I know this is a fishing blog – but stay with me…in recognition of today being World Snake Day, let’s talk about a FISH that we NEVER want to see again in Georgia waters – the northern snakehead. 

Invasive Species Found in Georgia: In October 2019, the first northern snakehead in GA was captured and reported by an angler in Gwinnett County. This is the first time this fish has been confirmed in Georgia waters. Native to China, Russia and Korea, Northern snakeheads have been imported in several countries, including the USA, primarily for food purposes. An obligate air breather, the species can live out of water for hours and can travel short distances across land. As an apex predator the species has the potential to have negative impacts on native species in areas where it is introduced.

Visit the Aquatic Nuisance Species page on the Wildlife Resources Division website for information about how YOU can help keep snakeheads, and other invasive species, OUT of Georgia waters. Oh, and if you want more information about ACTUAL snakes in Georgia, check out this informative page on the WRD website. #worldsnakeday 

NEWS TO KNOW:

  • Veterans Fishing Event: Georgia SCI hosted its Annual Wounded Veterans Fishing Weekend at Lake Lanier this past weekend. Kudos to all involved in this outstanding event for their support in honoring U.S. wounded veterans.
  • Temporary Lake Closure: Greenhouse Lake at Marben PFA is temporarily closed (beginning Wed., July 21) for maintenance and habitat work. This closure also affects the 3-D Archery Range at Clybel WMA (access to part of the 3-D range trail is available – but a portion of the trail will be closed). Anticipated work completion date is Fall 2021.

This week, we have reports from Southeast, Southwest, North and Central Georgia. Be vigilant about protecting our waters from invasive species and let’s Go Fish Georgia!

SOUTHEAST GEORGIA

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

The dog-days of summer are here, and the number of folks fishing has dropped off some. Still, those who went did well. The rivers are all high and some are flooded, so spend time on ponds, lakes, the Okefenokee Swamp, or saltwater this weekend.

First quarter moon is July 17th. To monitor all the Georgia river levels, visit the USGS website HERE. For the latest marine forecast, click HERE.

ALTAMAHA AND OCMULGEE RIVERS

The river is still very swollen, but it didn’t stop Brentz McGhin from fishing an Altamaha River oxbow lake on Saturday. He fished a few hours in the morning and caught 7 nice keeper bass up to 2 pounds. He caught half on watermelon-red YUM Dinger stickworms and half on a junebug old-school curly-tail worm. With the slug of water from Elsa, the mullet bite hasn’t quite fired back off yet, but it should when it drops a little more. The river level on July 15th at the Abbeville gage on the Ocmulgee was 6.5 feet and cresting. The Doctortown gage on the Altamaha was 8.5 feet and rising.

SATILLA RIVER

Forget it again this week. The river is too high to effectively fish. The river level on July 15th at the Waycross gage was 14.1 feet and falling (79 degrees). The Atkinson gage was 13.0 feet (flood stage is 13 feet) and rising.

ST. MARYS RIVER

The Shady Bream Tournament trail held their first co-ed event on Saturday, and it was very well-attended. Fishing was tough with the higher than usual water level, but even so it took 6.86 pounds (10 panfish) for Quentin and Amanda to win the event. Dale and Emma placed second with 6.70 pounds. Cory and Cheyenne placed third with 6.54 pounds. Their last Saturday tournament of the year is this coming Saturday (7/17). For this tournament only, bait will be allowed – not just artificial lures. Check out the Shady Bream Tournament Trail on Facebook for more information. The river level at the MacClenny gage on July 15th was 14.2 feet and falling.

LOCAL PONDS

Davis Summerlin caught this 10-lb. 14-oz. bass from an Atkinson County pond earlier this summer on a big worm. Summer is the time of year he fishes deep structure with big worms and catches some of his biggest fish.

