DNR Career Academy Students work through their Winter Break.

Making your winter break work for your future! Five students, who are past participants of the Georgia DNR Career Academy, spent their winter break doing a “mini-camp” where they traveled to the coast to shadow DNR staff. The high school students worked with Georgia Wildlife Resources Division (WRD) staff at Evans County PFA to sample and relocate fish for the Lake Longleaf Largemouth Bass project. The group spent a day at the Richmond Hill Hatchery, helping harvest ponds and sort specimens. They shadowed State Parks and Historic Sites (SPHS) staff at Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation and assisted with holiday tours, trail maintenance and museum management. The group of students finished off their coastal experience by joining Coastal Resources Division (CRD) staff  for a marsh clean-up day in McIntosh County wetlands and another day assessing aquatic barriers in tidal creeks around Chatham County. This “mini-camp” was organized and led by DNR Career Academy camp staff Jaynie Gaskin (CRD), Caleb Mills (WRD) and Allie Ellis (SPHS), with assistance from their colleagues and leadership. Way to go students!

NEWS TO KNOW

This week, we have fishing reports from Southeast, North and Central Georgia. Hoping the New Year brings you plenty of opportunities to take friends and family with you as you Go Fish Georgia!

SOUTHEAST GEORGIA

(Fishing report courtesy of Capt. Bert Deener, Retired Georgia WRD Region Supervisor, with help from Region Staff and Local Experts)

Happy New Year, everyone! The whole key right now is to find fish and fish slowly. During winter there are usually lots of fish in small areas and lots of areas with no fish. I have personally had great and tough trips so far this week. Rivers are running hard, but a few folks reported decent catches from flowing water. Ponds, lakes, and saltwater are probably your best bets this week.

River gages on January 4th were:

  • Clyo on the Savannah River – 4.5 feet and falling
  • Abbeville on the Ocmulgee – 3.6 feet and falling
  • Doctortown on the Altamaha – 8.1 feet and falling
  • Waycross on the Satilla – 10.5 feet and falling
  • Atkinson on the Satilla – 11.3 feet and falling
  • Statenville on the Alapaha – 7.1 feet and falling
  • Macclenny on the St Marys – 9.0 feet and falling
  • Fargo on the Suwannee – 11.4 feet and falling

New Moon is January 11th. To monitor all the Georgia river levels, visit the USGS website HERE. For the latest marine forecast, click HERE.

Tommy Davis of Baxley caught these 2 slabs Sunday afternoon while trolling 2-inch Keitech swimbaits rigged on 1/32 and 1/16-oz. Zombie Eye Jigheads.

LOCAL PONDS

Harry Beverley took his grandkids fishing on Saturday, and they had a blast. They had a cooler full of crappie and a few hybrid bass, as well. I did not ask him, but he usually fishes live minnows. Chad Lee and I rung in the New Year with our traditional pond-hopping in the Alma area. Our first pond produced a few bass up to 3 1/2 pounds, but we thought the water was a little too stained for a good crappie bite. We fooled 3 of the bass on blue-silver Rat-L-traps and one on a crawfish Dura-Spin. We switched to a clearer blackwater pond and immediately Chad landed a pound-and-a-half crappie. We caught a couple dozen nice crappie in the hour before dark on chartreuse Assassin Tiny Shads and bluegill flash 2-inch Keitechs rigged on 1/32 and 1/48-oz Zombie Eye Jigheads. Chad Lee and Daniel Johnson fished an Alma-area pond Tuesday evening and fooled 6 big crappie and 3 bass about 2 pounds apiece. Tommy Davis and I fished a Waycross area pond Sunday afternoon and trolled up 25 big crappie and a couple bluegills. Our biggest 5 specks weighed 9-lb., 5-oz. We fooled them with chartreuse shad, sight flash, and bluegill flash 2-inch Keitech swimbaits rigged on chartreuse and black 1/32 and 1/16-oz Zombie Eye Jigheads. Another angler reported catching about 30 crappie on Wednesday evening by drifting minnows over the deep part of the pond.

