We all know that fishing is about more than the biggest catch of the day. But, it sure is nice to land a big’un every once in a while, right? Well, what if you got rewarded for those big catches? Guess what? You can!

The Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division offers multiple angler recognition programs, including the Angler Award program, Bass Slam, Trout Slam and State Record Program for freshwater fish. The Georgia DNR Coastal Resources Division has a State Record Program for saltwater fish. And don’t miss out on the River and Lake Record program managed by Georgia Outdoor News (GON.com). Be sure to review ALL rules for each program. Details like photos, measuring devices and certified scales can make or break your submission – so be prepared.

Find out more about angler recognition programs at GeorgiaWildlife.com/fishing/angler-resources for the next time you catch a big one, and you might could earn some fun swag!

NEWS TO KNOW

• Be the Solution: Releasing unwanted aquarium species or plants or moving live fish, aquatic plants, or mussels from one body of water to another can have severe negative impacts on fish and fauna and cause irreversible damage to the existing ecological balance of Georgia lakes, rivers, and streams. Pledge to protect Georgia waters! Visit GeorgiaWildlife.com/ans for more information or to report aquatic nuisance species sightings.
• Check for Closures: Areas, ranges, boat ramps and other locations sometimes have to temporarily close. That might be due to renovations, repairs, safety or other reason. To ensure the location you want to visit is open, a good place to check is the Closures webpage at GeorgiaWildlife.com/closures. You also can always reach out to our offices if you have questions about any location. Find office numbers at GeorgiaWildlife.com/about/contact.

This week we have fishing reports from Southwest, North, Central and Southeast Georgia. No matter your fishing goals, we appreciate that you choose to Go Fish Georgia! 

SOUTHWEST GEORGIA

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

BIG LAZER PUBLIC FISHING AREA

• Big Lazer PFA Information at GeorgiaWildlife.com/big-lazer-creek-pfa
• Surface water temperature: 79° F
• Water visibility: Visibility is about 18”
• Water Level: Down -12” from full pool
• Big Lazer PFA Fishing Guide

The mid-late summer heat has slowed the bass fishing a bit. However, with fall nearing this month, the bass feeding should increase. Bream fishing has been decent lately and there should be a trend upwards with cooler weather approaching. Woody structures in shallower water all around the lake are good target areas for bream. Channel catfish are still being caught regularly, particular around the dam and island. Worms and chicken liver are, of course, the most productive baits for catfish.

FLINT RIVER

River flows are still down as well as the temperatures. This has led to fishing picking up.    Good catches of shoal bass and largemouth bass are being reported on flukes and crawfish imitations around shoal areas.  Bream fishing has been good around blowdowns.   Fish with crickets and worms under corks.  The flathead catfish bite has been up and down with some nice catches coming from deeper bends.   Catches of channel catfish are being reported in the shoal areas.

CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVER

The bass bite is getting better with most fish still being caught in shoreline vegetation.  Fish frogs over the grass or Texas rigged worms on the grass lines. The catfish bite has picked up some.  Good catches are being reported on noodles.  Utilize chicken livers or cut fish as bait.  Some bream are being caught around over hanging trees.  Use crickets or worms under corks.

LAKE BLACKSHEAR 

Large mayfly hatches continue to occur around the lake and continuing up the river above Blackshear. Great time to break out your Bream Busters! Crappie have been seen hanging around some of bridges around the lake in the deeper water, with people having luck catching them by jigging. Especially in the early mornings or later in the evenings after the temperature drops. Bass are being caught occasionally, majority reported are caught from around docks.

LAKE WALTER F. GEORGE

The water temperature is still in the 80s and the bass fishing could be considered good. A variety of baits are working from topwater to Texas and Carolina rigs.  It seems the majority of topwater action is smaller fish but can be a lot of fun when they are willing. A Pop R or Sammy seems to be the current favorite. Try shallow running crankbaits around docks and shallow points for consistent morning action. There are also quite a few reports of Texas rigged worms and crawfish doing the trick in and around matts of vegetation. Coming in second behind these is buzzbaits and spinnerbaits around structure such as brush piles and submerged vegetation.

