Tick Tock, Tick Tock. Have you purchased all your holiday gifts for friends and family members yet? Need another idea that you know they will enjoy and you don’t have to go to the store to get it? Gift them a hunting or fishing (or combo) license to help them enjoy the wild places they love and purchase it online. Find out more HERE.

NEWS TO KNOW:

This week, we have fishing reports from Southeast and North Georgia. Give the gift of outdoor recreation for a sure people pleaser and then Go Fish Georgia! 

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)

I often refer to wintertime fishing as “feast or famine”. There was a lot of feasting this week! The weekend rains raised the rivers, but they’re not totally blown out yet.

River gages on December 14th were:

• Clyo on the Savannah River – 4.3 feet and rising
• Abbeville on the Ocmulgee – 4.6 feet and rising
• Doctortown on the Altamaha – 6.6 feet and rising
• Waycross on the Satilla – 9.9 feet and rising
• Atkinson on the Satilla – 6.3 feet and rising
• Statenville on the Alapaha – 5.6 feet and falling
• Macclenny on the St Marys – 9.3 feet and falling
• Fargo on the Suwannee – 8.6 feet and falling

First quarter moon is December 19th. To monitor all the Georgia river levels, visit the USGS website HERE. For the latest marine forecast, click HERE.

Lester Rowland caught this slab crappie and a bunch of others while fishing with his nephew Chad Lee over the weekend in an Alma-area pond.

LOCAL PONDS

Harry Beverley and a friend put it on the crappie again this week. They caught a limit (several over a pound) by fishing minnows. Chad Lee fished with his Uncle (Lester Rowland) over the weekend and put it on the crappie and bass in Alma-area ponds. They caught over 50 crappie and kept 23 slabs. They fooled them with both minnows and jigs (Chad’s usual is a 1 1/2-inch chartreuse panfish Assassin). He and Daniel Johnson (Daniel just released a couple songs on Spotify, specifically “Me Minus You” and “Leave My Boots On”) fished the same pond for bass and had 6 bass up to 4 pounds. Christie Craws worked best to fool bass. Chad fished during his lunch break on Monday and caught two bass that weighed 3 pounds apiece and then again on Thursday and caught a pair of bass about 2 pounds each. He fooled the lunchtime bass with shad colored Rat-L-traps.

ALTAMAHA/OCMULGEE RIVERS

A Fitzgerald angler had two good trips on the Ocmulgee. On Friday he caught 17 bass with his biggest weighing 7-lb., 11-oz. He caught that biggest one on the end of a tree-top in the main river. On Saturday, he and a buddy caught 14 nice bass. They didn’t have any big ones that day, but their top 5 fish weighed 16 pounds. Almost all of their fish ate Texas-rigged plastic worms.

SATILLA RIVER

Brentz McGhin fished the upper river on Saturday and had a good catch. He fooled 18 crappie (kept 12 of them), 3 bass (kept 1), and a host of other panfishes and a catfish. His most effective presentation was a minnow under a float, but he also caught one on a crawfish Satilla Spin and one on a cricket on a jighead. The new ramp at the Highway 158 Bridge is completed and open to the public. The boat ramp crew of the Wildlife Resources Division did a great job on it! And don’t believe some of the bantering on the internet – it’s open to the public…..on public land….and you won’t get a ticket for using it (unless you’re doing something stupid and illegal…).

OKEFENOKEE SWAMP

The water level has come up and started spreading back out into the prairies, but you can still catch fish in the canals. Bowfin activity slows down in the cold, but they will still hit a trolled lure along with chain pickerel. For fliers, pitch sallies underneath a small balsa float. I usually start with pink then try yellow, orange, and chartreuse if they don’t respond. When it’s cold, letting the little fly sit a second or two longer than when it is warm usually entices more strikes. The most recent water level (Folkston side) was 120.90 feet.

OCMULGEE PUBLIC FISHING AREA (near Hawkinsville, more info HERE)

The big bass chewed a little bit over the last week. The biggest I heard of was just over 9 pounds, but lots of 3 to 6-pounders were caught, as well. Remember, bass are catch-and-release only on the lake.

Gerald Riner caught this and lots of other big sheepshead this week on a nearshore wreck in the Savannah area by dabbling fiddler crabs on the hard bottom.

