“The two best times to fish is when it’s raining and when it ain’t.”  –Patrick McManus

With the rainy forecasted weekend ahead, you can choose to tough it out and fish anyway, or maybe use the time to prep gear and make plans for the next better weather trip. Either way, let’s “plan” to fish!

NEWS TO KNOW:

  • If You See This Trailer, That Means Fun Fishing Ahead!

    Honk Honk – Gateway to Fishing Coming Through: The Gateway to Fishing Program is starting to see several of its new mobile fishing trailers arrive on site. Thanks to a generous donation from Bass Pro Shops, a total of 10 trailers have been purchased and are in the process of being wrapped with their custom eye-catching design. These trailers, once outfitted with fishing equipment, will be strategically placed around the state for use in Community Fishing Events. Look for these awesome trailers in your area soon!

  • Dropping Knowledge: Georgia DNR Fisheries Biologist John Damer gave a presentation on the impacts of illegally introduced Alabama Bass on native Smallmouth and Largemouth Bass in North Georgia reservoirs at the annual Southern Division of the American Fisheries Society meeting in Norfolk, VA. Anglers have moved Alabama Bass from one lake to another all over the Southeast in misguided attempts to “improve” bass fishing. However, these relocations can have drastic unintended consequences and pose a real threat for extinction for certain bass species, and decimation of world-class bass fisheries. The presentation was part of an introduced Alabama Bass Symposium – the first major professional gathering to discuss this imminent threat in detail.

This week, we have fishing reports from Central, Southeast and North Georgia. Whether you choose to fish in the rain or wait for the sun, we are glad you always choose to Go Fish Georgia!

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 .8 FEET, 50’S

Bass fishing is fair.  Fish secondary points and be sure to get to the backs of the coves that have the highest concentration of bait.  Use shallow to medium diving crank baits on the secondary points lake wide.  The best ones to fish will be the ones with rock and sand in combinations.  The #5 Shad Raps along with a Rapala DT6 and the Ott’s Garage 8 flat side bait in bright colors have been the best baits.  Some fish are after Chatter Baits in all white with a little chartreuse on the skirt.  The bigger bass last week wanted the small cranks and hit near any rip rap.  The weather warms late in the day so fish the rip rap at the 72 bridge with the Rapallo RS Shad Raps and the Rapala DT10’s.

CLARKS HILL LAKE IS DOWN 1.5 FEET, 60’S

Bass fishing is fair.  The bass are moving mid-day; try cranking on the channel ledges.  Tie on a Rapala DT10 or 14 and start off by fishing the upper most part of the ledges.  Work out to the deeper water.  Several casts are required before catching these quality bass, but the rewards are worth the effort.  The #5 Rapala Shad Rap is another good choice while fishing the deep-water ledges.  Shallow water crank baits can work later in the day with a warmup.  Most of the bass are small, but they are hungry.  Try a slow rolling spinnerbait in at least a ½ ounce size as well as the crank baits.  Carolina rigs can work so rig up a Zoom green finesse worm and try the green pumpkin or motor oil colors.  Start off in the five to seven-foot depth and work it to the twenty to twenty-five-foot range.  The bites will be light in nature so set the hook when anything different is felt.

LAKE OCONEE IS FULL, 50’S

Bass fishing is slow.  Go to the clear waters in Richland Creek to spend the day.  Most of the lake is clear but you can find stained to muddy water up the main creeks or rivers.  Bass fishing is slow due to the cold water.  Around the Sugar Creek and Hwy 44 bridges, fish a ¼ ounce Rat L Trap in silver and black or a number 5 Shad Rap.  Fish the bait using a slow retrieve and let it fall as you move it away from the bank.  A Zoom mini lizard in green with red flake can fool the bass on light 10-pound test Sufix line.  Be sure to let the bait sink on the cast so the bait falls right at and under the docks.  The bites are light so watch the line.  In the center of the creeks look for the bass to be close to shallow coves and drop a spoon on them; if one bites, there may be more right close by.