OKEFENOKEE SWAMP

The effort picked up on the east side this week, and bowfin and pickerel were the top catches. Dura-Spins and other in-line spinners worked. Black/chartreuse and jackfish were top colors. Matt and Zeb Rouse fished the east side Saturday and fooled 16 bowfin up to about 3 pounds with Dura-Spins. The best color for them was the jackfish color. The water temp was 56 degrees that day. On the west side, the water is really high, flowing hard, and surprisingly cold (44 degrees on Wednesday). I went on the west side Wednesday for a few hours and could not fool bowfin or pickerel with artificials. I caught a couple big fliers on pinks sallies, which were the only fish separating me from being skunked. I will fish the shallower east side next time we have an extended cold snap. They usually bite better in the shallower water on that side when it is cold. The most recent water level (Folkston side) was 121.30 feet. At this level you should not have trouble motoring around the canals and trails.

Capt. Travis Harper caught this gator trout on Monday in the Brunswick area.

SALTWATER (GA COAST)

The cold wind this week kept most folks off the water. Jay Turner checked one of his bank fishing spots near Savannah and the trout were still there. He bounced plastics for the fish that he caught and released. Capt. Tim Cutting (fishthegeorgiacoast.com) said that he fished a few days this week and it was all about trout. They had a pair of limits Monday, a limit Wednesday, and one and a half limits Thursday. They used a lot of DOA 3-inch shrimp and Slayer 3.5-inch Sinister Shads rigged on Zombie Eye Jigheads built with a spring keeper. All of the fish were caught by dragging the jigs along bottom in 8 to 15 feet of water in the cold water. 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.

OCMULGEE RIVER

A couple of anglers reported catching a handful of bass in the lower Ocmulgee River on Wednesday. They fooled them on Texas-rigged plastics. This is the river in the best shape for fishing right now, so give it a try if you want to fish a river.

SAVANNAH RIVER

Jay Turner fished backwaters off the river and had a blast on Friday. He pitched 2-inch Keitech swimbaits on Zombie Eye Jigheads and caught lots of bass and warmouth and about a dozen crappie. He had a blast with his ultralight tackle!

Capt. Bert Deener guides fishing trips in southeast Georgia and makes a variety of both fresh and saltwater fishing lures. Check his lures out at Bert’s Jigs and Things on Facebook. For a copy of his latest catalog, call or text him at 912-288-3022 or e-mail him (bertdeener@yahoo.com).

NORTH GEORGIA

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

RESERVOIR REPORT

Allatoona Bass Report: (This report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant via www.southernfishing.com): Bass fishing is fair. The crank bait bite has been consistent. Try slow rolling a Spro Little John Baby DD or Bandit 300 in craw colors. The 10-to-12-foot range is the key. The jig bite is a little slow but producing good fish. Fish the Kacy’s Kustom in bluegill fire or the Kustom Kicker Freak in brown and orange. The Allatoona arm will clear up the fastest and if you want to get in on the jerk bait bite you want to find clear water.  Last, but not least, the drop shot bite will be consistent this whole month. Find the fish on the Lowrance Down Scan technology and if have Fish Reveal use it on the Down Scan so the fish appear like on regular Sonar. Use the vertical jig in a 1/2-to-3/4-ounce spoon. If all else fails, pull out a drop shot with a No. 4 Gamakatsu tipped with a 4-inch Big Bite Bait Jeff Kriet Shaking Squirrel and 3/16-ounce weight.