SALTWATER (GA COAST)

Cason Kinstle got on some great trout and redfish during a trip on Friday in the lower Ogeechee River. He ended up catching 20 trout (all but 2 were keepers!), a 15-inch sheepshead, and a 19-inch black drum. Live shrimp under a slip float was the key to their bite. They tried artificials to no avail. On Monday he fished the Brunswick area with a friend, and they caught 40 trout (19 keepers) and 2 reds (1 keeper). They used both live bait and artificials. Their artificial set-up was an 1/8 and 1/4-oz. Zombie Eye Jighead and plastics (shad belly and purple or green backs). A Waycross angler fished just a few hours Friday afternoon in the Brunswick area and got on a bunch of trout. He fooled most of them on live shrimp worked slowly along the bottom on an 1/8-oz. Shrimp Hook and a live shrimp on the same Shrimp Hook but suspended 24 inches below a Cajun Thunder Float. The float rig worked best over flooded shells, while he bounced the other rig along the deeper areas. He ended up with 35 trout (mostly throwbacks), a keeper redfish, and a keeper flounder. The flounder and a few of the trout ate 3 1/2-inch shad colored Keitech swimbaits on chartreuse 1/16-oz. Zombie Eye Jigheads. Jay Turner and Gerald Riner fished the nearshore reefs in the Savannah area on Friday in the good weather and slammed the sheepshead. They released the bigger 7 to 9 pounders and lots of other on their way to keeping a limit. They literally got tired of catching fish. Dabbling fiddler crabs is how they fooled them. Sean Tarpley and a friend fished off Brunswick on Friday and hammered the black sea bass and triggerfish. They had some work when they got back to the cleaning table! Capt. Tim Cutting (fishthegeorgiacoast.com) said that winds were rough this week, but they still caught fish in protected areas. Monday and Tuesday he put his clients on about 20 trout per day and lots of redfish by throwing artificials. They had about a half-dozen keeper trout per day, and some were really nice 20-plus inch fish. On Wednesday he zigged when he should have zagged, and they only caught about half that many fish. Several nice reds ate spinnerbaits for his clients mid-week. Jamie Hodge and a friend slammed 51 trout (kept 21) on live shrimp in the Brunswick area on Friday. Wat-a-melon Bait and Tackle’s Shrimp Hook give-away last weekend was a success. They are in Brunswick and are open Friday through Sunday from 6am to 4pm each week. They have plenty of lively shrimp and fiddler crabs and also have live worms and crickets for freshwater. They’re on Hwy 303 just north of Hwy 82 in the same location as the previous J&P Bait and Tackle. For the latest information, contact them at 912-223-1379.

NORTH GEORGIA

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

RESERVOIR REPORT 

LAKE ALLATOONA 

Bass (courtesy of Ken Sturdivant, Southern Fishing) — Bass fishing is good. Spotted bass fishing has been good as long as anglers use show the right kind of lure. The jig can hardly be beat at this time of year, throw it shallow, throw it deep and throw anywhere. Stay in the main lake and look for brush or stumps. Pitch in a jig and wait for the thump. Grab some Mini Me Spinner baits and burn it along the steep bluff walls. If the water warms from the rain they will answer the call. The jig needs to be green pumpkin color. Be sure to fish it slowly and the Bass Pro jigs in the 3/8 size works well on 10 pound line on a spinning reel. Look for the larger rock formations from Little River to the dam as the key areas. As anglers pass over the main lake ditches watch the Lowrance Down Scan technology with the Fish Reveal up to 86%. This technology can expose a lot more water than regular sonar beams. 

LAKE HARTWELL 

White Bass from Lake Hartwell for angler Tommy Abbott.

Striped Bass from Lake Hartwell for Matthew Haynes.

Hybrid Striped Bass from Lake Hartwell for Dillon Reome.

Bass (courtesy of Guide Jacob Butts 864-934-9450; report via SC-DNR Freshwater Fishing Trends) — Guide Jacob Butts reports that in December fish will mostly leave the shallow creeks and set up in deeper ditches and channels. Some days they will be suspended, and other days they will relate to the bottom. Fish head spins, drop shot rigs, spoons, and dragging a jig or shakey head will work.

