When the year is coming to a close, do you look back at the adventures you had on the water in the previous 12 months? Even better, do you get excited about making fishing plans for the coming year? The Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division encourages you to get outside your “fishing comfort zone” and try to “tackle” some new fishing goals, like new (to you) species and different fishing locations. 

HELPFUL INFO: The Georgia WRD Angler Resources webpage is a great place to start as you tackle these new fishing goals. There, you can find links to the Interactive Fishing Locations map, info about Public Fishing Areas, fish species identification, fishing forecasts for Georgia lakes and rivers, trout fishing, tips for fishing with kids, fishing award programs and so much more!

This week, we have fishing reports from North and Southeast Georgia. We wish you a happy, healthy and wonderful New Year and we can’t wait to hear how you Go Fish Georgia in 2024!

NORTH GEORGIA

(Fishing report courtesy of Emily Losasso, Fisheries Technician with the Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division, with help from Region Staff and Local Experts) 

RESERVOIR REPORT

Lake Allatoona Mixed Bag Fishing Report: (This report courtesy of Heron Outdoor Adventures) — Current lake level is ~827 ft. and water temperatures are ranging from 46 – 52° from the dam and north. There’s a lot of bait and fish activity on the northern end, and it’s an all skate up in the Little River area. The crappie, white bass, hybrids, stripers and spotted bass, along with Gar and other swimming things are all up in those lightly stained waters. There’s a plethora of bait from the dam and north into the delta. It’s been tough to get the fish to stay still under the boat, but there’s plenty of techniques to apply here. Trolling umbrella rigs, even when those fish are 30 ft down, can be very effective with respect to artificials and the linesides. There’s a myriad of ways to get your a rig and umbrella rigs down deep. Live bait fishing with herring, threadfin & gizzard shad and especially little rainbow trout has been extremely productive on the striped bass family of fish. While there’s plenty of fish up where the water is only getting to the 20 ft range, there’s just as many fish out over deep water and especially on all the channel edges. Some of our best fishing has been over 40 to 60 ft of water and dripping baits right over the schooling baits. There are some days where we’ve been able to put the hammer down on the hybrids and white bass, but the stripers were acting a little different and pegged right on the bottom. There was even a day that they wouldn’t touch anything, including a big flashy spoon, herring, shad… but boy would they eat a trout! The spotted bass bite – those rascals! I’ve been fishing over deep water and had a mega school come through more than once this past week in the Bartow to Stamp stretch. They knocked on every live bait we had down, but they get tricky sometimes. At one point we realized our best technique was simply chumming up the water with our live bait and putting the big spoon on them. Now that was a winner! We’ve also caught some even through today on a Frittside 7 and smaller profile spoon.

Lake Allatoona Crappie Report: (This report courtesy of Red Rooster Custom Baits) — These cold nights have really dropped the water (surface) temperature down to 43 degrees in some places. After lunch the water does warm up to around 47 – 48 degrees depending on water depth and clarity. The south end of the lake was slow the days we were there with only a few crappie caught but they had some size to them. The last couple of days were spent on the north end of the lake trolling and casting. The water has returned to a green stain whereas last Thursday it was Yoo-hoo brown from the previous weeks’s rains. The Blue Glimmer Slab Dragon, MayFly and Splatter Back Dagger were the prime colors this week. Which makes sense if the crappie are keying in on more natural baitfish colors. The South End of the lake (Blockhouse Area), the water is clear with a mild stain and 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 2′ to 8′ range. We saw several roaming crappie and a few schools but the bite was sporadic. We only fished the south end in the morning so there is no afternoon data to report on this week. We fished the North End of the lake (Little River Area) and the water has returned to a greenish/brown stain. The crappie are scattered and in 16′ – 14′ of water suspended in the 8′ – 10′ range. We trolled and casted in the area and caught some nice slabs but it was SLOW. The Blue Glimmer Slab Dragon did well for trolling and the MayFly and Splatter Back Dagger did well for casting to the scattered roaming crappie.

