch some fish right at daylight throwing a top water hollow belly Spro frog.  After that breakout the Carolina rig.  Try the Wackem Crazy Baits Trick Stick in June bug or red bug.  When working deep docks use the Net Boy Baits jig or a shaky head with a trick worm in green pumpkin.  Top water bites are coming on the Smithwick Devils Horse Rattlin Rouge gold rogue Clown.  Try the Flake Shake by Jackall lures in green pumpkin. 

LAKE JACKSON IS .65 FEET OVER FULL CLEAR 80’S

Bass fishing is fair.  Look for the deeper brush with the Lowrance Structure Scan and Down Scan technology and find the deep brush.  This lake has no standing timber anywhere.  The fish can be right in the brush but with the Lowrance down Scan and Fish Reveal you can count them with this technology clearly.  When you crank the right brush pile there are some big fish out there.  Use the Zoom Trick worm in dark colors with a light Texas rig.  Use the jigs mid-day but the crank bait bite has been heating up.  Slow down mid-day and try a small Strike King Bitsey bugs in green pumpkin with a matching Paca Bug trailer.  Spend more time than you normally would fishing the brush and crank it from all angles.  Try a Weedless Wonder lead head as you go to a worm rig and work the entire area.  There is a decent shallow bite up the rivers so fish a green pumpkin trick worm on any river cover.  Try the shallow cranking with a bluegill colored Mann’s Baby X Square Bill around stumps and rock.

Nice Largemouth caught at Flat Creek PFA!
Working on cleaning up a nice haul of fish at the Flat Creek PFA Fish Cleaning Station

Flat Creek PFA (More Info HERE)

During these hot days, the fishermen that dare to go soak a line are being rewarded by having success in catching fish at Flat Creek.  Now, ideally the better times of the day to fish have been in the coolness of the morning or the not-quite-hades temperature in the evening.  The best time of the month for bream is during the full moon.  The fisherman that have been interviewed have said that when fishing during those times the bites have been quicker and more frequent than they expected.  Bass fishing has been great with a seven-pounder and plenty of two to four pounders being caught.  Bream have been the go-to fish for those wanting to leave with big stringers with several anglers having limited out.  Crappie fishing has not been good.

  • Bass: Fellow Georgian, Mike Bucca’s segmented Baby Bull Shad (Lure by Catch Co.). Plum colored ‘Ol Monster worms by Zoom.  Watermelon or Pumkinseed Culprit worms.  Minnows and worms.
  • Bream: Worms (Red Wigglers were receiving the most bites) on a Carolina rig. Near cover or near the shallower water during a full moon.  Catalpa worms.  Chicken cut into small pieces were working great for one angler. Crickets have NOT worked well.
  • Channel Catfish: Fresh Catalpa worms, if you can find them. If not try frozen Catalpa worms or Red Wigglers.
  • Crappie: The only angler that has been catching crappie was fishing the dock lights several hours prior to sunrise.

SOUTHEAST GEORGIA

(Fishing report courtesy of Bert Deener, fisheries biologist and Region Fisheries Supervisor, with help from Region Staff and local experts)

Full Moon is August 3rd. To monitor all the Georgia river levels, visit the USGS website HERE. For the latest marine forecast, click HERE.

ALTAMAHA RIVER

Shane and Joshua Barber fished the lower river on Tuesday and did well for bass. They fished a half-day and landed 14 bass (9 keepers) and several broke them off or pulled off. Most of their fish ate Jelly Worms and Trick Worms and averaged 1 1/2 to 2 pounds apiece. They said that the bass were really fat and healthy looking. Another angler and his wife fished the lower river on Saturday and caught a couple bass and panfish before going for a boat ride to cool down. They caught their bass on plastics, also. Catfishing was consistent, with anglers putting worms or shrimp on the bottom near willows catching small channel and blue cats. Anglers fishing limb lines with live bait reported some nice flatheads, but no monsters. Most fish were in the 10-pound range. The river level was 3.6 feet and rising (86 degrees) at the Baxley gage, and 4.7 feet and rising (87 degrees) at the Doctortown gage on July 30th.