LAKE SINCLAIR IS DOWN 1.6 FEET, 60’S

Bass fishing is good.  The fish are moving up and starting to stage.  Good numbers of fish are biting.  Fishing shallow has been best and will continue to get better.  Spinnerbaits, shallow crank baits, and jigs seem to be producing the best.  A Strike King 3/8 ounce chartreuse and white spinnerbait slow rolled around docks and seawalls near points seems to be producing the bigger bites.  Work the area again and fish the area again as these fish are moving up in schools.  An Ott’s Garage 8 flat side crank bait or a Spro Little John MD will catch numbers of fish as they move up on the flat points.  Fire tiger or chartreuse colors will work best as the lake remains stained.  Find them and fish with the spinner baits and crank baits and fish all the docks in that area with a black and blue Strike King jig.  This is a great way to catch a big fish that you might have missed.  Concentrate on the walkways and backsides of docks as the shallow water will warm up quickly.  The late afternoon bite is best right now since the shallows have had all day to warm up.

The Georgia Wildlife Federation’s Fisharama/Buckarama is in Perry, Georgia February 10-12, 2023.  Southern Fishing Schools Inc. Professional angler Ken Sturdivant will be hosting daily seminars.

LAKE JACKSON IS FULL. 50’S

Bass fishing is fair.  Head to the southern end of the lake around the dam and fish shallow.  Use crank baits along the bank and cast them in real tight.  The shallow water will clear up first and the bass will head there first.  Lipless baits like the Rattlin Raps along with Bandit or Red Eye Shad are good choices.  Loads of vibration along with plenty of noise will be the key this week.  The drop shot bite is picking up.  Once the sun comes up switch over to the drop shot.  This is an easy rig to fish and Sonar with the CHIRP frequencies can see the fish that are very tight on the bottom.  Just be patient to find the right fish.  Expect the weather to break soon and the sun to shine.  This will warm the water up some more and move the bass up closer to their springtime spawning areas.

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 spring bite is heating up. The folks who guessed right where the bite would fire off first had some excellent fishing, but some folks guessed wrong and didn’t get a bite. That’s the fun of late winter fishing.

River gages on February 9th were:

  • Clyo on the Savannah River – 14.4 feet and falling
  • Abbeville on the Ocmulgee – 10.9 feet and falling
  • Doctortown on the Altamaha – 12.0 feet and steady
  • Waycross on the Satilla – 13.1 feet and falling
  • Atkinson on the Satilla – 13.7 feet and falling
  • Macclenny on the St Marys – 2.9 feet and falling

Last quarter moon is February 13th. To monitor all the Georgia river levels, visit the USGS website HERE. For the latest marine forecast, click HERE.

ALTAMAHA/OCMULGEE RIVERS

The river is flowing through the woods pretty much everywhere. I wouldn’t fish it.

SATILLA RIVER

Not a good idea again this week. The water is flowing hard and way out in the floodplain.

ST. MARYS RIVER

This is the only river with levels worth fishing this week. I didn’t get any specific reports but figure the crappie and catfish bites were decent during this warming trend. The cold this weekend will probably push them offshore.

OKEFENOKEE SWAMP

Mark Williams of Blackshear fooled this bluegill with a red wiggler worm while fishing the east side of Okefenokee Swamp on Monday.

