Even Santa knows it’s a good time to wet a line.

‘Tis the season to wet a hook. Don’t let the cold weather keep you inside by the fire. The winter is a great time to hunt deep for stripers or fling flies for trout. Read the tips below, bundle up, and head out and enjoy the holidays with some time on the water. Even the busiest man of all took a break to enjoy our beautiful natural resources. With a little Christmas magic and pointers from the pros, you will be blessed with a yummy fish dinner or a trophy catch this holiday season. 

NEWS TO KNOW:

  • Let’s Get Some Fishing Knowledge at the Boat Show: Ken Sturdivant, of Southern Fishing with Ken Sturdivant, will host all the LET’S GO FISHING SEMINARS at the 2024 Atlanta Boat Show. The Boat Show runs January 11-14, 2024 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. Meet many of the fishing gurus whose wise words of fishing we often share with you here on this blog, such as Ken Sturdivant, Matt Driver, Captain Cefus McRae, Rick Burns, Captain Josh Thornton, Phil Johnson, Rene Hesse, Chris Scalley, and Erica Delana in the Let’s Go Fishing Seminar area. 
  • Renovation Continues at Go Fish: The Go Fish Education Center in Perry, GA will remain closed through the month of December as they continue to work on a renovation and refresh to exhibits, interactive opportunities and aquariums. The re-opening date looks to be in early January.  
  • Sturgeon Story Time: Find out more about the reintroduction program for lake sturgeon and see some photos HERE. 

This week, we have fishing reports from Central, Southeast and North Georgia. Here is a little Ho Ho Ho to Help You Go Go 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)

Current Flat Creek PFA Record holder for largemouth bass, Norman Moneypenny, with his 11 lb. 5 oz. catch.

FLAT CREEK PUBLIC FISHING AREA (More Info HERE) 

Anglers are reporting a slight decrease in both the number and size of bass being caught.  Patience is necessary to catch larger bass in these cooler waters.  Try a slower presentation and a bottom bait that will garner attention.  Both bream and crappie continue to be caught most often from the fishing pier. There are Flat Creek PFA records that still need to be filled.  If you land a fish that you think could qualify you for a PFA record, follow the application process as listed on the PFA Angler Award submission form.

Anglers are reporting good success using the following lures and methods:

  • Bass: Anglers are having continued success with shallow running jointed square-bill crankbait lures. Also try using Chatterbait bladed jigs for an attention grabber.
  • Bream: The last anglers to report catches were using red wigglers and jigs.
  • Channel Catfish: Anglers are using nightcrawlers and cut baitfish.
  • Crappie: The last anglers to report catches were using live minnows.

MARBEN PUBLIC FISHING AREA (More Info HERE) 

  • Water Level: All ponds except Margery** and Otter are full.
  • Water Clarity: All ponds are clear.
  • Surface Temperature: 45-55 degrees F
  • Marben PFA Fishing Guide
  • **Margery Lake is closed for renovations.

Anglers are reporting good success using the following lures and methods:

  • Bass: Bass fishing has slowed but warmer spells will increase the bite, especially after several warm days in a row.  We have had several reports of nice bass being caught under schools of shad.   Jerk baits and crank baits are a good choice.
  • Crappie: Crappie fishing is fair.  Try fishing deeper water over suspended brush using jigs tipped with minnows.
  • Bream: Few bluegill and shell cracker are being caught this time of year.  However, for those with patience, the wait might offer a pleasant surprise fishing on the bottom with worms.
  • Catfish: Fox, Bennett, Upper Raleigh, and Dairy have been stocked with channel catfish.  Try worms or chicken livers at or near the bottom.
RESERVOIR FISHING REPORTS BELOW COURTESY OF SOUTHERN FISHING WITH KEN STURDIVANT.

LAKE RUSSELL IS DOWN .20 FEET, 50’S

Bass fishing is fair.  The lake is loaded with spotted bass and they love the cooler water.  Expect these fish to be roaming in and out along the shallow rocky areas and a variety of baits will catch these fall bass.  Good largemouth are also found here and they prefer the wood cover over the rock.  Since this lake is nothing more than a flooded gorge, there is plenty of wood in various forms scattered all over the lake.  Do not rule out that top water bite this week.  Big bass are caught on the surface during the fall months.  Good baits to use this week include buzz baits, spinner baits by Strike King and jigs, Rapala Shad Raps and Husky Jerks or Ito Vision 110.  Spend some time on and over the old creek beds with the Lowrance Sonar and have the spoon ready.  Many times, just dropping the spoon to the bottom will wake them up.

