Anglers, we are jumping straight into the “News to Know” because we have a lot of stuff to share – enjoy!

NEWS TO KNOW

  • Harvest Time: Spring Pond Harvest at the Go Fish Education Center in Perry GA is underway. Bring the cooler and take home your catch during this event.
  • Give It a Listen: Let’s TALK about the Georgia Trout Slam. Northeast Georgia Fisheries Region Supervisor Anthony Rabern is interviewed on the Alabama Freshwater Fishing Report Podcast to talk Slam details.  
  • Invitationals at West Point Lake: The Tackle Warehouse Invitationals kicks off at West Point Lake today (March 1). A tournament preview post on the Major League Fishing website shares some lake history and primes interest in seeing what will happen during the tournament weekend.
  • Choosing a Fishing Line: What helps you when deciding what type of fishing line to use? Bob Jensen authors a write-up titled “What’s My Line for Fishing” that can be found at About Fishing.
  • Art Deadline Extended: Great News! Your student still has time to enter the Fish Art Contest for 2024. The deadline for entries has been extended to March 31, 2024. This contest uses art and writing to ignite children’s imagination and inspire them to discover more about fish and fishing. The program is free to enter and open to youth in kindergarten through grade 12 anywhere in the world. 
  • Educators: Free Fishing Lesson Plans: The NEW FishOn! Lesson Plans are available to everyone. These plans offer innovative activities to provide educators with engaging resources to enhance their existing science, art, and writing curriculum.
  • Kayak Fishing Project: Space is limited on a kayak, so how do you carry all the tackle you might need and keep it handy when you need it? The folks at Southeast Georgia Kayak Bass Fishing decided to “tackle” that issue with a DIY solution.  

This week, we have fresh fishing reports from Central, Southeast and North Georgia. Now that you know the news, get out and get the views as you Go Fish Georgia!

UPCOMING EVENTS: MARCH-APRIL 2024

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 1.5 FEET, 50’S

Bass fishing is fair.  Now the secondary points seem to be the best pattern.  Be sure to get to the backs of the coves that have the highest concentration of bait.  Use shallow to medium diving crank baits on the secondary points lake wide.  The best ones to fish will be the ones with rock and sand in combinations.  The #5 Shad Raps along with a Rapallo DT6 has been the best baits.  Some fish are after Chatter Baits in all white with a little chartreuse on the skirt.  The bigger bass last week wanted the small cranks along rip rap so hit any rip rap.  The sun should shine this weekend and the rip rap at the 72 bridge just might be worth checking out with the Rapallo RS Shad Raps and the Rapallo DT10’s.

CLARKS HILL IS FULL, 50’S

Bass fishing is good.  The fish have moved into the ditches and there are some quality fish.  Use the Buckeye Lures Jiggin Blade in the nickel color.  Look for ditches that have deep water close by such as ones that are right off the main creek channel.  Fish the points leading into the ditches and it helps to have some grass present. Looking for the birds is key this time of year and will help point out where some active fish may be around bait.  That is not always the case, but it helps eliminate water.  Try the Spro KGB Chad Shad 180 that made high end glide baits more accessible to fishermen.  Also, looking for some clearer water will help with the blade bite.  Right now, the lake is stained mostly in the Savannah River arm and it is not good conditions for this style of fishing.

LAKE OCONEE IS FULL 50’S

Bass fishing is good.  A lot of bass are coming from fairly shallow water with the full moon.  The central lake area continues to be the best overall, mainly because of having warmer water than the rest of the lake.  But some of the larger fish have come from the colder areas, although the bite is slow.  The Lawrence Structure Scan and Down Scan technology will work very well even in 10 feet of water.  Anglers can cover 68 feet of bottom at 10 feet deep with the 455-frequency beam.  The Norman Speed N Crankbait utilizes the proven Deep Little N body design, and it is engineered to target the 4 to 6-foot depth range.  Deadly in cold water situations but highly effective at all times of the year, the Norman Speed N Crankbait produces a tight wobble with an aggressive pitch and roll.  Small crank baits and Rat L Traps have accounted for most good catches.  Try a Rapallo #5 Shad Rap or #4 Shad Rap RS in fire tiger, shad, and chrome and blue.  Good limits have also come on #306 Rocket Shads, #200 Bandit, and Rat L Traps in ¼ and ½ ounce sizes.  Most catches are coming from main lake banks and points, and a short distance inside the mouth of coves.