This warm spell got the fish biting well in the shallow blackwater. I fished the east side (Folkston entrance) Sunday afternoon for about 2 hours and caught 31 fish (almost all bowfin but had one chain pickerel) by trolling Dura-Spins. The biggest was 8-lb., 3-oz. and second biggest was 7-lb., 12-oz. The only colors I used were fire tiger-chartreuse blade and crawfish (both brass and orange blades) because they never stopped or even slowed down hitting those colors. Mark Williams and his wife Sabrina fished the Folkston entrance on Monday. They caught a dozen bowfin and a nice jackfish on plastic worms They also had a big flier by pitching crickets and a big bluegill on a red wiggler worm. Bill Stewart and I returned to the east side on Wednesday and caught 102 fish (few pickerel and the rest bowfin). The big fish bit well that day, as we had about a half-dozen over 7 pounds. Two of them weighed 7-lb., 12-oz. We tried several colors, but fire tiger-chartreuse blade was by far the best. A distant second was jackfish, and we caught a couple fish on black-brass blade and black/chartreuse-chartreuse blade. We couldn’t get them to eat crawfish at all that day. The latest water level (Folkston side) was 120.66 feet.

DODGE COUNTY PUBLIC FISHING AREA (near Eastman, more info HERE)

The bass and crappie bites have been best. An angler casting plugs and plastics followed shad schools and caught a bunch of 4 to 6-pound bass. Crappie anglers have been catching some nice fish over a pound (few over 2 pounds). Both jigs and minnows produced, so fish whichever you prefer.

LOCAL PONDS

Bill Stewart of Folkston caught this 7-lb., 12-oz. bowfin on Wednesday by trolling a fire tiger-chartreuse blade Dura-Spin.

A Blackshear angler fished one of his favorite ponds for just 1 1/2 hours on Sunday afternoon and caught 3 bass up to 3 pounds and a bowfin on Senkos. Chad Lee has been putting it on the bass in Alma area ponds this past week. He has caught many dozen fish, and his biggest on Saturday was a 5-pounder that he fooled with a rainbow trout-colored stick worm. He fooled about 10 crappie on Thursday with small straight-tailed chartreuse Panfish Assassins. An angler fished a pond on Monday and caught 40 crappie. He spider-rigged a 1/16-oz. Tennessee shad Specktacular Jig tipped with a minnow for all of his fish. Half were keepers, and half he threw back. He fished again on Thursday afternoon and caught 45 fish (kept 23 of them) with the same rigging. He caught some 2-pound slabs on his trips, but most of his “keepers” were 1/2 to 3/4 of a pound.

SALTWATER (GA COAST)

The Friday cold fronts are killing the saltwater fishing! Saturdays have been really blustery, but I’ve heard of a few sheepshead being caught this week Capt. Tim Cutting (fishthegeorgiacoast.com) had some good trips this week, but one in particular was a great trip. That day his charter caught 20 trout and about 15 redfish. The reds were shallow and next to shell bars, while the trout were a little deeper (8-12 feet). Plastics fooled them. He’s been catching some good sheepshead off hard cover recently, also. 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).

NORTH GEORGIA

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

RESERVOIR REPORT 

Chris Myrick with his Rocky Mountain PFA Crappie Record!

Rocky Mountain Public Fishing Area (courtesy of WRD Fisheries Biologist Jackson Sibley) — With the recent warming trend, the pre-spawn bite is on at Rocky PFA. Bass anglers are reporting that the action is lasting throughout the day, and that fish are beginning to move out of deeper water habitats, sticking close to structure to feast on shad and bream in preparation for the spawn. We’ve heard reports of bass being caught up to the mid-8 lb range using crankbaits and swimbaits fished slowly and deliberately. Check out this monster record-breaking black crappie taken by angler Chris Myrick at Heath Lake this week. Topping the scales at 2 lb 14 oz, this fish smashed the previous PFA record, set just over a year ago, by 7 oz. Congrats to Mr. Myrick on your record catch!

To make locating fish attractors easier for our anglers, we added fish attractor coordinates to the Rocky Mountain PFA webpage. Check the Fish Attractor Data tab on the righthand side of the page for three downloadable coordinate formats, and tight lines!