Lake Allatoona Bass Report: (This report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant, www.southernfishing.com) — Lake Allatoona is down 12.7 feet, temperatures in the 50s. Bass fishing is fair. Fishing has been a little slower this week. Cold fronts and high winds along with the dropping water. The best way to catch them this week is to run and gun with baits like the Spro 95 McStick. Cover a lot of water and watch the Fish and Game Forecaster to fish when the feeding times reflect more movement. Spoons will be the best way to get the fish to bite. Down scan technology by Lowrance can spot these fish as they will be right on the bottom just use the Chirp frequency. Set the down scan on auto depth on both down scan and add a panel with sonar on the other, also in auto depth. The jig head bite and the Weedless Wonder lead heads can get the baits to the fish. With the weather being up and down be prepared to adjust day by day.

Lake Lanier Bass Report: (This report courtesy of Phil Johnson, 770-366-8845 via www.southernfishing.com) — Lake Lanier is down 8.08 feet, temperatures in the 50s. Bass fishing on Lake Lanier is good. The lake is currently eight feet below full pool, and the water temperature is running from the low to mid-fifties. Overall, the lake is clear. The words for the week are ditches and deep flats. The bait and the bass have moved to their winter locations in the thirty-five-to-fifty-foot range but are still moving around quite a bit. As the water cools more these fish will tend to stay in one location for quite some time. The Spotchoker, Damiki rig, spoon, finesse swimbait and drop shot are all producing fish when worked vertically over the fish. With Forward Facing Sonar it is possible to watch the bass come up and take your bait and it’s great for following the bait. Look for areas that have bait and whether you mark fish or not drop your spoon, Damiki rig or drop shot in the area for a little bit. Often the bass are hard to see, and it will take a minute to get one to commit but once one does its game on. For the Spotchoker or finesse swimbait stop your boat in sixty feet of water and begin casting on the flat or ditch. Slowly work your way into the area to cover all depths of water to locate the fish. Both baits are a slow presentation bait with a reeling hook set. There is also a decent jig and worm bite on steeper rocky backs and boat docks in less than twenty feet of water. Look for the areas that catch the most sun to work these baits.

Lake Lanier Striper Report: (This report courtesy of Captain Mack, Captain Mack’s Fishing Report 770-235-8135 via captainmacks.com) — The lake started to fall slightly, down .16 feet this week to a level of 1062.86. The surface temps stayed pretty stable considering the cold weather early in the week, 53 degrees on Friday afternoon. The bite was basically unchanged from last week, good news since fishing has been good. Trolling, down lining live baits, and spoons are accounting for some nice catches. The basic premise of find the bait and you’ll find the fish will still be a solid strategy. Look in the creeks and drains for bait over a 55-to-30-foot bottom. Suspended or on the bottom, I am not sure the Stripers care. I do think fishing the bait that is layered up tight to the bottom is better for the fisherman as it limits how much the bait can move. That makes the playing field a little smaller for the angler. Our spoon bite is very good, very popular with the Bass Fishing Crowd, probably a little neglected on the Striper side. I had a great comment from Corey Hinds, responding to last week’s report. Corey says” As soon as I get them under me, I spot lock and drop two spoons straight down, been doubling up almost every time”. Sometimes, the instant deployment of the spoon gets bait in front of the fish quickly. The activity of the hooked fish will often draw other fish up under the boat and you’ll have a frenzy. Great advice Corey!

As far as trolling, big umbrellas and Mini Macks will get the bite. The big rig 100 to 130 feet behind the boat has been very effective. A good strategy here is to pull the rig down the middle of the creek/drain to assess the area. On the way out, get the rigs on the bank over a 25-to-35-foot bottom and contour troll out of the creek or drain. Watch the Lake Master, and clip any points, or target flats along the bank. The Minis can also be effective for trolling, but you will find that adding weight will be a plus, almost a necessity. Try adding an egg sinker to the line, no swivels or additional rigging, needed. Just let the sinker slide right down the line to the Mini, it will not affect the performance at all. Adding a 1.5 oz sinker, with 40 lb. mono at 25 feet back will fish at roughly 16 feet at 1.5 MPH.  At 50 feet back you will be roughly 26 to 28 feet. Hopefully those VERY GENERAL guidelines will help. Pulling the Mini on lead core is also very good. I think you’ll find that clipping points and contour trolling with the lead core loses some precision with the amount of line out that is required. For the open water trolling the lead core is very effective.