OGEECHEE RIVER

Allen Helton caught a 2.6-pound shellcracker in the Ogeechee this week. The giant ate a Bitsy Minnow crankbait. What a MONSTER! He is processing it through the GA Wildlife Resources Division angler award and Georgia Outdoor News lake/river record programs. Danny Brown whacked the fish this week. He made 2 trips over the last week and landed a great mess of rooster redbreasts and bluegills each time. One trip crawfish Satilla Spins were the best color, while bruiser Satilla Spins were tops on the trip Saturday when he caught 48 panfish. Jess Anderson made a trip to the Ogeechee on Saturday and caught redbreasts and bluegill on rainbow Satilla Spins. The water level is getting down into the dragging zone, but the fish will still bite if you can get at them. The river level at the Eden gage on July 30th was 2.6 feet and steady.

SATILLA RIVER

Floating is the way to go this week on the upper river. The middle and lower river sections are still fishable from a boat, but expect to drag some. A few folks caught redbreasts and bluegill this week, but catches were slower than they have been. A Waycross angler shared a photo of his cooler, which had several bluegills and redbreasts and a nice 3-pound bass. Take note of the Highway 158 Bridge landing being closed due to construction of the replacement Hwy 158 Bridge. This will affect anglers fishing that upper river area, so plan accordingly. The river level on July 30th at the Waycross gage was 5.2 feet and falling (81 degrees). The Atkinson gage was 4.3 feet and falling.

ST. MARYS RIVER

An angler put out 8 lines in the upper river on Thursday night and the bait was gone on all 8 lines in the morning. One of the lines was broken, and one line had a couple-pound channel catfish that was the guest of honor at a fish fry that evening. He pitched lures for a little bit after checking the lines in the morning and caught a small redbreast. In the tidal area, put a shrimp on the bottom and you can catch a good mess of white catfish. The river level at the MacClenny gage on July 30th was 6.0 feet and rising.

LOCAL PONDS

Chad Lee flung several flies this weekend and caught bass and bluegills. Some of the bluegills were pushing a pound. He also caught a few bass on a dragonfly lure. His biggest bass was a 3-pounder that inhaled a white Bert’s Bug fished on a fly rod during his lunch break Wednesday. He had to keep a 10-ft gator from taking it away from him. The dog-days of summer are the perfect time to fish at night with buzzbaits for trophy bass. Fish the deepest part of the lake and work slowly with multiple casts across an area.

OKEFENOKEE SWAMP

SE GA Joe First Bowfin 7 20

Joe (right) caught his first bowfin on a jackfish-colored Dura-Spin on Monday while fishing with Matt Rouse of Okefenokee Adventures at the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. Way to go, Joe!

The water level is still a little high and the fish are still spread out on the prairies. Joe (12 years old) from the Atlanta area fished on Monday and caught is first bowfin ever by throwing a jackfish-colored Dura-Spin in the canal. Bowfin are your best bet right now in the heat. In-line spinners fished right down the middle of the canal work great for them. The refuge and Okefenokee Adventures have returned to their usual summertime hours (1/2 hour before sunrise until 7:30pm). Check the Okefenokee Adventures website for the latest on their services.

OCMULGEE PUBLIC FISHING AREA (near Hawkinsville, more info HERE)

An angler fishing over the weekend caught 6 bass up to 8 pounds. This area is your best shot at a monster bass, but remember it is catch-and-release for the bass.

SALTWATER (GA COAST)

The number of reports dropped off this week, but fish were still caught. A few trips to the St. Simons Pier ended up being slow for flounder (their target species). The anglers reported catching a couple (one keeper) on finger mullet, but that was it. A few sheepshead were caught from bridges and pier pilings this week. Tripletail were seen in low numbers off the beaches, but they are still there. The number of tarpon seen along the beaches has ramped up some this week compared to the last couple. Capt. Greg Hildreth reported that the inshore trout bite is improving. On his charter he and his folks caught a good mess of keeper trout on live shrimp under slip floats on Thursday in the St Simons area. For guide trip information, call Capt. Greg Hildreth at (912) 617-1980 or check out his website. Check with the Jekyll Island Fishing Center (912-635-3556) for the latest on the Jekyll Island Pier or St. Simons Bait & Tackle (912-634-1888) for the latest on the St. Simons Pier.

