What makes a better fishing trip – the one you plan for weeks or the spontaneous adventure you take? Maybe it just depends on your personality. I am a planner….but my kids – they are the ones that put a little adventure in me. Kids are super spontaneous, so maybe we all need to resolve to say “YES” the next time they ask, “Hey, can we go fishing today?”
NEWS TO KNOW
- Four Georgia Lakes in Top 100: Abu Garcia recently named the Top 100 Places to Fish in the USA, and Georgia has 4 lakes on that list: Lake WF George (also called Lake Eufaula in Alabama), Lake Seminole, Lake Lanier and Lake Hartwell.
- New State Record Saltwater Pompano: Georgia DNR Coastal Resources Division shared that their is a new state record pompano. Get more info HERE.
- Deadline For Fish Art Contest: The deadline is March 31 to get those entries in to the worldwide Fish Art Contest. More info HERE and HERE.
This week, we have reports from Central, North and Southeast Georgia. Be a little spontaneous this weekend and Go Fish Georgia!
CENTRAL 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, 60’S
Bass fishing is good. The full moon is March 28. The bass are moving to the points and creek bends all over the lake. They are roaming on any wood all day and a crank bait cast through the wood will draw a strike. Use a bright color. By noon spinner baits down lake in the creeks are fair on cover using Lucky Craft Redemption spinner baits with two silver blades. Later in the day, look for shallow strikes as the bass move to the creek banks and points during the day. The Zoom watermelon seed lizards on a Carolina rig, has been fair later each day. Also, on creeks on old channels, use a Culprit red shad worm on a Texas rig with the brass and glass combination. Work baits right on the bank around any cover. Duckett Lures has the Sculpo XD for deep water fishing. This bait gets to 12 and up to 15 feet deep and it weighs one ounce. Use a heavy rod for this bait. Use the Strike Kink ½-ounce jig and a #11 Pork Trailer by Uncle Josh on the points. The crank bait and spinner baits cast on the bank cover and slowly worked will get strikes.
CLARKS HILL IS DOWN .90 FEET, 60’S
Bass fishing is good. The full moon is March 28. Bass are shallow and feeding well. This month take several items to fish with. Use Carolina rigged worms and lizards, shaky head worms and jig and pigs. All of these will produce fish. Big numbers will be caught on soft plastics, but quality will be caught on spinnerbaits and jig ’n pig patterns. The Alabama rig, the Rapala DT crank baits and the spinner baits that all will run from 2 to 7 feet are a must. The type and kind are not as important as finding the bass with the Lowrance Structure Scan technology. Use bright colors in stained water and natural colors in clear water. Use a Sculpo MR Rattlin ½ ounce. The spinnerbait pattern should be good this month, also. Slow roll the bait this month until they begin to spawn, and then move shallow and speed up. Soft plastics will be good baits starting this month.
LAKE OCONEE IS FULL, 60’S
(This Lake Oconee fishing report is by Captain Mark Smith of Reel Time Service. 404-803-0741) —
Bass: Bass fishing is good. The full moon is March 28. The temperature is 55-60 deg. The lake has a light stain up the rivers, the main lake is clear. The bass are moving into the mouths of the creeks as the water warms. Pea gravel and sandy banks in the mouths of the coves and creeks will produce good fish with a red rattle trap. In the cleaner water a 6-inch green pumpkin lizard fished on a Texas rig in brush around and under docks has been a very good producer over the past week. At mid-lake, small crank baits and rattle traps worked around the same docks and sea walls has also been producing. The shad will start spawning any day so be ready with a white spinner bait at first light around sea walls and rip rap.
Striped Bass: Striper fishing is good. It is live bait time. The fish have moved into their usual locations up the rivers and close to the dam. Flat lines plainer boards as well as down lines are all working at different locations all over the south end of the lake.
Crappie: Crappie fishing is good to great. Pushing as well as long lining have been producing well. Dock shooting is also starting to produce. Find the stained water and pick your method and stay with it. Start at the mouth of the coves and pockets and work your way to the back.