WEST POINT LAKE IS DOWN 5.4 FEET, 60S

Bass (courtesy of Ken Sturdivant’s Southern Fishing Report): Bass fishing is good and there are waves of bass moving to the shallows. Shad are in the creeks and the bass will follow them in big numbers. The best bite through late week was up the river on the crank baits and that will get better with the warm up. Bass are after shad so find the bait and the bass will be close by. Once the bass get into the creeks in full force it’ll be a good opportunity for crank baits, jerk baits and spinnerbaits. Rat L Traps and Shad Raps will be very good patterns. Hit the banks, throwing at any piece of wood you see. Watch the Lowrance Structure Scan and Down Scan technology to get the most out of every cast. Make accurate casts to maximize your chances for a hookup. Chatter Baits and spinner baits after mid-day will draw some strikes. Senko’s in dark colors with little or no weight around any wood can work.

WEISS LAKE IS AT 3 FOOT 3 INCHES BELOW FULL POOL AND STAINED TO CLEAR AND 48-50 DEGREES

Bass (courtesy of Ken Sturdivant’s Southern Fishing Report): Bass fishing is good and some are still on the creek and river channel ledges. The deep running crank baits and Carolina rigs are catching fish. A lot of bass are on secondary points and road beds.

Crappie (courtesy of Ken Sturdivant’s Southern Fishing Report): Crappie fishing is fair and they are in the river channels 10 to 20 feet deep, and can be caught spider rigging with minnows and Jiffy Jigs, Some Crappie are still being caught shooting docks with jigs. A lot of fish are have suspended in the river and creek channels 8 to 12 feet deep, and they can be caught long line trolling with Jiffy Jigs. Bridges are also producing some fish.

Others Species (courtesy of Ken Sturdivant’s Southern Fishing Report): Striper fishing is Poor, and no reports in the last few weeks. Catfish are biting in the bays and creeks in 8 to 15 feet of water and cut bait is working best.

LAKE HARTWELL IS DOWN 2.8 FEET, 50’S (courtesy of Ken Sturdivant’s Southern Fishing Report):

Bass: Bass fishing is fair. Find the warmest water in the coves and along the banks as the sun peeked through during the week. Some bass took advantage of this and moved up to feed. Medium diving crank baits like the Rapala DT6 and Rapala DT Flat can be used to catch these bass along with RS Shad Raps. Zoom finesse worms in greens rigged with little or no weight will catch the bass that are hiding in the brush piles. Rig these baits on ten or twelve pound test line and a 1/0 or 2/0 Wide Gap VMC Hook. A very, very slow presentation will be the key here. Deeper water bass are still being taken on Carolina Rigs around submerged structure on channel ledges and around the deep water boat docks. Twenty to twenty five foot of water is not too deep to use those jigs and plastics on the Carolina Rigs at the southern end of the lake and around the I 85 bridge, deep water vertical jigging is still working for many anglers. River bass are biting mid day up in the Seneca River anywhere from Portman’s Marina and North. The Tugaloo River along the points and along the small rocky banks are best.

Striper and Hybrids (courtesy of SCDNR Fishing Reports): Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports that the February bite will start off similar to January with fish part-way up the rivers in 35-45 feet on the bottom. However, later in the month if the water temperatures reach the low to mid-50s then on warm afternoons fish will move up onto wind-blown red clay points and banks to feed. Artificial lures like small swimbaits and flukes on a Scrounger head will often out-fish herring, and if there is a weak morning bite it’s often a sign of a strong afternoon bite.

Crappie (courtesy of SCDNR Fishing Reports):  Captain Bill Plumley reports that at the beginning of February fish are most likely to be found around deeper docks on jigs and minnows, but if temperatures warm then later in the month they should be caught on creek ledges as they start to move up.

Catfish (courtesy of SCDNR Fishing Reports): Captain Bill Plumley reports that February patterns are almost entirely dependent on the weather, and if it gets warm later in the month fish should move shallower into the creek channels. If it stays cold then they will stay deeper. A variety of cut baits can work. January saw a slow but steady bite for big blue cats.

