RESERVOIR REPORT 

Allatoona Bass: (Report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant www.southernfishing.com) — Bass fishing is fair. Get out early or after dark. Start your day by fishing some form of top water. Cast to main lake points and flats with the Jackal SK Pop Grande in a shad color. As the day progresses, fish the same points as well as pole markers with a Carolina rig and a 2 to 3 foot leader with a ½ to ¾ weight. Use a 4 Net Bait finesse worm in green pumpkin watermelon color with the Shaky Head in these same areas. The morning top water bite is a little slow. You can still catch a few fish first thing in the morning on a small Pop R or Bonnie 95. Fish points on the mid section of the lake. Throughout the day has been pretty tough. Concentrate on fishing around docks and cover with a Net Bait Finesse Worm in Key Lime Pie or Paca Melon on a Shaky Head. Fish very slowly. In the evening fish a Shaky Worm or small jig around the same cover as earlier in the day. It seems like you have to make the fish bite, but just stick with it. If you are in the cover, fish slowly and methodically and it should prove to be a productive way to catch some fish. A few good fish are being caught on big crank baits. After dark, throw a DD22 in midnight blue or a 700 Bandit in Summer Shad. Fish these baits on steep rock banks or rocky points. The best time to fish starts in the evening and continues into the night. The night bite is getting better every night. Fish steep rock banks with a ½ ounce black Punisher Spinnerbait. Be sure to use a very slow Yo Yo retrieve to attract bites. For the crank bait fish after dark fish points as well as flats with a Norman DLN in Midnight Blue color. 

Allatoona Lake Levels: Keep track of daily lake level changes HERE.  

Lake Burton (Reports courtesy of GON’s Fishing Report) Level: Full pool. Temp: 71 degrees. Clarity: Clear. 

• Bass: Wes Carlton, of Georgia Lake Fishing, reports, “The bass bite has been very strong the last few days. We have caught fish on top and shallow every trip. I haven’t seen the topwater bite this good in several years. Plastic worms have been working well midday around brushpiles on pumpkin-seed finesse worms. We have had some luck with Sebille swimbaits working the shallows around docks for bigger largemouth. Look for this bite to continue for the next few weeks as we head toward the summer pattern.” 

• Brown Trout: Wes Carlton reports, “The trout bite has been good the last couple of days. We have caught most of the fish in shallow water in the mouths of the creeks. Try using perch- or herring-colored Lucky Craft small jerkbaits. We are finally starting to see some bigger trout in the 5- to 6-lb. range being caught. We have caught a few rainbow trout while trolling crawler harnesses for walleye. Look for the brown trout bite to get better every week as the water warms up. These fish will congregate toward to deeper water as it gets hotter.” 

• Walleye: Wes Carlton reports, “The bite has been slow the last week or so. Most of the population of walleye seem to be heading toward deeper water. Look for this bite to pick up as the schools of herring get deeper.”

Lake Hartwell (Reports courtesy of GON’s Fishing Report) –

• Bass: Guide Matt Justice reports, “Fishing has entered a true summer pattern and has become quite tough on the weekends with the excessive boat traffic. Fishing during the week has been good when the dam is generating power. Two good methods have been a deep-diving crankbait and walking topwaters on points in 10 to 30 feet of water. Look for brush and rocks in these areas. Shallow fishing has been tougher than usual. Look for a frog bite to develop in the backwaters. Keep an eye out for groups of bluegill as they are sure to have largemouth nearby.” 

• Linesides: Guide Preston Harden reports, “June is a transition month. The water is warming, and the fish are looking for cooler water. Bass and crappie do not migrate far. They move from the shallows to offshore brush and other structure. Hybrids and stripers migrate from the creeks and upper reaches of the lake to the lower lake. The creeks and upper lake develop a thermocline as the water gets hot. I look for fish suspended above the thermocline as they migrate toward the lower lake. Live blueback herring work great. Do not lower the herring below the thermocline since this will kill them quickly. There is very little oxygen below the thermocline. The thermocline is usually about 30 to 40 feet deep. Early morning will show the thermocline on most sonars. It will look like a fuzzy layer about 35 feet deep. Bass and crappie transition from the shallows to offshore structure 20 to 30 feet deep. As the summer pattern sets up, good bass fisherman will throw a topwater plug over the brush. If nothing comes up, they will look down at the brush with their sonar. If fish are seen, they will fish vertically with a drop shot or a shaky head.”