WEST POINT LAKE IS DOWN 5.2 FEET CLEAR 60’S
Bass fishing is good. Fishing has gotten better as the week progressed. With such fluctuating conditions the best bites have come from covering water with lipless crank baits and medium running crank baits. The full moon is March 28. Fish are scattered in multiple depths right now from three to eight feet of water. Keep the boat in ten feet of water throwing as shallow as possible working the bait slowly back to the boat working as many pockets as possible mid lake. Our best colors have been a shad pattern with chartreuse as the primary color. Bass have preferred tighter wobbling crank baits like a Rapala Glass Shad Rap in shad pattern. Using long casts as close to rocky banks, make about five turns with the reel and pause. Repeat this cadence all the way back to the boat. Strike King Hybrid Hunter and a small size Hybrid Hunter I, a flat-sided crank bait with a unique L-Shaped 90-degree bill, will catch some fish. It can be used as a jerk bait, crank bait or a trolling bait. It runs 1 to three feet deep for the shallow water anglers. McStick jerk baits can work but be sure to use a jerk and then rest a few seconds before jerking the bait again. Fish the mid part of the lake. Focus on rocky points closest to the main river channel.
LAKE SINCLAIR IS DOWN 1.7 STAINED 60’S
Bass fishing is good. The full moon is March 28. Look for the fish to start moving towards their spawning grounds. Many of the fish have already started leaving their wintertime haunts and are moving up on shallow sandy points and flats to feed. A crank bait is an excellent choice for catching these opportunistic feeding fish. A Spro Little John 50 in a shad or craw color is hard to beat right now. On warmer days when the fish get extremely shallow, a Spro Fat John in the same colors will get the call. Make multiple casts to stumps, brush, and rocks as to be able to catch more than one fish off a single spot. Strike King Hybrid Hunter and a small size Hybrid Hunter I, a flat sided crank bait with a unique L Shaped 90-degree bill, will catch some fish. It can be used as a jerk bait, crank bait or a trolling bait. It runs 1 to 3 feet deep for the shallow water anglers. The bigger fish have been eating a ¼-ounce Stanley Jig with a Zoom Super Chunk under shallow protected docks. Black and blue has been the best color in the stained water areas of the lake. A Buckeye Spot Remover shaky head paired with a Zoom Baby Brush Hog has also been catching the more finicky fish under these same docks. The best docks are the ones with 4 to 6 feet on the front posts. Later in the afternoon, look for the fish to move into 1 to 2 feet of water under the walkways as the shallow water will heat up quicker.
LAKE JACKSON IS FULL, CLEAR 60’S
Bass fishing is good. The full moon is March 28. Use a light Texas rig on the rock and red clay points with a Zoom finesse green pumpkin worm. For the rest of this week use dark June bug, natural blue and gourd green worms in the Zoom u tail style as well as the jig and pig combinations. Try the Alabama rig with some swim baits up the lake for the schooling bass in the pockets. The Texas rigged worm and a 3/16-ounce weight cast onto the banks and around docks in the creeks will get a hungry bass to strike. Duckett Lures has the Sculpo XD for deep water fishing. This bait gets to 12 and up to 15 feet deep and it weighs one ounce. Use a heavy rod for this bait. Duckett Lures has the 110B Super Sound waking top water bait with super side to side action. With the water temperatures warming, spinner baits and bright crank baits are also good baits. Use bright crawfish and fire tiger crank baits in the Bomber Model A styles.
MCDUFFIE PUBLIC FISHING AREA (More Info HERE)
- Water Temperature: 58 F
- Water Visibility: 31 – 48+ in
Bass: With water temperatures rising, bass action is on the increase too. Lots of 20+ inch and 4+ pounders are being caught around the area. They continue being caught throwing crankbaits and shad-imitation lures in and around the shad schools. These large schools of shad continue to congregate near the fishing docks at Bridge, Clubhouse, and Bream Buster Lakes. Fishers are also having good luck fishing near the siphon and the far coves on Willow lake.
Bream: The bream bite is picking up. Good success and nice hauls are being made using worms. Try casting around structures, especially the fallen trees on Clubhouse, Bridge, and Bream Buster.
Channel Catfish: The catfish bite is on the rise as well. Bites are slow but steady. Successful fishers are using worms, both red and pink, and stink baits.
Striped Bass: Striped bass bites have been slower. Some luck has been had putting stink bait and chicken liver in the deeper water areas of Clubhouse and Bridge lakes.
