Dust off the pollen-covered camp chairs, re-line the fishing poles and give a quick refresh and replenishment to the ‘ole tackle box. The weather is improving and that means it’s time to get family or some friends together for a fishing trip. Doesn’t have to be a long one, maybe a just a good day trip. The choices are endless. You could head to your favorite fishing hole, explore one of 11 Public Fishing Areas available in Georgia or visit a new river or reservoir. Wherever you go, thanks for buying a license!

  • Catch’em All: Catch a First Fish or the Next Fish at a Kids or Family Fishing Event. These events are scheduled across the state at a variety of locations. If you are new to fishing, it’s a great place to help you and your kids(s) get the “know how.”

This week, we have fishing reports from North, Central and Southeast Georgia. No matter where you fish, we love that you Go Fish Georgia!

NORTH GEORGIA

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

RESERVOIR REPORT 

Allatoona Bass (Report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant via www.southernfishing.com) — Bass fishing is great. Numbers are up, size not so much. Fish continue to be caught on whatever VV have confidence in. Jigs, Carolina rigs and jig heads are a sure thing. Several plastics are getting the job done. A jerk bait, spinnerbait, fluke, and even some top water have been productive, and of course a worm. Try the micro jig by Keitech with the Guard Spin style Jig. This is a good bait that work in situations to try to catch large fish on light gear. The Georgia Blade Spinnerbait on shallow rock has been the deal for us this week. Some days the wood in these areas is holding fish also, so make sure to make some casts to the now many pieces of flooded cover. The Zoom Houdini magnum finesse worm, mini lizard and missile Ned bomb are working great. Red clay banks are holding better fish right now. For those that like to “turn and burn” the Mini Me spinner bait white and blue with white blades is the ticket. Blow downs and wind-blown points are areas to target.

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

Hartwell Bass (Report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant via www.southernfishing.com) — Bass fishing is fair. Stay away from the rivers as the water is much stained. Down lake use a buzz bait and be sure to use a stinger hook. Lots of fish have been short striking this bait. Zoom baby bass Super Flukes and pearl Senkos are working on the blow throughs and on any sand bank. A trick worm and a Super Fluke ready for the shallow fish on any wood and on the small points in the creek. Try the RA Shad Reel Action swim 3inch soft baits Multi color grub. Shallow is the word for the fish we have been on focus on 10 feet and less. Points, humps, rocks, docks all have fish on them. A Spro McStick is a good choice for the jerk bait. A fluke has been very productive around shallow rock and cover this past week. Also, these baits will work back shallow in the creeks as well. Down lake try the Stanley 3/8 ounce all white spinnerbaits in the pockets and around wood. Use the Scrounger and a small pearl Fluke trailer on any wood, points and rocks. 

Some of the Lake Lanier Bass seen during recent electrofishing surveys.

Pretty little Redbreast Sunfish from Lanier.

Lake Lanier electrofishing survey.

Lanier Black Bass (Report Courtesy of Hunter Roop, fisheries biologist with Georgia DNR) — Water temperatures this week were ranging from 66 F – 71 F, slightly warmer than expected for mid-April. Water clarity is ~5 ft a slightly stained on the upper reservoir, while the open water south of Brown’s Bridge is still mostly clear with 12 ft of visibility in some places. Many major coves are producing initial phytoplankton blooms, which result in a nice green hue and reduced water clarity. Gainesville Fisheries, Game Management, and Law Enforcement staff teamed up this week to conduct annual electrofishing surveys for black bass, bream, and black crappie from Don Carter south to Shoal Creek. Bass are still in all phases of spawning, although we may have encountered slightly more post-spawn bass and observed several beds that were already abandoned. Now is a great time to “beat the banks” with a variety of presentations including a fluke, jig-and-pig, Texas rig, jerk bait, and the list goes on. We are even starting to see some topwater action pick up on points where the blueback herring are starting to school up in the mornings, so a Chug Bug or Gunfish wouldn’t be preemptive, either. The herring are congregating on rock: rip-rap embankments, rocky points, and rocky shorelines. We’ve seen good numbers of both largemouth and Alabama (spotted) bass throughout the lake, but the largest average size so far was way down on the south end near Lake Lanier Islands. The shallow pattern should remain viable for the next couple of weeks, so get out on the water soon! Here are a few pictures from the field this week. 

Lake Lanier White Bass

Stocking White Bass on Lake Lanier.

