Have you got Labor Day holiday weekend plans? Do we even have to ask if those plans include fishing? Of course they do – and we have the fresh fishing reports to help you reel’em in and fill that cooler!

NEWS TO KNOW:

• National Hunting and Fishing Day is Sat. Sept. 24: Make plans to attend one of the many fun, family-friendly outdoor events celebrating NHF Day. Events include Outdoor Adventure Days and Kids Fishing Events. Find out more about NHF Day (why do we celebrate?) and what events will be happening HERE.
• Protect Your Waters: Moving live fish, aquatic plants, or mussels from one body of water to another can cause irreversible damage to the ecological balance of Georgia lakes, rivers and streams and cause severe negative impacts on our local fish and fauna. More info about Aquatic Nuisance Species found HERE. Should you need help identifying or disposing of fish, aquatic plants or mussels, reach out to your local Wildlife Resources Division Fisheries Management Office. What else can you do? Here is how you can help:

SOUTHWEST GEORGIA

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

LAKE SEMINOLE

It’s hot down at Lake Seminole and but water temperatures coming down a bit with all the rain coming down from the rest of the state. Temperatures are averaging about 86 degrees. The Flint and Chattahoochee arm are not muddy but have a slight stain to them. The Spring Creek arm continues to be pretty clear. fishing on Lake Seminole has been up and down the last week or so. Your best bet is to get out there and give it a try because you won’t catch anything if you don’t put a line in the water. Bass fishing is hit or miss. Concentrate on three ways to target bass, fishing on the ledges, throwing frogs on the bream beds or fishing in the ditches near grass points. Those are your best bets Early morning and evenings continue to be the best time to fish and cloud cover will also add to your success. As temperatures start to cool down the hybrid striped bass bite will pick up. these fish are really fun to catch so keep an eye out. Birds feeding on the surface are a good indicator of hybrids in the water column. Try a deep crank bait or even a little silver spoon to mimic the threadfin which are the prey of choice.

SILVER LAKE PUBLIC FISHING AREA (More Info HERE)

This week the hot spot at Silver Lake PFA is Frog Pond.  This 15-acre pond has been consistently producing 1–2-pound channel catfish with the occasional 10 pounder!  Anglers have been hooking up on these cats with live worms under a bobber.  Fishing is best in the morning before the sun gets high and brings out the gnats. The all-female trophy bass “Panic Pond” will open this weekend!  The gate opens 30 minutes before sunrise on Saturday, September 2nd, so before you head out to the dove field on opening day, take a quick detour to wet a line in Panic Pond.

LAKE BLACKSHEAR

Mark Van Dette with 1 lb, 11+ oz bream from Blackshear. Photo Credit: Flint River Outdoors

Tommy Duncan with his 6 lb, 13 oz bass from Blackshear. Photo Credit: Flint River Outdoors

B.T. Davis with his 17 lb, 12 oz flathead catfish from Blackshear. Photo: Flint River Outdoors

Worms and crickets continue to be the bait of choice out there to catch some beautiful bream. Anglers are having success in the early mornings and evenings. If you have the right set up Flint River Outdoors has suggested fishing at night to avoid the heat and to get to those fish when they are a bit more active. Blackshear catfish are hot right now! Check out some of the nice fish that have recently been weighed in at Flint River Outdoors and be sure to stop by this Labor Day week as they are open all weekend long for your bait and tackle needs!

LAKE WALTER F. GEORGE

There are two bites to catch on Lake George right now. The first option is the shallow water bite. For this try using small top water lures and dragging them through the grass and other vegetation along the edges. This works well in the early mornings and on days with lots of sun. The other option is the deep-water bite. These fish are mostly hanging out on the ledges of channel bends and places with stumps or other natural and artificial structure. In places with current, use a deep crankbait or a slow rolled 1 to 1.5 oz spinner bait. Areas without current will benefit from a classic Texas rig. Watermelon candy, greens and June bugs seems to be the best producing colors out there.

BIG LAZER PUBLIC FISHING AREA (More Info HERE)

In general, the hot summer weather will eventually be replaced by cooler nights during September and October. The cooling water temperatures cause the fish to increase their feeding before the winter months. Therefore, now is an excellent time to grab the family and head outdoors for some fall fishing at Big Lazer PFA.