NORTH GEORGIA
(Fishing report courtesy of Jim Hakala, fisheries biologist and Region Fisheries Supervisor, with help from Region Staff and local experts)
RESERVOIR REPORT
Walleye Spawn Peaking (Report courtesy of Fisheries Supervisor Anthony Rabern) — The walleye run has reached its peak. Walleye will linger in the headwaters of many North Georgia lakes for about two more weeks. We have also found more folks fishing for walleye this year than ever before. The anglers having the best success are fishing in the shallows at sunset and sunrise using shallow running plugs and jigs. Garner more helpful hints on walleye fishing techniques HERE. We have also started seeing white bass this week in the headwaters of Lake Hartwell. As walleye vacate the premises, white bass will fill the void with increasing numbers over the next few weeks.
Lanier Everything: Solid multispecies GON-tel from avid angler and GON Forum contributor Jerimiah.
Lanier Bass: (Report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant at Southern Fishing) — Spotted bass fishing is good. Many fish have relocated to be tight to docks with heavy cover and rocky points from 10 to 20 feet. The full moon is March 28. Rocks and gravel points all over the lake are key areas. The pockets in the back of Shoal Creek around the ramp are pre spawn and post spawn holding areas. Do not cast the baits to the bank early and late. The spots seem to be in the center of the coves and pockets and just holding there. Fat Albert pearl or smoke grubs on a 1/8 ounce jig head can take almost any specie in the lake. Cast these baits to the banks and reel them back. For the bigger fish work the deep man made and natural cover with small hair jigs and worms. Pick several of the larger docks half way back in the Big Creek on the right side past the rock island and fish baits very, very slowly. Worms should be greens, natural blues and sand on a Texas rig. Fishing has been fair on a spinner bait but use the 1/4 ounce smaller sizes with a single Colorado blade. The Zoom Super Flukes with a 4/0 Mustad hook will work around any wood and under docks. Use this bait on 8 pound Sufix Elite clear line to get to these fish. Skip or cast the bait and pull it back with short jerks of the rod. The points in Shady Grove Park on the east side will be good spawning locations. Use the Texas rigged worms in the lime aide colors and be sure to work the lure all the way back to the boat on points. Depths will be from 15 to 25 feet. On windy and overcast days, use the darker colors of finesse worms. The river fish are shallower and use a Leverage 3/8th ounce spinner bait with all silver willow leaf blades. Cast this spinner bait right up on the points. The Largemouth bass will also attack this lure. Add a bright trailer on the spinner bait. Night crawlers on any dock will get a strikes from the hungry and aggressive spots. Never overlook a Fat Albert grub on a lead head jig in bright colors. Find the fish on the Lowrance Down Scan technology and if have Fish Reveal use it on the DOWN Scan so the fish appear like on regular Sonar. Use the vertical jig in a 1/2 to 3/4 ounce spoon.
Lanier Crappie (Report courtesy of Captain Josh Thornton) — Crappie fishing is good. The water temperatures are in the low to mid 50’s. The hot bite target zone is 8 to 10 feet deep. The crappie are getting fat. The crappie are moving into the rivers and creeks these areas are also loaded with bait fish. Try drifting or slow trolling over the bait fish with minnows in these areas. Crappie can still be found on the docks and when you find them they are loaded. I have been finding the crappie at 5 to 8 feet deep over 30 to 35 feet of water. Try slow retrieval of a crappie minnow with a BB sized sinker 12 to 16 inches above your hook. For best results use a alive minnow! Look under docks that are in 20 to 40 feet of water near a main channel and have brush or structure use your electronic charts to locate these areas. Remember crappie love the shade so cast into the shadows of a dock. Try different Jigs colors and jig styles jigs can be used for short casting, vertical jigging, trolling or dock shooting. When dock shooting the biggest fish are usually the first to hit. Let your jig sink and give it time to get down to the fish and retrieve your jig slowly. On average for me this week has been 75/25 minnows to jigs. The most productive jig color has been the ATX blue grass in clear water and try using dark colors (royal blue/black) in stained or muddy waters. I’m using ATX lure companies plastics on k9 5-lb. test high-visibility yellow braid for my line (unless I am using a bobber) and a Piscifun reel on a light action 5’ B&M rod. I use Garmin Live Scope and the Navionics Boating app. Find me on Facebook and like my page @crappieonlanier
Lanier Lake Level Info: Track Lanier Lake Level at Buford Dam HERE.
Allatoona Crappie (Report courtesy of Jeff “Crappieman” Albright) — Had a decent morning! Me and my buddy James (sasquatch) fished until around 11am and caught 34 with 11 keepers . Albright Special , Short Bus , purple , black & pink , black & orange colors were catching. Caught 9 on a Robbie 1/24 under spin. Also, my buddy James has a jig named after him. You got to remember he is 6’9″ tall big teddy bear. I asked Robbie to make a jig with black body orange tail and he did. It’s named the Sasquatch. We caught some good fish on it today. Water temps 60-62. Spawn is about to happen!!!!!