Chad Lee fished an Alma area pond for a short time Friday evening and had a few small bass. He fished on his lunch break Thursday and had one on a white fluke and then had a monster bass chase it in but not take it. A group of Blackshear anglers fished a local pond on Saturday and caught a small bass. They saw activity in the pond they fished but couldn’t get them to eat their offerings. For the best bites fish early or late or even at night (for bass and catfish).

OKEFENOKEE SWAMP

The effort this week has been low, but folks who went caught bowfin and pickerel on in-line spinners. The dog-days are a perfect time to get into lots of bowfin. They aren’t the best on the table, but they are a blast to catch – especially when most other bites are slow. I’ve caught (and released) well over 100 bowfin during half-day trips in the heat of summer. The best part is that you don’t have to get up early. They bite best when the sun is high in the sky. I usually go about 9 and leave when the heat runs me off. Try different colors of Dura-Spins until you figure out the best blade/skirt combination for the day. The jackfish, fire tiger, or crawfish baits will usually catch them. You can either cast down the canal or troll if the surface trash isn’t too bad. The water level rose after Elsa, but you should still be able to catch fish this weekend. The latest water level (Folkston side) was 121.1 feet.

SALTWATER (GA COAST)

Don Harrison, Charles West, and a friend fished the St. Marys Jetties on Friday. They casted Assassin Sea Shads and Keitech swimbaits rigged on Jetty Jigs to the rocks on the outgoing tide and caught 8 keeper trout from 15 to 20 inches, 2 flounder (13 and 19 inches), and a 17-inch keeper redfish by working the entire length of the rocks on the ocean side. At low tide they fished the deeper rocks with bucktails and caught, tagged, and released 5 big bull redfish to 43 1/2 inches. Electric chicken and mullet-colored bucktails worked best for them. Electric chicken Keitechs and Texas Roach Sea Shads were tops on the plastics. 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.

SOUTHWEST GEORGIA

(Fishing report courtesy of Emilia Omerberg, Fisheries Biologist with the Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division, with help from Region Staff and Local Experts)

LAKE SEMINOLE 

Jaydyn Tyre Caught her personal best Largemouth at Lake Seminole

Sue Sehnert from Sunrise Florida caught this bass at Lake Seminole

Bass fishing at Seminole continues to be fruitful. Captain Paul Tyre of Lake Seminole Fishing Adventures has helped 15 people catch their personal best or first fish in the last two weeks.  Top water baits, buzz baits, popping frogs and plastic worms have all been good to angles on Seminole. June bugs and yum dinners on Texas rigs are also a good set up and have been pulling bass between 5 and 8 pounds from the water consistently.

The water level in the lake is up. The spring creek arm is clear but the flint and Chattahoochee arm has a slight stain. Seminole is a great place to visit if you are looking for wildlife other than fish. Reports say that the alligators and osprey have been out to play and are putting on a good show for wildlife enthusiasts.

BIG LAZER PUBLIC FISHING AREA (More Info HERE)

Crappie: Warm summer water temperatures have caused crappie to move into deeper water as well as scatter themselves over much of lake. Try fishing standing timber by presenting live minnows and/or brightly colored jigs at different depths to increase your chances for catching some slabs.

Bream: Bream fishing has been good recently. During the spawning season it is common for bream to be close-in to the banks. Crickets, as well as pink and red worms are excellent live bait for bream. Also, small, brightly colored spinning lures will be hard for those spawning fish to resist. Fishing with light tackle can make bream fishing more exciting, especially for kids. However, bream have small mouths so fish with small hooks for the best results

Catfish: Chicken livers, night crawlers, or shrimp fished at or almost at the bottom near woody structures and the rocks around the dam should produce a good bite from a channel cat. You may also want to try catching some small bream and use them as cut bait, some good size cats have been caught using this method.

TIRED CREEK LAKE

Bream fishing is looking good at Tired Creek Lake. Crickets and worms and brightly colored lures are the best bait. Fishing in the early mornings and late evenings to avoid that mid-day heat will give you the best chance of bringing home a full cooler. Bass and crappie are not biting much because they have scattered to deeper cooler waters.