Limits of nice size crappie are being harvested by anglers fishing jigs around structure in deeper water. Depths between 15 to 20 feet seem to be holding the most fish.

Some nice catches of shell cracker and catfish were caught over the Labor Day weekend, with red wigglers being the most popular bait for the redear. An occasional cat will be caught when fishing for bream, but the majority of the catfish are being caught by jug anglers.

LAKE SEMINOLE (This report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant, www.southernfishing.com)

The beginning of Fall is upon us and as water temperature cool the Bass and Crappie fishing will heat up! If coming to Lake Seminole in September, make sure to bring swimbaits, crankbaits and jerkbaits. They can be very productive, especially if the shad are running.

Currently, bass fishing is fair on worms and jigs up the rivers. In the lower lake creeks, flip wood early and use a Texas rigged Culprit black shad worm. Use larger worms in red shad or greens. Up the rivers flip a large worm or spinner bait around the banks and drop them into the cuts under the big trees right on the bank. Fish the jumps with a top water lure like a Pop R or a Sammy Cast to the banks cover and work baits tight. Afternoons are better for faster moving baits with a small all white Fat Free Shad on main river points. Never overlook a small shallow crank bait in gold on this lake even up the river.

NORTH GEORGIA

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

RESERVOIR REPORT

Allatoona Bass Report: (This report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant via www.southernfishing.com): Bass fishing is fair. Small swim baits like the ketch 3-inch paddle tail fished on a 3/16th oz. Picasso 2/0 round ball head. The bait can be fished around blowdowns or open water for schooling Fish. Both areas are producing right now. The key is a count it down to the fish on the electronics. They may chase a top water bait early. There is also a good shaky head worm bite around Red Top Mountain State Park. Fish the mouth of Stamps Creek are producing. Stick with the jigs 1/8 or 3/16 Picasso shakedown head and a Big bite bait 6 inch green pumpkin finesse work. Use 7-pound test Sunline sniper fluorocarbon and a medium heavy 6-foot 6-inch spinning rod. Flat points have been best early and late in the day and the stiff breeze has been positioning the fish lately. Typically, only 2 to 3 fish caught per point and the school moves off or slows down. Keep moving to find active Fish and always keep an eye on the sonar for baitfish and active bass.

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

• Lake Level: Approx. 838′ (Current Water Level)
• Water Temp: 81-84F
• Water Clarity: Clear to light stain
• Area Fished: Victoria, S-Turns & Little River Area
• Jigs Used: ‘Lectric Chicken – Slab Dragon, Cajun Chicken – Slab Dragon, and Sasquatch – Talon 2.0
• Technique: Long Line Trolling

Labor Day is one of the happiest days for a die-hard crappie angler on Lake Allatoona because that signals that a change is coming! Changes in boat traffic, weather, lake temps and lake levels. All good trends for Allatoona crappie fishing! This week was a nice taste of the fall weather to come but was it WINDY! The temperature was great, but the wind made it virtually impossible to fish at the beginning of the week if you were trying to spider rig. Our longtime friend and Red Rooster Pro Staffer, Jeff “CrappieMan” Albright managed to get out on Thursday and had a great day. Jeff had 22 crappie by 0930 on Thursday as well as a few spotted bass and catfish! This is the best part…he caught every fish…TROLLING! The fish were caught using Red Rooster custom 1/16th oz., 1/24th oz. underspin jig heads and Slab Dragons in the ‘Lectric Chicken and Cajun Chicken colors. The Red Rooster Talon 2.0 in Sasquatch (Black and Orange) caught a couple of the crappie as well. Trolling 1/16th and 1/24th underspin jig heads at .08 – .10 mph over big brush piles was the ticket for catching the crappie for Jeff and his client. The 1/16th underspin was working well for crappie and the 1/24th underspin seemed to bring in the spotted bass and catfish. If you want to learn more about crappie fishing on Lake Allatoona, contact CrappieMan to schedule a trip, you will not be disappointed! Keep an eye on the lake level and water temps. As the lake drops and the water temperature cools the crappie will start getting active and begin moving around…that’s when the trolling gets fun! As we get deeper into fall keep an eye on the Red Rooster weekly reports for crappie activity and helpful tips! 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!