White Bass Stocking (Report Courtesy of Hunter Roop, fisheries biologist with Georgia DNR) — An initial dosing of white bass fingerlings graced Big Sid’s waters this week thanks to the hatchery staff at Cordele Fish Hatchery. Lake Lanier’s white bass population, once plenteous, was depleted in the early 2000’s after blueback herring became established in the reservoir. In 2016, WRD Fisheries initiated annual stockings of white bass to restore a spring fishery. Recent white bass survey data indicate that goal has been achieved! Captain Mack Farr joined us last week on the Chattahoochee and Chestatee Rivers to see Lanier’s white bass population firsthand, and he worked up a mild sweat netting good numbers of white bass, particularly on the Chestatee River. While the annual white bass spawning run may be beyond its peak, you can still target white bass in the Chestatee River and Chattahoochee River above Belton Bridge. White bass are indiscriminate biters, so you can have fun experimenting with a variety of presentations, although small crappie jigs, in-line spinners, and curly tail grubs in white or chartreuse are white bass staples. 

Lanier Crappie (Report Courtesy of Dan Saknini via www.laniercrappieanglers.net) — Lake Level is 1071.58, just over full pool.  The backs of the creeks have moderate stain, which is where you find the warmest water.  Could be around 60 degrees or a bit lower in the early morning from the cooler nights we have been experiencing. By mid-morning you should see water temps in the low 60s’s.  You should follow the bait in the middle to backs of creeks and they will lead you to the fish.  You will find there are lots of roaming fish.  This means that long-line trolling with double curly tail jigs 18”-20” apart can be very effective.  With this technique, you can use multiple rods.  Simply cast the line, close the bail, set it in the rod holder and keep the boat moving using your trolling motor.  We suspect that the fish are checking out their spawning grounds, and my guess is that the spawn is starting or very close.  Not all fish spawn at the same time, and the spawn typically lasts four to six weeks.  Target docks at 12’ or less depths.  The bite is suspended shallow in the water column, so expect bites quickly after the bait hits the water.  Having said that, fishing is changing from day to day.  You might catch a mixed bag in size one day, and the next day you may end up with nothing but big ones.  I can’t explain that, but for me, any tug on the line is a win.  I always keep moving until I find fish that cooperate and are willing to eat. We are definitely catching our share of big fish!  We are starting to catch fish on the blow-downs now.  Keep an eye on the older blowdowns that have been in the water awhile, because the algae on them attracts bait and fish.  Usually when I see the turtles soaking up the sun on the blow-downs, I expect to find the fish there.  This is a fun time of the year to catch them.  If you happen to be one of those fishermen that get a chance to fish multiple times during the week, and are catching a lot of fish, keep in mind that our future fishery depends on a good spawn, so you may want to consider catch and release.  Helpful tip:  try not to use more than four-pound test line and a 1/24 oz jig head. I use two pound test and have been using 1/32 oz jig heads.  I tie the jig directly to the line, with no swivel or split shot.  Bobby Garland and Jiffy Jigs are my “go-to” baits with Davis jig heads.  If you are fishing stained water, use darker jigs.

Lanier Linesides (Report Courtesy of Captain Mack via www.captmacks.com) — The Stripers are responding well to warming weather, and many have pulled up into shallow water in the last few days. Live baits on the planers and free lines have been the dominant pattern, with down lines and some casting opportunities available as well. Herring are the bait of choice; however, availability remains sporadic. A quick check with the bait shops says the Herring situation should be good for the weekend. If the Herring are out of stock, Medium Shiners will produce well, as will the Gizzard Shad. I would recommend you take all three anyway, the mix and match method remains a very good approach!

The fish can be found in a variety of places. Over the creek channels and adjacent drains, this is particularly the case on the lower end. Targeting humps, flats and points near a river of creek channel is also a good strategy, with this being a more prominent pattern in mid and up lake areas. Extend your search into the pockets and drains that feed the creeks, there are decent numbers of fish in these areas as well. This pocket and drain pattern is effective lake wide, probably more so mid and upper lake areas.

Capt. Mack got to do a ride-along with DNR to survey for white bass.

Are the fish in the rivers? Yes, they are there, I saw it first-hand Monday when I got to ride along with DNR for an electrofishing trip to sample for White Bass. The Stripers are also in the rivers, the numbers were good, but will probably get better moving into next week. For those of you targeting the rivers, there are also plenty of Spotted Bass along with a few Walleyes still roaming around.

