If you want to share the love with your “sweetheart” this weekend before Valentine’s Day, take’em crappie fishing. Folks are catching some slabs, if submissions for the Georgia Angler Award program are any indication of the bigger picture out there! 

Jason McRae shown with 2023 Bass Slam Grand Prize items.

NEWS TO KNOW:

This week, we have fishing reports from Central, Southeast and North Georgia. Crappie or not, we sure are glad to hear about your adventures when you Go Fish Georgia!

UPCOMING EVENTS: FEB.-APR. 2024

  • Fisharama/Turkeyrama: The 2024 Fisharama/Turkeyrama is TODAY through Sunday Feb. 9-11, 2024 at the Georgia National Fairgrounds in Perry Georgia. Meet Ken Sturdivant, Captain Mark Smith, and the Hawg Trough fishing team and learn fishing techniques at the World-Famous Bass Tub.
  • NOE Outdoors Fishing Expo: The NOE Outdoors Fishing Expo is Feb. 16-18, 2024. Join us at the Clarence Brown Conference Center in Carterville Georgia for an unforgettable experience dedicated to all things fishing. Questions? Visit or Call NOE 404-422-7197. Lots of fishing seminars happening Saturday and Sunday at the NOE Fishing Expo:
    • Feb. 17: 11am Bass Fishing Professional Bass Guide Jeff Nail; 12 pm Fly Fishing Rene Hesse Certified Casting instructor; 1pm Stripers! Buck Cannon; 3pm Lowrance HDS Technology, Ken Sturdivant, Southern Fishing Schools; 4pm Kayaks Dean Bowling.
    • Feb. 18: 11 am Bass Fishing Professional Bass Guide Phil Johnson and Jeff Nail; 12 pm Stripers! Southern Fishing Schools Inc.; 1pm Lowrance HDS Technology, Ken Sturdivant, Southern Fishing Schools; 3pm Crappie Year-Round, Southern Fishing Schools.
  • Etowah Mills Outdoor Expo: The Etowah Mills Outdoor Expo is March 16-17, 2024. This is a two-day event with vendors, exhibits, an outdoor market and The Mill in Canton, Georgia.
  • Lake Lanier Boat Show: The 2024 Lake Lanier Boat Show is March 22-24, 2024 at Lake Lanier Islands.
  • Blue Ridge Trout and Outdoor Adventures Festival: The 2024 Blue Ridge Trout and Outdoor Adventures Festival is April 27, 2024 (10 am-6pm). Southern Fishing Schools will host fishing seminars.

CENTRAL GEORGIA

(Fishing report courtesy of Steve Schleiger, Region Supervisor and fisheries biologist with Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division, with help from Region Staff and Local Experts)

RESERVOIR FISHING REPORTS BELOW COURTESY OF SOUTHERN FISHING WITH KEN STURDIVANT.

LAKE RUSSELL IS DOWN 1.1 FEET, 50’S

Bass fishing is fair.  The bass are scattered lake wide.  There are bass both shallow and deep.  The bass that are shallow are on points 10 to 15 feet deep.  Use the Carolina rigs with a green pumpkin finesse worm.  Also, fish shallow on shaky heads with a green pumpkin Zoom u tail worm.  They are also out deep 40 to 50 feet but are suspended in 15 to 20 feet of water.  Fish the open water in the pockets with an Alabama Rig or Flash Mob Jr. to tempt bites from suspended fish.  Keep a jig or shaky head handy to pitch around any wood cover.  Fishing rip rap can also produce results this time of year, especially after a warm rain.  If it turns cold and dry during the month, deeper fish are biting a drop shot with a watermelon finesse worm and darker color worms since the water is stained from all the rain.  There will be little changes for at least 10 days.  Do not expect much change going through February unless the water temperatures rise, and the water clears up.

CLARKS HILL IS DOWN .6 FEET, 50’S

Bass fishing is fair.  Colder runoff will be flowing this week.  A mild cold front is expected to move through this weekend.  This might move the shallow water bass back to deeper water or tight to cover.  Dead sticking a pearl-colored Ito Vision 110 jerk bait mid-lake to the dam.  Start off by checking out the ledges and drop offs and slowly work back up to the shallow water.  Use the Down Deep Husky Jerks and Rapala DT10 on the ledges and switch to the Rapala DT10 and #5 and #7 Rapala RS Shad Raps later in the day. Fish the windblown points and banks.  Go to the Weedless wonder lead head and a Zoom green pumpkin trick worm and pick apart the heavy cover.  Lowrance Structure Scan technology can make the search a lot faster.  Scan five times the depth of the water with the Structure Scan Side imagining technology and find the bait and the bass will be there close by.  Any water temperature change can make or break a day on the water.  Use the Lowrance Heat Map feature on the mapping screen; even 2 degrees can make a difference.

