Lately, anglers just can’t throw out a line without catching an Angler Award worthy fish at Rocky Mountain Public Fishing Area. Oh, I promise, we are not complaining. Just can’t figure out why all of you aren’t trying to get there. Redear sunfish and crappie catching are excellent targets right now. Mr. Kenneth Hardy and his sons all caught fish earning angler awards (see blog header image). Make your trip plans today! Adults and youth can earn a Georgia Angler Award by catching fish that meet or beat a specified weight or length.

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.

  • Just a little over 2 Weeks Until Deadline!

    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.

This week, we have fishing reports from Central, Southeast and North and Georgia. Plan your trip soon for crappie or redear sunfish catching and 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 FULL, 50’S

Bass fishing is fair.  The fish are heading shallow, and some warm days will get them feeding.  Lowrance has the Heat Map Overlay technology on the Charts that will disclose the water temperature all day.  This is especially valuable to monitor the warming waters anywhere the boat is.  Warm water is in the backs of the creeks and coves when the sun comes out.  Some of the larger bass are following this warm water and are moving.  There are bass out on the subtle drop offs and ledges as well as on the main lake points.  The rocky areas are holding plenty of spotted bass and they are biting small baits as expected.  Try the Rapala X Raps in the shallow water and the DT6 and Minnow Raps out in the deeper water.  Adjust the color of the baits with the clarity of the water.  This will make a big difference during the pre-spawn periods.  Always watch for signs of bait fish while on the water.

CLARKS HILL IS DOWN .33 FEET, 50’S

Bass fishing is good.  Small to medium sized crank baits have been fair as the fish begin to feed.  Several brands and colors have produced good results.  Some good choices are a Bandit in 100 & 200, Bandit Flat Maxx, #5 & #7 Shad Raps, #4 and & #5 Shad Rap RS, Norman Little N, and Bomber Flat A.  Some good colors are fire tiger, shad, and silver blue.  Rat L Traps 1/2-ounce sizes have also produced a few fish but should get better as the water warms.  Spinner baits have also caught a few fish in the same areas.  The fish are heading shallow, and some warm days will get them feeding.  Lowrance has the Heat Map Overlay technology on the Charts that will disclose the water temperature all day.  This is especially valuable to monitor the warming waters anywhere the boat is.  Watch for rocky bottoms and creek points in these areas as the water temperature should be one or two degrees warmer.  A few fish are holding on docks and even more will as fish begin moving away from the outer banks toward the spawning banks.

LAKE OCONEE IS FULL 50’S

Bass fishing is good.  Most of the better bites seem to come first thing in the morning around grass, blowdowns, and seawalls.  Try a buzz bait or frog if the water is calm and warm enough for the fish to chase a top water lure.  If the bass seem to be relating to the bottom, try flipping and pitching a jig or Texas rigged lizard around the same types of cover.  Use the Lowrance Structure Scan technology during the “off” feeding hours to locate the fish.  Once they show up use the shaky head with a Zoom Trick worm in black with red flakes or drop shot paired with a Zoom Finesse worm to get some decent keepers.  The fish are heading shallow, and some warm days will get them feeding.  Lowrance has the Heat Map Overlay technology on the Charts that will disclose the water temperature all day.  This is especially valuable to monitor the warming waters anywhere the boat is.  As the fish start to work to the shallows on the next full moon use the Luck Craft Redemption spinnerbait or Rapala OG6 in white with a green back crankbait in Rapala DT 10 in hot mustard that look like the bream or bluegill in the lake.  Sometimes putting the trolling motor down and covering water with moving baits is best, especially in Richland Creek.  When they bite use the Zoom Pearl white Flukes and Senko in green pumpkin as a great set of choices for finishing off the area and catching the more finicky fish that do not want to commit to a fast-moving presentation.