Union County High School Agriculture Science students Helping with Habitat Work.

Deploying Fish Attractors into Nottely.

LAKE NOTTELY (courtesy or WRD Fisheries Biologist Hunter Roop): Lake Nottely is currently nearly 14’ below full pool and water temperatures are still in the 40s. With the reservoir at winter pool, WRD staff recently partnered with

Habitat Work on Lake Nottely.

Union County High School Agriculture Science students to deploy 17 large fish attractors at locations between Canal Lake and Eagle Bend. These fish attractors may be visible now, but when the reservoir refills you’ll need to access the Lake Nottely Fishing Forecast to obtain coordinates for these attractors. We expect sportfish like Largemouth Bass, Black Crappie, bream, and other baitfish will soon use these attractors as pre and post-spawn habitat, so we hope Nottely anglers will find success fishing them this spring!

LAKE ALLATOONA IS DOWN 11 FEET, 50S

Bass (courtesy of Ken Sturdivant’s Southern Fishing Report): Bass fishing is fair. The water is stained in the upper and lower lake but fairly clear around the dam due to the recent rains. With the recent cold trend the fish are moving back towards their deep water haunts so use the Staysee 90 making long casts on points working the bait very slowly. Jerk the baits down to the maximum depth and then reeling it very slowly with some pauses mixed in. Many angles have found using light 10 pound test Sufix clear line will get a few more strikes. The drop shot bite is better now. Once the sun comes up the switch over to the drop shot. This is an easy rig and Sonar with the CHIRP frequencies can see these fish that are very tight on the bottom. Just be patient to find the right fish but once. A limit is possible once they get triggered by the other fish feeding. Concentrate on both deep structure as sonar can locate bait and feeding fish. On the bluff walls try fishing in the 40 to 50 foot range. Once you find bait use a drop shot or spoon to catch them. Use the 4.5 inch Yamamoto Flat Tail worm due to water clarity on the business end of the drop shot with a 3/8th or ½ ounce quick is using. Also, work on structure in the 15 to 20 foot range and pay attention to the sonar for bait and fish at the depth level that the bait is using.

LAKE LANIER IS DOWN .37 FEET, 50S (courtesy of Ken Sturdivant’s Southern Fishing Report):

Lanier Striper for Jack Becker.

Lanier Spotted Bass for Jack Becker.

Becker’s Lanier Loon Lead (courtesy of blog contributor Jack Becker): I made a trip back out on Lake Lanier, in between rain and high winds one afternoon this week. Water temperature was 50.3 degrees and only 2 mph winds. I was fishing a small cove off the main lake near Port Royale Marina. There was a pair of loons diving on bait. I was looking for spotted bass in a ditch that ran half-way back into the cove off of the main lake. I began marking a lot of bait (mostly, threadfin shad) on my depth finder thanks to the deep-diving duo. I was drifting medium shiners on free lines using 10-lb line. My first fish was a 14 lb. Striper followed by two nice 3 lb Alabama Bass. All my bites came when I turned off my electric motor to allow the bait to go deeper. I only saw one other boat on the water, which made for another great day fishing Big Sid. Jack Becker, Gainesville.