In addition to the live bait patterns, a couple of other things to be prepared for. Watch for surfacing fish. This pattern is sporadic, but there are some schoolers showing up, totally random, but frequently enough it is something you need to be ready for. Flukes, buck tails, and Mini Macks will all be good choices for casting to these fish if you happen to find them. The same baits will get some bonus bites when cast to the points, flats, and humps.

A bonus 46″ spotted gar was caught on this Lanier trip. (photo: Jack Becker)

Jack Becker with a Lanier Striped Bass (photo: Jack Becker)

Lanier Mixed Bag Report (Report Courtesy of Jack Becker aka Georgia Waterdog) — This week I made a trip up the Chestatee River.  Looking at my calendar from last year I saw I found some stripers making their yearly spawning run above Toto Creek boat ramp. I launched at Little Hall and made about a 9-mile run to where we started fishing. We had both Blueback Herring & Large Shiners on down lines and planner boards in 18 to 24’ of water. We only marked small groups of 2 or 3 fish. Using spot lock & facing into the wind we could leave allow our planner boards out and fish down lines effectively.  Several spots and 1 catfish were caught on the down lines.  We landed 1 Striper & lost 2 more on planner boards. The last fish was a bonus 46” spotted gar. Also caught on a planner board. It qualifies for a Georgia Angler Award. Minimum length requirement is 43”.  A pleasant surprise.

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

West Point Bass (Report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant www.southernfishing.com) — Bass fishing is good. There are lots of small bass shallow with the warm water. Use the Revenge all white buzz bait and a Zoom Trick worm. Use the soft plastics like a Zoom pumpkinseed lizard on a Carolina rig and the trick worms or creature baits. Work the isolated cover and depressions. This is Black Label Balsa Wreck is tough. The durability doesn’t stop with just the quality of the balsa wood or the orientation of its grain two key elements to making a balsa bait that will last. These fish are most likely relating to small ditches waiting to pull up for the spawn. A Weedless Wonder lead head will be effective in these same areas. Fish from Highland Marina to Wehadkee Creek and work pockets and points all day. Also, later in the day head up lake and fish north to the 109 bridge.

Fish now rather than later on West Point for hybrids and white bass.

West Point and Hooch Linesides (This report courtesy of angler Dustin Pate) — The fishing at West Point continues to be very good, but it is on short time. Lots of hybrids around the last week and then a massive amount of white bass have shown up in the last couple days. They are spawned out and beat up, but the numbers are the best we’ve had all year. I had a feeling they rode a wave of flood water way upriver and what I saw the last couple days confirmed that. Most of the hybrids are spawned out also. I figure at least another week…maybe two of these fish, so you better get them sooner than later.

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

Lake Weiss Mixed Bag (Report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant www.southernfishing.com) —

  • Bass: Bass fishing is fair, and they are moving into the spawning bays on secondary points and docks.
  • Crappie: Crappie fishing is fair, and they are showing up in the bays and creeks 8 to 14 feet deep longline trolling with Jiffy Jigs is catching fish. Some fish are starting to go shallow for the spawn.
  • Striped bass: Striper fishing is poor and no reports this past week.
  • Catfish: Catfish are biting in the bays and creeks in 8 to 15 feet of water and cut bait is working best.

SMALL IMPOUNDMENT REPORT 

Rocky Mountain PFA Redear Sunfish.

Rocky Mountain PFA Redear Sunfish.

Rocky Mountain PFA (Report courtesy of fisheries biologist Chris Smith) — We’re in the process of sampling the lakes and have seen some quality bass and Redear at Rocky Mountain Public Fishing Area. Many of the bass had shad in their mouths, so shad patterns should be the ticket this time of year. For both bass and bream focus on brush piles and nearshore areas where water depth starts to drop. Many of the large bass we observed were hanging around these drop-offs in the deeper water. The Redear are displaying their full colors, and some bass are showing bloody tails, so the spawn is getting ready to ramp up!

TROUT REPORT 

Where Can I Find Trout Info? To learn about Georgia’s diverse trout fishing opportunities including the latest stocking information, check out the Georgia DNR Trout Fishing page.

Trout Stocking Trucks are Rolling!

Trout Stocking — Check the latest weekly stocking report to see if your favorite creek was stocked. 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. 

