When you love the outdoors as much as we do, sometimes you want to show it off in simple ways. That includes adding a license “hard card” to your wallet. The beautiful artwork featured on the hard cards was created for Georgia by talented artist Tony Ivory. You get to choose your favorite design (shoal bass, turkey, mourning dove or redbreast sunfish) and your current licenses are printed on the reverse of the card. Sign in to your customer account at GoOutdoorsGeorgia.com and grab yours today.

NEWS TO KNOW

This week we have fishing reports from Central, Southeast and North Georgia. Thank you for purchasing your fishing license (of any style) and let’s Go Fish Georgia!

CENTRAL GEORGIA

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

Reservoir reports are courtesy of Ken Sturdivant’s Southern Fishing report and other contributions by WRD Fisheries staff, guides, and local anglers.

LAKE RUSSELL IS FULL, 80’S

Bass: (Report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant’s Southern Fishing) — Bass fishing is fair. During the early morning periods use the Rapala Shad Raps and Rapala DT6 along the banks are still producing some Bass. The rip rap rock is also showing us a Bass or two but only until about 9:30 a.m. at the latest. After about 10:00 a.m. the vast majority of the Bass are being caught in the deeper water along the main lake points with Carolina Rigs. In the Savannah River just at the point where the Rocky River feeds into the lake find Markers 30 and 32. This will be at the southernmost part of the McCalla State Park. The Savannah River splits just north of this area and runs quite close to this side of the lake. The big cove between the two needs to be fished too. Find 15 to 25 feet of water in the middle with narrow flats along the bank. Fish depths anywhere from twelve to twenty feet deep. Use a jig or Carolina Rig along with six-inch Zoom U tail worm will usually catch a limit during the day. Adding scent and a little color to these baits wouldn’t be a bad idea. Try different colors when the fishing gets slow.

Striped bass (courtesy of anglersheadquarters.com): Guide Wendell Wilson (706-283-3336) reports that in July the striper should be catchable on both ends of the lake, with free-lining working in the upper lake and down-lines working in the lower lake. At the end of the June the fishing had really picked up and they were even catching some fish around timber mid-lake.

Crappie (courtesy of anglersheadquarters.com): Guide Wendell Wilson reports that fish should move into deeper brush in July, and the fish could start to shift out of the creeks and into the main lake. They will be caught on jigs and minnows. June was very strong for crappie but by the end of the month they were already feeding mostly in short windows early and late.

Catfish (courtesy of anglersheadquarters.com): Guide Jerry Kotal reports that catfish should go deeper in July assuming water temperatures continue to warm. Fish should be caught in 15-25 feet of water on cut herring. Other fish are deeper but with so much underwater timber they are hard to target.

CLARKS HILL IS FULL, 80’S

Bass: (Report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant’s Southern Fishing) — Bass fishing is fair. There are still a good many fish that have held up shallow. Get a Whopper Plopper or a Spro Frog and use them both all day. Some fish up shallow points at less than 10 feet deep. Those shallow fish can still be caught on jig head and worm combo top water and swim baits. Use a 3/16-ounce Texas rig with a Zoom Swamp Crawler in green pumpkin or watermelon seed around the shallows. Fish top water and buzz baits early and late. If we have some wind or rain fish a ½ ounce River 2 Sea Bling spinnerbait in the I Know It pattern with double willowleaf blades. Once the sun gets up stay shallow and grind it out or try to find some bigger fish out deeper. Stay shallow and cover as much water as possible. Rig up a River 2 Sea Biggie Smalls crank bait in abalone shad and a green pumpkin Berkley Havoc Pit Boss. For the deeper fish the numbers are not there but the size is good. The deeper fish are really spread out with some on point’s ledges brush, but the one constant is bait fish. Find areas that are stacked with bait and crank a Rapala DT 10 in shad or green tiger.

Striper and hybrids: (courtesy of anglersheadquarters.com): Little River Guide Service reports that at the end of June the bait was still fairly shallow, but in July fish should be found 40 plus feet down suspended over deep water. They will be caught on down-lined herring. More striper should start to show up again this month – in June the catch was heavy on hybrids.

Crappie: (courtesy of anglersheadquarters.com): Little River Guide Service reports that after a slow pre-spawn and spawn the crappie fishing picked up late this spring, and it has stayed good into the summer. In July fish should be found around brush that sits 25 or more feet down. Anchoring and then fishing vertically with minnows is usually the best pattern.