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

Allatoona News Nugget – Did you know that the Georgia DNR, Wildlife Resources Division stocks largemouth bass, striped bass, and hybrid striped bass into Allatoona annually?  Now you know!

Lake Hartwell Bass Report: (This report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant, www.southernfishing.com): Bass fishing is slow. It has been tougher the past few weeks. Some cooler weather is starting to change everything for the better. Fish some fish deep around brush and timber using drop shots with a Zoom Z drop worm or a Swamp Crawler worm. A few better fish are on humps and points near deeper water with a shaky head rigged with a Zoom Trick Worm or Magnum Swamp Crawler. There has been a little schooling activity starting to fire up and this should only get better with the water temperatures starting to cool down. For keep a Zoom Super Fluke on the front deck because the fish may come up feeding and be quick to get bait on the action. The baitfish and bass move around a lot this time of year so keep the Lowrance electronics side and down scan technology running all day.

Lake Lanier Bass Report: (This report courtesy of Phil Johnson, 770-366-8845 via www.southernfishing.com): Bass fishing on Lake Lanier is good. The lake is currently two feet below full pool, and the water temperature is running in the low eighties. Overall, the lake is clear with some slight staining in the backs of the creeks and up the rivers. The top water bite is still happening and should only get better as the cooler weather moves in. The bass are still holding in the thirty-five-foot range, but surface activity has picked up more with the cooler water temperature. The Ima Skimmer, Gunfish, Lip Thrasin Riser TKO and the Slick Stick have all been producing over the deeper brush on humps, ledges and the ends of long points. The wind has been a key ingredient in making the top water bite work so look for the areas with wind even if it’s slight. This is the time to play with your retrieve to see how they want the bait on any given day. A three eights ounce Spot Choker with a two-and-a-half-inch paddle tail swimbait will pair well with FFS around the brush and on the ledges for the scattered bass. The drop shot bite is still solid around the brush and on ledges using the Lanier Baits drop shot worms in either the Blue Lily, Sweet Rosy or Epik Flash colors. Some bass have started the move to the docks and can be caught in the fifteen-to-twenty-five-foot range on a three sixteenths shakey head with a green pumpkin Senko worm or a brown three eights jig. Be sure to work the entire dock from the front all the way to the walkways concentrating on the side with shade. The fall bite is just starting and should continue to get stronger with the cooler weather. Labor Day is past and so is the heavy boat traffic so Go Catch ‘Em!

Lanier Stripers (This report courtesy of Buck Cannon, Buck Tails Guide Service 404 510 1778): Lake Lanier stripers are biting the blue backs on down lines, flat lines and planer boards. The stripers are holding up around under water humps and submerged islands. Locate these areas using your electronics. Check your bait often because the oxygen levels are changing and if the bait is dead you will need to relocate to more healthy water. Trolling is always a good way to locate the fish. Lead core, 27-pound test 8 colors or 240 feet behind the boat and umbrella rigs 130 to 150 feet at 2.5 mph using the outboard motor. The top water bite should start later this month so have your favorites tied on. Remember to wear your life jackets.

Lanier Crappie (This report courtesy of Captain Josh Thornton 770-530-6493): Crappie fishing is good. The water temperatures are steadily falling with the cooler weather we have been having the current water temperature is 78 degrees. You can find crappie suspended 10 to 30 feet deep over a 20-to-40-foot bottom. Try using crappie minnows set at 10 feet deep and variety of hair jigs, and plastic jigs with a slow retrieval. The gear I recommend for crappie fishing is a Acc crappie stix 1 piece rod and reel with a 4 or 6-pound test K9 line, along with Garmin Live Scope and Power Pole.