NORTH GEORGIA

(Fishing report courtesy of Jim Hakala, fisheries biologist and Region Fisheries Supervisor, with help from Region Staff and local experts)

POND REPORT

Bass “Heavy” for Big Bream and Smiles (Report courtesy of Fisheries Biologist Hunter Roop): This week I had chance to do some fishing after work in a small watershed pond I used to frequent as a teenager in Jackson County. Not much has changed there; the pond gets little fishing pressure and the fishery is unmanaged—it’s a perfect recipe for a bass-crowded fishery. Some anglers don’t like bass-crowded ponds because 90% of the bass caught will be small (~12”), underweight for their size, and the fight they offer can be underwhelming. The “problem” with these ponds is that there are too many predators and too few prey to maintain balance in the fishery. The plus side to a bass-crowded pond? Some lucky bream (typically, bluegill) grow fast enough and hide well enough to escape the gape of the undersized bass in the pond, and this leads to very high growth potential for these panfish. So, if you like big, beefy, hand-shadowing bluegill that fight harder than the bass do, bass-crowded is your ticket! I’ve taken up fly fishing to some degree during this era of coronavirus, and this combination of big bream and small bass is perfect for non-stop topwater fly fishing action. Shallow ponds in the dog days of summer are uniformly very warm, so targeting shade and structure that offers cover is an easy bet to entice a bite. Dragonflies, cicadas, grasshoppers, and other large meaty insects are in peak activity this time of year, so I’ve had success on top with small poppers and bombers stripped and twitched at medium speed. Bringing the family with me on these recent outings has been a joy. At age four and two, my girls have limited attention spans, but this just means they can splash and wade while I get a bream hooked, and then they proceed with the fun part. The other benefit of a bass-crowded pond, as evidenced by Paisley’s face, is that to a two year old a half-pound bluegill looks like a half-ton marlin!

Big Bass Tips: GON contributor Jeremiah shares his “Top 5 things I could tell you to catch bigger bass” along with plenty of big bass photos.

  • Study bass behavior and habits. Big ones are totally different fish than small ones. They behave much differently, especially when they get to be 7-8lbs or better.
  • Fish bigger baits. Many of these fish were taken on large worms, creature baits and swimbaits. A few on topwater. But a big slow moving bait catches better quality. The top 3 big bass lures of all time are plastic worms, jigs, and spinnerbaits. This is backed by research conducted on different lakes around the country.
  • Think quality over quantity. Don’t expect to get a ton of bites if you’re using big baits. A 2 pounder will not hesitate to grab a 10 inch swimbait, but it doesn’t happen often. Normally you’ll fish a big worm or big jig or something and you’re only looking for one or just a few bites. Patience is key. Also big bass are more territorial than smaller bass. They’re normally loners. Nobody has ever ran into a school of 12 pounders.
  • Fish where the big fish live. Deeper water with prime structure and cover around. Bigger fish tend to live deeper than their smaller counterparts. Even during the spawn. If you’re catching 3 pounders up in 3-4 feet of water, try 7-10 feet in the same area.
  • Fish during the right times. Prime time is early in the day and late evening and even after dark. Especially during the summer. But you have to watch seasonal changes because in the winter they bite best during the warmest part of the day. Your best window of the year for the biggest bass are spring and late fall. The pre spawn to post spawn period is by far and away the number one time to be on the water looking for monster bass and it begins long before most fishermen are even getting their lines wet. Definitely slow down your presentation because big bass are extremely lazy and will not go too far or too fast to eat a bait. The number of big ones I’ve caught burning a crankbait or topwater aren’t nearly as many as I’ve caught barely dragging a jig or worm on bottom.

Check out Jeremiah’s top water bass popper technique HERE.