LAKE OCONEE IS FULL 50’S

Bass fishing is slow.  The water temperature has dropped and has made fishing very slow.  Look for any rip rap rocks that the sun has been shining on as this area will be warmer by a degree or two and is bound to hold a few fish.  Big rocks on points down lake are also warming later in the day.  Fish the open water in the pockets with an Alabama Rig or Flash Mob Jr. to tempt bites from suspended fish.  Keep a jig or shaky head handy to pitch around any wood cover.  Fishing rip rap can also produce results this time of year, especially after a warm rain.  If it turns off cold and dry during the month, use small crank baits like a ¼ ounce Rat T Tap in chrome/back or a #5 Rapala Shad Rap in the shad and perch colors.  Fish the bait using a slow retrieve.  Make long casts to the rock areas.  The bites are light, so watch the line.

LAKE SINCLAIR IS DOWN 1.2 FEET, 50’S

Bass fishing is fair.  Work the spoons, jigs, and worms.  Look for the bass in the mouths of the main lake and main river creeks.  The lower lake creeks are clearing; use the smaller jigs in black and silver with a small Uncle Josh pork.  Fish any bank cover all the way to the boat working the lure slowly in cover.  Any water temperature change can be a make or break day on the water.  Use the Lowrance Heat Map feature on the mapping screen, even 2 degrees can make a difference.  Find any warming water in the northwest coves later in the afternoons.  Hopkins spoons in 1/2-ounce sizes in and over the old tree lines in the major creeks is also fair; just fish them slowly.  Try medium all-white Rooster Tails at daylight down lake on points.  Also use a small green worm or a night crawler fished around the main lake marinas.  Stay on the points on the main lake with a small Zoom finesse worm in greens on a Texas rig.  Use night crawlers on a 1/8th ounce jig head and fish vertically.

LAKE JACKSON IS 1.2 FEET OVER FULL, 50’S

Bass fishing is fair.  The lake levels will be stable all week and the fish are not in any firm pattern.  Stay down the lake and fish in the creeks and coves around the dam.  Flip and pitch black or blue Stanley jigs with a matching plastic Zoom pork style trailer to the docks and heavy bank cover.  Use the darker red colors in worms, lizards, and shad crank baits, casting them right on the banks.  Early and late each day use a black Zoom trick worm on the wood and even rip rap on bridges.  The bass bite better later in the day on the docks down lake in the clearer waters.  Also bump crank baits on clay banks facing the sun.  During the middle of the day the river bass are fair on a Zoom lizard in greens and fish them right on the bank cover.  The Zoom watermelon seed lizard and a long 3-foot Carolina rig can draw a few strikes on points down lake.

SOUTHEAST GEORGIA

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

Robert Miller caught these slab crappie – both over 2 pounds – at Paradise Public Fishing Area near Tifton 2 weeks ago. The biggest was just over 2-lb., 13-oz. He caught them on minnows.

The weekend rains were followed by cold, but a few folks got on fish. Lakes, ponds, and saltwater are where the best reports came from.

River gages on February 8th were:

  • Clyo on the Savannah River – 11.3 feet and rising
  • Abbeville on the Ocmulgee – 9.3 feet and falling
  • Doctortown on the Altamaha – 10.4 feet and rising
  • Waycross on the Satilla – 12.4 feet and rising
  • Atkinson on the Satilla – 11.4 feet and rising
  • Statenville on the Alapaha – 6.5 feet and rising
  • Macclenny on the St Marys – 7.3 feet and falling
  • Fargo on the Suwannee – 10.0 feet and falling

First quarter moon is February 16th. To monitor all the Georgia river levels, visit the USGS website HERE. For the latest marine forecast, click HERE.

SAVANNAH RIVER

Mark Vick returned to the river this weekend with his oldest son, Tripp. The river had risen a little from last week, and the bite slowed some, but they caught some really nice crappie and a giant flier. They fooled them with crawfish Warmouth Whacker Jigs and minnows. Tripp lost a monster right at the boat that he thought was a bass….until he saw it! Mark said that the crappie was well over 2 pounds, but it turned and popped Tripp’s line. That may be their last meal of fresh crappie for a little while, as the river has continued to rise.