Live baits continue to produce, primarily down lines but pitch lines and free lines have situational application. Herring have been strong, but the Trout, smaller Trout, are also effective on the down lines.

Lake Lanier Striper Report: (This report courtesy of Buck Cannon, Buck Tails Guide Service 404-510-1778 via www.southernfishing.com) — Striper Fishing is good. Lake Lanier is currently 8 feet down and the water temperatures are in the mid to low 50’s. Fish are everywhere from the dam to both rivers up north. Live bait is your best option from blue backs, trout and gizzards. Down lines and flat lines seems to catch more fish. Using your electronics and watching the birds and find bait schools over 40-to-60-foot bottom. Trolling is another option if you’re restless. There’s a lot of bait for the fish to eat so be patient. Remember to wear your life jacket.

Lake Lanier Crappie Report: (This report courtesy of Captain Josh Thornton, 770-530-6493 via www.southernfishing.com) — Crappie fishing is fair. Water temperatures are in the low 50s and the lake is down 8 foot. The majority of our catch has been coming from suspended fish 8-10 foot deep on open water brush and docks. I am using a small minnow straight down with a split shot 8-10 feet deep. I have also been doing well with the blue grass jigs. It’s getting time to start trolling for or live scoping for big roaming crappie in the back of creeks. 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.

Lake Weiss Multi-Species Report: (This report courtesy of Mark Collins Guide Service 256-996-9035 via www.southernfishing.com) — Weiss Lake is at 3 foot 2 inches below full pool, light stained to clear 49 to 52 degrees. Bass fishing is fair. The bass have moved to the river channels and Carolina rigs, jigs and deep diving crank baits are working. 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. Striper fishing is poor and no reports this past week. Catfish are biting well in the bays and creeks in 8 to 15 feet of water. Cut bait is working best.

West Point Lake Bass Report: (This report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant, www.southernfishing.com) — West Point Lake is down 6.5 FEET, 60s. Bass fishing is good. The two best baits are a jigging spoon and drop shot rig. For a jigging spoon use silver or gold half ounce jigging spoons. On sunny days use silver and cloudy days switch to gold. For drop shot rigs use a number one Gamakatsu drop shot hook tied eighteen inches above a quarter ounce drop shot weight. Locate bait offshore in depths eighteen to twenty feet of water. Fish are positioned on structure relating to the main river channel. The shad are moving to the back of the coves and creeks and some good fish are starting to move to secondary points and shallow roadbeds following the bait fish. Shallow running crank baits are working well and Rat L Traps, Strike King 3/8-ounce spinnerbaits are also producing some fish.

Lake Hartwell Bass Report: (This report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant, www.southernfishing.com) — Lake Hartwell is down 7.4 feet, 50s. Bass fishing is fair. Fish the secondary points and moving to the coves all over the lake. Start shallow with a half-ounce spinner bait in bright colors and blades and make lots of casts to any wood. Keep a Zoom Super Fluke ready all day and pearl is the best color. Use the Texas rigged lizard in pumpkinseed or watermelon and add some Real Craw scent. Around lower lake docks use a green Zoom trick worm on and around the docks and work it off the bottom with no weight. Use some Jack’s Juice and add a glass Venom rattle in the worm and let it sink on a free line. Slowly work the worm right in the brush around these docks. Cover a lot of water and watch the Fish and Game Forecaster to fish when the feeding times reflect more movement. Spoons will be the best way to get the fish to bite. Down scan technology by Lowrance can spot these fish as they will be right on the bottom. Set the down scan on auto depth on both down can and add a panel with sonar on the other also in auto depth. The jig head bite and the Weedless Wonder lead heads can get the baits to the fish. With the weather being up and down be prepared to adjust day by day. The creek points down lake at 10 feet and docks close by have bass close by. Get all baits tight to cover and mid-day go to the creek ledges.

TROUT REPORT

Be prepared for different types of water flows to have trouting success. (Photo Credit: Jeff “Dredger” Durniak).

Successful rainbow trout catch. (Photo Credit: Jeff “Dredger” Durniak).