RESERVOIR REPORTS 

Lanier Bass (Report courtesy of Jimbo Mathley)— LAKE LANIER IS .14 FEET OVER FULL AND THE MAIN LAKE AND CREEKS ARE STAINED, 80’s.  Bass fishing is good. The majority of our fish this week have come from 25 to 30 feet of water. We have focused mainly on points and humps with brush for the majority of our fish. The brush in 25 to 30 feet of water is still holding fish and there has been some decent schooling action this week as well, especially in the mornings. Swimbaits have been working well too. The drop shot bite is still in play too, so stay on the move and remain versatile with your lure choices to see what level of the water column the fish are willing to feed. 

Lanier Striped Bass (Report courtesy of Fisheries Biologist Hunter Roop) — Another round of oxygen and temperature profiles were collected on Lake Lanier this week at Buford Dam, the mouth of Six Mile, and at Flowery Branch. Check out the temperature icons on Lake Lanier’s storymap to view the latest profile data. Twenty-six (26) feet down is the magic number for anglers trolling the thermocline around Flowery Branch (we saw a handful of boats trolling Tuesday)—if you’re trolling less than 26’ deep, you’re too hot (above 80 F), and below the 26’ depth oxygen concentrations plummet under 2 mg/L. You may start to see a pattern of both shallow (thermocline) and deep (~80’ – 100’) fish as the summer progresses. Stripers are going to either risk sweating it out shallow while feeding on threadfin and gizzard shad, or retreat to deeper water where blueback herring are on the menu. Cold temperatures and low dissolved oxygen can make the deep bite challenging as the summer progresses. Further down the reservoir to Buford Dam, the thermocline hasn’t stratified as strongly, and less dramatic temperature drops means greater habitat availability, so stripers may be feeding anywhere between 20’ and 40’ deep. Stay tuned for more information as we press on through the dog days this summer.

Lanier Striper Report: (Report courtesy of Buck Cannon of Buck Tails Guide Service) — Striper fishing is good. Our stripers have been active in the morning and we know the evening bite has been good. Down lines with bluebacks are catching some good size fish, but you have got to find the schools with your electronics, then drop your bait below the fish and bring it up to the schools. Bluebacks won’t last long on a hook in this hot water, so check your bait often. The trolling lead core bite is on everywhere using the 1 and 2 ounce jigs tipped with a variety of trailers or use bluebacks as trailer. Fish 7 to 8 colors.  If you use counter reels, the baits need to be 275 feet back. The mini Mack also has been successful. Most bays and river channels seem to be active during this heat wave. Remember, Buck Tales it like it is!

Lanier Crappie (Report courtesy of Captain Josh Thornton) — Crappie fishing is fair. The early morning bite is good, so enjoy it while they are hitting because they quit around 10am. This time of year the bigger fish are in natural timber the man made brush piles are starting to come to life. The fish are holding tight to the brush pile to the point that if you don’t lose a jig or two, your jig is not getting to the fish. You will see them on the graph especially using your Lowrance down scan. If you know where the brush pile is try not to use your gas engine over it, but approach with your trolling motor. If you do use your gas engine, put a marker out and leave them alone for ten minutes or so and they will regroup. You should see a combination of bait and crappie. This means it should be productive. Deeper docks with some type of structure are also producing decent fish. Because the fish are deep you need to be focused on your line. When you feel even slight movement set the hook. Both soft body ATX jigs and minnows are both producing equally well. Try not to spend more than ten to fifteen minutes at a spot. You’ll notice the bigger fish react earlier, then the smaller ones take over. Best bet is to fish early morning. Just because it’s hot doesn’t mean they’re not biting, as we caught over thirty fish mid-July.

Allatoona Bass (Report courtesy of Southern Fishing With Ken Sturdivant) –Bass fishing is fair. There are still tons of tiny bait around and tons of tiny bass feeding on them. Lots of 9 to 13 inch fish. If you’re just going to fun fish thing aren’t all that bad. It is tough fishing, but small baits like tiny flukes and the 3 ½” jointed Big Bite Jerk Minnow are good choices fished on the drop shot. Whether you are fishing vertically with a sonar or throwing at schoolers, this bait will work.  Be sure to use light 6 pound Sufix Elite clear line. The top water bite is decent at day break and sundown. Small walking style bait and poppers are the best choice. The crank bait bite is very slow. At night the jig head tipped with a trick stick in green pumpkin and a jig are the best option around boat docks and lit areas.