NORTH GEORGIA

(Fishing report courtesy of Sarah Baker, Fisheries Biologist with the Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division, with help from Region Staff and Local Experts)

Heat got ya inside? Find a nearby river, stream or lake to cool off in! Kids can have a blast (and get some energy out) at these kids fishing events! Fishing is a great way to create special summertime memories! 

RESERVOIR REPORT 

North Georgia Water Quality Monitoring: Water quality monitoring is an important component of good fisheries management here in North Georgia. Because many of our reservoirs and rivers contain temperature-sensitive species (e.g., striped bass, hybrid bass, walleye, and trout), monitoring available habitat for these species helps us optimally manage these fisheries for the benefit of anglers. In the summertime, large reservoirs become stratified, meaning that they separate into layers according to the water’s density, which is driven by changing water temperatures. Warm, less-dense water is near the surface (the epilimnion), and colder, denser water exists in the deeper hypolimnion. In between these two layers is the thermocline, a zone of rapid temperature change from warm to cold with increasing depth. Due to this stratification process and other biochemical processes (such as primary production and decomposition), suitable fish habitat can become limited in the summer as the reservoir temperatures increase and dissolved oxygen declines. By reviewing water quality data, anglers can improve their odds of catching their target fish. This week, we collected water quality profiles on Lake Lanier, Lake Nottely, and Lake Chatuge. Water quality can be found on the fishing forecast’s GIS map for each of these reservoirs—just zoom into the reservoir and click the temperature icon and then select the latest PDF image of the water quality profile data. You’ll see that, on Lake Lanier for example, quality habitat for coolwater species like striped bass and walleye exists from Flowery Branch to Buford Dam, and stripers can expect to be caught at thermocline depths (~ 25 ft – 45 ft) and in the hypolimnion (~60 ft – 100 ft). North of Flowery Branch, anglers should target thermocline depths up to Brown’s Bridge. On Lake Nottely, fishing the wide range of depths between ~25 ft – 130 ft will put you on fish, though fishing the upper thermocline is probably your best bet given the suitable combination of oxygen and temperature there. We hope this water quality intel helps guide more fish to hands and more smiles to faces!  

Lake Allatoona Bass Report: (This report courtesy of Southern Fishing With Ken Sturdivant) — Bass fishing is good. The top water bite has picked up a little mainly between 5:30 am and 8:30 am with the white Spro dawg being the go to bait. After that bite dies the shaky head finesse worm in the 10 to 12 foot range is hard to beat. Mix that up with a light drop shot too. Fresh brush in the 12 to 14 foot range that is isolated and not heavily fished is holding good spots. Find the fish with the Lowrance Side Scan and Down Scan technology. Now use the Active Target to spot the fish out in front of the boat. Fishing blind is not very productive. The night and evening bite is the ticket. Deep cranking a Spro Little John DD in cell mate and a big Colorado blade spinner bait around brush and large rocks in the 12 to 18 foot range is producing good fish. Use the Little John DD on 10 pound test Sunline fluorocarbon. For numbers the Shakey head is the best bet. Use the 1/8 Davis Bait HBT jig head tipped with a natural colored squirrel tailed worm made by Big Bite. Fish it slow around rock and brush in 12 to 16 feet in the Etowah River.

Lake Burton: (Report From Captain Wes Carlton (770) 318-9777 Georgia Lake Fishing) —

  • The Bass bite has been great in the morning and a little slow in the afternoon. We have been catching most of our fish on an underspin tipped with a paddle tail in the backs of creeks over the grass. We have had some bigger fish come off a river 2 sea whopper plopper 90. This bite has been really strong between 8-10 am. Look for the grass midway back in the creeks in 16 – 20 ft of water. Most of these areas are holding good fish! This bite should continue over the next few weeks.
  • The Brown Trout bite has been a little slow the last week or so. The few we have caught have been on small minnows weighted with a split shot. We have been targeting the main river channel. Early morning seems to be the better time. This bite should pick up any day now as we head towards the end of August.
  • The Yellow Perch bite is on fire. We have been catching good numbers in the creeks around grass and structure (blow downs). Most of the fish seem to be in the 13 – 18 ft depths. The drop shot technique has been working best. Small flukes or robo worms seem to work well. Look for this pattern to continue and get better as we progress the summer months. Good luck!