Allatoona Bass (Report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant at Southern Fishing)– Bass fishing is fair. Concentrate on the shallower water over the last week. The full moon is March 28. In the early mornings, start in 15 feet or less in pockets or the back of productive creek ditches with a Spro McStick, Aruku Shad, or a 1/4 ounce SuperSpin. If the moving baits do not produce, switch to a shaky head and present plastics such as a creepy crawler or worm. The dock bite is improving and both largemouth and spots can be taken around docks in 15 feet or less. A shaky head with smaller plastic choices have been the best producers around the docks. The jerk bait is also a good option around the docks. Include pauses of 5 6 seconds between twitches. Skip these baits around docks and work the bait SLOWLY. Look for the docks with the black floats and metal poles, as these will hold heat the best, and therefore attract the bait and fish more readily. Use the 95 and 110 Spro McStick on 10 pound Sunline sniper. Sun seems to better the bite. Fish these baits quickly. When the fish bite, they are crushing it. The 1/8 and 3/8 jig head with a big bite trick stick or shaky squirrel. Main and secondary point in the Allatoona creek arm and just north of Victoria are producing best.
Allatoona Everything: Solid multispecies GON-tel from avid angler and GON Forum contributor Jerimiah.
Allatoona Lake Level Info: Find it HERE.
Carters Spots and Linesides (Report courtesy of Carters Lake Guide Service) — Fishing on Carters Lake is textbook pre-spawn. Spotted bass are staging half-way back in creeks. Look for secondary points with depths between 25-35ft. Drop shots, spoons, & small swim baits are producing quality fish. Stripers are on the move in/out of creeks. It’s a “find the bait find the fish scenario”. Planer boards & free-lines is the preferred technique to catching these eating machines.
Carters Lake Level Info: Find it HERE.
Hartwell Bass: (Report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant at Southern Fishing) — Bass fishing is fair. Up the lake, spinner baits and bright crank baits are working. The full moon is March 28. Use the Super Spin and Fluke trailer down lake fishing on humps and points in the creeks. Use crank baits, jigs and worms. Go to the mouths of the main lake creeks and humps and use blue and silver crankbaits. Daiwa has the petite SC Shad and shad style crankbait with a great wobble and looks like a Shad Rap body. It is 2 inches long and 1/8 ounce and mimics the shad. Comes with VMC super sharp hooks so beware. Several great colors too. The Alabama rigs with small grubs and small swim bait are working too. The backs of the lower lake creeks are stained, but use the Stanley jigs in black and silver with a #11 Uncle Josh pork Trailer. Fish any bank cover all the way to the boat, working the lure’s slowly in cover. Find any warming water in the northwest cove’s later in the afternoons. Use the Rapala Shad Raps on 10 pound test line in the middle of the lower lake creeks.
West Point (Report courtesy of Fisheries Biologist Brent Hess) — This week’s rain and the resulting turbid water will likely slow West Point Lake fishing down for a few days. Hopefully by the weekend, fishing will pick back up. However, even with the increase in water levels anglers should still use caution in the upper end of the lake. Also, boat traffic has definitely increased so remember to boat safely.
Lake Weiss Mixed Bag (Report courtesy of Mark Collins Guide Service) —
Bass: Bass fishing is good. The warmer weather has turned the fish on. A lot of fish have moved shallow into the spawning bays and creeks. Shallow running crank baits and spinner baits are working well.
Crappie: Crappie fishing is good and the bite is turning on with this warm weather. It should improve over the next week. They are being caught long line trolling with Jiffy Jigs. Colors JJ13,JJ17 and JJ20 are the colors that have been catching fish for me. The fish are suspended in the river and creek channels at 7-10 feet deep and a lot of fish are starting to move into the spawning bays.
Striped Bass: Striper fishing is poor and no reports on any fish being caught in the last few weeks.