Bass (courtesy of Ken Sturdivant, Southern Fishing) — Bass fishing is fair. Warmer weather last week brought on a little bit better fishing for the few bass anglers that had time to go during the week. Shad were jumping back in the coves and the fish were feeding heavy on everything that moved. The big key to catching an abundant amount of bass was to downsize both the baits and line sixes. Original Floating Rapala’s on eight-pound test line coupled with a spinning rod was catching a lot of the smaller bass. Look for the warmest water anywhere on the lake and the Lowrance Heat Map technology on the charts can be a great asset. There wasn’t a lot of size to the fish action is good most of the day. The bigger bass took a little more work as anglers picked apart structure with worms and jigs. Anglers use the Rapala DT10 and DT14 along the banks and points in search of a 2 1/2 to 3 1/2-pound keeper fish. During December, weather will play an important role while fishing. Sudden changes in temperatures or wind will make a difference while fishing. 

Catfish (courtesy of Captain Bill Plumley; report via SC-DNR Freshwater Fishing Trends) — Captain Bill Plumley reports that in December blue catfish will get easier and easier to catch as they come out of the deep timber, and they should be catchable on clean bottoms. A variety of cut baits will work. By the end of November some big fish were already showing up. 

Linesides and Hybrids (courtesy of Guide Chip Hamilton 864-304-9011; report via SC-DNR Freshwater Fishing Trends) — Guide Chip Hamilton reports that in December fish will continue to bite down-lines in the creeks and rivers until if and when water temperatures get very cold. If that happens look for the bite to slow down, and anglers will need to switch over to trolling umbrella rigs or pulling free-lines with big baits. 

Spotted Bass from Lake Lanier for Brooks Anderson.

LAKE LANIER

Bass (courtesy of Captain Mack, Captain Mack’s) — The Bass bite is good with a variety productive techniques and baits. Overall, ditches, creek channels and drains will be hard to beat for consistency and numbers. Some of the shallow patterns may produce the biggest fish, but maybe not as well on the numbers side. As to be expected, the ditch/drain/channel bite has been one of it not the best overall pattern. A variety of baits will get the bite, Keitech’s and Prodigy’s on the lead head have been consistent. Worms on almost any variety of rigging, and of course spoons. The depths range on the ditches is very big, with fish being caught from 15 to 50. Watch for some of the fish to be shallow early, or in low light, deeper as the day progresses. 35 to 45 feet has been a good depth regardless of the structure.

Our spoon bite has been very good, and the likely areas are holding fish. Many of the creek channels have good concentrations of bait, if you see that the bait the Bass will probably be around. When you see the bait layered up on a 30 to 50 foot bottom, try fishing even if you do not see lots of fish. Often the fish will show up on the sonar after you drop the spoons or responding to a fish that is hooked. In addition to the bait schools, spoons are effective around timber edges and the above-mentioned drains and channels. FYI, many anglers are reporting good catches on chartreuse color patterns.

The shallow water patterns that are yielding some of the bigger fish are still effective. Mainly rocks and shallow brush, which is easy to find with our low water levels. You can also include points in this pattern as well. Effective all over the lake, lower end, main lake may offer the best shot at the biggest Spotted Bass. Plastics have been the go-to for this pattern, but jigs and crank baits also have some application. 

Bass (courtesy of Phil Johnson pjohnson15@hotmail.com, 770-366-8845; report via Southern Fishing): Bass fishing on Lake Lanier is good to very good. The lake is currently eight feet below full pool and the water temperature is running from the mid to upper fifties. The lake is clear with slight stain up the rivers. The colder temperatures have moved the fish to deeper water now in a range from twenty-five to fifty feet. The ditches and ledges have been the most consistent producing areas particularly if there is structure in the area. The water temperature is not quite cold enough to lock the fish down so they are still moving around in any given area. It’s time to look for the bait to find the fish. You may have to explore several different areas to find the bass but when you do you can catch numerous fish if a very small place. The baits that have been producing are the Spotchoker, Georgia Blade spoon, drop shot and the jig. To cover area in the ditches or ledges we have been using the three eights Spotchoker with a Cast Echo trailer and working this bait slowly across the bottom. If you locate a school of bass the half ounce spoon or the drop shot worked vertical have produced good number of bass. On the drop shot either a Sweet Rosy or a Blue Lily worm have been the ticket. Remember on the drop shot not to set the hook hard as all you have to do is lift the rod tip to set the hook. A brown and chartreuse jig rigged with a root beer trailer has worked well on the steeper rock points and ledges as well as the deeper boat docks. As the water temperature continues to drop the bass will slow down their movement even more and often stay in the same area for multiple days. Use the wind to you advantage to locate the shad as they will be pushed into the pockets with ditches. It’s a little cool on the water but the fishing can be really hot so bundle up and Go Catch ‘Em!