Trout Fishing: (Report Courtesy of Jeff “Dredger” of Unicoi Outfitters): Winter vacationers, It’s blue skies and dropping tides up here in Helen today.  Headwater streams are already returning to fishable levels for careful waders. Enjoy my lunchtime pics of Spoilcane (54F), Smithgall (54F) and Smith DH (52F).  Note how high the water got by the line of cleaned leaves on the bank of Spoilcane. The bite is good today in the high, dingy flows.  Upper headwaters look good for a dry/long dropper combo, with a bright beaded nymph on the business end.  Fellow Rabunite Ken said he’s already landed a handful, including two big bows, on his “spaghetti and meatballs” combo in Dukes. Smith anglers are scoring on nymphs and streamers. Are you ready for some high-flow fishing in rivers this weekend?  Our cold winter rains will really change the big-water trouting game.  Make sure you have all the vital winter trinkets for success. They include a stream thermometer, larger tin shot, buoyant indicators for those heavier weights, and meaty bugs to attract attention in heavier currents. PS: definitely do not forget that wading staff!

Small Streams Report: (This report courtesy of Tad Murdock from 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.

Small Stream Report: (This report courtesy Jeff “Dredger” Durniak at Unicoi Outfitters) — Last weekend’s heavy rains recharged our trout streams rather well. Most of that water has already run off, but the remnants have enhanced flows and fishing success. At least the high flows scattered the fish out better and encouraged some big brooders to move. Let’s hope we get another round of storms soon to restore those base flows. Right now, the only rainy day in the forecast is Sunday. Catching is slow in the mornings following cold nights but has picked up when the sun hits the water around 11 or noon. Get into full winter mode and fish deep and slow in the afternoons.   Bottom bumping with nymphs and stripping small streamers have been most effective. A drought is a great time for anglers to try bigger, deeper waters that they avoid at normal flows. Sample some rivers and reaches that you’ve bypassed in the past due to concerns for your wading safety. Look at USGS flows first and try some different destinations during the holidays. Smith DH has run warmer (50F) than nearby headwaters due to the lake outflow. The DH fish are now experienced and very picky. Dry/dropper rigs are working if the stalk is stealthy, the dropper tippet is light (6 or 7X), and the sunken flies are small (#18-20).   Change flies often and show them nymph or wet patterns that they haven’t seen yet. Catching is better when the suns off the water and shadows fall. Keep your eyes out for the eagles, too.

Toccoa Tailwater Report: (This report courtesy of James Marsh from Perfect Fly Store) — The stream is in good shape with discharges today at 155 cfm. Currently the river is flowing just a little below a normal level. Water is around 52 degrees and clear. Recommended flies Brown Sculpin and White Belly Sculpin and Articulated streamers, size 6/4, Black Matuka and Olive Matuka Sculpin, size 4/6, Blue-winged Olives: size 16, 18 nymph, emergers, duns and spinners, Aquatic Worms, size 12, pink, red, and other Midges: Cream and Red (Blood) midges sizes 20/22, larva, pupa and adult.

Upper Toccoa Report: (This report courtesy of James Marsh from Perfect Fly Store) — Conditions remain good. The stream is still a little below normal and clear. We are getting some good catch reports.

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 the trout tag.

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)

We are wishing Happy Fishing Trails to Bert Deener on his retirement after 30 Years with Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division. 

Winter fishing is at its finest during warmups like this week. I got lots of great fishing reports this week, but there is another cold front bearing down on us as I write this. Slow down and fish protected water as the water cools back down, and you should still catch fish. Still water (ponds, lakes, and Okefenokee) and saltwater will likely produce the best catches this weekend. I hope everyone has a safe and Happy New Year!

River gages on December 28th were:

• Clyo on the Savannah River – 5.0 feet and falling
• Abbeville on the Ocmulgee – 2.6 feet and rising
• Doctortown on the Altamaha – 8.0 feet and falling
• Waycross on the Satilla – 13.2 feet and falling
• Atkinson on the Satilla – 14.3 feet and falling
• Statenville on the Alapaha – 9.7 feet and falling
• Macclenny on the St Marys – 12.4 feet and falling
• Fargo on the Suwannee – 12.4 feet and falling

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

SATILLA RIVER

The river is still very high and flowing hard. If you have experience fishing the river, you can catch some bass under these conditions. But right now is not the time to try and learn the river.