Lanier Bass (Report Courtesy of Phil Johnson via www.southernfishing.com) — Bass fishing on Lake Lanier is very good. Not a lot has changed since last week on Big Sid. The water temperature is slowly rising and the bass are headed to their summer homes. Brush is the key right now whether it is located on humps or long points. The key is about depth now and as long as you stay in the twenty to thirty foot range you should find fish. It seems that there has been more activity showing up on the main lake as we have moved through the week. A variety of top water lures are producing fish if you get in the right areas. The fish are schooling early in the morning and sporadically throughout the day with Chug bugs, spooks and a variety of walking baits producing bites. Often the bass will hit it several times before they finally get the bait so you need to be patient with your hookset. Probably the steadiest bite has still been the fluke. The white fluke along with the Lanier Baits Blue Ghost fluke are working great. I’m running it on a spinning rod loaded with ten pound braid with a leader of ten pound fluorocarbon. The rhythm I’m using is just a smooth pull and let it fall. If you find these bites slow then move to the Dropshot. The Blue Lilly Dropshot worm by Lanier Bait has been my go to this week on the drop shot. This is a great way to put numbers in the boat but you may need to run several brush piles to find one that is loaded with fish but once you do they are usually aggressive. The night bite is still good using either the half ounce spinnerbait or a medium depth crankbait. This week the blue and black spinnerbait along with a red crankbait have steadily produced. If you are on Lanier at any time, but especially at night, watch for the heavy boat traffic. It seems everyone bought a boat during Covid and are now on the lake whether they know how to run a boat or not so be careful, this is the Lanier busy season. Good luck and Go Catch ‘Em! 

Lanier Linesides (Report courtesy of Buck Cannon via www.southernfishing.com) — Lanier striper report this week indicates that you can use your electronics to locate bait from the dam to Gainesville. Down lines with blue backs has produced fishing over a 50 foot bottom in pockets, put bait 25 to 35 feet deep and keep a top water lure ready to throw in to the eruption of fish. The lead core is back fishing 8 colors with a five inch swim bait. Last but not least the umbrella rigs are productive over humps and points 89 120′ behind the boat. Buck Tales 404 510 1778 bookings available for July.

Lanier Crappie (Report courtesy of Captain Josh Thornton via www.southernfishing.com) — Crappie fishing is good. The water temperatures are in the low to mid 80s. The hot bite target zone is 10 15 foot deep. The crappie are on the docks and also can be found on open water brush piles and blow downs. I always put out a Crappie minnow some days the crappie just want a minnow. If you have live scope or active imaging set the minnows just above the fish. Right now I am setting the minnows around 10’ 12’ deep. For best results use an active minnow not a dead minnow. Look under covered docks that are in 20 to 40 feet of water and near a main channel look for 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. The most productive jigs this time of year have been the translucent and light colored jigs. When dock shooting the biggest fish are usually the first to bite. Let your jig sink and give it time to get down to the fish and retrieve your jig slowly. I’m using ATX lure companies plastics I use 5 pound test high visibility yellow braid for my line (unless I am using a bobber) and a Piscifun reel on a Acc crappie Stix. I use Garmin Live Scope and the Navionics Boating app.

Lake Weiss Mixed Bag (Report Courtesy of Mark Collins Guide Service) –

• Bass: Bass fishing is fair and a most fish have moved to a summer pattern on main lake points, road beds and the creek and river channels, Crank baits and Carolina rigs are working well. Flipping docks with jigs is also catching fish.

• Crappie: Crappie fishing is fair and they have moved to deeper brush. Spider rigging with live minnows over brush is the way to catch these post spawn fish. Some Crappie are still being caught shooting docks with jigs.

• Striped Bass: Striper fishing is good and they are in the upper Chattooga River, Little Spring creek and the Cave Hole, live Shad down lined and free lined is catching fish.

• Catfish: Catfish are biting in the bays and creeks in 8 to 15 feet of water, cut bait is working best.

West Point Bass (Report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant www.southernfishing.com) — Bass fishing has been good. Fish are really spread out in two groups this week. The top water bite is on fire first thing in the morning on points and lay downs. Buzz baits, Spooks, and Pop R’s are producing when cast very close to cover and then slowly worked back to the boat. During the mid morning pitch jigs close to overhanging limbs with bream present. These fish have been highly pressured so work the bait slowly. The strike zone will be in the first five feet of the overhanging limbs. Once the sun is high focus on docks and lay downs near the mouth of pockets with green pumpkin a Z Man floating worm. The Z Man floating worm will stand up on a 1/8 or 3/16 ounce shaky head so do not be afraid to let this bait soak to catch larger fish. The deep crank bait bite is beginning to turn on in the afternoon during generating schedules. Look for fish to begin stacking up on long points and roadbeds close to the main river channel. The best points are from the 109 bridge north going up the river. During generation periods use deep diving crankbaits on humps and road beds. Spro has a Little John Type R shallow running crankbait that works well over shallow water submerging vegetation. It has a computer chips style lip for a fast wobble and several great colors. 