LAKE SINCLAIR IS DOWN 1.5 FEET, 50’S

Bass fishing is good.  Now there are warming trends, and this will result in more shallow fish as well as some bigger fish ready to move shallow.  Come across the right area and fishing will be good.  The bass are abnormally shallow right now due to the recent rains around Lake Oconee and Sinclair.  The Norman Speed N Crankbait utilizes the proven Deep Little N body design, and it is engineered to target the 4 to 6-foot depth range.  Deadly in cold water situations but highly effective at all times of the year, the Norman Speed N Crankbait produces a tight wobble with an aggressive pitch and roll.  The water is muddy in the Little River area after all the runoff.  There is a heavy stain on the main lake south toward the dam.  The best baits to throw in these conditions include a spinnerbait, crankbait, jig, and shaky head.  Look for a lot of fish swimming around shallow that are ready to be caught; the trick is finding them.

LAKE JACKSON IS .58 FEET OVER FULL, 50’S

Lake Jackson bass will start moving toward spawning areas in the later part of the month as the water starts to warm.  These fish will be eating up on everything as they get ready to spawn.  Tournament angler Keith Dawkins says ‘February has historically been a month to catch some big bass on Jackson.  There are not as many big largemouth due to the spots taking over, but they are still there.  Target rocky banks and points in 2 to 10-foot depths.  Concentrate on rip rap and rocky points that are most exposed to the sun so the water will be warmer.  Blue and black or brown and black jigs with a trailer like a Zoom Super Chunk or Paca Craw are my first choice for hitting these shallow rocky banks and points.  Shallow pockets adjacent to main lake points are also great areas to find a lunker lying next to brush and or rocks.  Always keep a No. 7 or No. 8 Shad Rap in crawfish or fire tiger tied on to hit shallow flats with rocks or to bounce off brush piles.  Some of my biggest spotted bass on Jackson have come in late February and early March on Shad Raps fished parallel to rip rap.  Bump the bottom, and then let the Shad Rap float almost all the way to the surface on a very slow retrieve.  Always look for fish suspended over brush piles with Lowrance electronics and hit them vertically with jigging spoons.  I would concentrate on brush piles in the middle of deep coves down the lake near the dam for vertical fishing.

Ken Sturdivant Southern Fishing Schools will host FREE Fishing classes at West Marine  (5221 Lake Lanier Islands Pky, Buford Georgia, 30518). All classes start at 7pm. Topics, times, and speakers are subject to change without notice. There will be some SWAG too:

  • March 12: Bass Fishing Guide Jeff Nail
  • March 26, 2024: STRIPERS! Guide, Buck Cannon
  • April 9, 2024: Crappie, Captain Josh Thornton
  • April 23, 2024: SONAR, Ken Sturdivant
  • May 14, 2024: Kayaks, Dean Bowling
  • May 28, 2024: Bass Fishing, Tournament Angler Carl Hunter.

SOUTHEAST GEORGIA

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

Happy Leap Year! The fishing has really picked up this week with the warmer weather. Winds have been pretty crazy mid-week, but the bites in the swamp, ponds, and saltwater have been good. Crappie and bass are shallow thinking about their spring spawning ritual. Give it a try!

River gages on February 29th were:

  • Clyo on the Savannah River – 9.3 feet and falling
  • Abbeville on the Ocmulgee – 6.9 feet and falling
  • Doctortown on the Altamaha – 11.2 feet and falling
  • Waycross on the Satilla – 9.9 feet and falling
  • Atkinson on the Satilla – 11.2 feet and falling
  • Statenville on the Alapaha – 11.5 feet and falling
  • Macclenny on the St Marys – 6.6 feet and falling
  • Fargo on the Suwannee – 7.9 feet and falling

To monitor all the Georgia river levels, visit the USGS website HERE. For the latest marine forecast, click HERE.

SATILLA RIVER

Wayne Johns has been running lines in the Satilla while it has been up. He’s caught 60 catfish this week, and the 26-pound flathead he weighed in at Satilla Feed and Outdoors was his most impressive. Catfishing is your best bet in the Satilla right now. It’s falling out and is about in the banks at Waycross. You should be able to catch some panfish in the next few weeks in the upper river if the forecasted rains don’t jump it back up.