• Bream: Bream fishing is good and will continue improving as cooler water temperatures arrive. Target shallower areas with woody brush associated with it. Crickets and worms are excellent live bait for bream. Also, small grub like plastic jigs of various colors can work well anytime of the year. Fishing with light tackle can make bream fishing more exciting. However, make sure the hooks are small because bream tend to have small mouths.
• Catfish: Catfish fishing at Big Lazer is fair right now. The rocks along the dam are always a good spot to try and catch big channel cats. However, catfish are also located throughout much of the lake. Some catfish are being caught on cut bait, worms, livers, and shrimp. Try fishing both on the bottom as well as suspended higher up in the water column. The next KFE will take place on September 24th from 8-11am!
• Hybrid Bass: Hybrid bass have been stocked in the lake recently and should provide an exciting catch!
• Big Lazer PFA Fishing Guide

CENTRAL GEORGIA

(Fishing report courtesy of Steve Schleiger, Region Supervisor and fisheries biologist with Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division, with help from Region Staff and Local Experts) 

Reservoir Fishing Reports Courtesy of Southern Fishing with Ken Sturdivant.  

LAKE RUSSELL IS DOWN 1.2 FEET, 80S

Bass fishing is fair.  Early in the morning fish the flats with Zoom Super Flukes and Skitter Walks then move to the ditches while using an X Rap and small crank bait like a Rapala DT6 or #5 Shad Rap.  By afternoon move to main lake humps and ledges and use Rapala DT10, DT14 and Carolina rigged plastics.  A slow presentation and a lot of determination will be necessary.  Any windblown area will work the best along with areas that sport the most shade.  Take along a variety of colors.  During tough fishing conditions, color can sometimes be the one key factor for catching fish.  One super bait is the Z Man Original Chatterbait.  This is one of the most versatile baits available and is great for covering water.  Fishing a ChatterBait is simple: cast it out and reel it in which is great for casting and moving.  The bait has a blade on the front that vibrates to attract fish and doubles as a weed guard to go through vegetation.  Fished as is it is effective but paired with a soft plastic trailer and it’s deadly.  The bite in top water is improving as more schooling activity is occurring at the mouths of creeks as well as on the main lake.  Look for the top water and swim bait bite to improve dramatically as we head into cooler weather.

CLARKS HILL IS DOWN 4.2 FEET, 80S

Bass fishing is good.  Have a top water bait ready.  The frog bite is good.  Use a Regular Spro Bronzeye 65 in Natural Green or Leopard.  Use at least 6 lb. Sunline FX2 Braid, but 8-pound test works best.  Look for grass beds or lily pads that have current present and fish fast to cover a lot of water.  Another good way to catch them right now is to flip shallow cover.  When flipping, use at least a 1-ounce Mat Missile made by Fish Catchin Fool Tungsten weights.  They will be coming out with heavier weights soon and they will be awesome.  The best bait and set up is to use a Big Bite Baits Real Deal Craw in Hematoma and rig it with a 5/0 Gamakatsu Heavy Cover Flippin hook and braid, of course.

LAKE OCONEE IS FULL 80S

Bass fishing is fair.  The lake is full and clear over most of the lake.  Use Carolina rigs with a 6-inch Zoom worm in any color if there is some green in it.  Drag them off the humps on the south end of the lake.  Large crank baits will also work in the same areas.  Some fish are coming on deep water docks with a jig fished under the docks.  One super bait is the Z Man Original Chatterbait.  This is one of the most versatile baits available and is great for covering water.  Fishing a ChatterBait is simple: cast it out and reel it in which is great for casting and moving.  The bait has a blade on the front that vibrates to attract fish and doubles as a weed guard to go through vegetation.  Fished as is it is effective but paired with a soft plastic trailer and it’s deadly.  Docks with structure on them are the best bet.  The early morning top water bite is still there around sea walls and rip rap, but it is not as strong as a few weeks ago.

LAKE SINCLAIR IS DOWN 1.5, FEET 80S

Bass fishing is fair.  The shallow bite is the dominant pattern right now.  The fish are really scattered as this water temperature is cooler than normal for this time of year.  This bite in top water is improving as more schooling activity is occurring at the mouths of creeks as well as on the main lake.  Look for the top water and swim bait bite to improve dramatically as we head into cooler weather.  Fish are in the backs of creeks and pockets, all the way out to the main river sea walls and points.  Covering a lot of water is the best way to get numbers of bites from these scattered fish.  Top water baits are still producing early and late in the day.  Try the Excalibur Zell Pop back in the pockets where the bream are present.  Fish these baits aggressively to get a reaction strike.  A small Lucky Craft Sammy in a shad color has been working best across the points and shallow flats near the mouths of creeks.  The midday bite has been best with shaky heads and jigs.  A Weedless Wonder lead head with a green pumpkin Zoom Trick Worm has been hard to beat in shallow brush piles around docks.  The Spot Remover will get numbers of bites in the middle of the day and has also been catching a few quality fish.  A Buckeye Mop Jig in green pumpkin color will get fewer bites during the day, but the bites will be quality.  Fish this jig around blow downs and docks near the main river for best results.  The Oconee River arm seems to be best right now for consistency.