RIVER REPORT
Coosa River White Bass (Report courtesy of Fisheries Biologist John Damer) — The white bass run on the Coosa River is now in full swing, and it is the strongest run we have seen in about 10 years. The fish are thick from Mayo Lock and Dam Park all the way down past the Old River Road boat ramp. Oddly, the river was mostly deserted on Monday when we were collecting broodstock to send to our hatcheries for hybrid striped bass production. I could not believe we only saw 3 other boats on the river given how many white bass we were seeing. The recent rain may have since changed things, but the fish were not in the creek mouths where they sometime gather. They were found just about anywhere in the main river, but were thickest in the inside bends near downed trees and on muddy banks. There is a good mixture of sizes, but the big 2+ pound females were surprising abundant. Expect the run to continue for several weeks, as the condition of the fish suggests none of them have actually spawned yet. This article might be a decade old, but the techniques still apply for those wanting to get in on the Coosa’s spawn-run white bass action.
Georgia’s White Bass on the Fly: While crankbaits and jigs are often the “go to” baits for anglers pursuing spring-run white bass across Georgia’s rivers, flies can be just as productive. Check out this On the Fly South article by Jimmy Jacobs breaking down Georgia’s white bass run and the techniques fly fishers can use to get in on some excellent “mini-lineside” action this month.
Real Time River Data: Get Realtime Coosa River Conditions at Mayo’s Lock and Dam HERE.
Real Time River Data: Get Realtime Chattahoochee River Conditions at West Point HERE.
Stripers and Bass on Chattahoochee: Fruitful trip on Chattahoochee Striper (above West Point) Read more at GON-tel.
SMALL LAKE AND POND REPORT
Small Waters (Report courtesy of GON Forum contributor Jerimiah) — Water clarity and conditions are variable here, but the general thing happening is you already have fish that are full blown into their spring patterns. If you’re a bass guy, depending on the size of the pond, there’s both fish on bed already and pre spawners. If you’re after crappie, it’s the same thing. Catfish are feeding well too and the carp are extremely active on warm days even jumping full body out the water already. For baits, take an assortment of spinnerbaits, worms and chatterbaits. Crankbaits and shallow jerkbaits will get bit as well. A small Rapala jerkbait will work on a ton of species if you’re not after anything in particular and just wanna catch fish. A yellow 1/4oz rooster tail spinner with a silver blade if you’re a beginner, old school, or just plain like to keep things simple. Soft jerkbaits, floating worms in bright colors and wacky and Texas rigs are all good choices now too. A yellow curly tail grub on a ball head jig on a medium light spinning rod spooled with 8lb test is all you need to be honest for any small pond right now. You’ll catch bass, panfish, the occasional catfish or carp, and you can just walk the bank and toss it while having all your day’s tackle in your pocket. Even if it’s just a short lunch break fishing trip. You’ll fill a stringer in a hurry this way too if you’re after dinner, and that grub will do anything from catch a finicky crappie to pulling an 8lb Largemouth off a bed if you need it to.
Rocky PFA (Courtesy of Fisheries Biologist Jackson Sibley) — Angler Clint Henderson recently landed this 25”, 9.17 lb monster largemouth bass (photo to right) at Rocky Mountain PFA. The three fishing lakes on the PFA are managed intensively to maximize fish growth, making large bass such as this one relatively common. Bass can be targeted with spinner baits, crank baits, soft plastics, and more.
Rocky PFA Part 2 (Courtesy of Rocky PFA Manager Dennis Shiley) The largemouth have started bedding at Rocky Mountain PFA. In addition, crappie fishing is excellent. The fish have moved into 3 to 5 ft of water and can be caught with jigs and minnows.
TROUT REPORT
Stocking Starting: Trout stocking will be ramping up soon! Want to know where trout have been stocked each week? Find out HERE every Friday afternoon.
DH Streams: Delayed Harvest (DH) trout stream fishing opportunities are still in full swing! Find out about the program and where DH streams are located HERE.
Parting Trout Note: 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 directly supports Georgia’s trout conservation and management programs. Hatcheries and wild trout efforts both benefit from the trout tag.
MISCELLANEOUS
Chattooga River District Open for Spring Recreation: U.S. Forest Service managers on the Chattahoochee and Oconee National Forests anticipate a busy season as many recreation sites begin reopening to visitors after being closed for the winter.
“After this long, difficult year, people are wanting to enjoy the woods and simple pleasures of nature. We’ve been working hard to get our roads, trails, and campgrounds ready for the upcoming season,” says Ryan Foote, the District Ranger responsible for managing the Chattooga River Ranger District covering 261,035 acres in the northeastern-most part of Georgia. Continue reading HERE.