OKEFENOKEE SWAMP

The water level is still high and fish are spread out in the prairies, but the water level is falling. On Friday I fished the east side and got on a good flier bite. I bounced around at several spots and ended up catching 21 fliers up to 7 inches and a 17-inch pickerel. The fliers ate pink Okefenokee Swamp Sallies under a small balsa float, and the pickerel ate a chartreuse back pearl 2” Keitech rigged on a 1/16-oz Flashy Jighead with a gold blade. Bill Stewart and I fished the east side on Tuesday and worked hard for a few bowfin and pickerel in the strong winds. The ones we caught ate a prototype in-line spinner and crawfish Dura-Spins. I heard of a few pickerel and bowfin being caught in the east side boat basin. The warm spell the next few days should make the fish more active, but they are still spread out. The most recent water level (Folkston side) was 121.28 feet.

Scott Kuhn caught this 6-lb., 9-oz. bass in a Brunswick pond on Tuesday. He fooled it with a Texas-rigged pumpkinseed-colored plastic worm.

LOCAL PONDS

Wyatt Crews fished with a couple friends on Saturday, and they caught some nice bass and crappie. They caught about 15 bass with their biggest pulling the scales down to 6 pounds. Their bass ate 3.8-inch gold flash Keitech swimbaits rigged on an 1/8-oz. Capt. Bert’s Flashy Swimbait Head with a gold blade. They caught their crappie on a prototype color Satilla Spin. A Baxley angler trolled 2-inch Keitechs (chartreuse shad) on 1/16-oz. black-green eye Zombie Eye Jigheads for 15 slab crappie up to 2 pounds late last week before the front slowed the bite. Sean Tarpley fished a private pond near Baxley and caught a bunch of crappie up to 1 1/2 pounds. He started catching them on a white 1/16-oz. Flashy Jighead and Bobby Garland Baby Shad but had to switch to an 1/8-oz. jighead (chartreuse) to keep their lure down in the strong wind. Another friend fished a Valdosta area pond this week and caught a 5-lb., 7-oz. bass on a deep-diving crankbait. Cason Kinstle said that the bite in his favorite Savannah-area ponds slowed significantly this week in the cold, but he did fool a giant crappie on Friday with a paddle-tail plastic. Scott Kuhn caught the biggest bass I heard of this week – a 6-lb., 9-oz. pig that ate a Texas-rigged pumpkinseed-colored plastic worm in a Brunswick pond on Tuesday. Chad Lee fished a pond on his break Tuesday and fooled a 4-pound bass with a crawfish-colored Rat-L-trap.

SALTWATER (GA COAST)

Capt. Tim Cutting (fishthegeorgiacoast.com) had great trips on Wednesday and Thursday this week. Wednesday it was about live shrimp for redfish. They got on 20 of them and kept 15. They also caught a few short trout, 4 nice keepers, and a keeper sheepshead. On Thursday, they had 6 oversized redfish in a row then a few keeper-sized fish. They ended up with about a dozen reds and a dozen good trout on plastics. They fished 3.3-inch Berkley Power Swimmers on 1/8-oz. Zombie Eye Jigheads (spring keeper version) and 6th sense Divine paddletails, 3.5 and 4-inch Keitech Easy Shiners, and Down South Lures on 1/8-oz. Trout Eye Jigheads. 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.

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

Take advantage of favorable fishing conditions now.

The unusually warm weather for February has water temperatures rising and this will cue fish to move and begin looking for easy meals. A wet weekend is forecasted, so if braving the elements isn’t your thing, consider taking a sick day next week and take advantage of some prime fishing conditions mid-week.  Fish will be emerging from their slow winter patterns and an uptick in activity should be expected. Take advantage of these better fishing conditions before the next polar vortex moves in and shuts them down. Below you will find the latest intel from regional guides, avid anglers, and the local experts.

LAKE ALLATOONA IS DOWN 8.6 FEET, 50’S 

Allatoona Bass: (Report Courtesy of Ken Sturdivant, Southern Fishing) — Bass fishing is fair. It’s been warm and some more warm weather is coming. We will see a cool down this weekend, it should not affect these fish. If we were to have pro long cold again, we will see bass move slightly deeper. When water clarity allows a jerk bait is hard to beat, but in muddy water it’s much less productive. The bite is steady and some bass are being caught shallow on jerk baits, crank baits Jigs and bladed jigs. Use the lipless crankbaits like small Shad Raps and Norman Little N’s in crawfish pattern in the 3 to 8 foot range. The Picasso HD fantasy football head Jig is working great as well. Runoff areas and ditches in creeks are the best areas to target. Brush and rock in these areas help tremendously. Fish the jig on Sunline sniper 14-pound test. Sensitivity is key with the jig bite. The Little River and Kellogg creek areas are producing fish with an occasional largemouth showing up. Any water temperature change can be a make or break day on the water. Use the Lowrance Heat Map feature on the mapping screen and even 2 degrees can make a difference. 