Bass (courtesy of Phil Johnson: Pjohnson15@hotmail.com 770 366 8845): Bass fishing on Lake Lanier is good. The bags being weighed in at the local tournaments are getting bigger and bigger. Several bags of over twenty pounds were weighed in this weekend with the winning weights being over twenty three pounds! Needless to say the fishing is good but it’s not a slugfest for everyone. The ditch bite is still happening but the key is to find the right ditch where the fish are feeding. Pan optics and Live Target are great but they can also be frustrating when you can see the fish react to your bait but not bite anything. For the ditch bite a three eights Spotchoker with either a three-inch Cast bait or a two eight Keitech has worked well. Use a slow steady retrieve and if you feel a bite but the bass doesn’t take it simply let the bait drop for a few seconds and restart your retrieve. Often this will trigger a better bite. Both the half ounce spoon and the Dimiki rig have worked also for the fish in the deeper water if you see them slightly suspended off the bottom. Watch for the bass to begin to move up as the water warms slightly and bedding season being just around the corner. The shallower worm bite has also been a good producer of bass in water less than fifteen feet deep. I have been using either a three sixteenths head on calm days or a quarter ounce head on windy days paired with a green pumpkin or watermelon red trick worm. The fish seem to be relating to sunny rocks, docks with twenty feet of water in front or brush. Work the worm slowly and many of the strikes will be very light. If you think it was a tick then set the hook. Like they say, hookset’s are free. If you are looking for the deep bite be prepared to look quite a bit for the fish as they are not just everywhere. Once you establish a depth for the dock bite it is a fairly easy pattern to run. If you have the opportunity be sure to come to the NOE Outdoors event in Cartersville February seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth. Southern Fishing School and tons of other vendors will be there. It’s really a great show. For Lake Lanier, there are definitely some big ones biting so Go Catch ‘em.

Stripers (courtesy of Buck Cannon Buck Tails Service. Buck Tails 404 510 1778): Striper fishing has been hot and cold like the weather. Early in the week before the rain, stripers were in the backs of some of the lower lake creeks and in the mouth of the rivers. By the time the weather made its appearance, all the fish were pushed out to the main river. Now the fish are still roaming and the rivers are the better areas until the lake settles. Get out the trolling rigs and the umbrella rigs and pull them over points and humps. Place these baits 60 to 100 feet behind the boat and cruise the area while throwing a super fluke. Small Bombers in chrome and black are working using a slow retrieve and pause method when these fish are feeding on top. In addition, throwing a 5/8 ounce white buck tail with a white curly tail trailer should pick an extra fish or two.

Crappie (courtesy of Captain Josh Thornton 770 530 6493): The water temperature is 48. Crappie can be found from 5 to 25 feet deep. This week’s catch came mainly from docks the fish were suspended in 5-25 feet of water. 25% of our fish are coming on minnows 75% jigs the colors that worked for us today are the yellow and pink and black and grey color combination. 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 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 and a Acc crappie stix. I use Garmin Live Scope and the Navionics Boating app. Find me on Facebook and like my pages #crappieonlanier #fishingwitheverydayheroes Captain Josh Thornton will host a FREE! 4HER Outdoor Apparel ALL Ladies fishing tournament on Saturday March 25, 2023 from 7:30am until 12:00pm. Call Captain Josh Thornton at 770 530 6493.

Fly Fishing (courtesy of blog contributor Tad Murdock): For those wanting to spend some time on the lake hunting striper, the bite on the fly has been tough, though I expect these conditions to change in coming weeks. The recent rains have kept water temps up and crushed our typical midwinter fly bite for the time being, and the forecast shows more of the same ahead. Until then, there will be the occasional striper roaming shallow on points but not enough of them to pattern, and the majority of the fish will be focused on the herring in 45’-60’. Keep an eye on things to happen mid to upper lake. Taylor, Johnson, and Yellow Creek on the Chestatee Side along with Ada, Little River, Wahoo, and Gainesville Creek are all holding a good amount of striper on the Hooch side.

RIVER REPORT 

Dennis Schmidt with a 2022 walleye catch.

Dennis Schmidt with a 2022 walleye catch.