Ken Sturdivant will host all the LET’S GO FISHING SEMINARS at the 2024 Atlanta Boat Show, January 11 thru 14, 2024 at the World Congress Centre on Northside Drive in building C. Meet Ken Sturdivant, Matt Driver, Captain Cefus McRae, Rick Burns, Captain Josh Thornton, Phil Johnson, Rene Hesse, Chris Scalley, and Erica Delana in the Let’s Go Fishing Seminar area. www.atlantaboatshow.com for more information.

CLARKS HILL IS DOWN 7.5 FEET, 50’S

Bass fishing is fair.  The best catches have been coming from the hydrilla.  There are still a few deep fish still showing up.  Fishing the hydrilla lines with a variety of moving baits and punching sticks is fair.  Deep fish have been biting crankbaits, finesse rigs and Alabama rigs.  Anglers should have the jigging spoons or jigs ready.  The baitfish are continuing to hold under these areas.  The creeks are still hot early using Chatterbaits, and spinnerbaits. Jigs in the black and blue, Zoom u tail green, or watermelon are a good choice of colors.  The deeper fish are doing well on Carolina rigged soft plastics, jigs, and deep cranks.  With the cooler water, the bass are more active.  Chatterbaits and red plastics will get a strike in this cooler water.

LAKE OCONEE IS FULL, 60’S

Bass fishing is good.  Sea walls and rip rap are fair after mid-day.  Use the Rapala #5 Shad Raps fished around docks and rip rap to draw a strike mid-day.  Spinner baits like the Strike King 3/8-ounce sizes fished along the bridge rip rap have been working.  Expect the bass to move back a little to deeper water this week.  The bass are suspended out in 10 to 15 feet of water.  This will enable anglers to pinpoint them on the Lowrance graph and use the Down Deep Husky Jerk Baits to catch them.  Expect the bites to be slow and far and few between.  Carolina rigs are always a favorite with anglers now.  Fish the rivers by picking apart the cover with Chatterbaits and jigs.  This has been usually better when Georgia Power is pulling water.

LAKE SINCLAIR IS DOWN 1.4 FEET, 60’S

Bass fishing is fair.  Chatterbaits will draw a few strikes.  Spinner baits and crank baits are working as the water temperature cools down.  Bass are after the spinner baits.  Blow downs, shallow brush, stumps, and grass have been the cover holding these fish.  Try a 3/8-ounce model in chartreuse white with double Colorado blades, one nickel and the other gold.  Try to bump the cover with each retrieve and use multiple casts from various angles.  Also try a ½ to ¾ ounce bait with a large #7 Colorado rear blade.  This bait should be bulged just below the surface and retrieved over or very near likely looking cover.  Jigs and soft plastics continue to draw a few bites around docks and shallow brush.  The jig bite has been the most consistent bait on the humps, points, and flats.  Carolina rigs and crank baits are the primary baits here.

LAKE JACKSON IS .70 FEET OVER FULL, 50’S

Bass fishing is fair.  Use the Spro Crawler in a bright color on rocks and rails in main lake pockets.  The depth is very important, so stay in the 8 to 12-foot range and bang the crank bait off any structure.  Occasionally pause the bait after it bounces off the structure.  This will cause a reaction bite.  Fish the same areas with a jig to target the more lethargic bass.  Do not be afraid to let the bait soak.  A Fish Head Spin will be a bait that produces fish as the shad are stacked in the pockets.  As the day goes on, the shad may pull out a little deeper.  This is where anglers will want a Fish Head Spin in the angler’s arsenal.  Next month we can expect the same pattern to be just as hot as it is this month.  As the water gets colder bass will pull up on areas that will collect heat.  Watch for the rocky areas that get all day sun to be targeted 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 serious cold has set in this week, but there is a slight warm-up forecasted for this weekend. Fish have moved toward their winter patterns, and the bite has been good at many locations this week. The rivers are pretty much blown out after last weekend’s rains, so find a good pond, the swamp, or saltwater for the best bites. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and are able to work outdoors activities into your plans.