OKEFENOKEE SWAMP

Capt. Tim Cutting caught the pending Okefenokee Swamp record flier on Wednesday while fishing the east side. He fooled it by casting a prototype Capt. Bert’s white in-line spinner.

An angler walking the east side boat basin on Tuesday caught some nice warmouth by dabbling a crawfish-colored jig around the pilings and docks. It won’t be too long before the warmouth move in and start spawning. I fished the east side on Tuesday and caught 18 fish total. The biggest bowfin was a 6-lb., 1-oz. fish that I watched slam the crawfish-brass blade Dura-Spin. I was casting for that fish, but I caught the biggest pickerel of the trip (3-lb., 15-oz.) by trolling a jackfish-colored Dura-Spin. Both fish hit within about 100 feet of each other but 2 hours apart. I found some really nice fliers by pitching a crawfish-colored 1/16-oz. Warmouth Whacker Jig. The wind was terrible, and it was a good thing that the fliers were hitting hard or it would have been tough to feel the bite. All 8 of the fliers I caught were between 8 and 9 inches. On Wednesday, I had a guide trip with Capt. Tim Cutting and his friend Tom Lanyi from Pennsylvania. We had to deal with very strong winds again, but the fish cooperated. Tim had a memorable cast early in the trip when he caught the pending Okefenokee Swamp record flier – an 8-ounce, 9-inch fish that ate a prototype small in-line spinner that I make. We ended up catching 16 fish total – mostly fliers and pickerel. Again, the fliers were all over 8 inches, and we even had an 8-inch bluegill in the mix. The best lure for the panfish was the small, white in-line spinner, but Tom caught a big flier on the crawfish Warmouth Whacker (1/16-oz.). We caught everything by casting early in the trip, but towards the end we started catching some pickerel up to 18 inches by trolling crawfish-brass blade and white-white blade Dura-Spins. Water level makes a HUGE difference! Last year when the water level was almost a foot lower, I was catching 50 to 100 fish per trip instead of the couple dozen fish per trip this year. The fish spread out into the prairies when the water is high. But the water is falling, and fish are starting to pull off into the canals, so the bite is about to take off. The most recent water level (Folkston side) was 121.13 feet.

DODGE COUNTY PUBLIC FISHING AREA (near Eastman, more info HERE)

The Wildlife Resources Division staff did some electrofishing samples this week at Dodge County PFA, and both the crappie and bass have started moving shallow. It’s time to beat the bank for some nice fish.

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

Same as at Dodge County PFA, the crappie and bass have started moving shallow on the area, and you should expect to catch some nice fish in the next few weeks. Work shoreline cover with plastic worms, crankbaits, spinnerbaits, and topwaters for some quality fish.

LOCAL PONDS

Larry Hobbs read an article about night fishing with buzzbaits and decided to try it in a Brunswick area pond over the weekend. He loved it and caught a 3 1/2 -pound bass for his efforts. Ed Zmarzly went bass fishing at a local pond late last week and ended up catching 8 big crappie on jerkbaits while he was bass fishing (and the bass DIDN’T cooperate). So, he went back armed with his crappie gear a few days later and caught a good mess of fish up to about 2 pounds. Wyatt Crews fished a Waycross area pond this week with some prototype Satilla Spins and caught some nice bluegill and a big flier. Tim, Chad, Taylor, and Riley fished an Alma area pond over the weekend and had a blast catching bass. They used plastic worms and fooled 14 bass up to about 2 pounds. Jackson and Cooper fished an Alma area pond with their Aunt Kathy on Saturday and fooled a dozen crappie and a bass in just a short time at dusk. They caught them on a chartreuse jig and a spinner with a plastic cricket.

SALTWATER (GA COAST)

Cason Kinstle and his dad fished the Brunswick area on Monday morning and caught about 25 trout (kept 6). They caught them all on artificials, and the key was light spinning gear and paddle-tail grubs with chartreuse tails. Capt. Tim Cutting (fishthegeorgiacoast.com) had a good trip on Tuesday. He used live shrimp under Harper Super Striker Floats and on Redfish Wrecker Jigheads. They also caught some on Assassin Sea Shads. They had a total of 22 redfish (4 oversized fish), 11 trout (6 keepers), and a handful of small black drum and sheepshead. 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.