Lake Lanier: (From Southern Fishing with Ken Sturdivant) –

  • This lucky Lanier youth angler earned a spotted bass hat trick in one cast using a mini Mack rig.

    Bass: (This report courtesy of Phil Johnson (770) 366-8845) — Bass fishing on Lake Lanier is good. The bass have settled into their summer homes and the patterns are pretty much steady now. This week was one of trying multiple baits to see the reaction of the fish. There is still top water action early in the day and then it becomes scattered later. It seems the top water fish are feeding on small threadfin shad. The top water baits for the week were the medium or small Spook, small Chug bug and a Gun fish. Chrome seemed to be the key factor when using these baits. On the schooling fish it was critical to get the bait to the fish while they were on top, which often was for less than a minute. One bait I used this week for this quick action was a three point five Cytec on a quarter ounce head. I was able to throw it far enough to reach the fish and the size of the bait matched the size of the shad they were feeding on. The Lanier Bait Jerk Shad or a white Zoom Fluke were steady producers throughout the week. Working all of these baits over structure will create strikes. The fish are holding in the fifteen to thirty feet range now on humps, long points and ledges both in creeks and main lake. The Dropshot bite is very steady working in these same areas. First work the structure with the top water or Jerk Shad then move in to work it vertically. Good electronics are key right now to be able to determine to orientation of the fish to the structure. One day they may be buried in the brush and the next day scattered it, Morning Dawn and Blue Lilly have been very consistent colors for your Dropshot rig. Working with six or eight pound fluorocarbon leaders has also been important. I played with a new bait this week, a five inch Emerald color spoon from Georgia Blade. This was a new bait for me to learn and it helped that I caught a three and a half pound spot on my third cast. Work this bait on the long points and humps with a long cast. Let the soon fall to the bottom, take up your slack and raise your rod hard to lift it off the bottom. Let it flutter back down to the bottom and repeat the process. I didn’t catch a lot throughout the week but almost all of my better fish came on it. Definitely a bait I will try to continue to learn. The bite on Lanier is still good so go Catch ‘Em!

  • Striped Bass: (This report courtesy of Buck Cannon, Buck Tales Guide Service (404) 510-1778) —Lake Lanier stripers are still being caught from the dam to River forks over 50 to 60 foot bottom. Down lines using blue backs has been the ticket for success.  Put your bait 25 to 35 feet deep and change your bait often because they are dying fast. You might want to get an extra dozen.  Locate the schools using your electronics on the river edges and mouths of creeks. The umbrella rigs and lead core can get you an extra fish or two with the lead core around 8 colors and umbrella rigs 125 feet behind the boat.
  • Crappie: (This report courtesy of Captain Josh Thornton, (770) 530-6493) —Crappie fishing is good. The water temperatures are in the mid 80s. The bite is soft so keep an eye on your line; watch for the slightest movement. The hot bite target zone is 10 to 5 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. This week’s catch was 60% minnows. If you have live scope or active imaging set the minnows just above the fish. Right now I am setting the minnows around 10 to 12 feet deep. For best results use an active minnow not a dead minnow. Look under covered docks that are in 20 to 40 foot 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 jig color combination this week was white and chartreuse monkey milk. 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 we 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. Find me on Facebook and like my pages @crappieonlanier & @fishingwitheverydayheroes

Lanier GON-tel:  

Lake Hartwell:

  • Striped Bass: (Courtesy of Fisheries Biologist, George Gavrielides) — We’ve been on Lake Hartwell conducting mobile telemetry on Striped Bass to examine where they go during summer thermal stress. We’ve been tracking up several creeks the last few couple weeks including Coneross, 12 mile, 18 mile, 23 mile, Walker, and Shoal. We’ve also done some tracking near the main Tugalo and Seneca River arms. We have only found 2 fish in Coneross Creek across all our efforts. However, we have fixed receivers near the dam and have recorded hundreds of fish including 12 tagged fish from 2018-2019. Those fish ranged from 10-20 lbs when tagged a few years ago. Striped Bass will continue to move towards the dam to find cooler water in the thermocline (10–20-foot spot in the water column with enough oxygen and cold temps for striped bass). Right now, your best bet for catching a striped bass is trolling near the dam at around 20-40 feet below the surface. Water quality has been suitable throughout the water column at the dam this month, so they could potentially be shallower or deeper. Your depth finder will be quite useful to find those fish right now too.
  • Bass: (This report courtesy of Southern Fishing With Ken Sturdivant) — Bass fishing is fair. Start the mornings with the Chug Bugs and Skitter Props in the shallow waters. The bass are most active during the morning period. Look for the larger fish to bite early in the mornings with these two top water baits and increase the speed of the retrieve on any missed bites or short strikes. Continue fishing the rocky points again this week. These are still good fishing places to locate any feeding bass with crank baits and top water baits. Fat Free Shad crank baits and Rapala Shad Raps both jointed and RS models along with Thunder Sticks and Rapala DT6 clear baits are working. Find the fish with the Lowrance Side Scan and Down Scan technology. Now use the Active Target to spot the fish out in front of the boat. Change baits frequently during the mid morning period. Later in the day go to the deeper brush piles on docks with plastics and jigs.

RIVER REPORT

The Chattahoochee River: (From Fisheries Biologist, Hunter Roop) —

  • Rainbows: Lanier tailwater angler Andy V filled his creel with rainbow trout this week below Buford Dam. A silver in-line spinner appeared to be the ticket to his success. Lake Lanier’s deep release at the dam supplies a constant supply of cold water to the Chattahoochee River, so the Hooch can be a great option for trout fishing when the summer heat impacts water temperatures in other north Georgia streams.
  • Browns: The 35 mile stretch of the Chattahoochee River downstream of Lake Lanier is home to Georgia’s southernmost wild brown trout fishery. This population of trout has been managed as a self-sustaining fishery since 2005, and documenting natural reproduction is critical to the persistence of this fishery. This week, Hunter Roop and his sampling crew searched for young-of-year Brown Trout. It was a success! We hope these 2” – 3” parr grow quickly to be caught by Chattahoochee River anglers in the coming years. 

The Etowah River: (Report Courtesy of Fisheries Biologist, John Damer) —I fished the lower Etowah River for a few hours last weekend from my kayak.  Not many other people were on the river, the Corps of Engineers was not generating from Allatoona Dam, and the weather was cloudy with occasional drizzle, which should have been perfect conditions for chasing stripers.  However, I could not tempt any linesides to hit anything I threw at them, including the Pop-R, Whopper Plopper, Rat-L-Trap, various jerkbaits, or Baby Bull Shad swimbait.  I did manage one decent 3-4 pound largemouth on the swimbait (pic) and hooked a lot of gar but didn’t have any “gar flies” so they easily shook the hook.  Next time I will have some frayed nylon rope to see if I can increase my chances with the gar, if nothing else! 

The Toccoa Tailwater: (Report Courtesy of Cohutta Fishing Company) —  The Toccoa below Blue Ridge Dam continues to fish well early and late in the day. We’ve had to switch almost entirely to small, natural patterns and light tippet to fool these fish in the gin clear water up top! Try small soft hackles (pheasant tails, hare’s ears, etc), size 16-18 WD-40’s, zebra midges, and unweighted flashback hare’s ears and pheasant tails under medium to large dry fly. I’m fishing 5x leaders to my dry, and dropping 5x or 5.5x (Trouthunter does 1/2 size tippet) Fluocarbon tippet to my subsurface fly. I specify fluorocarbon because this material has the same density as water, and will help you get small, unweighted flies in the strike zone quicker than nylon. Don’t forget your split shot! 