RIVER REPORT 

Chestatee River (Report courtesy of Fisheries Biologist Hunter Roop) — This week Gainesville Fisheries staffers sampled the lower Chestatee River (downstream of 400) to as a part of our collaborative study of the black bass community in Lanier’s headwaters. The river was falling and muddy from this week’s rain, which weren’t the best conditions for bass sampling. The river was also too low to access the shoals at Lumpkin County Park where we have caught several Shoal Bass before.  We were able to net nine bass (seven Spotted Bass and two Largemouth), with the largest being a 2.5 lb Spot. As we moved downstream, we found fish congregating in the deeper holes including a group of stripers ranging from 2 lb to 10 lb, and this impressive Flathead Catfish. We found our quartet of river predators gorging on a buffet of schooling Spottail Shiners seeking refuge in natural eddies and downstream of blowdowns in the deeper holes on the outside bends. A variety of presentations can be effective for summer bassin’ in the river including a good ol’ Texas rigged worm, shallow-diving crankbaits in crawfish and minnow patterns, spinner baits, and of course a jig with your favorite trailer. At this time the river is low and has likely cleared up, but the rain today will likely make fishing difficult over the weekend, so consider putting this Chestatee haunt on tap for the near future when low and clear conditions return.

Etowah River (Report courtesy of Fisheries Biologist John Damer) — A group of WRD staff floated the upper Etowah River near Dahlonega last week in canoes and kayaks.  The water was at a good level for floating, and a little stained from some recent thunderstorms.  We fished a bit along the way and caught a few spotted bass, redeyes, and bream on an assortment of lures.  We also ran into a few stripers which was a bit unexpected given how high up the watershed we were from Allatoona.  The highlight was when Collin George landed a 5-pound striper from his kayak on light tackle after a long fight while floating down through some tricky shoals and logjams!  We broke off or missed a couple other good-sized stripers as well.  The river should continue to fish well as we receive frequent rain from passing thunderstorms that keep the waters recharged with cool water.  Check out the Etowah Water Trail website for more information about floating/fishing the upper Etowah River. 

TROUT REPORT 

To learn about Georgia’s diverse trout fishing opportunities including the latest stocking information, check out Georgia DNR Trout Fishing Page. 

North Georgia Trout (Report courtesy of Jeff at Unicoi Outfitters) — Last Sunday’s  3+ inches of rainfall from the tropical storm has run off and our creeks and rivers have receded to their low summer base flows. So, unless one of these afternoon storms sits on your watershed, you’ll be aiming for spooky fish in low water again.   If you get a storm flush, then try the big/ugly/bright flies in the stained waters.

Best bets: headwater wild trout, cool stocker streams, cold tailwaters, ponds at dawn and dusk, and lakes at dawn. Keep in mind that GAWRD typically stocks trout far and wide for the July 4th crowds, so plan your holiday week accordingly.

Headwaters: Splatek and Son had a great fishing/camping trip last weekend. His tale is chronicled HERE:

I checked a Hooch headwater’s streamflow and temperature during this morning’s region recon.  It looked prime for a fluffy dry, but I had to move on my recon instead of flinging a fly, so the fish are still there for you. Our creeks have returned to summer baseflow, while some cool nights and heavy tree cover are keeping water temps down. We hope you enjoyed today’s video and note the temp (62 in the shade at ten).  Sneak upstream slowly, hit the shaded pools and undercut banks, and be ready for quick strikes on your high-floating dries. Bows are all over the place, while the lazier browns and specks prefer slower flows and a roof over their heads. Recall our “niches” lesson.

Tailwaters: Remember that Lanier and Blue Ridge have enough winter-water storage to maintain trout-friendly Tailwater temperatures throughout the year. RonW’s gang gave Lanier a shot and reported, “Our trio hit the Dam on Saturday 6/19 and had a heck of a day. Despite the clouds, slight wind, and very light drizzle towards the end (2pm), we all managed 6 or more fish and most all on dries.  We started off by getting in about 9am just downstream of the creek and worked our way down to the top of Bowman’s Island. I fished a big split wing Cahill with a dropper off the back early and then went straight to the dry. Only got 1 on the dropper; the rest came on the dry. The guys were hammering them on fan wing Coachmans and an assortment of other dries that weren’t matching any type of hatch. I caught another bow at the end of the day while stretching out line way beyond my capabilities. While not designed for it, the 10′ 6″ 4wt Kurt built me can throw a bugger well out past 60′ with ease! It was another fun trip for our trio.”

The Hooch at Highway 115 looked pretty good today: low, with the usual greenish summer stain, and very fishable. Use the same techniques (flies, niches, and times) described in last week’s report. Just check the gauge or call our Helen store to ensure that an afternoon storm in the upper watershed hasn’t muddied it up too much for your targets to see your streamers and poppers.

Summertime Trout Considerations: Check out this article written by “Trout Professor” Robert Prytula for tips on best practices for trout fishing during the summer. 

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.