Catfish: (courtesy of anglersheadquarters.com): Captain Chris Simpson reports that the best fishing in July will again be in the early morning or late evening. Anchoring on humps and points and fishing with cut bait at a variety of depths is the best bet. As the spawn mostly passes the fishing will improve after a slow-down in late June.

LAKE OCONEE IS FULL, 80’S

Bass: (Report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant’s Southern Fishing) — Bass fishing is slow. The lake is full. Stained up the rivers the main lake is clear, and Richland Creek is clear. The buzz bait bite is producing the first hour of daylight as well as the last hour in the evenings. White and chartreuse seem to be the best all-around color. Keep a trick worm tied on and if a fish misses a buzz bait follow it with the trick worm. Trick worms in pumpkinseed red has been fair. Pick up a few fish on soft plastics fished under docks on the main lake. There have been a few fish on the humps on the south end of the lake. Avoid the upper river due to runoff. They will take deep diving crank bait in a natural shad pattern. Don’t forget to check out the grass beds on the south end of the lake at first light.

LAKE SINCLAIR IS DOWN 1.5 FEET, 80’S

Bass: (Report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant’s Southern Fishing) — Bass fishing is fair. The creeks are slightly stained up and some try flipping jigs on and behind the docks in the creeks. Brush piles in 8 to 10 feet of water on the docks are holding a few fish. Try sticking a Texas rig but it is slow so be patient. Expect the top water bite to only last a short time early and late along the blow downs. Water temperatures are in the mid 80’s and highs in the low 90’s this week should warm the lake up a bite more making the shallow bite tougher than it already is. It is hard to set up a decent a pattern out on the on the ledges. The fish are not staying in the same place day in and day out, so it is a hunting game. Catch a few fish at varying depths on different structure and move on using the slow-moving plastics are definitely the only way to go. Now is a great time to ride the lake and scan the point’s humps and ledges with the Lowrance Structure Scan and Down Scan technology. Now anglers and spend less time searching and more time catching once this technology unlock the lakes secret.

LAKE JACKSON IS FULL, 80’S

Bass: (Report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant’s Southern Fishing) — Bass fishing is fair. There has been a fair Zara Spook bite early in the and around some small bass are roaming the banks as well as on the ends of points. The bass are shallow around any wood and cast baits to shadows all day. Use a green Zoom u tail worm down lake on Texas rig. Be sure to use a small sinker because the bite has been light from the fish. Look in the mid lake halfway back in the creeks and hit any dock or on points. Brush is a must, and the fish are on the shady sides. Up the river the fishing is slow. Try a 3/8-ounce spinner bait and be sure there is some green in the skirts. Zoom Baby Bush Hogs in greens is fair mid lake at the creek mouths. Be sure to work the baits slowly on wood and docks. Use a 3/16-ounce Weedless Wonder head and fish all lures slowly and let them fall.

PUBLIC FISHING AREA REPORT

McDUFFIE PUBLIC FISHING AREA (courtesy of McDuffie PFA Manager Chalisa Fabillar)- 

Young man holds up caught fish.

Nice Channel Catfish catch at McDuffie PFA for Nathan Jarriel.

Young man holds up caught fish.

Largemouth bass catch at McDuffie PFA for Nathan Jarriel.

Bass:  Schooling shad can be seen on the surface in the early mornings and evenings. Bass are following just underneath these schools of forage, waiting for an ideal moment to ambush. Slow-sinking soft plastics cast just ahead of these schools mimic dying shad—easy pickings for a largemouth in pursuit. Alternatively, casting and quickly retrieving small crankbaits among these schooling shad will imitate wayward or injured prey that can also draw a strike. Jigging a worm around submerged structure or deeper fish attractors will produce quality-sized fish during the dog days of summer. 

Bream: Late-summer bream fishing at McDuffie requires versatility. As we approach the next full moon (August 19th), bluegill and readear will be attempting at a late-summer spawn. Seek out nest aggregations in 2-4 feet of water and use crickets or red wigglers fished just below the surface over these beds. Otherwise, fish around brushpiles and blowdowns. A beetlespin or in-line spinner fished just offshore of these features will draw them out.

Channel Catfish:  Stocked in all McDuffie ponds, channel catfish are summer staple, and an ideal option for those seeking to set up a lawn chair and take it easy. Chicken livers, hearts, nightcrawlers, and hotdogs weighted to the bottom will put fish on the end of the line. Try a variety of depths to figure out where they are foraging.