LAKE SINCLAIR IS DOWN 1.4 FEET, 50’S

Bass fishing is good.  This is an especially good shallow water lake, but the weather needs to cooperate.  Some fish continue to move toward the banks and shallows as spring approaches.  Now the bass are feeding along main lake points and banks whether in the creeks or on the rivers.  But this will change soon, possibly in the next two weeks; it just needs to warm up.  A few days when the air and water temperatures rise a few more degrees and fish will respond along with the full moon.  Spinner baits, Texas rigs and jigs are the primary choices here.  Rip rap continues to hold fish that will hit either the crank baits, spinner baits, jigs, or Texas rigs.  It is time to try the short pockets near deep water and along the main river and creek runs.  The fish are heading shallow, and some warm days will get them feeding.  Lowrance has the Heat Map Overlay technology on the Charts that will disclose the water temperature all day.  This is especially valuable to monitor the warming waters anywhere the boat is.  A short pocket or cove that is void of fish today may yield a good catch tomorrow using one of the fore mentioned baits.  Check the sides of points along main creek runs.  Bait choices include crank baits, Carolina rigs, drop shot, Little George, and jig head and worm.

LAKE JACKSON IS 1.3 FEET OVER FULL, 50’S

Bass fishing is fair.  A few cold snaps and some rain lowered the surface temperatures back down.  This month can be great for catching pre-spawn and spawning fish.  Use the crankbaits like Bandits and Rapala Shad Raps on the points.  Work halfway into the coves just off the main lake points.  Use the Zoom finesse worms on the Weedless Wonder lead heads and green pumpkin; this would be a great all-day bait.  Soon the spawning pockets and flats will set up and then use Zoom flukes in pearl or baby bass colors, Lucky Craft Redemption double willow leaf spinnerbaits and Texas rigged 4-inch Zoom lizards around spawning areas.  Bagley Bang O Lures worked slowly over spawning areas have historically produced good fish.  For spots, concentrate on deeper flats and long points down the lake with Zoom pearl Super Flukes and Pointer minnow baits.  The fish are heading shallow, and some warm days will get them feeding.  Lowrance has the Heat Map Overlay technology on the Charts that will disclose the water temperature all day.  This is especially valuable to monitor the warming waters anywhere the boat is.

SOUTHEAST GEORGIA

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

The heavy rains this past weekend and cold morning temperatures early in the week slowed the great bite from last week. The southeast Georgia rivers are blown out after the rains. Still, there were some good reports from ponds and saltwater.

River gages on March 14th were:

  • Clyo on the Savannah River – 13.3 feet and rising
  • Abbeville on the Ocmulgee – 15.9 feet and falling
  • Doctortown on the Altamaha – 12.2 feet and rising
  • Waycross on the Satilla – 14.3 feet and falling
  • Atkinson on the Satilla – 11.6 feet and rising
  • Statenville on the Alapaha – 10.3 feet and falling
  • Macclenny on the St Marys – 8.7 feet and falling
  • Fargo on the Suwannee – 10.6 feet and falling

First quarter moon is March 17th. To monitor all the Georgia river levels, visit the USGS website HERE. For the latest marine forecast, click HERE.

SATILLA RIVER

The Satilla River Flathead Jam was held on Saturday, and lots of limb-line catfish were weighed in. When the weigh-in concluded at Satilla Feed and Outdoors, the winner was Dalton Poole’s team with 148.8 pounds. Second was the team of Layne Ambrose with 141.4 pounds. Dalton Poole had big fish at 54.8 pounds.

OKEFENOKEE SWAMP

The number of boats launching at the east side increased over the last week, but folks are not tearing them up yet. Some anglers caught fliers and a few warmouth on worms and crickets. A first-time swamp angler fished the east side on Thursday and caught some pickerel by trolling a crawfish-brass blade Dura-Spin down the canal. The most recent water level (Folkston side) was 121.10 feet.

LOCAL PONDS

Wyatt Crews caught and released this 6-pound bass from a Waycross area pond in early March by casting a gold flash Keitech 3.8” swimbait rigged on a 1/8-oz. Flashy Jighead with a gold blade.

Bass and crappie have been on fire the last few weeks. Tommy Davis (right) and Bert Deener caught and released 15 crappie over 1 1/4-pounds after fooling them by trolling 2-inch Keitech swimbaits in a Waycross area pond last week. Their biggest 5 crappie weighed a hair under 9 pounds.