LAKE JACKSON IS .80 FEET OVER FULL, 80’S

Bass fishing is fair.  The best time to go during the day is especially early in the morning and late in the afternoon.  The best bet will be to go up the South River until it starts to narrow.  During the summer, fish the river and throw the Pop R’s, Rico’s, Skitter Walks and Thunder Dogs early and switch to Rapala DT6’s and Rapala Shad Raps later in the day.  Shad and bream patterns are best.  Take along some green trick worms and use them on a split shot rig or a very light bullet sinker and fish isolated stumps and lay downs.  Don’t expect a full live well of bass.  One super bait is the Z Man Original Chatterbait.  This is one of the most versatile baits available and is great for covering water.  Fishing a ChatterBait is simple: cast it out and reel it in which is great for casting and moving.  The bait has a blade on the front that vibrates to attract fish and doubles as a weed guard to go through vegetation.  Fished as is it is effective but paired with a soft plastic trailer and it’s deadly.  Fishing is still tough, and it won’t get any better until the water temperature starts dropping.

JC Hall landed 2 nice crappie at Flat Creek PFA.

FLAT CREEK PUBLIC FISHING AREA (More Info HERE)

• Surface Temperature: 85.5˚ F (29.7˚ C)
• Water Level: 27.5” Below Full Pool
• Water Visibility: 22”
• Flat Creek PFA Fishing Guide 

Anglers have been reporting a good number of largemouth bass between 2 and 6 lbs. being caught.  Crappie continue to stick to deeper water and are hugging tight to structure.  Anglers have been catching some smaller-sized crappie but are expecting an increase in size and quantity in the month to come.  The bream bite has slowed slightly but with cooler temperatures on the horizon we can expect the bite to pick back up again.  The catfish bite has remained steady throughout the month.  Here’s a list of what the anglers are reporting to have had good success using for each of the following:

• Bass: Anglers are reporting success from a wide variety of lures. Topwater frogs, buzz baits, and rubber worms in red, green, and blue have been producing catches.
• Bream: Anglers last reported using Red Wigglers to produce bream.
• Channel Catfish: Catfish continue to be caught on chicken livers, live baitfish, and cut baitfish.
• Crappie: Use live minnows and jigs while targeting deeper, cooler water overnight and early in the morning off the fishing pier.

NORTH GEORGIA

(Fishing report courtesy of Anthony Rabern, Regional Supervisor and Fisheries Biologist with Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division, with help from WRD Staff and Local Experts) 

Trout Stocking at Low Gap.

Trout Stocking in Georgia Waters.

Labor Day represents the end of summer and the official end of our weekly trout stocking season.  For those who enjoy catching stocked trout, your best bets will be chasing the leftovers from weeks past, especially in remote stream reaches where some fish have had time to move further downstream.  Good areas to target include the boulder fields in the Tallulah River, Cooper Creek Scenic Area, West Fork Chattooga (away from the road), and many of the small streams on our master list that are stocked lightly and fished even lighter. The transition from summer to fall coupled with the end of the weekly trout stocking season is also a great time to try your luck fishing for wild trout.

Click HERE to access our interactive trout stream map and zoom in to find a trout stream near you.  Our trout hatcheries stocked around 25,000 trout into 53 streams across 17 North Georgia counties. Hopefully, we hit your favorite trout fishing honey holes.  Be sure to get out with the kids and enjoy these late-summer gifts.

TROUT REPORT

Wild Trout:  Headwater streams are going to be your best option to fish all day long for trout. Venture up to higher elevation streams that have enough tree canopy to keep the sun off the water. To navigate through the rhododendron, consider using a 6-foot, 2 or 3 weight rod with 5x and 6x leaders and matching tippet.  Fish the tail out of a pool first and then work your way upstream.  You can use a dry-dropper consisting of a small Parachute Adams or Yellow Stimulator and drop an unweighted pheasant tail, zebra midge, or hare’s ear below.  This upcoming week, lots of rain is in the forecast. If you are brave enough to get wet, fishing in the rain can increase your catch rate. When the creeks muddy, the fish are not able to be as picky about their snack choices, thereby increasing the odds that your fly will be chosen. Good luck!