Striped Bass: Few recent reports of stripers being caught. Warm water temperatures will push striper to deeper water and peak feeding activity will occur at night and dawn.

Reminder: Live fish/minnows are not allowed on our PFA’s!

FLAT CREEK PUBLIC FISHING AREA (this week’s intel courtesy of WRD Fisheries Technician Amory Cook and Deven Thompson) —

Man holds fish close to camera.

Angler Tommy T caught a nice redear sunfish on red wigglers from the fishing pier at Flat Creek PFA.

Lake levels stabilized this week thanks to more frequent afternoon rainshowers, but we’re stll holding around 4 feet below full pool. The good news is that this gives bank anglers new targets in what would be deeper water and concentrates the fish for the potential of higher catch rates. Below is a summary of fish activity compiled by Fisheries Technician Deven Thompson:

Bream: The bream bite is in full swing with reports of lots of small to medium sized bluegill. The best bet is to use red worms fished either on the bottom or under a float around shallow flats and weed lines. Beetle spins are also a very productive when fished on shallow flats and coves where the bream spawn.  

Crappie: The crappie bite has slowed due to the heat, but catches are still common, best bet is jig fishing vertically or cast and retrieved style worked slow to get the finicky but fun fish! 

Catfish: The catfish bite continues to be excellent with anglers having success fishing crickets under floats near the shore and chicken livers, chicken breast and cut bait on the bottom in deeper holes. Try soaking the bait in your own special attractant to find a recipe that works for you. For example, garlic has been proving to be an irresistible scent. This angler was surprised to find a nice largemouth bass on his line since he was targeting catfish using Kool-Aid-soaked chicken thighs as bait! 

Bass: With water levels low the large mouth bite has been picking up with reports of fish all sizes being caught. Best bet is targeting them around offshore trees and brush piles utilizing crank baits and worms fished very slow, and fishing near the bank with top water plugs, buzz toads and buzz baits. Other notable baits would be spinner baits and under spins early in the morning along weed lines during the shad spawns.

ATTENTION ANGLERS: Flat Creek PFA staff are conducting an annual angler (creel) survey on the lake this year. If you are approached by a PFA staff member after your fishing trip, please take a moment to answer their questions and share information about your fishing success (or, lack of success, whichever may be the case). These surveys are a valuable management tool that can improve our understanding of the fishery and ultimately improve fishing quality on the reservoir.

MARBEN PUBLIC FISHING AREA (courtesy of Marben PFA Manager Jamie Dowd) –

  • Marben PFA Information
  • Water Level: All ponds and lakes are full.
  • Water Clarity: 16” to 36”. Smaller bodies of water are more turbid due to heavy afternoon thunderstorms. Fox Lake visibility is 4` or greater.
  • Surface Temp: Mid 80s – low 90s.
  • Marben PFA Fishing Guide 
Smiling man holds up caught fish.

A nice bass catch at Marben PFA put a smile on this angler’s face!

Man in kayak holds up caught fish.

Nice hybrid bass catch at Marben PFA for this angler.

Bass:  Early morning and late afternoon have been the most productive for bass. Try topwater in early morning then transition to deeper water as day progresses. Try to find schools of shad at Bennett, Fox, and Shepherd. Cast crankbaits and swimbaits. Find brushpiles/structure and use a soft-plastic presentation slowly. Target shaded overhangs and undercut banks as well.

Crappie:  Few are being caught this time of year, however, there are a handful of successful anglers who target crappie suspended over deep structure. Minnows are great or jigs tipped with minnows.

Bream:   Full moon will be a little after the middle of the month. Expect bream to feed heavily prior to spawning. When fish are spawning (~2-4’), try to position your bait in the bed or as close as possible. Waxworms, crickets and pink worms continue to be good bait.

Hybrid Bass: Nice hybrids are being caught at Bennett early morning and late afternoon around schools of shad. Try baits such as crankbaits, spinnerbaits, and swimbaits that imitate shad.

Channel catfish: The catfish bite is excellent in the summer. Most lakes have catfish populations and can be fished most effectively with cut bait, livers, and nightcrawlers.

SOUTHEAST GEORGIA

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

It’s evident that the dog days of summer are here, and kids are about to start back to school. The number of reports dropped this week, but the catching has still been good for those who went. The rains have blown out most rivers for this week, so concentrate on ponds, the Okefenokee Swamp, and saltwater for the best bites.