Blog 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 Brent Hess, Fisheries Biologist with the Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division, with help from Region Staff and Local Experts) 

TROUT REPORT

Where to Go for Trout Info: To learn about Georgia’s diverse trout fishing opportunities including the latest stocking information, check out the Georgia DNR Trout Fishing page.

Loading up the trout for stocking Georgia rivers.

Trout Stocking: The delayed harvest areas received fresh stockings this week and the higher flows will help spread these trout out. Be careful and where a lifejacket, as these higher flows can make for dangerous fishing conditions. Please note that the stocking of the Morgan Falls DH section has temporarily been suspended due to unfishable conditions related to large water release from Lake Lanier. The mountain DH sections will recede quickly and should fish really well Sunday. Good luck and Go Trout Fish Georgia!

RESERVOIR REPORT 

LAKE ALLATOONA is down 6 feet, and the water temperatures are in the 50s.

Allatoona Bass (Report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant www.southernfishing.com) — Bass fishing is good. Lots of quality bass are biting and tournament weights are very good. Fish are schooled up in areas and can be caught suspended in the 8-to-10-foot range and even shallower. Crank baits like the Little John DD, Scroungers tip with big bite jerk minnow are good choices. Soft plastic Swim baits like the 3.5 DR color big bite Cain thumper on fished on a 3/16-ounce jig head is a good combination. Look for schools on main lake and secondary points. Try the Spro KGB Chad Shad 180 that made high end glide baits more accessible to fishermen. This is a collaboration bait made between Spro. Lawrence electronics with side imaging will make this a lot easier. More anglers are using Forward Facing equipment with impressive results. 

Allatoona Crappie (This report courtesy of Red Rooster Custom Baits) –

  • Air Temp: High: 68 – Low: 28
  • Wind: Up to 15 Mph
  • Lake Level: 834′ and rising (Click Here For Current Water Level)
  • Water Temp: 47 – 50
  • Water Clarity: Mild to Heavy Stain.  The water is clearing up this week due to little rainfall.
  • Area Fished: North Lake (Little River Area), S Turns To Victoria, Stamp Creek…Major Creeks.
  • Jigs Used: Jive Turquee Chartreuse Kic’n Chic’n, Jive Turquee Chartreuse Slab Dragon, Lectric Chicken Small Fry, Lectric Chicken Slab Dragon, MayFly Dagger, GoldCrush Dagger, Copperhead Slab Dragon, Pappy’s Magic Kic’n Chic’n, Dreamsickle Dagger.
  • Technique: Trolling

The weather was dang near perfect on Lake Allatoona this week and the long line crappie bite was showing out! Several limits and good-sized crappie were caught all over the lake this past week. From the North End of the lake in the Little River Area down to the South End of the lake in the Block House area. The crappie were on the move, one day they may have been in 6′ of water and the next day they were in deeper water in the mouth of the major creeks. If you are not catching crappie this time of year…change tactics. You need at least 4-6 rods out…we recommend a 1/32 oz on two rod, 1/24 oz on 2 rods and 1/16th oz. jig heads on 2 rods trolling at .7 to .9 mph. You will eventually find the right water depth and then the depth of the crappie. Now, if you find the depth of crappie and they stop biting…change colors! Now is the time to be on the water for fun and for fillets! If you are new to crappie fishing and/or crappie fishing on Lake Allatoona, book a trip with either Jeff “Crappieman” Albright of CrappieMan Allatoona Crappie Guide Service or Jake Turner of Main Line Fishing Charters. They are Red Rooster Pro Staffers and will put fish in the live well and smiles on your faces! 

Getting ahead of the rain on Allatoona for pre-spawn crappie (Photo Credit Leon Brinkley)

Allatoona Crappie (courtesy of angler Leon Brinkley) — Leon took to Lake Allatoona this week ahead of the rain in pursuit of pre-spawn crappie. He reports, “I saw on my Lowrance a decent number of crappie stacked up at about 13 to 15 feet in about 25 feet of water with some adjacent schools of baitfish. Water temp was around 50 degrees. I used a tandem 1/32oz. & 1/24 oz jig combo setup with a 1.5-inch homemade squirt tube on 1/32 oz bottom jig and a foot up from it a 1/24oz baby blue head/translucent glitter light blue body/light blue marabou tail jiffy jig on top. 4 lb. Berkley Nanofil line on an ultra-light 6 foot carbonlite rod medium size (Pflueger) spinning reel.