More Allatoona Bass (Report courtesy of angler Matt Driver) — Bass fishing is the same as it’s been, and August will be more of the same. The night bite is best on crankbaits, swimbaits and Ned rigs. Fish are being caught in the mid-depth ranges.

Allatoona Linesides (Report courtesy of First Bite Guide Service) — Very good, especially for late July and early August. The oxygen levels are falling fast and the fish are migrating south in search of cooler water. The better bite has been over the river channel from Clear Creek to Bethany Bridge. Down lining shiners and shad are working equally well right now. We are fishing 18 to 40 ft. deep. Hooked shad are dying quickly, so take some shiners as a back-up. Trolling is extremely effective right now. A Captain Mack fully loaded 4-arm umbrella rig pulled 100 feet behind the boat at 3.1 mph within sight of the dam is working well. 

Carters’ Stripes and Spots (Report courtesy of Carters Lake Guide Service) — Fishing has been consistent this week. Free-lines & down-lines are working well the first hour of daylight. As the sun comes up expect the stripers/hybrids to move deeper (70-90ft). Live bait & big spoons like the Ben Parker Magnum Spoon have been the ticket.  Steep banks & long tapering points are key areas to target.

Spotted bass fishing continues to be good. We are finding a lot of schooling fish suspended over deep water. Once you locate fish with your electronics try throwing swimbaits in the 3.5” size on a ¼ oz head. Fish the swim bait slow & steady. Spotted bass can also be found around brush piles in the 19-23ft depth zone. 

Hartwell Bass: (Report courtesy of Southern Fishing With Ken Sturdivant) — LAKE HARTWELL IS FULL, 80’s.  Bass fishing is fair. Go up the rivers to avoid the traffic. Try Pop R’s and small Zara Spooks at first light around main lake creek points and docks. Once the sun gets up, move off these same areas and switch to deep crank baits like a Strike King 6XD or a Carolina rig on a 3 foot leader with a Senko or trick worm. Fish the main lake humps/points and deeper docks. You can catch some fish right at daylight throwing a top water hollow belly Spro frog Aaron. After that, break out the Carolina rig. Try the Wackem Crazy Baits Trick Stick in June bug or red bug. When working deep docks use the Net Boy Baits jig or a shaky head with a Trick Stick. Yamamoto 4 inch Swim Senko Green Pumpkin and 6 inch Pro Senko. Cast the Berkley Cutter 110 Skinny Cutter 110 colors AYU Table Rock.