William shows off his nice trout catch!

Toccoa River Tailwaters (courtesy of the Cohutta Fishing Company www.cohuttafishingco.com) — As far as tackle is concerned, take a 9-foot, 5-weight rod for all around use, rigged with a 4x-5x leader and have some tippet down to 6x just in case the fish get finicky. For subsurface presentation, throw some smaller patterns imitating Blue Winged Olive and Sulphur Nymphs, Midges, and Caddis. Split Case nymphs, Holy Grails, Peeping Caddis, RS2’s, WD-40’s, etc. Pat’s Rubber Legs, TungStones, and San Juan Worms should all work as well. Be mindful of the generation schedule!  Click HERE for the current generation schedule.

Need more trout info? Be sure to check out the Unicoi Outfitters’ blog page by clicking HERE for more fishing tips and tricks for a mixed bag of river species, including trout and shoalies.

Thanks for the Trout Support! Thank you for having a Trout Unlimited vehicle license plate! Each purchase or renewal of a license plate featuring the beautiful Brook Trout supports Georgia’s trout conservation and management programs. Hatcheries and wild trout efforts benefit from the trout tag. Your support is appreciated!

RESERVOIR REPORT

Brothers Mason and Logan Daniel show off their catches from Lanier.

If fishing from a boat or the comfort of a chair along the banks of your favorite pond, lake, or river is more your style, then consider a bream fishing outing this weekend.  The Daniel brothers along with their dad had a great trip to Lake Lanier this week with both boys landing bream that nearly reached the mark for a youth angler award.

For helpful tips and tricks from the experts, check out the GON fishing forecast for your favorite lakes by clicking HERE.  If you’re looking for some topwater bass action or fishing for something more novel, like yellow perch, be sure to read the forecast for Lake Burton.  The spotted bass and striped bass forecast for Lake Lanier provides some insightful information about the best fishing tactics that apply to most North Georgia reservoirs during September.

Below are a few highlights from Ken Sturdivant’s Weekly Southern Fishing report.  You can receive Ken’s free weekly report by emailing him at kensturdivant@att.net or read this week’s full report by clicking HERE.

West Point Lake:  Bass fishing is good. Many call this junk fishing time as almost anything can work. This bite is Top water is improving as more schooling activity at the mouths of creeks as well as on the main lake. Look for the top water and swim bait bite to improve dramatically as we head into cooler weather. The bass very scattered and roaming. One super bait is the Z Man Original Chatterbait. This is one of the most versatile baits available and is great for covering water. Fishing a ChatterBait is simple cast it out and reel it in which is great for casting and moving. The bait has a blade on the front that vibrates to attract fish and doubles as a weed guard to go through vegetation. Fished as is it is effective but paired with a soft plastic trailer and it’s deadly. This is when a variety of baits may have to be used to find a suitable pattern. But any pattern may fall apart after an hour. There can be some fish suspended in 12 to 14 feet of water over deeper water down lake. Look for the bass down lake in the deep water on old road beds and pond dams. The bass are chasing small shad. If the lower lake is not working, head up the Chattahoochee River and fish the deep clay points on the outside bend of the river around Ringers and up with a Carolina rig or deep diving Rapala DT10 shad or baby bass crank bait. 

Weiss Lake (report provided by Mark Collins Guide Service, www.markcollinsguideservice.com ) –

• Bass: Bass fishing is fair, and most fish are now being caught on the creek and river channel ledges, 8 to 12 feet deep on crank baits, spinner baits, pig and jigs and Carolina rigged plastics. Submerged roadbeds and deeper main lake points are also producing some good bass. Look for the Bass to start moving to shallower water when we get the first good cooling trend this month.
• Striped Bass: Striper fishing is good, and they are at the Cave Hole in Little River and Little Spring Creek and the Chattooga River. Live shad down lined 8 to 10 feet deep and Shad on a flat line behind the boat is the way to catch these fish.
• Crappie: Crappie fishing is good and they are still holding on brush, stumps and man-made cover in the flats, in 8 to 12 feet of water. We have found very few fish in more than 12 feet of water. The river and creek channel ledges are now starting to produce some good fish. Spider rigging with live minnows is the way to catch the late summertime crappie. Shooting docks with a 1/24-ounce Jiffy Jig is still producing some fish. Crappie are still being caught around deeper docks and the night fishing with lights over structure is really good also.