LAKE HARTWELL: is full and water temperatures are in the 50s.

Hartwell Bass (Report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant www.southernfishing.com) — Bass fishing is good. But it will take some work this week. There are still fish to be found in the mouths of the creeks and the timber lines on and around main lake features such as points and humps. Many of these fish are still fairly deep. Anglers are catching these deeper fish on a weedless 1/2-ounce Fish Head Spin in pearl white and albino colors trailed with a matching super fluke Jr. Some fish have also started to move into main lake pockets and ditches and have been very shallow in some cases especially with the recent warming trend. The Norman Speed N Crankbait utilizes the proven Deep Little N body design, and it is engineered to target the 4 to 6 foot depth range. Deadly in cold water situations but highly effective at all times of the year, the Norman Speed N Crankbait produces a tight wobble with an aggressive pitch and roll. The Rapallo Shad Rap has started to come into play in some of the creek pockets, as well as Ito Vision 110 jerk bait, Fish Head Spin and a jig.

LAKE LANIER is down 6.6 feet and water temperatures are in the 50s.

Lanier Bass (This Lake Lanier Bass fishing report is by Phil Johnson Pjohnson15@hotmail.com 770-366-8845) — Bass fishing on Lake Lanier is good. The lake is currently at full pool but is still rising from the recent heavy rain. The backs of the coves and up the rivers are coloring in from the rain while the main lake remains clear. Water temperature is running from forty-six to fifty degrees throughout the lake. Not a lot has changed since last week with fish still being caught from five to fifty feet. The fish are beginning their spring move up, but the ditch bite is still working also. Work a three eights ounce Spot Choker Finesse with a three-inch swimbait very slowly down the middle of the ditches to draw strikes. Watch for these fish to move up from the ditches to the secondary points and flats. If you locate shad in the ditch a half ounce spoon will also trigger them. Work the ditch from deep to shallow to determine the depth the bass are holding. A jig and a worm have been producing steady bites in the twenty-five foot or less range on ledges, secondary points and docks close to creek channels. A green pumpkin jig with some orange strands with a root beer trailer has produced some good fish just not big numbers yet. Any worm in the green-to-green pumpkin colors has been working on a three sixteenths shakey head on rocky points and docks. Watch for the bass to continue to move to the shallower areas and for the lake to stain up quite a bit over the next several days. Be careful on the water right now as there are a lot of floaters out there that can turn it into a bad day in a hurry. The spring bite is beginning so Go Catch ‘Em! 

Making up for the slow days with 2 nice 31″ stripers on Lanier (Photo Credit Jack Becker)

Lanier Stripers (report is courtesy of Jack Becker) —  I’ve spent most of my time this week working on my boat and with the unstable weather I almost didn’t go out. Later in the week we had a cloudy day, and I couldn’t resist getting on the water in the afternoon for a few hours.  I launched at Baylus ramp and headed to the mouth of Flat Creek. There’s a deep channel near the Spanish mansion on the point that I like to fish this time of year.  The bait shops in my area did not have blue backs or trout so I decided to use shiners for bait.  I didn’t get on the water until 11:30 and by 2 o’clock I had 2 nice 31” fish. One came on a downline, 35 feet deep and the other one on a Free-line, 40 feet behind a baloon. Sure made up for some slow days recently. Jack Becker, Gainesville aka Georgia Waterdog.

Lanier Stripers (report is by Buck Cannon, Buck Tails Guide Service 404-510-1778) — Lanier stripers has got a lot of new water to swim in. Lake is just above full pool so you’ll need to use your electronics to locate the fish and bait and then use your down lines and flat lines with blue backs and trout or gizzards. Flat lines 80 to 100 feet behind the boat trolling at .05 mph on the trolling motor. Once you’re on the fish put baits just above the fish. Planer boards will also have the spread out to cover a larger area. All this new water will affect the bite so be patient. Water temperature is 48 50 degrees so remember to wear your life jacket.