Allatoona Crappie Report-12/30/23: (This report courtesy of Red Rooster Custom Boats):

  • Lake Level: 829′ and dropping (Click Here For Current Water Level)
  • Water Temp: 48 – 51
  • Water Clarity: Clear to Heavy Stained
  • Area Fished: North Lake (Little River Area)
  • Jigs Used: CopperHead Dagger, CopperHead Slab Dragon, Lectric Chicken Dagger, Flo Pink Pepper Talon 2.0, Cajun Chicken Dagger and Albright Special Kic’n Chic’n
  • Technique: Trolling & Casting

Let’s get right to it! First off, a monster 3.4 lb crappie was caught on a Red Rooster UV Shad Dagger in the Little River Area. There was some hootin’ and hollerin’ going on once this crappie was in the boat let me tell you! As you can imagine, crappie this size on Lake Allatoona are few and far between. CPR was administered on this crappie…CATCH – PHOTO – RELEASE. Little River up to Victoria is heavy stained (YooHoo) due to the rain we got around Christmas, but don’t let this deter you from getting on the water! The crappie move up shallow when the water gets stained. They could be roaming in depths of 2′ to 12′ in stained water. We were able to pick up several slabs trolling in depths of 8′ – 12′ of water pulling 1/32 oz and 1/24 oz jigs at .7 mph trolling speed. The colors & styles that were working for us in stained/muddy water was CopperHead Dagger, CopperHead Slab Dragon, Lectric Chicken Dagger, Flo Pink Pepper Talon 2.0, Cajun Chicken Dagger and Albright Special Kic’n Chic’n. We looked in Kellogg and Owl Creek but didn’t find much of anything on the days we fished but they move in and out of the area and could show up at any time. This was a short week with the Christmas Holiday. We look forward to getting some days in after New Year’s Day.

Habitat Improvement Work at Allatoona.

Allatoona Habitat Improvements: The Georgia Wildlife Resources Division, US Army Corps of Engineers, county agencies, non-profit organizations, and volunteers have long worked to improve fish habitat at Lake Allatoona. Those efforts are diverse (ex. native aquatic shoreline plantings, fish attractors, brush piles) and continually ongoing.  Most recently, those habitat improvement efforts continued in the Clear Creek area of Lake Allatoona.  Forty shoreline trees were toppled and secured to the bank by WRD and Army Corps staff.  You can see from the photo that when the lake level rises and inundates these trees next spring, they will begin providing much needed cover for fish on an otherwise barren shoreline.  These activities serve to improve fishing quality and reduce shoreline erosion on this highly utilized metro-Atlanta impoundment.

Allatoona Fish Attractors: You can find existing DNR fish attractors at Lake Allatoona HERE.

Lake Hartwell Bass Report: (This report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant, www.southernfishing.com): 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 point’s 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. Find the fish on the Lowrance Down Scan technology and if have Fish Reveal use it on the Down Scan so the fish appear like on regular Sonar. Use the vertical jig in a 1/2-to-3/4-ounce spoon. Spinner baits are catching a few bass that are roaming the banks and most of these fish are small spots. Use the six-inch 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 Lanier Bass Report: (This report courtesy of Phil Johnson, 770-366-8845 via www.southernfishing.com): Bass fishing on Lake Lanier is good. The lake has risen about a foot from the recent rains and is now about seven feet below full pool. With the heavy rain we had the upper part of the rivers are muddy with backs of a lot of the creeks stained to muddy. Look for the muddy water to continue down to the main lake areas and the creeks to stain up even more. The water temperature is staying between fifty-one and fifty-five degrees but should begin to fall more over the next week. There are fish from five to sixty feet right now and they are feeding on two-to-three-inch shad. There are fish located in the deeper ditches and on the ledges that will bite a spoon, Damiki rig, a Spot Choker underspin or a dropshot. On the Spot Choker or Damiki rig use either a Cast Echo or a Keitech that is three inches or less in size. The key is to find the right amount of bait because there is such a thing as too much bait. The areas you want to find will have scatter smaller bait balls versus an area that has huge balls of bait that almost black out your screen. The worm and jig bite picked up this week with good numbers of fish in less than fifteen feet of water. Either a green pumpkin worm or a brown jig paired with a green pumpkin or root beer trailer are producing both numbers and size. Work the rocky points or exposed rock veins that catch the most sun back in the creeks. Boat docks that are in less than twenty feet of water near rocks or deep water have tended to be the most productive. Work both these baits slow as the water temperatures have everything slowed down. Look for both the bait and the fish to move deeper over the next week and adjust you fishing areas accordingly. There are some big ones being caught so Go Catch’ Em.