River gages on August 1st were:

  • Clyo on the Savannah River – 8.7 feet and rising
  • Abbeville on the Ocmulgee – 6.5 feet and rising
  • Doctortown on the Altamaha – 8.3 feet and falling
  • Waycross on the Satilla – 12.6 feet and falling
  • Atkinson on the Satilla – 12.1 feet and rising
  • Statenville on the Alapaha – 12.3 feet and rising
  • Macclenny on the St Marys – 7.7 feet and falling
  • Fargo on the Suwannee – 9.3 feet and rising

New Moon is August 4th. To monitor all the Georgia river levels, visit the USGS website. For the latest marine forecast, check out weather.gov/jax/.

ALTAMAHA/OCMULGEE RIVER

I went over the Ocmulgee this week, and it is swollen and very muddy. If you can find a backwater that isn’t flowing, that’s probably going to be the ticket for catching panfish. Two-Way Sportfishing Club is hosting a catfish tournament on September 21-22nd. It will be a rod and reel only tournament. For details, contact tournament directors Jamie Hodge (912-271-8589) or Tiff Thompson (229-938-4789).

SATILLA RIVER

The river has been high this week with the nightly rains. It’s out in the floodplain, so you’ll do better other places. The Hwy 84 (Blackshear Bridge) ramp is closed for bridge construction (and will be for years…literally).

ST. MARYS RIVER

Man holds up fish in front of him.

Matt Rouse got on the St. Marys River late last week before it started rising and caught some giant bluegills, like this 14-ouncer, on cricket-shaped crankbaits.

Matt Rouse fished the extreme upper St. Marys on Friday and got on 7 really big bluegills and a few redbreasts. A gold-colored topwater cricket crankbait was the ticket for him. The catfish didn’t play when he put shrimp on the bottom, and he caught a couple bowfin and a small bass when he trolled crawfish-brass blade Dura-Spins. His biggest bluegill weighed 14 ounces.

OKEFENOKEE SWAMP

The warmouth bite trickled off during the week as nightly rains pushed the swamp level higher and higher. On Friday, Chuck Coomer and his grandson Elijah fished with me, and we caught a total of 46 fish. We flung pink/white Super Sallies and whitetreuse Warmouth Whacker Jigs on bream-buster poles (the exact same presentation that we fooled 36 panfish just 2 days before…) for about an hour and they did not catch a single panfish. We switched to trolling Dura-Spins for most of our trip and had a blast catching bowfin every few minutes, including a couple “doubles”. Most were around 2 to 3 pounds, and our biggest was Elijah’s 4-pounder that earned him a youth angler award from the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division. We had a couple 14 to 16-inch pickerel mixed in, as well. The most unique catch, though, was a GIANT softshell turtle that ate Elijah’s crawfish-orange blade Dura-Spin. He fought it a long time, and we were able to remove the mangled hook boatside. The best colors of Dura-Spins were crawfish-orange blade, black/chartreuse-silver blade, and lemon-lime. The most recent water level (Folkston side) was 120.80 feet.

LOCAL PONDS

Joshua Barber fished a pond on Tuesday and caught 3 warmouth, about 10 fliers, and a catfish. Some of his warmouth were big, colored-up fish. I heard from a friend who night-fished a lake Tuesday night, and they fooled a bluegill and one bass on a topwater. I had some business to do north of Waycross, so I towed my boat and fished a couple ponds on Tuesday. At the first one, I flung black/chartreuse Satilla Spins and caught a couple nice bluegill and 2 small bass, but they ate a catalpa Super-Sally on a fly rod best. They were not very active. A couple bowfin up to 4 pounds ate a lemon-lime Dura-Spin. The second pond was a little better for bluegills. I only fooled one big bluegill with a crawfish Satilla Spin, but they were eating a catalpa Super-Sally on a fly rod much better. I ended up with 12 bluegills to 10 inches and a 5-pound channel catfish that ate the same catalpa Super-Sally on a fly rod. That was a blast!