River gages on December 21st were:

  • Clyo on the Savannah River – 7.6 feet and rising
  • Abbeville on the Ocmulgee – 3.5 feet and falling
  • Doctortown on the Altamaha – 9.0 feet and rising
  • Waycross on the Satilla – 14.8 feet and rising
  • Atkinson on the Satilla – 11.8 feet and rising
  • Statenville on the Alapaha – 12.4 feet and falling
  • Macclenny on the St Marys – 16.1 feet and falling (record high for the date)
  • Fargo on the Suwannee – 12.4 feet and rising

Full Moon is December 27th. To monitor all the Georgia river levels, visit the USGS website HERE. For the latest marine forecast, click HERE.

Mike Sapp caught this gator trout Wednesday while flinging a Keitech Easy Shiner rigged on a Zombie Eye Jighead in the Brunswick area. (Photo courtesy of Capt. Tim Cutting)

SALTWATER (GA COAST)

The cold and extreme winds reduced the number or trips, but I still had some great reports this week from the brine. Jeremy Robertson had a great trip from his kayak on Tuesday in the COLD. He fished live shrimp under a popping cork in the Brunswick area and fooled 15 trout and a redfish. He had 4 keepers in the bunch. Capt. Tim Cutting (fishthegeorgiacoast.com) said that he had to search to find protected waters each day based on wind direction, but they caught a bunch of fish this week. On Monday, his charter caught 32 trout and a keeper flounder by flinging Keitech and Down South plastics on Zombie Eye Jigheads (3/16-oz. was best size). Their biggest was an 18-incher that they released. He and his clients continued to whack the trout all week on Asssassin, Keitech, and Down South plastics rigged on Zombie Eye Jigheads (1/8 and 3/16-oz.). He said that colors with one (or both) end(s) with chartreuse seemed to produce the best bites. He made similar 30 to 40 fish catches on all his trips this week. A few of the days they had some oversized and slot redfish mixed in their catch. He had a very strong week considering the NASTY conditions with wind and cold! Wat-a-melon Bait and Tackle in Brunswick is open Friday through Sunday from 6am to 4pm each week. They have plenty of lively shrimp and fiddler crabs and have live worms and crickets for freshwater. They’re on Hwy 303 just north of Hwy 82. For the latest information, contact them at 912-223-1379.

SATILLA RIVER

The river is blown out after last weekend’s rains. Catfishing on the lower river is your best bet, and it’s not really that good of an option. Fish elsewhere. The new ramp at the Highway 158 Bridge is completed and open to the public, but the river is probably in the parking lot as you read this.

ST. MARYS RIVER

The only report I had was of a few people catching some nice catfish on limb-lines fished in the middle river.

Joshua Barber of Manor caught this big pickerel on Saturday while trolling a fire tiger-chartreuse blade Dura-Spin out of the Folkston entrance of the Okefenokee Swamp.

OKEFENOKEE SWAMP

Joshua Barber and I fished the east side (Folkston entrance) on Saturday in the off-and-on-mist and cold and had a blast. We caught a total of 33 fish and had 3 bowfin over 5 pounds (largest 6-lb., 10-oz.) and 8 pickerel (a 22-incher was our biggest). We caught a few casting but most of the fish were trolling Dura-Spins. The best colors were fire tiger-chartreuse blade, jackfish, and lemon-lime. The water level has come up significantly from last weekend’s rains and is flooded into the prairies. Fishing will be slow for a few days but will pick up again as it levels off and starts to fall out. The most recent water level (Folkston side) was 121.38 feet. At this level you should not have trouble motoring around the canals and trails.

LOCAL PONDS

I got a report of an angler fishing jigs in a Waycross area pond on Saturday and catching 73 crappie. Jay Turner had a great trip to a Savannah area pond on Tuesday. He and a friend caught a bunch of hybrid bass in the late afternoon but did not catch any of their target species – crappie. They were fine with it, as the hybrids were a blast! They fooled them with minnows and green pumpkin/chartreuse Keitech swimbaits. A couple of Waycross anglers trolled Keitech swimbaits in a Waycross area pond on Thursday afternoon and caught 23 crappie. They had 10 over a pound, and their biggest was 1-lb., 10-oz. Their best lure was a 2 1/2-inch bluegill flash swimbait, but they also had fish on chartreuse shad and electric shad 2-inch versions. All their fish came on a chartreuse 1/32-oz. Zombie Eye Jighead (built with a #2 Gamakatsu sickle-shaped hook). Chad Lee fished during his lunch break this week and caught a couple bass up to 3 pounds each “trip”. He fooled them with shad-colored Rat-L-traps.