Lanier Crappie (Report is courtesy of Call Captain Josh Thornton 770-530-6493) — The northern end of the lake is heavily stained to muddy. The main lake is pretty clear. Some of the side creeks like 6 mile and 4 mile are pretty muddy still. The water temperature is 51 degrees. Crappie are suspended 5 to 15 feet deep on open water brush and docks. Crappie are staging for the spawn over the next two months. They will be laying eggs in waves not all at the same time. Please consider only keeping what you plan on eating. That way we will have plenty of fish to catch next year. Look for creeks or coves near a main channel for roaming fish. Try colors yellow and brown, green and black and clear with sparkles have all produced good fish. 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. 

Shoal bass feeding heavily on 2-3-inch shiners. (Photo Credit Leon Brinkley)

Patience is key as feeding is not the walleyes top priority right now. (Photo Credit Leon Brinkley)

Lanier Headwaters: (courtesy of angler Leon Brinkley) — The Chattahoochee and Chestatee Rivers were warming up this week, but today’s cold front is likely to disrupt the trends we were tracking for upcoming walleye broodstock collections. Water was slightly stained and temperatures were bouncing around that magical 50 F mark. Walleye abundance overall was low, but we did find pockets of eager males above the 400 bridge on the Chestatee and above Belton Bridge on the Chattahoochee. One effective tactic to try for pre-spawn walleye is to troll the deeper sections of the river with live bait or deep-diving jerk baits. Troll slowly upstream and accept the reality that you’re going to get hung up and possibly lose your tackle along the way. Once upstream into shallower water, cast a jig with a large nightcrawler into the deepest part of the channel you can discern, and slowly retrieve. Patience is key as feeding is not the top priority of the walleye this time of year. We also encountered a fair number of shoal bass that were feeding heavily on 2” – 3” shiners in the deeper runs of the river just downstream of shoal complexes. This can be a great time of the year to pursue Georgia’s official riverine sportfish with a variety of presentations including pig-n-jigs, glide/swim baits, or even a properly placed walking bait.

WEISS LAKE is down 3 feet 2 inches and muddy to stained: 47-48 degrees.

Weiss Bass and Crappie Report: (Report courtesy of Mark Collins www.markcollins service.com: 256-996-9035).

  • Bass – Bass fishing is fair and they are still on a winter pattern on the river and creek channel ledges. A warming trend will help. Spinner baits and crank baits working well jigs and Carolina rigs are catching fish also.
  • Crappie- Crappie fishing is good. They are on deeper cover 18 to 22 feet on the main Coosa River channel ledges from Cedar Bluff to Leesburg. Spider rigging over brush and the river channel ledges with live minnows and jigs is catching fish. Long line trolling with jigs is starting to turn on as some fish are starting to suspend in the river and creek channels. 

WEST POINT LAKE is down 6.4 feet and water temperatures are in the 50s.

West Point Bass (Report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant www.southernfishing.com) — Bass fishing is good. There are waves of bass moving to the shallows. Shad are in the creeks and the bass will follow them in big numbers. The best bite through late week was up the river on the crank baits and that will get better with the warmup. Bass are after shad so find the bait and the bass will be close by. Once the bass get into the creeks in full force now get out the crank baits, jerk baits and spinnerbaits. Rat L Traps and Rapallo Shad Raps will be good patterns. Hit the banks, throwing at any piece of wood on the bank. Watch the Lawrence Structure Scan and Down Scan technology to get the most out of every cast. The Norman Speed N Crankbait utilizes the proven Deep Little N body design, and it is engineered to target the 4 to 6 foot depth range. Deadly in cold water situations but highly effective at all times of the year, the Norman Speed N Crankbait produces a tight wobble with an aggressive pitch and roll Make accurate casts to maximize chances for a hookup. Chatter Baits and spinner baits after mid-day will draw some strikes. Senko’s in dark colors with little or no weight around any wood can work. 

Angler Drew Gill will be at West Point Lake’s MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals Tournament this weekend. (Photo Credit: Jody White/MLF)

Tournament Weekend: West Point Lake is hosting the second stop for the MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals Tournament this weekend. The tournament is held at the Pyne Road Park Mega Ramp in LaGrange. For more information check out the MLF website article.

Angler: Drew Gill, photo credit Jody White from the MLF website.

Need to Know the Lake Level?: Find lake level info at West Point Lake Levels Information.