Lanier Winter Bassing (This video courtesy of Aaron’s Outdoor): Check out this video – GREAT Day WINTER Bass Fishing on Lake Lanier!

Lanier Fish Attractors: Find DNR fish attractors at Lake Lanier HERE.

Lanier Linesides (This report courtesy of Buck Cannon, 404-510-1778): Lake Lanier stripers are schooling in most of the rivers and creeks. The birds are hovering over the bait so once you locate the bait put out down lines. Seems like the best choice is using trout, gizzard and blue backs and 25 to 35 feet deep and pull baits at .05 to 1 mph. Water temperature is low 50’s. Remember to wear your life jackets.

Lanier Crappie (This report courtesy of Captain Josh Thornton, 770 530 6493): All the rain we had last week has the water muddy, so be using dark colored jigs in stained water. Crappie are suspended 4-10 foot deep on open water brush and docks. I am using small minnows straight down. It’s also getting time to start trolling using your Garmin Live Scope 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 Mixed Bag Report: (This report courtesy of Mark Collins Guide Service and www.southernfishing.com):

Bass: Bass fishing is good and they have moved to a winter pattern on ledges and river and creek channels. Use Carolina rigs, crank baits, and spinner baits for catching fish. 

Crappie: Crappie fishing is good. 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.

Striped Bass: Striper fishing is poor, and no reports have come in this past week

Catfish: Catfish are biting well in the bays and creeks in 8 to 15 feet of water. Cut bait is working best.

West Point Mixed Bag Report (This report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant, www.southernfishing.com): Bass fishing is fair. Now is a good time to hit the lake and learn to use spoons. Several sizes are working, up to a one-ounce Flex it and the Nichols spoons on the road beds down lake. The upper end of the lake is “silty” right now so go south to fish. The dam area up to the Maple Creek area is the best fishing spot right now for all fish. All of the fish are bunched up together in 25 to 30 feet of water. There is a mixed bag of fish to be caught vertical jigging on the bottom. Find the fish on the Lowrance Down Scan technology and if have Fish Reveal use it on the Down Scan so the fish appear like on regular Sonar. Use the vertical jig in a 1/2-to-3/4-ounce spoon. The largemouth, whites, spots hybrids and crappie are all bunched together. Fish along the edge of tree lines and flats.

West Point Fish Attractors: Find DNR fish attractors at West Point HERE.

SMALL LAKE REPORT

Richard Childers braved the cold to kayak fish at Queen City Lake.

Richard Childers landed this 21-inch bass after only 3 casts!

LaFayette City Reservoir/Queen City Lake (Report courtesy of Fisheries Technician Richard Childers): Below freezing air temperatures in the morning can make things a little more difficult (ice building up on lines and guides, kayak freezing completely over), but it can definitely be worth it! So, bundle up in the appropriate gear, make a float plan, and get out on the water (which is currently below 50 degrees F)!  Bait isn’t hard to come by at Queen City and there was a bunch near the dam early in the AM.  I decided to stay on the outside of the schooled bait.  Maybe 3 casts with a hard-bodied jerkbait and I had a 21-inch hog in the kayak!  Later in the day I started working what structure I could find with a shakey head and landed a 17.5 inch Largemouth.  Bites may be slow, but the fish are quality.  I love cold weather fishing!

TROUT REPORT

Delayed Harvest Stocking (This report courtesy of trout stocking coordinator John Lee Thomson): The delayed harvest (DH) program is in full swing. Target these new releases with any junk flies, as the trout are naive and hungry.  Low clear water will have them wise to your movements, so proceed slowly to the stream. If you can avoid detection, you should be able to entice these beauties. If you are unfamiliar with the DH regulations, these areas have special regulations that mandate artificial lures only and you must practice catch and release from November 1st-May 14th. Good luck and Go Trout Fish Georgia!