James McDaniel had the best crappie report I heard of this week. He used popsicle Specktacular Jigs to fool some slab crappie up to 2 pounds in a local pond. Many of the big females move shallow to spawn during each warm spell and pull off to deeper water after cold fronts. That will continue for the next month along with the same progression from bass. Chad Lee fished an Alma area pond on Tuesday evening during a beautiful sunset and caught a few bass. His biggest was about 3 pounds. Tripp, Charlotte, and Waylon wore out the bass in their pond on Saturday by flinging chartreuse back pearl 3-inch Keitech swimbaits. I fished a Douglas area pond on Wednesday for a few hours and fooled 7 bass up to 2 1/2 pounds. I was trying for bowfin, but all I could catch was the green fish. All of them ate a crawfish Dura-Spin, with about half eating the brass bladed version and half the orange blade. I did not hear of any huge bass being caught this week from ponds, but I’m sure some were landed. This is the time of year to chase a big bass if that’s your game.

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

Joseph Hartley broke the black crappie record at Dodge with a 2-lb., 6-oz. slab on March 7th. It is going through the certification process. He released the fish back into the lake after having it weighed on certified scales at the area.

SALTWATER (GA COAST)

SE GA Kayak Bass Fishing’s Cleveland Walker fished Lake Mayer in Chatham County.

Capt. Tim Cutting (fishthegeorgiacoast.com) fished Wednesday and Thursday. They worked hard for their fish Wednesday, fooling 8 trout, a couple reds, and a couple flounder with plastics and assorted plugs. On Thursday he fished live shrimp and fiddler crabs with John Cate from Minnesota for a half-dozen redfish, 6 sheepshead, and a trout. 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.

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).

Southeast Georgia Fishing Report below courtesy of Southeast Georgia Kayak Bass Fishing SEGKBF.com

Lake Mayer Bass Report: SEGKBF Angler Cleveland Walker took a trip to Lake Mayer in Savannah, Georgia.  Located on Montgomery Crossroads, Lake Mayer is part of the Chatham County Parks and Recreation services.  With spring just around the corner, the bass are moving into a spawning mode. Cleveland was able to boat several nice-sized bass using the pitching and flipping method near shoreline grass.  His bait of choice was the Strike King Rodent in the color black and blue. For more information visit SEGKBF.com.

NORTH GEORGIA

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

Hudson Cummings with his hefty largemouth catch from Rocky Mountain PFA.

At the top of the list of this week’s best bets for North Georgia is Black Crappie.  The Crappie bite is in full swing, and our field crews have been encountering plenty of anglers on our lakes and rivers catching big crappie. Rocky Mountain PFA has been a particular hot spot for both Crappie as well as huge Redear Sunfish (aka Shellcrackers) this week. The record Redear Sunfish for Heath Lake was caught last weekend by Kenneth Hardy whose record setting fish weighed 1 lb, 12 oz.  Kenneth also caught a trophy Black Crappie that same day weighing 2.5 lb.  Not to be outdone by their dad, Kenneth’s two kids also caught giant Redears that tipped the scales at 1lb, 8 oz each.  All around North Georgia, anglers are also sharpening their hooks in hopes of catching big bass. Hudson Cummings landed a Largemouth Bass that weighed 8 lb, 5 oz from West Antioch Lake, which is within the Rocky Mountain PFA.

This week’s best bets also include White Bass and Walleye.  Both species are making their annual spawning runs up many North Georgia rivers right now and their numbers are at peak abundance.  Most White Bass are under 2 lb, but some fish will tip the scales at 3 lb.  Our field crews that were collecting adult White Bass from the Coosa River found the highest numbers in the mouth of creeks and along inside bends of the river downstream of Mayo’s Lock and Dam Park.  They can be caught on small crankbaits that imitate a shad.  Although the Coosa River is a great place to catch White Bass, they can be found in similar habitats in other major rivers across North Georgia. Walleye

Walleye are in the shallow headwaters of several North Georgia reservoirs right now.

While the Coosa River is a great place to catch White Bass, they can be found in similar habitats in other major rivers across North Georgia.

One of the best ways to catch walleye this time of year is slowly trolling upstream at dusk in the upper reaches of the reservoir using shallow running jerk baits.