A few reports have been coming in, but we’re still a few weeks out for folks to start hitting the water in droves. Reviewing the various USGS river gauges throughout north Georgia will show you our rivers are now running low and clear—a stark contrast to last month’s trends. These conditions paired with the recent warm, sunny weather are leading to quickly warming water temperatures, and we’re currently hovering just at or over that magic 50 F mark which spurs the initial wave of our north Georgia river running sportfish like walleye, white bass, and stripers. In fact, today WRD staff will begin scouting for walleye in the headwaters of our major north Georgia reservoirs to support annual production of walleye to supplement all of Georgia’s walleye fisheries. Recently, angler Dennis Schmidt shared some pictures of his successful walleye exploits from the 2022 fishing season. Spring is the best window to pursue this tasty gamefish in shallow, flowing headwaters feeding many north Georgia impoundments. For more information on where and how to catch a Georgia walleye, check out WRD’s Walleye Fishing Guide, and we hope you’ll put a walleye fishing trip on your calendar this year.    

TROUT REPORT 

Chattahoochee DH Volunteer Call: This is a “last call” for Atlanta trout anglers to join us for the final Chattahoochee River volunteer trout stocking event of the delayed harvest season! This bucket stocking will take place at the Paces Mill Boat Ramp (3444 Cobb Pkwy SE, Atlanta, GA 30339) on the Chattahoochee River on President’s Day Monday, February 20. The stocking truck should be ready to unload around 10:30 AM, and volunteers should bring a clean 5-gallon bucket, waders, and a signed copy of the WRD adult or minor liability water form. As always, we encourage you to bring your kids to help stock trout and enjoy catching a few once all the fish are stocked. We look forward to seeing you all on February 2o and a special thanks to everyone who joined us for the Thanksgiving and Christmas stockings! If you have questions, please contact our office at 770-535-5498.

Lanier Tailwater (courtesy of Orvis Fishing Reports): Chattahoochee tailwater stratification (lake turnover) has ended for the year, and water should be clear until fall except during heavy rain. The wild brown trout are in post spawn and are feeding actively as the days become shorter and we approach fall spawning season. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources has discontinued their weekly stocking program for the year and will only stock the tailwater once per month until spring. Delayed Harvest stocking has begun south of Morgan Falls Dam and is fishing quite productively. If you have any questions at all, feel free to come in and we will be happy to get you set up! For the Chattahoochee, state regulations require a certified personal flotation devise be worn by all anglers from Buford dam south to highway 20. Pay special attention to water release info online or call the number below for release schedules. Make sure to call the Corp of Engineers release hotline at 770-945-1466 before making your trip. Tips & Techniques: Streamer fishing is a great way to fish and possibly catch a huge brown. Nymphing is always going to be the go to for those bottom feeding fish, the old Pat’s Rubber legs, Worm patterns, midge patterns, attractors such as rainbow warriors and lightning bugs to copper johns, and the classic pheasant tails and hare’s ears in 12-18. If you are throwing streamers, anything from wooly buggers if you’re throwing the smaller rods to large articulated patters like the bottoms up and dungeon patterns by Galloup.

WRD Tailwater Info Add-on (courtesy of WRD Fisheries Biologist Hunter Roop): We spent a day on the tailwater this week and made some observations of prominent hatches occurring right now. Caddisflies were landing on our waders at multiple locations from Island Ford up to Abbott’s Bridge. These appeared to be small black or grey caddis. At Jones Bridge, we discovered TONS of scuds and sows exploiting the refuge of the mostly dormant aquatic vegetation prominent throughout that stretch of river, along with more caddis, a few stonefly nymphs, and salamanders. The midge factory below the dam was still rocking and rolling, and I observed a few splashy surfaces just below the footbridge, and even saw what looked like a stocker rainbow jump two feet straight up out of the water!

DH Update (courtesy of WRD Fisheries Biologist Hunter Roop): After a very wet January, the low, clear, and sunny conditions this week and last week beckoned our stocking trucks to visit all of the DH streams, and a couple of bonus rivers and lentic waterbodies received a healthy dose of salmonids as well. To keep a regular pulse on trout stockings in North Georgia, check out our weekly stocking report on our Trout Fishing webpage, and thanks in advance for your purchase of trout stamps, TU vehicle tags, and fishing gear that provide the funds to support trout management in Georgia.

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 your trout tag purchase.