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

Trout Streams (Report courtesy of Tad Murdock of Georgia Wild Trout) — The trout fishing has continued to pick up as waters across the state warm. The recent rains have brought the water levels of rivers and creeks up causing the trout to spread out. Streamers are an excellent way to probe large areas for trout. Hatches have begun to pick up around mid-morning and with it, the trout activity. The best hatches have been happening on the windy days following a passing front. The hatches of blue wing olives, black caddis, and march browns have begun shifting to yellow sallies, grannom caddis, golden stoneflies, and quills already, with sulfurs showing up later into April. Size sixteen to eighteen dry flies have been the best imitations when you begin to see the trout rising but, larger patterns will become more effective in coming weeks. When things are slow, large nymph patterns (stonefly and caddis) have worked well. Many other local fish in streams and rivers will begin their annual spawning ritual so don’t overlook egg patterns if suckers and chubs are around. The end of the month should see all of these patterns pick up as well as the fishing. Not every day has been best for dry flies. Though hatches may be in full swing, the trout are still swinging and missing on a fair amount of their rises. In these situations, adding a dropper or emerger pattern will lead to more hook ups.

Best Fly Patterns for Spring Trout: Check out the latest videos from Fish North Georgia on the fly patterns you will need out on the water for our Spring Fly Hatches and stocked trout season. Mayfly Patterns, Stonefly Patterns, Caddis Patterns, and a handful of other popular fly patterns are all on the table this Spring. We discuss each of these with Danny in the Trout Fishing How-To playlist, as well as some other tips that will land him more trout this year as he begins his journey into fly fishing.

Georgia Stocked Trout Streams: Trout have been stocked in nearly all of North Georgia’s seasonally stocked streams. The crowds in these areas have been heavy no matter where you’re fishing in North Georgia. You can take a look at what streams have been stocked in our Clayton Trout Fishing Guide, Blue Ridge Trout Fishing Guide, Helen Trout Fishing Guide, Ellijay Trout Fishing Guide, or Dahlonega Trout Fishing Guide. After visiting several popular waters following the initial late March stockings, these heavily trafficked streams have already been mostly cleaned out. The streams stocked weekly have had more stocked trout find refuge than others which has limited much of the catch and keep anglers’ hauls and dispersed the trout into areas with less pressure. Junk flies are still the go to for these stocked trout, especially when the water is high following rains.

Tailwater Trout Fishing: The tailwaters of the Chattahoochee and Toccoa have both been fishing well with recent stockings. Generation on the Chattahoochee below Lanier has made wading difficult at times with the more frequent releases of late. This will likely continue for the next month as wet weather keeps lake levels up. Rainbows have been stocked prolifically in the river so expect heavier visitors on the days the river is fishable. And as always we highly recommend releasing any of the wild brown trout caught in the river. Midge hatches have been excellent following periods of generation. The Toccoa River has been seeing a wide variety of bugs showing up in recent weeks with the best hatches still being ahead of us. While floating the river is still the best way to get in front of more trout, recent stockings have made fish more abundant in the river. Smaller streams will still be more productive for most anglers as the heavier angler traffic and limited access along the river make for tougher conditions on weekend anglers. 

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)

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

LAKE RUSSELL IS FULL, 60 ’S

Bass fishing is good.  Lots of fish are shallow and they are smaller males.  Use the Super Flukes, X Raps, and shallow running Shad Raps on points.  Look for any stumps up shallow along the bottom and use a jig or Weedless Wonder lead head and a pumpkinseed worm or lizard.  Drag a Carolina Rig through an area to find the type and color of the grass.  Try the micro jig by Keitech with the Guard Spin style Jig.  This is a good bait that works in situations where you try to catch large fish on light gear.  Use the Berkley Flicker Shad 4CM and 5Cm fire tiger shad and clear shad.  Small flats that run near a deep ditch or river channel are the best places to catch good bass.  Try the Rapala Shad Raps in shad and baby bass patterns.  Be sure to try the Scrounger with a Super Fluke as the trailer.  Trick worms can also work.  Bass will use the reef markers for feeding areas and a Pop R or a Zara Spook can work.

CLARKS HILL IS FULL, 60’S

Bass fishing is good.  Bass are in the shallows with the warm weather warming up the water at a steady pace.  Throw a Lucky Craft 5/8-ounce Redemption white spinnerbait with silver and nickel blades and cast this bait close to wood and rock cover.  Bump the cover and use a slow retrieve.  Also use the jig and craw trailer.  A green jig should work well for finding big fish and taking fish that did not jump on the blade bait.  Try floating worms weightless around shallow brush piles and dock posts.  These bites will likely be smaller fish; rig it whacky or no-weight Texas style, in white or green pumpkin.  Try the micro jig by Keitech with the Guard Spin style Jig.  This is a good bait that works in situations where you try to catch large fish on light gear.  Several baits like the spinnerbait, Husky Jerk baits and jigs along with Rapala Shad Raps will catch bass.  Fish the coves and all the shallow water.  There may be a concentration of bass in many areas where the water is warmest.