OKEFENOKEE SWAMP

Kevin Dockendorf came down from North Carolina and fished with Tim Bonvechio and me the day after Christmas on the east side. We pitched pink (pink was best) and chartreuse Okefenokee Swamp Sallies under small balsa floats and whacked the fliers. We fooled 63 of them up to just shy of 8 inches in about 4 hours of fishing. The most recent water level (Folkston side) was 121.48 feet.

Don Harrison of Waycross caught this slab crappie last Thursday by trolling a chartreuse shad 2-inch Keitech rigged on a chartreuse 1/32-oz. Zombie Eye Jighead.

LOCAL PONDS

Jay Turner went back to his favorite hybrid striped bass pond near Savannah and caught them again with small Keitechs and Zombie Eye Jigheads.  He used the same setup on Christmas to catch a couple nice bass in his neighborhood pond. Shane and Joshua Barber fished a Valdosta area pond on Tuesday afternoon and caught a half-dozen bass and a big pickerel (jackfish) They fooled them with topwater crawfish rigged on Toad Hooks (5/0 Gamakatsu). Chad Lee and Daniel Johnson fished an Alma-area Pond on Christmas Eve and caught a bunch of crappie and a few bass. They caught the crappie on minnow-colored jigs (caught a few with it suspended under a float) and kept 12 of the biggest fish. Daniel caught 3 bass (about 3 pounds apiece) on Rat-L-traps. Mike Deal fished a Jesup area pond on Thursday and caught a bunch of smaller crappie. They had a half-dozen big enough to filet, including a pound-and-a-half slab, but most were about 8 inches. They fooled them by trolling minnows.  Tommy Davis taught himself to troll plastics on Thursday and caught a limit with about a half-dozen over a pound and a half. He trolled chartreuse-pearl and chartreuse shad 2-inch Keitechs on 1/32 and 1/16-oz. (1/16-oz worked best). Zombie Eye Jigheads and pulled them at about 0.9 mph. He could only troll 2 poles at a time the bite was so hot. Expect the bite to slow some after this front, but lots of crappie will still be caught this weekend.

PARADISE PUBLIC FISHING AREA (near Tifton, more info HERE)

I got a good report this week from Sterling Brumbaugh who fished the area this week and did well for crappie. He and friends used both jigs and minnows to fool specks. They also caught a channel catfish during their trip. Lake Patrick is usually a great destination when strong winter cold fronts hit – like the forecast for this weekend. Fish up to 2 pounds are commonly caught during the coldest of days.

Ellie Deener of Athens caught this oversized redfish on Saturday in the Brunswick area. She fished live shrimp rigged on a 3/16-oz. Redfish Wrecker Jighead.

SALTWATER (GA COAST)

The winter warmup this week spurred some good bites. Jay Turner fished the Savannah area on Sunday for a short time from the bank and caught trout on almost every cast. He used the small, 3-inch Keitech and a light Zombie Eye Jighead. My daughter Ellie was visiting during the holidays, and we fished the Brunswick area on Saturday. We bounced around between small creeks at low tide and caught 58 redfish (only kept 6). We picked up a quart of lively shrimp from Wat-a-melon Bait and Tackle, and the reds were chowing them threaded on a 3/16-oz. Redfish Wrecker Jighead and fished on the bottom. We just kept easing along and pitching until we found fish. Our biggest was 27 inches, and we caught a half-dozen oversized fish. David and Parker Lewis also caught a bunch of redfish by floating live shrimp and a few by bouncing a Trout Trick plastic on Saturday. They had 18 reds (3 oversized), and a couple sheepshead and black drum. I heard from another angler who also fished live shrimp on Christmas Day, and he put it on the trout by fishing over shell mounds. Tommy Sweeney caught 20 trout (16 keepers) and 10 sheepshead (all keepers) in the Brunswick area on Wednesday. Live shrimp was the ticket to their catch. Capt. Tim Cutting (fishthegeorgiacoast.com) said that the bite was consistent again this week. Fishing the Brunswick area, he caught 20 to 25 redfish (including a few oversized fish) per trip from his good creeks. He also caught about 20 keeper trout per trip (mostly keepers). His best presentation was Assassin Sea Shad and Down South paddle-tails rigged on spring lock Zombie Eye Jigheads. He caught a few on live shrimp rigged on jigheads and under floats. 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 also 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.

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.