Lake Hartwell: Bass fishing is good. The lower lake fish are shallow to mid depth and are starting to school in the creek mouths, as smaller pods of bait are starting to form. We have been catching fish on pearl white flukes worked fast over brush early. We have also got a few nice fish on a deep running crank bait like the Strike King 6XD in chartreuse herring. When the bite slows, switch to a drop shot finesse worm in Morning Dawn Red, a green pumpkin craw jig, or a Fish Head spin in albino color for numbers on spotted bass. Focus on bridge pilings or points on the side the drops the sharpest for this bite. In the back of the creeks try a black popping frog next to shoreline cover in backs of pockets that offer a little deeper water and a good concentration of submerged grass. One super bait is the Z Man Original ChatterBait. This is one of the most versatile baits available and is great for covering water. Fishing a ChatterBait is simple cast it out and reel it in which is great for casting and moving. The bait has a blade on the front that vibrates to attract fish and doubles as a weed guard to go through vegetation. Fished as is it is effective but paired with a soft plastic trailer and it’s deadly.

Lake Allatoona:  Bass fishing is good. The stable weather equals stable fishing at least this week it does. The bite has still been good with some schooling starting up. The soft jerk baits like the big bite 5inch jerk minnow fish fast and erratic near and around schoolers is the ticket. Fish the bait on a high speed bait caster of possible. As long as the bait is in the water try not to fish too fast. Also the drop shot bite is still good around brush in 10 to 15 feet of water. Fish are still holding on the outside edge. It will not be long until we will start to see a crank bite start up.

Lake Lanier:  Bass fishing on Lake Lanier is fair to good. The cool spell we just went through has been replaced with high temperatures again and the water temperature is on the rise. The temperature is around eighty-eight degrees and the fish are reacting to it by going back to the deeper structure. There is still a little surface activity, but it is very scattered across the lake. If there is a good wind blowing try the whopper plopper or a chrome Gunfish over deeper brush and humps. The Jerkshad worked over these same areas has been one of the steadier producers. A quick steady reel of the bait and then a pause has drawn the most strikes. Later in the day a Slick Stick has been catching some good fish with the same fast retrieve and then a pause with the bait. As the temps climb back up the bass will move more to the twenty-five to thirty five foot brush so the Dropshot is still a good choice to catch these fish. Lanier Bait’s Morning Dawn, Blue Lily and Sweet Rosie have been good choices on the Dropshot. Most of these bites have just been a heavy feeling on your line versus a tap so pay close attention to the feel of your bait. The fish haven’t always been buried directly in the brush but actually just scattered around it so use you electronics to determine where they are that day. Early in the day there is activity in the backs of the pockets with buzz baits and Frogs in the shallower water. Target any structure or rocks in the pockets as well as the down the sides of docks. Catching them right now requires you to be versatile and move around a bunch but they will bite so Go Catch ‘Em!

Lake Lanier Striper Report (Report by Buck Cannon, Buck Tails Guide Service 770 530 6493) — Stripers on Lake Lanier are over the river channels and constantly moving. Lake is down 2-4′ and water temperature is 83.2 degrees. Lead core has been working trolling 8 colors approximately 240 feet back and a 30 foot leader of 20 pound test clear line and a jig in a 1.5 ounce size with a trailer white or chartreuse. Umbrella rigs are another method trolling 120 to 140 feet behind the boat at 3 mph. Top water bite will begin soon so have your favorite tied on and be prepared. Remember to wear your life jackets.

Lake Lanier Crappie Report (Report by Captain Josh Thornton 770 530 6493) — Crappie fishing is good. The water temperatures are in the low 80s. We are finally seeing better numbers. Crappie are suspended 10 to 20 feet deep over a 20-to-40-foot bottom. The crappie are suspending for long periods of time and the bite is soft. Now is a good time to start looking at docks again. If you are using jigs I would try bright colors right now the water on the north end is pretty clear. I had really good luck with a red jig head and a yellow body today. I am setting minnows 10-12 feet deep most of the time. 40% of this week’s catch came on minnows. Crappie love the shade so cast into the shadows or shaded areas of dock. When dock shooting the biggest fish are usually the first to bite, I use ATX Lure Company’s jigs on a lip thrashing lure jig heads. I use 5-pound test high visibility yellow k9 braid for my line unless I am using a bobber then it’s the k9 6 pound high vis line k9fishing.com and a Acc crappie Stix.