Trout and More (This report courtesy of Unicoi Outfitters): Check out Unicoi Outfitter’s regular “Angler Management” fishing reports HERE.

North GA Trout (Report courtesy of Georgia Wild Trout): The up and down weather that oddly hung around throughout December appears to have finally ended with some consistently cold weather beginning to set in. Our first major rain did raise the water levels in the creeks and rivers, bringing them back to normal levels. The fish can now find a bit of sanctuary in the deeper pockets and troughs. The higher water has also pushed up a good many of the trophy trout onto public waters. Keep an eye out for these behemoths as they move from pocket to pocket upriver. If you locate one, chances are there are one or two more in the same area. Look for these movements to continue throughout the month following medium to heavy rains.

Chattahoochee River Tailwater Trout (Report courtesy of Georgia Wild Trout): If light tippet and small flies is your thing, then fly fishing on Chattahoochee tailwaters is also back. The water on the Hooch cleared earlier this year from the fall turnover and the fish are feeding well. Warm/mild afternoons have been leading to increased midge hatches and the trout fishing improves along with the afternoon temperatures. The activity level of the wild brown trout should continue to pick up in the coming weeks for anglers who know where to look for the transitioning trout. We are still a week or two away from their spawn. For any streamer fisherman, January is the time to shine. Whether you’re throwing a big wooly bugger, clouser, or a real meaty fly pattern with some bulk, make sure you are keeping your bait down in the water and bump the bottom of the bigger holes. This is the time of year you can find the big trout being a bit gluttonous and taking advantage of an easy meal.

Georgia Trout Slam: The reset button has been hit and 2024 is ready for its first trout slammers of the new year. If you have the skill to successfully catch all three species of trout (brook, brown, rainbow) in Georgia within a calendar year, consider giving the Georgia Trout Slam a try.  All successful submissions will receive the coveted Georgia Trout Slam Sticker and be entered into a drawing for an annual grand prize.  Program details can be found HERE.

Trout Fishing Opportunities for Those With Disabilities: These SITES are open to the public and offer specific amenities for anglers with disabilities.

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 in the state.

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)

TWO EXCITING EVENTS TO PUT ON YOUR CALENDAR!

  • ATLANTA BOAT SHOW: 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.
  • 2024 FISHARAMA/TURKEYRAMA: The 2024 Fisharama/Turkeyrama is Friday, Feb. 9, 2024 – Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024 at the Georgia National Fairgrounds (401 Golden Isles Pkwy, Perry Georgia). Meet Ken Sturdivant, Captain Mark Smith and Adam Hinkle and learn fishing techniques at the World-Famous Bass Tub.
RESERVOIR FISHING REPORTS BELOW COURTESY OF SOUTHERN FISHING WITH KEN STURDIVANT.

LAKE RUSSELL IS FULL 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 winter 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.  Find the fish on the Lowrance DOWN SCAN technology and if you have Fish Reveal use it on the Down Scan so the fish appear like on regular Sonar.  Use the vertical jig in a 1/2 to 3/4-ounce spoon.  Then add the jigs, Shad Raps and Husky Jerks or Ito Vision 110 and use them all.  Use the deep diving crank baits around rocks and wood.  Smaller bass are still being caught up shallow, but this will change with the cold weather.  The warm days will get schools of bait fish up to the rocks and rip rap where anglers can more easily catch them on Shad Raps and DT6’s.  As colder weather returns change to the Rapala DT10 and DT14 along the same areas and use a slower retrieve.  If the water stays clear stay with the Shad colors in these baits.  Hot Mustard and Brown Bone are excellent when visibility gets to three feet or less.