NORTH GEORGIA

(Fishing report courtesy of John Lee Thomson, Fisheries Biologist and Trout Stocking Coordinator with the Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division, with help from Region Staff and Local Experts) 

Even Santa knows it’s a good time to wet a line.

‘Tis the season to wet a hook. Don’t let the cold weather keep you inside by the fire. The winter is a great time to hunt deep for stripers or fling flies for trout. Read the tips below, bundle up, and head out and enjoy the holidays with some time on the water. Even the busiest man of all took a break to enjoy our beautiful natural resources. With a little Christmas magic and pointers from the pros, you will be blessed with a trophy catch this holiday season.

Lake Allatoona Bass (courtesy of Ken Sturdivant, Southern Fishing) — Bass fishing is good. The schooling activity is on as fish feed up and prepare to move deeper in the water column. As the water temperatures drop into the low 50’s to high 40’s the fish are very active and feeding. The jerk bait bite and soft swimbait bite is great. Good concentrations of fish can be found in the creeks near deep water. Fish the 3/16-ounce Picasso tungsten round ball head tipped with a 4-inch soft swimbait. Fish the swimbait on 8-to-10-pound test Sunline fluorocarbon. Cast and count it down about 10 seconds and slowly reel it back. The bites are light sometimes. Pay close attention. The jerk bait can be fished at a moderate pace but slow it down once water cools more and drop more. The new Picasso Rhino Ned rig and a Roboworm Ned Worm in Aaron’s magic is also a great choice. Fish it slowly. Rock bluffs and points in the mid-lake works great. Fishing will get much tougher in January as consistent colder temperatures persist. The mouth of Illinois Creek, Iron Hill and the bluffs in the mid lake are the best areas for constant fishing.

Allatoona Crappie (Report courtesy of Red Rooster Custom Baits):

  • Lake Level: 828′ and dropping
  • Water Temp: 48 – 55
  • Water Clarity: Clear to Heavy Stain (Yoohoo) (Depending on the area of the lake)
  • Area Fished: North Lake (Little River Area), Mid Lake (Galt’s/Kellogg) & South Lake (Blockhouse)
  • Jigs Used: Vixen (Black/Pink) – Dagger, Motor Oil Red – Dagger, Lectric Chicken – Dagger & Gold Body/Black Tail – Slab Dragon (Test Color).
  • Technique: Trolling & Casting

Catching a Cooler Full of Crappie on Allatoona.

The 2nd week of December 2023 is in the books, and we had a semi productive week. The results were mixed but we did catch several trolling key areas of the lake. If you were on the South End of the lake (Blockhouse Area), the water is clear with a mild stain and we found fish suspended around 6′-8′ in depths of 10′-12′ of water. We pulled several colors and styles of jigs with a 1/24th oz. jig head at .5 to .9 mph. This speed and jig head size keeps the crappie jig in the 2′ to 8′ range. We saw several roaming crappie and a few schools but the bite was sporadic. We fished in the morning and afternoons and were able to manage a few fish at either time. It seems the smaller crappie (6-8 inchers) were more apt to bite than the bigger slabs. If you fished the North End of the lake (Little River Area), the water is YooHoo color (Heavy Brown Stain) and we found fish in 16′ – 14′ of water suspended in the 2′ – 4′ range. You need 1/32 oz. and 1/24 oz. jig heads tied on for these fish as they are close to the surface. Mid Lake (Victoria/Kellogg/Galts/Illinois…etc) is slow, the water is deeper and clear but if you can find crappie in those areas, they are generally big slabs! The rule of thumb is that in clear water, you need more natural looking colors like Blue Glimmer, Mayfly, Watermelon Ghost, UV Shad…etc. In stained to muddy (YooHoo) water, you will want to use brighter colors like Lectric Chicken, Cajun Chicken, Albright Special, Jive Turquee – Orange or Jive Turquee – Chartreuse to catch their attention.

Lake Lanier (courtesy of Captain Mack) — Lanier fished very well last week, with impressive catches of Bass and Stripers! After a little cool down early in the week, it looks like we’ll have pretty nice weather right up until Christmas! That’s right, Christmas is almost here, only 10 days away. Last week’s rain brought the lake level up slightly, we were 7.98 feet below full pool as of Friday afternoon. That leaves the lake level at 1063.02, and .60 feet higher than at this point last week. The surface temp was 54 degrees.  