Great team working on improving fish habitat on Allatoona.

Allatoona Habitat Improvement Work.

Great morning of catching crappie on Allatoona! (Photo courtesy of Jeff Albright).

Allatoona Crappie: (Report courtesy of Jeff “Cappieman” Albright) — We had a great morning on Toona!  We caught 63 crappie with 31 keepers – Red Rooster Custom Jigs “were a crowing”.  Also caught 2 hybrids and 3 white bass.  We fished 6 different places and caught fish in all.  We were using 2, 1/32 oz jigs rigged about 20″ apart. Trolling speeds were 0.9-1 mph; jigs pulled around 40-45 ft. behind the boat.  Water temps were 51-54 F.  I also want to thank my buddy Paul for fishing with me.  Red Rooster Custom jigs – better get ya’ some!

Allatoona Habitat Improvements: (Report courtesy of Jim Hakala, Region 1 Fisheries Supervisor) — The popular Blockhouse Fishing Jetty site, was replenished with about 200 new Christmas trees.  Marietta BassMaster members, Keep Bartow Beautiful, Army Corps, and DNR staff and volunteers installed and anchored the trees on February 3.  The trees are currently above the waterline, but anglers can expect them to be inundated once the lake level gets above 834 ft. MSL in the coming weeks.  We appreciate everyone who donated their Christmas trees to the Allatoona Fish Attractor Program this year.  Since 2007, approximately 4,000 Christmas trees have been turned into new fish habitat at Lake Allatoona through this program.  You can find all fish attractors placed by the DNR and Army Corps at Lake Allatoona HERE.

LAKE LANIER IS DOWN .7 FEET, IN THE LOW 50’S 

Lanier Bass: (Report courtesy of Phil Johnson, pjohnson15@hotmail.com 770 366 8845) — Bass fishing on Lake Lanier is good. The lake is currently one foot below full and still filling in from the rain. The backs of the creeks and up the rivers are stained with the main lake remaining clear. The water temperature is ranging from forty-eight to fifty degrees across the lake. Bass have been ranging from sixty feet to twenty feet with a move toward shallower water. The key range this week seems to have been in the forty foot or less range. Fishing has been somewhat of an up and down swing with one day being great and the next day being a grind. Several baits have caught fish this week. A three eights Spot Choker with a three-inch Echo swimbait has produced well when worked slowly down the ditches in twenty five to forty foot of water. If you can locate the bait close to the bottom this setup along with a half-ounce spoon will produce good numbers of bass. Working the underspin in the backs of the pockets very early in the day has also paid off. A DT eight crankbait worked on the sunny secondary points has produced bass early in the day. Look for the points with the big chunk rock scattered on them. The jig is producing some quality fish when worked on the steeper rock points as well as along the ledges. This is a slow bite but is producing some very quality fish. Utilize your forward facing to target both the bait and the bass. The move to shallower water seems to be starting as the water temperature rises and the days get longer so be ready to move up with the bass. They are biting so Go Catch ‘Em!

Catching stripers on shiners on Lanier. (Photo courtesy of Jack Becker)

Lanier Stripers with Becker (Courtesy of Waterdog, aka Jack Becker) — Finally got back out on Lanier for a couple of hours yesterday afternoon. Went up to Thompson creek with a buddy. They were feeding on small thread fins. Caught’em on shiners not much bigger than crappie minnows.

Lanier Striper Report: (Courtesy of Captain Mack) — The Striper bite is pretty good, there is still a lot of movement so you’ll likely do some searching. Just keep moving until you find ‘em. There are fish all over the lake, however, I tend to think the better numbers are mid lake and above. I think the bite is a combination of down lines and free lines. Have both rigged and ready to go based on the situation. Herring have been the bait of choice, but Trout are also catching fish. Gotta’ throw the Gizzards into the mix as well, and I would dedicate at least one or two lines to the Shad. There have been a few reports of fish pushing into the back parts of the creeks and drains, mostly an early AM pattern. With moderating weather, keep an eye for bait moving into the creek backs. That has not been prominent so far, but could change with climbing surface temps. If the bait moves back, the fish will likely follow. If you see those Threadfins in the creek backs, throw a net on ‘em. They are excellent baits during this time of the year and are generally easy to catch in the cooler water!