Wild Trout Report: (From Fisheries Biologist, Sarah Baker) — Each summer, our field sampling crews are busy conducting wild trout surveys on headwater streams in the National Forest throughout north Georgia. These high elevation streams run clear and cold, providing habitat for wild Rainbow and Brown Trout, and native Brook Trout populations. Excellent spawning conditions last fall produced a strong year-class in the Noontootla Creek watershed. Other streams experienced significant changes in their geomorphology created by several major storm events over the past year. Major storm events can drastically alter critical pool habitat that populations of trout need to survive and reproduce.  Monitoring wild trout populations allows us to track changes in fish abundance and identify management opportunities that could strengthen Georgia’s wild trout fisheries. 

Small Streams: (Report Courtesy of Cohutta Fishing Company) — Small streams are a cold water refuge this time of year. Find streams that are heavily canopied and higher in elevation, and you can spend an entire day out on the water and find success. Take a light 3-4 weight rod, a spool of Trouthunter 5.5x Tippet, and a cup full of yellow dry flies! We’re fishing dry dropper rigs when the fish don’t want just the dry – try small soft hackle pheasant tails and unweighted flash back hare’s ear nymphs. Target riffles where the water flows over rocks – this is the most oxygenated water, and the trout will move into these spots. Stay back off the water and be mindful of line placement, etc!

Boggs is Back: Check out this blog post from Jimmy Jacobs about the comeback of fishing at Boggs Creek Recreation Area in the Chattahoochee National Forest after the devastation of a 2011 tornado took its toll. 

Want to Do More to support trout fishing in Georgia?  Consider a Trout Unlimited license plate this year.  Each purchase or renewal of a license plate with a beautiful Brook Trout supports Georgia’s trout conservation and management programs. Hatcheries and wild trout management efforts both benefit from the trout tag. Your support is tremendously appreciated!

CENTRAL GEORGIA

(Fishing report courtesy of Steve Schleiger, Region Supervisor with the 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 FULL, 80’S

Bass fishing has is fair.  Use the Red Eye Shad up in the rivers.  Red Crawdad or Sexy Shad with a chartreuse belly is a favorite.  Locate the small chunk rock and throw the crank baits in close.  An occasional bump on the bottom during the retrieve will increase the number of strikes.  Use the lighter 12-pound Sufix Elite line on a medium to medium heavy action rod.  Also use the shad colored Shad Raps.  Fish the bank and be sure to fish the drop offs close to deep water along with those long run out points with the Warts.  A lot of noise and the wide wobble will call the fish in.  Try to fish the mud lines on the weekends after the boat traffics as the bass will hang under these areas to ambush bait schools.  Stay on the windblown side of the lake for the better action.  Use the Lowrance Structure Scan down Scan technology to scan an area and find the fish.  Now use the Active Target to spot the fish out in front of the boat.

CLARKS HILL IS DOWN .47 FEET, 80’S

Bass fishing is fair.  The bass are sluggish and have moved back to the deeper water.  Main lake humps, deep water points and channel ledges are where most of the bass are being caught.  Fish anywhere from 10 to 20 feet deep and try downsizing baits and line sizes.  Down Deep Husky Jerks along with Carolina Rigs are fair as well as the drop shot rig Chug Bugs, Skitter Walks and an occasional Rapala DT6 or the Shad Rap are all working up on the main lake points early; only.  Always look for breaking fish and any signs of schooling bait fish first thing in the mornings.  Any wind will help anglers catch a few more fish.  Find the fish with the Lowrance Side Scan and Down Scan technology.  Now use the Active Target to spot the fish out in front of the boat. 