Of course, bass and stripers are always target species.  Below are some fishing reports from our angler friends, local guides, and from our own field.  If you want to do a deep dive, more reservoir fishing tips can also be found on the GON Fishing Report page and Ken Sturdivant’s Southern Fishing Report.

RESERVOIR REPORT

Lake Lanier Lake Level and Debris: Lake Lanier is a little over full pool, and the recent rainfall has escalated the amount of debris floating on the lake surface. The bottom line is BE CAREFUL! 

Lanier Bass (Report courtesy of Phil Johnson. pjohnson15@hotmail.com (770) 366-8845) — The majority of the fish have begun their move to the thirty-foot or less range to prepare to spawn. A variety of baits are working right now so you can pretty much pick our preference. A quarter ounce Spot Choker with a Keitech will produce fish in the backs of the creeks while a DT6 crankbait will work on the secondary points. The worm bite is improving around the rocky points and on boat docks with twenty-foot of less of water in front of them. A jerk bait worked with either a slow steady retrieve or very slow light jerks will produce fish in the backs of pockets, beside docks and down rocky banks. The fish don’t seem to be as grouped up right now so be prepared to fish multiple areas to catch good numbers.

Lanier Striped Bass (Report courtesy of Buck Cannon, Buck Tails Guide Service) — Striper fishing is very active on the river channel from Vann’s Tavern up to River Forks Park. Use the same techniques, planer boards, flat lines, some with light weights, and down lines. The fish have been biting just about every type of bait trout, gizzard shad, herring and shiners. Using your electronics zigzagging over the channel with patience can result in happy times. Water temperature is 56 degrees, and the stripers are staging for the run up the lake. Spring is near and this could be very productive. Remember to wear your life jackets.

Lanier Black Crappie (Report courtesy of Captain Josh Thornton 770 530 6493) — Crappie are suspended 2 to 10-foot deep under docks. Look for creeks or coves near a main channel for roaming fish.  They are shallow in 2 to 4-foot of water cast to them or troll for them. Try colors yellow and brown, green and black and green and chartreuse.

Allatoona Bass (Report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant) — The fish are heading shallow and some warm days will get them feeding. Pockets and secondary points are best to target for better size right now. Scroungers, jerk baits and ChatterBaits are working great. Windy and sunny days have been the most productive. With a rising sun increasing the warming influence, expect the action to pick up from about mid-morning through late afternoon. More sun exposure means more heat on the hard stuff and that typically means comfy bass that are more likely to open their mouths. There has been a good jig head bite, as well. There has been a good bite on 6- and 8-inch finesse worms fished on rocky outcrops leading into spawning pockets. Make sure to keep a Spro Dog, a Spy Bait, or a soft plastic jerk bait if the bass surface.

Allatoona Stripers and Hybrids (This report Courtesy of Robert Eidson, www.firstbiteguideservice.com) — Hybrids and Stripers are feeding heavily down on the main lake and should start their spawn migration run north any day now .  The south end of the lake is also fishing very well right now.  The threadfin shad are moving into the backs of the creeks and pockets and the Stripers and Hybrid are following the bait.  Theadfins fished on flat lines and planner board has been our best bite. The fish are very aggressive and are blowing our bait completely out of the water sometimes. We are also catching some really nice fish blind casting jerk baits.  Mid-lake is good too. We have seen some sporadic top water action out in front of Bartow Carver at first light. We aren’t catching big numbers mid-lake, but what we are boating are healthy fish.  he Striper and Hybrid bite on the north end of the lake is starting to heat up and will only get better with the warming temps.  I believe the spawn run will be in full swing soon, so grab the kids and go fishing.

Allatoona Crappie (This report courtesy of “CrappieMan” Jeff Albright) — Crappie are headed to their spawning grounds, but you can still catch them trolling in 5-10 ft of water at trolling speeds of 0.8-1 mph using Red Rooster custom jigs!  Also look for fallen tree & brush piles close to the bank and throw some minnows & floats.  You may also tie on a Red Rooster Jig and throw to the banks. Water temps are perfect for the spawn 60-65 F. The bite is about to get really good!

Hartwell Bass (Report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant) 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. 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 Rapallo #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 locations to trigger a strike.