Hartwell Linesides (Report courtesy of guide Captain Cefus McRae) — The summer heat is here! With daytime temps in the upper 90’s the water surface temperature has also risen dramatically. The stripers and hybrids have settled into their typical summer pattern meaning they’ve moved to the south end of the lake and for the most part…they have gone deep. Although you might find them feeding throughout the water column during the heat of the day the best time to catch lineside now is going to be early morning or just as the sun touches the treetops in the evening. By the way if you choose to fish into the evening be sure to drop a HydroGlow underwater light over the side to attract baitfish…and it won’t be long until the stripers show up. Start your search in the morning from the Seneca River Tugaloo River fork and work your way south on the river all the way to the dam. Creek mouths and mid lake humps that rise to 25 feet which also have a main creek arm nearby would be good places to drop a live herring on a #1 or #2 Gamakatsu octopus hook with a 3 to 4 foot fluorocarbon leader. We typically spool reels with 17 to 20 pound Stren mono and use 10 to 12 pound fluorocarbon leader. That way if a fish gets hung up in the standing timber the leader will break below the egg sinker and the fish can swim away. Also be sure to have a MirroLure Top Dog rigged for top water just in case a school of hybrids comes up to munch on a wad of baitfish. If you want to fish mid day pull out your lead core rods. Run 8 colors of lead core with 30 feet of 15 pound mono as a leader. Tie on a 2 ounce WhoopAss Buck tail jig that is tipped with an expired herring and pull the rig along the edges of the river channel and deep creek channels. If you get hung up in the trees occasionally then you know you are fishing in the right spots. Capt. Mack’s Pro umbrella rigs are also catching fish in the river channels. Be sure you have an Umbrella Retriever because you will definitely catch a tree and you don’t want to leave your umbrella rig to the murky depths. SideScan by Lowrance/Simrad is a huge help when trolling to let you see the schools that may be just beyond your trolling spread. Make a wide turn to move laterally toward the schools and you should have rods bending in a few minutes. Set the drags on your reels a little past the point where no line leaves the reel at your trolling speed. With too much drag you may get a bite but the speed/power of the boat pulls the hook from the fish’s mouth. And a screaming drag also sounds cool! The Power Reeling bite is starting to fire up as well. You’ll be fishing in 60 to 90 feet of water that’s close to standing timber. Again a 2 ounce WhoopAss buck tail with a Project X pearl saucertail will trigger the reaction strike. Free spool the jig to the bottom and then wind up at a reasonably fast retrieve rate. The key to catching here is you need to see fish on your sonar. This is a great way to put some extra fish in the box once the trolling or live bait bite has slowed down. Stay safe on the water. Use your SiriusXM Marine weather app to keep you informed on the afternoon pop up storms so you don’t get caught in them. Be sure to stay hydrated! Tight lines Captain Cefus McRae and Buck The Wonder Dog.

Lake Weiss Mixed Bag (Report courtesy of Mark Collins Guide Service) –WEISS LAKE IS 1 INCH BELOW FULL POOL AND CLEAR, 85 87 DEGREE’S.

  • Bass: Bass fishing is fair. Our fish are now on off shore structure, and the river and creek channel ledges, spinner baits, Carolina rigs and medium running crank baits are working well. The Spotted Bass are doing well on deeper structure and the creek channel ledges. Carolina rigs and crank baits are working well.
  • Crappie: Crappie fishing is fair and they are on deeper cover in the main lake and bays.  Spider rigging with live minnows and jigs are catching fish.
  • Striped Bass: Striper fishing is good and fish are being caught in the upper Chattooga River, the Cave Hole and Little Spring Creek on live shad, down lined about 8 feet deep or free lined.

TROUT REPORTS 

Trout Stocking (Courtesy of Trout Stocking Coordinator John Thomson) — The weekly number of trout stocked by WRD in a typical year decreases by approximately 50% after July 4th. Well everyone knows that 2020 is no typical year. With the closures of public access areas in the spring due to Covid-19, those fish have remained in our hatcheries and are now being stocked.  In other words, a bunch of trout are hitting Georgia waters.  Stream water temperature rise and fall daily. With this in mind, stocked trout will be finicky in the afternoon due to warmer water temperatures. Target cooler high elevation streams in the morning for the most cooperative trout. My best bets include: Tallulah river in Rabun County, Cooper Creek in Union County, Rock Creek in Fannin County and the Chattahoochee River above Helen on the Chattahoochee WMA. Need directions, check out our interactive trout stream map here. Good luck and take advantage of these fish while they are still hitting the water.

Are you still wondering where they stocked trout ahead of this coming weekend?  If so, you need to check out the weekly trout stocking report (updated every Friday afternoon) before you head out.  You can even sign up to have those updates emailed directly to you every week!

Trout Stockings Happening!
Trout Trucks Prepping to Head out from Buford Trout Hatchery

The Last Dragons:  Cool video on a unique Appalachian gem.  Healthy mountain streams provide niches for all critters, from trout to hellbenders. Anglers should be conscience of their ecosystem stewardship role and how that influences successes on our National Forest lands. The Last Dragons. 

Want to Do More to support trout fishing in Georgia?  Consider upgrading to a Trout Unlimited license plate this year.  Aside from being a great looking tag, each purchase or renewal of a Trout Unlimited license plate supports Georgia’s trout conservation and management programs. Hatcheries and wild trout efforts both benefit from the trout tag.