Successful Striped Bass Trip. (Photo Credit: Captain Mack)

Lanier Striper Fishing (courtesy of Captain Mack): The striper bite has been good, down lines have been very productive, as has trolling. Bigger baits on the free lines and planers are also applicable, and are accounting for some of the bigger fish. Many of the Stripers are orienting to the bait, the bait is really congregated in the creeks and drains. A quick sonar search around the bait should tell you if the Stripers are there, remember to watch the side imaging as you search. Once you locate a likely area, set up the down lines and the fish will probably find you pretty quickly. Moving the boat as opposed to being on spot lock is also a good technique. The movement will often trigger the bite. It also allows you to cover more water. With the fish on the move, and you doing the same, I think it ups the odds of getting fish under the bait. A slow troll, .3 to .6 Mph is effective. Which bait? Herring are effective, but I would fish a couple small Trout as well, they seem to be pretty high on the menu right now. While you are bait fishing, keep a spoon ready! Once you get the Stripers under the boat and they are bunched up, drop the spoon! Density is the key here, and if the fish are bunched up you’ll probably get hooked up quickly. I had a question asked last week “but what happens if we hook one on the spoon and then they get on the down lines too?” Hmmm….I don’t see a down side to that? I told him that’s what I live for. LOL. Pulling the big umbrellas has been very good over the past few days. Targeting the same above-mentioned bait schools with the rigs is a rock-solid pattern over the past few days. Adding an underspin to your rig, or pulling an underspin rig, seems to be a plus right now. Pulling 90 to 130 feet behind the boat has been a good depth range, and the usual speed of 2.5 to 3.0 mph is a good speed. Mini Macks on the stealth troll are also effective, 1 MPH is a good starting place for this method. Stealth trolling can really increase efficiency if you have fish in a tight area or in the back part of a creek or drain. The slower speed allows for really tight turns, and precise depth control. That latter issue can be important since our submerged trees have grown due to low water.

Spotted bass and striped bass – catch ’em both! (Photo Credit: Captain Mack)

Lanier Bass Fishing (courtesy of Captain Mack) — I’ll give Bass fishing a very good rating, although the fish seem a little more scattered than they should be? We still have shallow fish, plenty of fish on the deep stuff, and some roaming in between. I think the deeper patterns may be the overall best for numbers and consistency. The shallow and intermediate depth patterns may offer the best options for the big bite. Many of those bigger fish are still lurking in shallow water, so plan accordingly. The typical ditch pattern is producing well, maybe not as prolific as is expected, but good nonetheless. I expect that ditch bite will get better as we end up the month of December. I think the same can be said for the open water ledge bite, the fish are there, but the numbers are also less than to be expected for this date. Many baits have application on either of these patterns. Worms, swim baits, spoons, are effective, and you can add crank baits on the shallow ditches. The worms are effective on the drop shot, ned rig, lead head or Texas rig. Prodigy and Keitech swim baits on the Queen Underspins have also been doing well. The Jigging Spoons are great for the ditches, or any time you have fish under the boat. A standard lift and drop technique is productive, but casting and retrieving is also a good technique on the ditches. 30 to 45 feet has been a stable depth range, but there are fish in the shallow part of the ditches, especially early. Targeting bait concentrations is a very viable method, and the bait is really piling up in the creeks and drains. Some of these bait schools are really big and spread out over a long area. if you do not see fish in/around the bait, start fishing and often the fish will find you. They may also be really tight to the bottom, and they may be scattered out due to the abundance of the bait. Try moving down the channel fishing the spoon until you mark fish or hook a fish up. The activity of the hooked fish will often tweak the interest of other fish in the area and pull them right to your boat. Worms, jigs, soft swim baits and Mini Macks will also have application on this pattern. Those shallow fish are still roaming the rocks. Crank baits are the bait of choice, although a Senko or worm will also get the bite. Early am is best, and a little wind and low light will also enhance this pattern! Good Fishing!

Lake Lanier Stripers (courtesy of Buck Cannon 404-510-1778) — Lake Lanier stripers are always on the move, and they currently are moving north of brown bridge, but you might be lucky to find them on the south side as well. The birds are very active over the loons and that’ll give you a starting point. Water temperature is mid 50s and the bait is thick so you can troll umbrella rigs and mini Mac’s thru the bait or the down lines and flat lines are catching some nice stripers using a variety of bait. Trout, gizzards and blue backs are the best options. Flat lines should be rigged with a small split shot to get them down put one at 100 feet and one out 80 feet and have different baits to determine which ones are best. Remember to wear your life jacket. As the temperature drops striper fishing can really pick up. Check out this video from the Original Captain Jack Captain. He demonstrates great cold weather tactics for locating cold weather stripers during this amazing day on Lake Lanier.