LAKE OCONEE IS FULL 60’S

Bass fishing is good.  Nothing has changed from last week.  The shad spawn is still going on.  Now is the time for spinner baits on sea walls and rip rap.  Look for shad on the banks early in the morning at day light.  Shaky heads and jigs will take fish off the docks.  Fish these baits under and around docks as well as other shady structure during bright skies.  Also work and swim jigs on shallow rock.  Top water baits can take shallow fish in the early morning and that bite should begin to improve through the day.  This is some of the best fishing of the year and should last for two or three weeks.  As the sun rises and the shad spawn stops switch over to a small crank bait and fish the same areas.  Later in the day do not forget soft plastics under docks from the middle of the coves to the back of the coves.

LAKE SINCLAIR IS DOWN 1.2 FEET, 60’S

Bass fishing is good.  The morning bite and evening bite is best, but fish can be caught consistently throughout the daytime period.  Early in the morning there is still a chance at finding a shad spawn on sea walls, rip rap, or grass beds near the mouth of pockets.  A white spinnerbait and a pearl white Zoom super fluke will catch the active fish feeding on these spawning shad.  Mid-day try fishing a green pumpkin Zoom super fluke or a Yamamoto Senko around the docks to catch numbers of fish.  Fish the Little River Bridge rip rap with a Spro Little Jon crank bait in cell mate or fire tiger colors depending on water clarity.  Try the micro jig by Keitech with the Guard Spin style Jig.  This is a good bait that works in situations where you try to catch large fish on light gear.  Fishing parallel to the rip rap will get the most bites as the crank bait will stay in the strike zone the entire time it is in the water.  Top water baits have been best during the morning and evening time and will even produce a big bite occasionally during the daytime.  The next full moon is April 23, 2024.

LAKE JACKSON IS .7 FEET OVER FULL, 60’S

Bass fishing is good, and the water has a light stain on the main lake, creeks are clear.  The shad spawn is in full swing and a lot of bass are shallow.  Start the day early fishing sea walls and rip rap banks.  Use a white or white and chartreuse spinner bait.  You can also use a small crank bait, in a shad pattern and fish the same areas.  Use the Realis V Tailshad 3 or 4 inches for spinner baits, jigs, Alabama rigs, and Ned rigs.  As the sun gets up switch to a soft plastic.  Fish the sea walls and the docks.  A Weedless Wonder lead head and a zoom green pumpkin finesse worm are working.

MCDUFFIE PUBLIC FISHING AREA (More Information HERE)

Nice catch for this angler at McDuffie PFA.

Don’t Get Caught Snoozing – It’s time to Fish!

Waters are warming up, vegetation and habitat are growing like crazy, bass spawn is pretty much done making them hungry, and the sunfish spawn is cranking up. This is not the time of year to get caught snoozing with a line in the water!

Waters across the PFA are warming up and relatively clear right now. This makes for great visibility to see where fish are moving. Bass have been moving along dams regularly at this point.  While they are skittish with the visibility, they are also hungry!  The alligator weed on Jones, Bridge, and Clubhouse, as well as the large stumps on Bream Buster are reliable bass hangouts.  Regulars still swear by the black trick worms for quality bass.

Bream can easily be seen working their beds. As we near the full moon, these are going to be hot spots of activity.  Look in the sandy spots, particularly in the coves on Bridge Lake and all-around Bream Buster.  Black soldier fly worms, red wigglers, and crickets are always good bets for bream.

What we affectionately call the trash pond, near the archery range, is turning into a sweet little bream spot. Kayakers brave enough to put it near the culvert will have a blast working around the abundance of vegetation, especially near the upper end of that pond.

The catfish bite is warming up too. They will hit on worms, but stinky baits are still the winners for catfish dinners.

SOUTHEAST GEORGIA

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

The annual Satilla Riverkeeper fishing tournament will be held May 3rd through the 12th. Rivers are still very swollen, and you can’t get to some of the various boat ramps because the ramps and access roads are flooded. Your best bets this week are ponds and saltwater.