West Point Bass (Report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant) — Fishing has been sporadic with the up and down temperatures over the recent weeks. Fish are still holding to their pre-spawn areas but the bite can be on one day and off the next. For bigger fish use small crank baits such as a Bomber Model A or Bandit 200 series in a red craw pattern near rocky points and red clay banks. Expect the action to pick up from about mid-morning through late afternoon. Do not be afraid to cast baits very shallow on sunny days, as many fish will be in less than 1 foot of water especially around rocks. Have the Z Man Chatterbait in black and blue with a black trailer can be a great alternative. The most consistent bites have been on shallow humps and points for spotted bass. Some of the largest spotted bass will be up this time of year in preparation for the spawn. Use Carolina rigged Zoom lizards in green pumpkin or 3/16-ounce shaky heads pulled slowly along these areas.

Weiss Lake Crappie (Report courtesy of Mark Collins Guide Service www.markcollinsguideservice.com 256 996 9035) — Crappie fishing is fair. Try long line trolling with Jiffy jigs in colors JJ13, JJ17, JJ20, JJ24 in Little River, Little Spring Creek and the coves at Riverside Camp Ground, Yellow Creek is also producing some good fish, Mud Creek is also producing good. Crappie are also being caught around deeper docks tight lining jigs. With the warming trend look for the crappie to turn on in a lot more areas of the lake.

RIVER REPORT

West Point/River Spawn Update (Report courtesy of angler Dustin Pate) — The river run has been slow to develop this year. High water and cooler temps have limited the fishing over the last couple weeks. The nice weather this week has finally allowed us to hit the river and the results have been very encouraging. There are a lot of big white bass from Franklin to Hwy. 219. Smaller swimbaits and crankbaits are all producing fish. Bright colors are better right now due to the very stained water. Look for any current breaks to be holding fish. There aren’t a ton of hybrids up right now, but the ones you will catch are very good size. We are seeing a number of hybrids in the 6+ pound range. Cut bait is the best bet for these fish. Please use extreme caution while navigating the river north of Hwy. 219. There are a number of very shallow areas, and the high rains wash trees down the river at any given time.

TROUT REPORT 

Trout Hatcheries are ready to get some big fish stocked!

Heavy Trout Stocking Starts Soon: It is time to get your trout fishing gear ready because weekly trout stockings are right around the corner.  Heavy trout stocking will begin the last week of March, but to satisfy those trout anglers who can’t wait, look HERE for a list of waterbodies that were stocked this week. These stockings were scheduled because our hatcheries are slam full of quality trout and room to grow is needed. Currently, our trout hatcheries have more than 200,000 trout that have already reached the 10-inch target size and are ready for stocking. Additionally, we will be stocking a few 14-inch trout with most of our loads.  These are quality fish that I’m sure anglers will enjoy. Make sure you fishing license and trout stamp are up to date and if a renewal is needed, click HERE. Go Trout Fish Georgia!

Trout Tips: Here are few tips from Trout Unlimited and the good folks at Unicoi Outfitters —

Wes’ Hot Fly List:

  • Dries: parachute Adams (#12-18), gray elk hair caddis (#14-18), yellow stimulator (#12-14), Quill Gordon (#14), March brown ( #14), blue quill (#18), griffiths gnat (#20).
  • Wets and Nymphs: hares ear (#12-16), same sized pheasant tails, soft hackle versions of both, caddis emergers, small peach eggs, brown pats rubberlegs.
  • Streamers: black and olive woolly buggers (#8-12), sparkle minnow, finesse changer. Gray over white clousers and Cowen’s somethin’ else for lake stripers and spots.

The bottom line now is that we’re approaching prime time. Most fish will eat what’s on the end of a very good, drag-free drift. When certain bugs are hatching, however, anglers will do better to match the hatch.  Have the normal eggs, nymphs, and small buggers in tow, but be sure to carry a few dries (Adams, March browns, gray caddis, Griffith gnat), and nymphs and soft hackles of our favorite March mays (hares ears, pheasant tails) as hatch-marchers.  Study the water for fish and bug behavior and let them help you dial in that day’s winning combination.