CLARKS HILL IS DOWN 8.1 FEET 50’S

Bass fishing is fair.  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 those Down Deep Husky Jerk Baits to catch them.  Expect the bites to be slow and far and few between.  Cold windy days make fishing a little tougher for sure.  For the serious angler, the bass are still biting, it just takes some work.  Find the fish on the Lowrance Down Scan technology and if have Fish Reveal use it on the Down Scan so the fish appear like on regular Sonar.  Use the vertical jig in a 1/2 to 3/4-ounce spoon.  Fish are holding near rocky structure where the water stays warmer.  Lipless crank baits work as the morning moves on.  Finish up with a jig or a Texas rigged worm.  Carolina rigs are great fall and winter favorites during the fall transition.  Try the north Little River or Savannah River area.  Fish the rivers by picking apart the cover with Chatterbaits and jigs.  On windy days, fish the deeper points with a Rapala DT10 and a DT14 and use shad and hot mustard colors.

LAKE OCONEE IS FULL 50’S

Bass fishing is slow.  You will need to match the color of your bait to the color of the water.  The best fishing is in Richland Creek.  Spoons are the hot ticket on the south end of the lake in the light stained water around humps and just off the river channel in about 30 ft. of water.  Find the fish on the Lowrance Down Scan technology and if have Fish Reveal use it on the Down Scan so the fish appear like on regular Sonar.  Use the vertical jig in a 1/2 to 3/4-ounce spoon.  Small crank baits fished around docks and sea walls from the middle of the creeks to the back of the creeks are also catching some fish.  Look for 8 feet of water depth at the end of the docks; this seems to be the best producer.  A spinner bait fished around wood in Richland Creek has been producing a few fish.

LAKE SINCLAIR IS DOWN 1.4 FEET 50’S

Bass fishing is fair.  Bass are moving to the points and docks down lake and are tight on cover.  Down lake use the 1/2 ounce jig and a Zoom salt trailer in green pumpkin on the heavy cover.  The crank bait and spinner baits cast on the bank cover and slowly fished will get strikes.  Later in the day spinner baits down lake in the creeks are fair, just work bank cover.  Spinner baits with bright blades will draw shallow strikes as the bass move to the creek banks and points during the day.  The Zoom watermelon seed lizards in the 4-inch sizes will work later each day.  Also, on creeks on old channels use a Rapala DT 10 crank bait in crawfish and shad patterns on the bank around any cover.  Watch the Fish and Game Forecaster to fish when the feeding times reflect more movement.

LAKE JACKSON IS 1.2 FEET OVER FULL 50’S

Bass fishing is fair.  The cold winds and overcast conditions will push fish offshore into any cover.  Look for relatively deep docks where the owners have mounted rod holders.  Anglers will most often find deep brush has been planted out in front of the dock.  A sunny afternoon may pull some fish up on shallow warming rocks.  Shallow stained water will also have the same warming effect but there is very little stain in the lake this week.  A slow crankbait will be a good bait to search for shallower fish particularly if the bite picks up.  A #5 Rapala Shad Rap is hard to beat.  Also, use the Bandit 300 or a deep running Fat Free Shad.  At a slow retrieve these relatively deep runners will bang noisily into shallow bottom and rock.  They will also cover deeper ranges well.  Fish the crank bait with a pause retrieve on a long cast that quarters or nearly parallels the bank.  Some folks are jigging spoons around congregations of bait as well. 

Great catches like this at McDuffie PFA have to make you smile!

MCDUFFIE PUBLIC FISHING AREA (More Info HERE)  

Bass: Waters are cold and clear. Bass have slowed down and are moving into the warmer, deeper waters.  They are being caught by patient anglers.  They are being found slowly lurking around structure, especially with any height to it.  Successful fishermen are using sinking lures and retrieving slowly.  Old timers and folks familiar with the area, like Jerome shown with his recent catch, still swear by the tried, trusted, and true black worm.

Catfish: The catfish bite has been slow, but they are biting on the usual stink baits.  The bream bite has been surprisingly good.  Black soldier fly larvae have yielded nice stringers when used over brush piles in Willow, Jones, and Clubhouse.

Striped Bass: Colder weather is good for the striper bite!  They are hitting on the usual chicken livers sunk deep in the waters of Bridge and Clubhouse lakes.  Nice fish have been caught near siphons, deeper middle waters, and from the docks.