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.  At first light there are a lot of shad around the rip rap; use a buzz bait with white and chartreuse in the skirt and fish it along the rip rap until the sun gets up.   Some fish are starting to show up on the humps and roadbeds on the south end of the lake.  Large crank baits fished on and off the top of the humps will produce.   A 6-inch green pumpkin lizard fished on a Texas rig in brush around and under docks will produce good numbers.  This is best used around mid-lake docks with deep water close by.

Striped Bass: Striper fishing is fair.  Use your Lowrance to locate the schools all over the mid lake area.  When you find them, you should drop a live shad into the school and hang on.  The fish are starting to move up the rivers for the summer.  There is a good spoon and popping cork bite at the dam at first light until the pump back stops.

Crappie: Crappie fishing is good.  Most of the fish are starting to move into the timber and setting up for the summer pattern.  Long lining over the timber has been the best producer.  Live bait dropped into the timber will also produce. 

LAKE SINCLAIR IS DOWN 1.4 FEET, 80’S

Bass fishing is fair.  The heat of the day forces many anglers off the lake.  A few fish are still hitting top water baits during early morning, mostly in coves from the mouth to about halfway in.  Most any shallow cover can hold a fish, but seawalls seem to be best.  Pop R’s, Chug Bug’s, Tiny Torpedo’s, or similar baits should produce a fish or two for the angler that concentrates on early morning top water.  Find the fish with the Lowrance Side Scan and Down Scan technology.  Now use the Active Target to spot the fish out in front of the boat.  Docks and boat houses are now the primary places to hunt for bass.  Soft plastics and jigs are the most reliable baits, although any of several other choices could produce well on a given day.  Lightweight Texas rigs with Zoom Trick or Finesse worms have fooled fish recently.  Use a 6 to 12-inch leader and the lightest weight possible. This rig can be cast underneath docks when the lake is low but is used primarily along the sides and front of docks.  Another good choice is a Spotsticker.  Try the 1/8-ounce jig head with a Zoom Finesse worm and make it weedless.  The worm can be bent toward the hook shaft and the hook point inserted lower than normal.  This will cause the tail of the worm to stand up during retrieve.  Some good color choices for any of the worm rigs are Zoom green pumpkin, natural blue, June bug, and black.  Also try a jig with a Zoom Salty Chunk trailer.  Cast an all-black buzz bait on docks after dark to beat the heat. 

LAKE JACKSON IS DOWN .88 FEET, CLEAR 80’S

Bass fishing is fair.  There is a fair top water bite early each day and then its docks.  The Lunker Lure all white buzz bait or Bang A Lures in silver and black back on banks and wood has been working.  Cast to the shallow banks with a Rattlin’ Rouge in the shad or bream color.  Find the fish with the Lowrance Side Scan and Down Scan technology.  Now use the Active Target to spot the fish out in front of the boat.  Small Fat Free shad and pearl white shallow crank baits are fair.  For worms, use red shad and black shad Culprit u tails on a spinning rod and skip them under the docks and get the baits a little deeper and work them very slowly.  Pop R’s in shad and bream colors are fair. 

MCDUFFIE PUBLIC FISHING AREA (More Info HERE)

  • Water Temperature: 87 F
  • Water Visibility: 28-48+ in

Bass:  Bass are biting well in both shallow waters and in deeper waters near structures.  Creature lures, whopper ploppers, super flukes, and crank baits are all yielding nice bass.  Fishing mornings and late in the day are most productive.

Bream:  Bream bite is still picking up.  Nice bream are being caught around the area, especially in Clubhouse, Bridge, and Bream Buster lakes.  Crickets and worms are working well around docks and fallen trees.

Channel Catfish:  For catfish, chicken livers really deliver.  Nice stringers continue to be caught using livers and other stink bait.  Sink bait to the bottom in deeper waters of Willow, Bridge, and Beaver Lodge.

Striped Bass:  Striped bass bites have been slower. No recent reports of striped bass being caught.