SALTWATER (GA COAST)

Seth Carter and Quinton McMichael fished the Brunswick area this week and reported that the big redfish are still in the creeks. They fooled the biggest one (30 inches) with a 9-inch mullet, but several others chewed jigs rigged with Gulp shrimp and paddle-tails. Blake Edwards fished the Brunswick area on Saturday. He was mostly breaking in a motor, but he did fish a little bit. He fooled 2 redfish and 3 trout with artificials. Several anglers reported seeing LOTS of tarpon inside. One group couldn’t get any of them to bite, but another group jumped 3 and landed one (about an 80-pounder). They fooled them with a Keitech swimbait and a big belly-weighted hook. Capt. Greg Hildreth (georgiacharterfishing.com) said that the tarpon bite has been good this week. I didn’t get how many he jumped and landed, but it was quite a few. Sean Tarpley had a couple good flounder days recently – it’s been a great summer for flounder already. This week he was chasing tarpon. He could not find them beachside, but they were on lots of fish inside. The problem with those fish is it is hard to get them to eat. Don’t forget about the fish carcass freezer at the Waycross Fisheries Office at 108 Darling Avenue. The Coastal Resources Division collects most inshore saltwater species so that they can determine age and growth for each species. All the supplies and information cards are in the freezer. Filet your fish then drop off the carcasses in the freezer. Wat-a-melon Bait and Tackle in Brunswick is now open every day. On Mon-Thursday their hours are 6:30-10am and 2 to 5pm and Friday through Saturday from 6:30am to 5pm, and Sunday 6am to 5pm. They have plenty of lively shrimp 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).

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 fair. Get there early as boat traffic makes fishing tough. In the morning fish shallow points and flats with a SK Pop Grande in Aurora Black or a small buzz bait. As the sun rises and throughout the day try these two options. Once is to use a Bandit 300 in CJ Shad or Sparkle Ghost on Points. Or fish any brush or wood with a Shaky Head or small Texas Rig with a Net Bait green pumpkin worm or Key Lime pie finesse Worm. In the evening fish the same flats from the morning to catch top water fish. After dark fish steep rock banks with a Niter Bite Spinner Bait or Norman DLN in dark colors.

Allatoona Fish Attractors: Find locations of DNR and much more information for a variety of water bodies, including Allatoona, at GeorgiaWildlife.com/fishing-forecasts.

Allatoona Crappie (Report courtesy of Red Rooster Custom Baits via http://www.redroosterbaits.com) — This week in July on Lake Allatoona was mild compared to the weeks before as we got a break from the heat! We managed to fish a day or two in between the rains and were rewarded with some nice Allatoona slabs! Even though we got a break from the 90-100 degree heat the summer crappie pattern is still going strong. The key to the summer pattern is to find the thermocline depth, which at this time of year could vary depending on which area of the lake you are in. If you are not familiar with the “Thermocline”, it is the “in between” area between the hot and cold temperatures in the water column. Basically, the top layer is warm, and the bottom layer is cool, in both of these layers the oxygen is low and not conducive for fish. The thermocline is the sweet spot where the oxygen levels are where they need to be for fish to thrive in the heat of summer. We look for the thermocline and then we look for structure that is in that depth range. At this time of we are seeing fish suspended in 14′ – 18′ of water where the temperature and oxygen are at the right levels for active fish. Note, this depth does change throughout the day as the crappie may be suspended in 10′ – 12′ during the early morning and transition to deeper depths as the day goes on, again this does depend on the area of the lake you are fishing. Spider rigging a small minnow is still the preferred method this time of year for numbers of crappie. We had a couple of good mornings this past week spider rigging deep water brush in the 18′ – 22′ depths. The early morning jig bite produced a few but it doesn’t seem like it was as good of a jig bite this week as last week. We did manage a few using a Red Rooster Dagger on a 3/32 oz. jig head in natural colors like UV Shad, Watermelon Ghost, Motor oil Red and Mayfly. Sometimes they would key in on the bright colors like BlueGrass. Be safe out there and wear your life jackets as the summer boat & jet-ski traffic ain’t no joke. Remember to keep only the crappie that you need and release the rest to keep our great fishery strong for generations to come! Lord willing Team Red Rooster will bring you another report next week!

Smiling young man holds up caught fish.

Great job to Ethan Young on this largemouth bass catch at Lake Blue Ridge.

Blue Ridge Bass (Courtesy of John Damer, fisheries biologist with Georgia DNR) — Anglers Chad and Ethan Young were fishing Blue Ridge Lake last Saturday when Ethan landed this impressive largemouth.  The father-son duo was fishing a small cove on the upper end of the lake, where young Ethan flung his zara spook under some overhanging branches.  When the fish first hit, Ethan thought it was small, but then it jumped out of the water, and he knew it was a good one.  The fish was quickly returned to the lake after some grip-and-grins.  Hopefully, this fish will bring another big smile to the next angler that meets him. Great job Ethan!