River gages on April 18th were:

  • Clyo on the Savannah River – 11.0 feet and dropping like a stone
  • Abbeville on the Ocmulgee – 9.3 feet and falling
  • Doctortown on the Altamaha – 10.8 feet and rising
  • Waycross on the Satilla – 15.2 feet and falling
  • Atkinson on the Satilla – 16.6 feet and falling (record high for the date)
  • Statenville on the Alapaha – 24.7 feet and falling
  • Macclenny on the St Marys – 8.7 feet and falling
  • Fargo on the Suwannee – 13.0 feet and falling

Full Moon is April 23rd. To monitor all the Georgia river levels, visit the USGS website HERE. For the latest marine forecast, click HERE.

SATILLA RIVER

The river is still up in flood stage, but it should be falling throughout this week. The annual Satilla Riverkeeper fishing tournament will be held May 3rd through the 12th. Get the details on the Satilla River Facebook page.

ST. MARYS RIVER

Brentz McGhin and a friend fished the river with crickets over the weekend and caught a nice mess of panfish, but it wasn’t on fire. They pitched plastics for warmouth and caught bowfin and a few small bass. The river is up, and they worked for their fish.

LOCAL PONDS

Logan caught this nice bass and lots of other smaller bass this week from a Waycross area pond. He fooled it with a rooster bug-colored Satilla Spin. (Photo courtesy of Satilla Feed and Outdoors).

Tripp and Charlotte fished their Guyton pond on Saturday and whacked the medium-sized bass. Four-inch green pumpkin worms wore them out. Joshua Barber used his new driver’s license to get to a local pond over the weekend. He kayaked around and caught 7 crappie, 10 bluegill, and 8 bass. He fooled the crappie with minnows and the bluegill with worms.  Daniel Johnson and Chad Lee fished on Saturday and caught a few bass on white spinnerbaits (Chad) and Christie Craws (Daniel). They each caught one about 3 pounds along with several smaller bass. BJ and Hayes fished a Brunswick area pond on Saturday and caught some giant bluegill  (biggest was just over 12 inches) and a nice bass. Hayes had a bass that went about 4 pounds that he fooled with a pink Trick Worm. Logan tore up the bass on Wednesday afternoon in a Waycross area pond by flinging rooster bug-colored Satilla Spins.

OKEFENOKEE SWAMP

I heard two good reports of warmouth this week. A couple dabbled live crawfish for 4 hours on Wednesday morning and caught 20 warmouth. Another angler fished about the same amount of time with a jig under a float and caught about the same number of fish. All of the other reports I heard were much slower bites after the rains last week. A couple people reported not even catching a single fish. The most recent water level (Folkston side) was 121.58 feet (it has just started to fall after the most recent rise).

SALTWATER (GA COAST)

Seth Carter caught this oversized redfish recently in a Brunswick area creek. Gulp on a jighead has produced most of their redfish.

The tides improved this week, and the reports followed suit. Tommy Sweeney fished the Brunswick area with live shrimp under a Harper Super Striker Float both Saturday and Sunday. It was blowing hard on Saturday, and they struggled, but they spanked the trout on Sunday. They had a bunch of throwbacks and 4 nice keepers over 16 inches. They also had a good flounder and a pompano. Shell beds at the mouth of creeks is where they found them. Capt. Tim Cutting (fishthegeorgiacoast.com) said that he caught a mix of trout, reds, black drum, and whiting on his charters this week. They worked for them (except whiting), catching about 5 to 12 keepers per trip. Most of their redfish have been slot fish. In the sounds they’ve been catching about all the whiting the anglers have wanted. The black drum have been hit-and-miss and were mixed in with the other species. Whiting have been on dead shrimp on the bottom, but everything else has been on live shrimp under Harper Super Striker Floats. Seth Carter and friends have continued spanking the oversized redfish in the creeks around Brunswick. They’ve caught more oversized fish than keepers. Rickey and Chris O’Berry fished the Brunswick area on Thursday morning and caught a good mess of black drum and 3 sheepshead. They dabbled fiddlers around hard cover for their fish. Capt. Cason Kinstle fished the Savannah area on Monday for a half-day and put folks on some nice sheepshead. They had 8 nice keepers, with the biggest pulling the scales down to 6 pounds. On Tuesday he put a family on a good whiting bite. They caught a bunch and brought home 15 good ones for supper. Dead shrimp on the bottom was the ticket for the whiting. 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).