Crappie (courtesy of Captain Josh Thornton 770-530-6493; report via Southern Fishing) — Water temperatures are still in low 50s and the lake is down 8.5 foot. This week has been super windy making it extra challenging to fish around docks, so the majority of our catch has been coming from suspended fish at 10 foot deep or less on open water brush. I am using a small minnows straight down with a split shot 8 10 feet deep. I have also been doing well small hair jigs and 1.25” soft plastic jigs. While the lake is low be searching for and marking new brush piles and blow downs. The gear I recommend for crappie fishing is Acc crappie stix 1-piece rod and reel with a 6-pound test K9 line, along with Garmin Live Scope and Power Pole. For more information and tips, please visit my websites http://www.crappieonlanier.com and http://www.fishingwitheverydayheroes.org.

Linesides (courtesy of Buck Cannon 404-510-1778; report via Southern Fishing) — Striper fishing is good. Lake Lanier stripers are under the birds so keep an eye out for the surface activity. The backs of the creeks will hold fish but you’ll need to keep searching for the birds and bait. Down lines, flat lines and planer boards should cover the water using gizzards, trout and blue backs. Water temperatures are in mid 50s. Look for the fish at depths 30 to 50 feet. Fishing on the points going into the creeks is a good starting point. Remember to wear your life jackets. 

Linesides (courtesy of Captain Mack, Captain Mack’s — Striper fishing is good, and live baits and trolling techniques are both very good. On the live baits, a mix of baits and techniques are productive. Down lines are consistently producing good catches. Herring and Small Trout have been good with some anglers catching fish on Shad and shiners as well. Gizzard Shad on the free lines and planers are also a good technique and are catching some of the bigger fish.

The down line bite is applicable anywhere you see bait concentrations, primarily in the creeks and drains. I think this bite is overall best in the middle part of either river arm, where there are very good numbers of fish. The logistics are also more practical in the mid lake area, there are simply more creeks and drains in close proximately to expedite the search process. Lower end creeks and drains are holding good numbers of fish, but moving from one to another requires a little more time. While Herring have been the bait of choice on the down lines, keeping a mix in the spread is a plus. The fish may show a preference may from day to day. If the fish seem reluctant to take the down line, come off the spot lock and use a slow troll, .3 to .6 mph. That will often trigger some bites and by moving you increase the odds of finding fish.

Keep a jigging spoon tied on! If you get any groups of fish under the boat, drop a spoon down. They are responding to the spoons well and they are largely underutilized by Striper Fishermen. Any time you are on Spot lock and you have fish marking, or bait tight to bottom, send ‘em the spoon. In addition to stripers, expect some Bass, Catfish, Perch, White Bass, and if you are really lucky, a Walleye to make lunch out of the spoon.

Deploy the free lines around areas where birds are working or you can be fortunate enough to see surfacing fish. A Gizzard Shad and Trout on a free line, or behind a planer board in this situation has been effective and may get a big bite. Watch the loons, often pulling around a group of loons will get a bite or two, and that seems to be more prominent on the lower end.

Trolling is very good, pulling the full-size rigs around the bait schools in the creeks has been a solid pattern. Look for the bait schools, basically in the same areas you would fish the down lines. Slow trolling the Mini Macks is also very effective, again, pull over bait concentrations or over timber in the creeks. 1 MPH is the target speed for the Stealth trolling.

LAKE WEISS 

Bass (courtesy of Guide Mark Collins, Mark Collins Guide Service) — Bass fishing is good, and they have moved to a winter pattern on ledges and river and creek channels. Carolina rigs, crank baits and spinner baits are catching fish. 

Crappie (courtesy of Guide Mark Collins, Mark Collins Guide Service) — Crappie fishing is fair, and they are on the creek and river channel ledges and deeper brush. They can be caught Spider rigging with live minnows over deep brush. Shooting docks with jigs is also producing some fish, look for the Crappie to really start biting as the water cools down.

WEST POINT LAKE 

Bass (courtesy of Ken Sturdivant, Southern Fishing) — Bass fishing is fair. The best cover has been on steeper banks in the mouths of creeks and pockets such as lay downs and brush piles. It takes a little more time to find brush piles, but they are often better producers this time of year. The best cover has been in depths from twelve to fifteen feet of water. Look for the warmest water anywhere on the lake and the Lowrance Heat Map technology on the charts can be a great asset. These underwater hotels have been producing both spotted bass and largemouth. Use the 1/8 ounce Weedless Wonder lead head with a Z Man floating worm in green pumpkin and mid depth crankbaits in a shad pattern. Many are using the Bandit crankbait in a natural shad pattern to cover water while locating cover. As anglers pass over the main lake ditches watch the Lowrance Down Scan technology with the Fish Reveal up to 86%. This technology can expose a lot more water than regular sonar beams. On sunny days the clear water jigging spoon bite has been great. Look for fish stacking on humps and roadbeds in Wehadkee Creek to catch these fish. Try Yellow Jacket Creek and Half Moon Creek and great places to start. 