Bear Creek Reservoir just got a stocking of channel catfish!

Bear Creek Reservoir (courtesy of Hunter Roop, DNR Fisheries Biologist) — Bear Creek Reservoir in Jackson County received just over 4,700 intermediate channel catfish to supplement the fishery in this semi-rural water supply reservoir. While this limited-access reservoir is already well-known for its quality largemouth bass and black crappie populations, we are hopeful that these channel catfish, which were produced by the hatchery staff at Cordele, will add another popular target species for Bear Creek reservoir’s anglers. Bear Creek is open for fishing on Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday from March 1st – November 30th and is electric only. For more information about fishing at Bear Creek Reservoir, click HERE.

Lake Hartwell (courtesy of Ken Sturdivant, Southern Fishing) — Bass fishing is fair. The fish are still holding to lay downs along the bank and most of them are being caught out in the tops of the trees in the heavy branches on jigs. Use a 1/4-to-1/2-ounce jig in brown and green colors with a twin tail or frog trailer. Out on the main lake points, fish are still breaking the surface and on occasion are hitting top water baits. As the lake turns over, bass tend to suspend and Ito 110 jerk baits are excellent. Down Deep Husky Jerk will work too on the deeper channel ledges. Stay on the main lake or in the rivers this week and out of the coves. Spinner baits are catching a few bass that are roaming the banks and most of these fish are small spots. Use the six-inch Zoom u tail green pumpkin worms, the Rapala #5 RS Shad Raps and trick worms with a very light Texas rig. Fish every point and piece of structure, and it may be necessary to fish several baits in one location to trigger a strike.

Lake Weiss (courtesy of Mark Collins Guide Service) — Bass fishing is good. The fish have moved to a winter pattern on ledges and river and creek channels. Anglers should use the Carolina rigs, crank baits and spinner baits are catching fish. Crappie fishing is fair. The fish 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.

Beautiful Brown Trout from the Soque River.

Trout (courtesy of John Lee Thomson, DNR Trout Stocking Coordinator) — Trout fishing opportunities are abundant over the holidays. North Georgia trout streams are low and running gin clear. This will require stealth tactics to land the wisest trout. If you are lucky, you can target these streams after a moderate rain and the water has become stained.  Another tip, with water temperatures fluctuating daily, afternoons are likely to be more productive than the frigid mornings. Holdover trout continue to be caught in heavily stocked areas. This beautiful brown trout was landed in the public section of the Soque River. Holdovers are likely found in streams that receive weekly trout stocking during the summer and remain cool enough to support trout throughout the summer. Best bets for holdovers include Tallulah River in Rabun County, Chattahoochee River on the Chattahoochee WMA, and Rock Creek in Fannin County.

If you would like to target a more recently stocked waterbody look here for our weekly trout stocking report. Anglers looking to add trout to the Christmas feast can take advantage of a new stocking effort this year at Lake Blue Ridge. To date over 10,000 rainbow trout have been stocked in the lake. Anglers can target these trout from the banks around the Lakewood boat ramp. If fishing from a boat, try locating schools of these fish in 20 to 40 feet of water near the dam.

Delayed Harvest Trout Success.

For all you fly flingers out there, the delayed harvest sections were recently freshened up with naive and hungry stockers to bolster your Christmas cheer. Early on these trout are sure to fall for your standard junk flies before becoming wise. If you got yourself some new gear for Christmas and need a place to try it out, the Smith Creek Delayed Harvest section would make a great destination. This area experiences high trout angler use, so use your best etiquette and spread out from other anglers.

Providing Trout Support:  Want to do more to support trout fishing in Georgia?  Consider upgrading to a Trout Unlimited license plate this year. Aside from being a great looking tag, each purchase or renewal of a Trout Unlimited license plate directly supports Georgia’s trout conservation and management programs. Hatcheries and wild trout efforts both benefit from the trout tag.

Thanks to the Trout Stocking Volunteers! A huge THANK YOU to all the folks that helped stock the Chattahoochee River at Whitewater Creek Park this week. We would never be able to spread out these trout without your help. If you missed out on this event and would like to participate in the next one, mark your calendar for February 21, 2024.

Volunteer Trout Stocking held Dec. 18.

Volunteer Trout Stocking held Dec. 18.