SOUTHEAST GEORGIA
(Fishing report courtesy of Bert Deener, fisheries biologist and Region Fisheries Supervisor, with help from Region Staff and local experts)
The St. Marys and upper Satilla rivers are almost fishable. Ponds and saltwater have been improving, also. Winds will be stiff this weekend, and it will be colder than this week, so factor that into your decision of where to go this weekend. Protected waters will be the best decision this weekend.
First quarter moon is March 21st. To monitor all the Georgia river levels, visit the USGS website HERE. For the latest marine forecast, click HERE.
SATILLA RIVER
The extreme upper river is getting fishable. Chris Nugent couldn’t stand it anymore, and he fished on Saturday. He said that it was in the banks and flowing swiftly, but you could fish the areas out of the main current. He caught a few nice redbreasts and small bass on cracklehead shad Satilla Spins. The river below Waycross is still way too high for good bream fishing. The river level on March 18th at the Waycross gage was 11.2 feet and falling (66 degrees), and the Atkinson gage was 12.7 feet (barely below flood stage) and falling.
ST. MARYS RIVER
The upper river is falling out and should be in good shape when it warms back up next week. I had reports this week that bass, bream, and catfish were caught in good numbers in the upper river. The next Shady Bream Tournament will be held Saturday March 27th out of the Traders Hill Landing in Folkston. Check out the Shady Bream Tournament trail on Facebook for more information. The river level at the MacClenny gage on March 18th was 5.5 feet and falling.
LOCAL PONDS
A Blackshear angler and a friend fished on Saturday and caught 59 bass up to 2 1/2 pounds (released most of them). They fooled their fish with Senkos (about any color worked). My daughter Ellie and I fished a Brunswick area pond for a couple hours in the middle of the day on Saturday and caught 6 bass up to 5 pounds. The ticket was a junebug stick worm rigged wacky-style on a 1/8-oz. Capt. Bert’s Wacky Head (no weedguard). The females had moved shallow, and we had a pair of 5-pounders that were flowing eggs. Our biggest 5 fish weighed 19 pounds. I’m sure there is a big spawning push going on right now as I write this, but it will slow after this weekend front.
OKEFENOKEE SWAMP
The water level has started to drop some, and the bite really picked up this week with the warmth. Okefenokee Adventures staff reported anglers catching some limits of warmouth this week, mostly by anglers using natural baits (crickets and crayfish). Matt Rouse had a chance to fish in the boat basin and caught a 1-pound warmouth by casting a Z-man plastic crawfish. By the colder, windy weekend, the bite will probably drop off, but it should pick back up again next week with the warming trend. The latest water level (Folkston side) was 121.1 feet.
Scotty Storey earned an angler award with this 2-lb., 1-oz. black crappie that he caught using a jig at Paradise Public Fishing Area on Friday.
PARADISE PUBLIC FISHING AREA (near Tifton, more info HERE)
Fishing at the area was good this week. Anglers caught essentially all species that are on the area, but the crappie fishing was tops. Scotty Storey figured them out and ended up catching an angler award-sized crappie that pulled the scales down to 2-lb., 1-oz. He fooled the fish with a jig in Lake Patrick on Friday. The crappie were shallow all week spawning, and anglers caught them well. Folks pitching minnows to shoreline cover caught them, as well as those flinging artificials. Folks trolling curly-tails and dragging minnows just offshore caught them also as they came and went from the spawning areas. Bass fishing was good, with wacky-rigged and Texas-rigged plastics producing best. Some topwater action early and late began this week, as well. Bream fishing has picked up with the warmer water, and catfish have started feeding well in some of the ponds in the vicinity of the area entrance. The cold front this weekend will likely slow the bite some, but it should pick back up during next week’s warm-up.
SALTWATER (GA Coast)
Richard Bjorneby had a fishing trip he will never forget on Saturday. He fished with Johnny Wildes off the Georgia coast and returned to port with a state record African Pompano. The monster ate a diamond jig and weighed 40-lb., 0.48-oz. Congratulations, Richard! A group of anglers got on a big school of redfish (40-50 fish) this week in the Brunswick area. They were able to catch 7 of them (and broke one off) by flinging live shrimp rigged on a Redfish Wrecker Jighead. I got a few reports of trout and sheepshead being caught, but nothing spectacular. Likewise, a few whiting catches were reported, but that bite hasn’t truly fired up yet from the reports I received. The winds will likely be too high this weekend to hit the big water, so check the forecast closely before planning a trip to the brine. 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.