RIVER REPORT 

Stocking Trout is a fun family activity!

Bucket stocking helps get trout to Georgia waters.

Don’t Miss It! You better sign up, you better be spry, you better stock trout, I’m telling you why—the stocking truck is coming to town! We’re excited to continue the tradition of soliciting the assistance of our WRD volunteers to stock the Chattahoochee DH this December. This pre-Christmas dosing of the ‘Hooch will ensure Atlanta’s finest urban anglers will have a wadeable safe haven to turn to while experiencing the fiscal jubilation of holiday shopping or the pure ebullience of hosting the out-of-town in-laws. The stocking truck will arrive at Whitewater Creek Park (East Palisades) on December 18^th around 10:00 AM to get set up, and we will plan to start stocking by no later than 10:30 AM. Volunteers are encouraged to fill out a liability waiver for participating adults and children ahead of time and bring a signed copy with them. Everyone participating in trout stocking should bring waders or boots and a clean 5-gallon bucket. As always, folks are encouraged to stay and fish once all the trout are in the water. Volunteers are also encouraged to don their favorite holiday wardrobes (e.g., tacky Christmas sweaters, Santa hats, or elfish attire) to keep things merry and bright!

Tips for Newbies: Trying to get into fly fishing and want to start learning the basics? Danny from Fish North Georgia and Tad Murdock from Georgia Wild Trout have created a short video containing helpful casting demonstrations for beginners. Check it out! HOW-TO VIDEO: The 3 basic casts for #FlyFishing

Trout (courtesy of Jeff Durniak, Angler Management; report via Unicoi Outfitters) — Area streams are very low and clear once again, so folks should return to your drought-trouting game. We need weekly storms to restore our normal flows. In the meantime, stealth and light lines are once again your keys to trouting success. Delayed Harvest stockers have seen a lot of anglers and flies. Be ready to switch patterns to those they might not have seen yet. The water is colder due to chilly nights, so many of your trout takes will be very subtle. Be ready to set the hook on any hesitation of your strike indicators.

• Wes’ Hot Fly List: Dries:  Elk hair caddis, parachute Adams, BWO, cream midge, Griffith’s gnat.

• Nymphs & Wets: WD-40, Twister egg, Edwards stonefly (black), Ruby Midge, split case BWO, Duracell.

• Streamers & warm water: (Trout) wooly bugger, muddy buddy, (bass & stripers) clouser minnow, Cowen’s somethin else, finesse changer.

Rainbow Trout from the Soquee River for Jan Kozak.

Brown Trout from Chattahoochee River for Russ Edelman.

Trout (courtesy of Tad Murdock, Georgia Wild Trout) — Low water will be the biggest factor in trout fishing this December. Most rivers and creeks are gin clear and have the lowest flows of the year. This will make wild fish incredibly spooky and tougher to catch. On the upside, stockers will likely be fish in a barrel. Being easier to find will make fishing earlier in the month much easier and similar to how the month of November rounded off. Look for trout to be holding in deeper troughs as they will be highly exposed to predators in their typical, and more shallow, late fall holding water. Move slow and keep your disturbances down for wild fish and look for smaller flies to work best. Less casting and more looking will land you more fish this month.

For stockers, junk flies (eggs, worms, mops) have been producing huge numbers in the recently stocked DH stretches as well as the regularly stocked waters. Once the fish get educated on these flies, go to smaller size and profile nymphs with a much more finesse presentation to target these trout. Look for the deepest water around to find the largest concentrations of these trout. Depth will mean comfort until the winter rains raise the water levels. The other stocked streams in North Georgia, such as Coopers Creek, Dicks Creek, and Rock Creek have seen some good-looking browns, brooks, and rainbows, that seem to be finding ways to avoid the normal angling traffic.

CENTRAL GEORGIA

We do not have a Central Georgia fishing report this week, but if you need some tips, we recommend checking out SOUTHERN FISHING WITH KEN STURDIVANT.