Hartwell Bass (Report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant via www.southernfishing.com) — Bass fishing is fair. High daytime temperatures are here, and the fishing has been a challenge up and down the lake. Some of the small spots are roaming the banks early in the morning and late in the evening. The larger bass both spots and largemouth have moved to the channel ledges on the main lake. These fish can be found by using the Lowrance Down Scan technology. Use the Rapala DT10 in the shad and green tiger colors. Cast Parallel to these ledges and use a slow to moderate retrieve once to the ten-foot depth. The Spy Baits are taking some fish but use light fluorocarbon line. Must have a Carolina Rig on ten-pound test Sufix Siege line and a 1/4-to-3/8-ounce weight. The leader needs to be 18 to 20 inches long. Tie on a 4/0 or 5/0 wide gap VMC Hook and add a Zoom green pumpkin finesse worm. This will work well on a 6 1/2 foot or 7-foot medium heavy rod and a spinning reel. Bites will be subtle and sometimes on a little added weight it is all that is there. Locate the ledges and fish this Carolina rig really slow after the sun comes up over the treetops. A four-inch Fat Albert Grub can work on a light lead head jig. Pearl and black silver flake are both good choices in the grubs.

Lanier Bass (Report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant via www.southernfishing.com) — Bass fishing on Lake Lanier is good. The lake is currently one foot below full pool and with the recent rain and clouds the water temperature has dropped back to the mid-eighties. Overall, the lake is clear. The top water bite is holding strong for this late it the season with both numbers and size being caught. The Gunfish, Slick Stick and RiserTKO have been steady producers for the week especially if there is wind for the Gunfish and Slick Stick. The Riser is a fun bait to throw on calmer days using a seven-foot medium spinning rod loaded with fifteen-pound braid either an eight- or ten-pound fluorocarbon leader. Simply make long cast over your target and reel it fast enough to keep it on the surface. The target areas for the bass have been humps, ledges and long points that have brush on them in the thirty-to-thirty-five-foot range. Either Chrome or White have been the colors for these baits this week. You can work these same areas with the drop shot using Lanier Baits Fruity worms in the Sweet Rosy, Blue Lily or Epic Flash to produce good numbers of fish. It is truly a video game fishing watching the fish react to the bait. Just keep in mind that all the fish you see will not be bass so don’t spend too much time working fish that either scatter or won’t react to your bait. The docks about one third of the way back in the creeks have been holding some fish for the worm bite. Particularly work the shady side of the docks with either a green pumpkin or watermelon red trick worm on a three sixteenths spot sticker. A lot of these bites will come on the fall so keep an eye on your line. It’s right in the middle of summer but the bite is still good so Go Catch ‘Em!

Lake Lanier Fish Attractors: Find locations of DNR and much more information for a variety of water bodies, including Lake Lanier, at GeorgiaWildlife.com/fishing-forecasts.

West Point Bass (Report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant www.southernfishing.com) — Bass fishing is good. The fish are shallow early and late and there is a mix of largemouth and spots chasing bait school. So use the Lowrance Structure Scan technology and scan the area for bait. During the day the fish have moved into their summertime pattern. Use the Carolina rigged worms in black grape and June bug and dark blue. Fish the mouths of Wehadkee Creek Veasey Creek and Stroud Creek right before dark. Old road beds are good summer locations. Cranking main lake and river points with a deep diving crank baits has been productive for early morning actin. Let the bait sink deep enough before starting to reel it in. The bass might be just a foot or two deeper than usual. Check out the Liberty Hill area upriver for some good crank bait fishing with the Rapala DT10 shad and hot mustard lures.

West Point Fish Attractors: Find locations of DNR fish attractors and much more information for a variety of water bodies, including West Point, at GeorgiaWildlife.com/fishing-forecasts.

Lake Weiss Mixed Bag (Report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant www.southernfishing.com) — The fishing has not changed for the past few weeks all the fish in Weiss are on their typical summer patterns and things will stay that way for the next month or so.