Trolling remains a very good pattern, and clipping points is a very reliable pattern! The big rigs pulled 90-120 feet behind over the 20-to-35-foot contours will catch some good numbers along with some nice size fish. This is still a singles pattern, keep moving and saturate an area and you will get the bites. Target the major creeks and drains and pull back to a 30 foot bottom. This technique is effective on all parts of the lake. Also, trolling the rigs will work in stained water. That is A FAQ, and if the water is stained, no problem. Muddy, maybe not so easy. Most trollers advocate for the addition of an under spin in that off color water.  

LAKE HARTWELL IS FULL, 50’S

Hartwell Bass: (Report Courtesy of Ken Sturdivant, Southern Fishing) — Bass fishing is fair. Any water temperature change can be a make-or-break day on the water. Use the Lowrance Heat Map feature on the mapping screen and even 2 degrees can make a difference. The majority of the bass are still hanging out on the ledges out on the main lake. Carolina rigs with small green pumpkin Zoom finesse worms can work just be patient with the retrieve. The more active bass are still responding to the Rapala DT10’s and Rapala #7 Shad Raps while working the deeper water later in the day. The shad color still seems to be the favorite with most of the fishermen. The Rapala OG8 flat crank bait will get some strikes also. Look for a few fish with Zoom Super Flukes in pearl. The back side of sharp points is also holding good bass. Try the Husky Jerks and Rapala DT10 has been fair in the hot mustard pattern along with the drop shot rigs. On the warmer days expect the fish to be a little more active and move up to feed more often. Lowrance Structure Scan technology can make the search a lot faster. Scan five times the depth of the water with the Structure Scan Side imagining technology and fined the bait and the bass will there close by. 

TROUT REPORT 

Fresh stockings on Delayed Harvest Streams.

Delayed Harvest Streams: (Courtesy of John Lee Thomson, Georgia DNR Trout Stocking Coordinator) — All the Delayed Harvest streams have received a fresh stocking of quality naive trout to increase catch rates and promote better fishing days. Warm afternoons will be more productive, and trout should be active and looking to feed. Junk flies will work well before these fish wise up. Remember the special DH regulations including artificial lures only and catch and release must be practiced.

Finesse Needed: (Report Courtesy of Georgia Wild Trout) — The trout in the Georgia Delayed Harvest sections have finally spread out relieving the pressure from the more popular holes. . There are still some fish to be found but finesse is everything now. The warmer rains from this week should help pick up the bite in coming weeks on the smaller streams but will likely make the larger waters, such as the Toccoa River, too dangerous to wade. The small waters are better opportunities for beginner fly fishing. Opportunities for fishing Georgia’s State Parks are at their best in February and March, especially when Fly Fishing with Kids. 

Catching rainbows while fishing Island Ford. (Photo courtesy of I.F. Erin)

Big Brown Trout from Toccoa River. (Photo Courtesy of Georgia Wild Trout).

Chattahoochee River and Toccoa River Tailwaters — I.F. Erin fished Island Ford recently and had good success landing rainbows despite the area not receiving stockings since September 2023. She targeted the shoals just downstream of Hewlett Field where she dredged a nymph below a PRL with a white indicator to top off her setup. The Chattahoochee River and specifically the Lanier Tailwater section is an amazing resource and can be successfully fished year-round.

Tailwater Tales (Report Courtesy of Georgia Wild Trout) — The fishing in the tailwaters was productive the last few weeks of January and should stay consistent into February. The lack of anglers below the dam on the Toccoa River left a few more fish for the anglers willing to brave the cold and rain when the river level permitted wading. The fishing below Lanier on the Chattahoochee River has been similar in the afternoons once the dam finishes generating. The spawn has just about wrapped up but many of the fish should hang around the areas above highway 20 and recoup some energy for another couple weeks into February, before retreating back to their winter haunts. Some of these trout have been more optimistic about what’s on the menu following the spawn in an attempt to recover. These are the ideal conditions to see trophy-size trout expose themselves and succumb to a well presented fly. Our latest article on fly fishing streamers goes into more detail on the subject. Small is still the ticket for numbers and both species throughout the river. Midge imitations in the size 20 range are your best chance to get bit. The dry fly and emergers bite has become a bit more temperamental. Either less bugs are hatching due to the colder temps, or the amount of generation is throwing off their groove. I still see the occasional trout rising but the consistency is lacking compared to what will come in the weeks ahead where consistent mid-morning hatches should become the norm.

North GA Fishing – A Not To Miss Resource (Report Courtesy of Unicoi Outfitters) — No matter if you are looking for DH pointers, big trout on public land, or the hottest flies for stripers, you have to check out the Angler Management blog. It is the one-stop-shop for all things fishing in North Georgia and beyond.  

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