SOUTHEAST GEORGIA

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

The thunderstorms every afternoon and evening this week in South Georgia have limited the number of reports. Those who went to saltwater did well on days they could get out.

River gages on September 1st were:

• Clyo on the Savannah River – 5.1 feet and falling
• Abbeville on the Ocmulgee – 5.2 feet and falling
• Doctortown on the Altamaha – 7.9 feet and rising
• Waycross on the Satilla – 10.4 feet and rising (80 degrees)
• Atkinson on the Satilla – 6.9 feet and rising
• Macclenny on the St Marys – 12.5 feet and falling

First quarter moon is September 3rd. To monitor all the Georgia river levels, visit the USGS website HERE. For the latest marine forecast, click HERE.

SATILLA RIVER

The rising river has shut down the bite, except for catfish. I would fish from Hwy 82 downstream if I were going to fish the holiday weekend, and catfish would be my target. Put a worm or shrimp or live bait on the bottom and you will have a good chance of catching a channel, blue or flathead catfish. A few panfish were caught in the lower river this week, but the fast rise has hit there now and slowed that bite.

SAVANNAH RIVER

The river has started falling back out, but Tyler Finch and a friend had  good catches last weekend, especially with the swollen river. They caught about 70 panfish on Friday. Saturday was slow, with them catching only 20, but they almost doubled that on Sunday by catching 35. They had some really good bluegills. They caught 80-percent of their fish on white Satilla Spins tipped with a cricket and the rest with plain crickets.

OKEFENOKEE SWAMP

Catfishing on the west side has been decent, but only a few fish per trip were caught this week on the east side. Some anglers reported that they zeroed. In the heat, bowfin are your best bet on the east side. The latest water level (Folkston side) was 121.10 feet.

LOCAL PONDS

Jimmy Zinker had the biggest bass I heard of this week. He caught it in a Valdosta area pond on a black flat-bladed buzzbait on Wednesday. Calob Strickland fished a pond in Waycross area on Monday evening and caught a couple warmouth on old school-colored Perch Hounder Spinnerbaits. For the holiday weekend, ponds would be a great option so that you can get to shelter quickly during forecasted thunderstorms. Bream, catfish, and bass should all bite pretty well early and late, as water temperatures are not high enough to shut down the bite.

SALTWATER (GA COAST)

I heard of a good trout-redfish trip on Friday. A pair of anglers fished out of Jekyll Island and caught 15 redfish (mostly undersized), 5 trout, and 2 keeper flounder on finger mullet and mudminnows. They also caught several other species mixed in and even jumped a tarpon. Ed Zmarzly had a 23-inch doormat flounder (weighed 5.77 pounds) from St. Simons Pier on Wednesday while using a finger mullet for bait. He also landed an 18-incher. Mike Harrell and a friend fished out of the Jekyll Island ramp on Thursday and caught 6 nice flounder, 2 keeper redfish and lots of short trout. They flung only artificials and caught them on both shrimp and paddle tail grubs. They hit the mouths of creeks around low tide for their fish. I heard of quite a few sheepshead caught from docks this week, as well. Most of them were fooled with fiddler crabs. Fishing from a dock was the way to go this week so you could quickly get to shelter when the incessant thunderstorms moved in each afternoon. Paul Williamson and I tried to fish Crooked River on Tuesday, and all we did was run from thunderstorms and get totally soaked. We only made a couple dozen casts but still had to clean saltwater off the boat and gear. I wish we had gone to a pier…..For the latest fishing information or live shrimp in the Brunswick area, check with J&P Bait and Tackle on Hwy 303 (912-282-9705).

IF YOU CATCH IT WITH A FISHING POLE, IS IT A FISH?

Chuck Coomer harvested a 9-foot, 1-inch gator.

As you can see, these aren’t fish, but all three of these alligators were caught WITH a rod and reel before being dispatched. The alligator hunting season is in full swing and will be for another month. Haley Simmons harvested this massive 12-ft, 2-in gator from Zone 6 this week, while Chuck Coomer and Don Harrison caught gators of 9-ft, 1-in. and 9-ft, 0-in this week. Only those drawn through the Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division quota process may participate in alligator hunting each year. For more information about quota hunts, click HERE. Applications for the next alligator season can be submitted beginning in June 2023.

Don Harrison with his 9-foot alligator.

Haley Simmons harvested this 12-foot, 2-inch gator