  • Bass fishing is good, and they are on the creek and river channel ledges. Deep running crank baits and Carolina rigs are catching fish
  • Crappie fishing is fair. They are on deeper brush in 10 to 18 feet of water and can be caught spider rigging with minnows and Jiffy Jigs, Some crappie are still being caught shooting docks with jigs.
  • Striper fishing is good, and they are in the lower Chattooga River, the Cave hole and Little Spring Creek. Live Shad down lined and free lined is the way to catch these fish.
  • Catfish are biting Good, in the bays and creeks in 8 to 15 feet of water. Cut bait is working best.

TROUT REPORT 

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

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 dog days of summer mean it’s time to escape the heat and head for the headwaters and small streams of North Georgia or the cooled tailwaters of the Chattahoochee River or Toccoa River. The dry fly bite has been excellent. Trout can be caught on a myriad of flies as all insects are present in the past few weeks. Stoneflies, mayflies, caddis and terrestrial imitations will catch fish throughout the day. We have seen fair numbers of tricos, salmonflies, and the occasional caddis flying around.   If you are out at an odd time when trout don’t want to rise add a small/simple dropper fly below your dry. Majority of the hatching bugs are on the small end of the spectrum with some larger mayflies showing up in the evening. The Appalachian slam (brook, brown, and rainbow trout) is still very achievable on most days. Several customers have landed theirs on half day outings since June. Be sure to keep an eye for yellow jacket nests as they’ve been quite abundant on the overhanging limbs again this year. The afternoon thunderstorms can pop up quickly as well, the thunder and lightning are not quite as scary as the heavy winds which down branches and trees quickly.

  • Chattahoochee Tailwater Fly Fishing — The tailwater below Lanier is still a good bet for a shorter day on the water. The normal patterns of midges and junk flies are still catching most of the trout. The recent rains we have had have thrown a bit of a curveball at the trout but with the right adjustments you can still do well. Bigger flies or small streamers have been fishing well in the lowlight hours. For a break in the trout action, bigger groups of bass than normal have also been gathering at the mouths of creeks once water levels in the feeder creeks reside.
  • Ellijay Trout Fishing – The fly fishing near Ellijay is still slow with the warm water. Heading toward the higher elevation streams such as Amicalola or the Upper Tocccoa River Tributaries will be the best options for wild trout.
  • Blue Ridge Trout Fishing — The fly fishing near Blue Ridge is still the best of any of Georgia’s mountain towns. The small wild trout streams of the Cohutta Wilderness and Upper Toccoa River are going to be the best options until the late summer early fall rains arrive. The Toccoa River Tailwaters will fish well in the mornings before the tubers and kayakers crowd the river, but with the school year fast approaching you can expect these numbers to decline in the weeks to come. To the east, Rock Creek and Cooper creek will be some of the few creeks where anglers can find consistent stocked trout. Moving into the headwater streams will yield plenty of wild trout and great dry fly action.
  • Dahlonega Trout Fishing — The Dahlonega fly fishing has slowed down a bit in the past couple weeks, especially on the stocked waters. Dicks Creek will be the only consistently stocked creek from now until the Fall. The heavier traffic makes Dicks Creek a challenge to fish on weekends, but stocked trout can usually be found until they’re fished out by Monday. With the water in Boggs low, look for the trout to be tight lipped and spooky, but willing to bite if approached cautiously. The wild trout streams have been fishing well. The lower water levels have made them a bit more spooky so move slow. Hopefully the afternoon showers will raise water levels back to normal, but I believe that may just be wishful thinking.
  • Helen Trout Fishing — The summer months are are causing things to slow for fly fishing in Helen. The heavier number of visiting anglers and the fewer stocked trout to go around make for slower days, but as vacationers retreat, expect the trout fishing to improve steadily. Stealth and accurate casting are key to landing the finicky wild trout and the remaining stocked trout. The fish that have fled to the more sheltered parts of the river have been incredibly picky. With a little hiking and bushwacking you can find plenty of nearly untouched water this summer.

Best of luck in our last month of summer. If you find yourself stuck at home hiding from the heat, check out our latest article on fly design and selection to better understand how to tie and choose your flies for targeting trout under different conditions. Our upcoming article will dive into essential fishing gear when on the water. Fall is just around the corner and now is the best time to start planning your trips to fly fish North Georgia’s most scenic rivers during the color change. If you’re beating the heat indoors, be sure to check out our new Fly-Fishing Lessons section and join us on our journeys around the world to target exotic trout relatives and the important lessons we learn along the way. 

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 the trout tag.