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

Lake Weiss Bass: (This report courtesy of Mark Collins Guide Service and www.southernfishing.com): Bass fishing is fair. The bass are on a deeper, summer pattern on roadbeds and main lake points, and creek and river channel ledges. Crank baits, spinner baits are catching fish. With the latest heat wave the water has heated back up, and the fishing has got a lot tougher. A good cooling trend in September will trigger some better fishing. Any time they are generating power, the point at the mouth of the canal is producing some good fishing. Bass fishing is slow, and the bass are very sluggish. Fish the Rapala DT6, the Rapala RS and Jointed Shad Raps in the early mornings. Fish the jumps with a top water lure like a Pop R or a Sammy. Try some braid on a spinning reel and the casts can be a lot longer. Just be sure to tie the lures directly to the braid, no leader, with a double Palomar knot. Shady docks are also holding an occasional bass.

West Point Bass Report (This report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant, www.southernfishing.com): Bass fishing is fair. The upper lake fish are feeding better with the cooler waters from the river. Down lake fish the long steeper deep points on the main lake. Early, look for fish on clay banks and throw Carolina rigged worms or pig and jigs. There are still some bass schooling on top. Fish the “jumps” with a top water lure like a Pop R or a Sammy. Try some braid on a spinning reel and the casts can be a lot longer. Just be sure to tie the lures directly to the braid, no leader, with a double Palomar knot. From mid-morning on, the best baits by far will be a Zara Spook and the Sebile Swimmers. Also try the Spotsticker jig heads rigged with Zoom finesse worm and Spotsticker hand poured worms. Fish the moving baits out to 20 feet and get back in the creeks as soon as the sun is up on the water.

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.

West Point News Nugget – Did you know that the Georgia DNR, Wildlife Resources Division plants native aquatic plants in the shallows of West Point to improve fish habitat and fishing quality? Now you know!

TROUT REPORT

Trout and More (This report courtesy of Unicoi Outfitters): Check out Unicoi Outfitter’s regular “Angler Management” fishing blog at blog.angler.management for great intel on trout fishing.

Small Trout Streams (Report courtesy of Matt Morrison, Cohutta Fishing Company): With cooler nightly temperatures, water temps have dropped in some creeks, which will have the trout feeding well. The water is low, so stealth is key, but a well-presented dry fly should get eaten. Yellow PMX or Bugmeister’s in sizes 12 or 14 are some of my favorite flies for creeks this time of year. With the cooler mornings, there have been a few BWO’s coming off as well, so bring some Parachute Adams and Purple Hazes with you. As temps cool, fishing will only get better. We have a bit of this hot weather left, but Fall seems like it’s on its way.

Northeast Georgia Trout and More (Courtesy of Unicoi Outfitters): Looking for ideas to wet a line in the Helen, Georgia area this fall? Unicoi Outfitters has some suggestions. Visit unicoioutfitters.com/fishing-in-helen/ for a few ideas!

Georgia Trout Slam:  There is still plenty of time to catch Georgia’s three freshwater trout species.  If you have the skill to successfully catch all three species of trout (brook, brown, rainbow) in Georgia within a calendar year, consider giving the Georgia Trout Slam a try.  All successful submissions will receive the coveted Georgia Trout Slam Sticker and be entered into a drawing for an annual grand prize.  Program details can be found at GeorgiaWildlife.com/trout-slam.

Trout Fishing Opportunities for Those With Disabilities: These sites are open to the public and offer specific amenities for anglers with disabilities. Find an online link to that list at GeorgiaWildlife.com/Fishing/Trout.

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

This week’s Central Georgia fishing report is courtesy of Ken Sturdivant’s Southern Fishing report and other contributions by WRD Fisheries staff, guides, and local anglers.

RESERVOIR REPORT

LAKE RUSSELL IS DOWN 1.2 FEET, 80’S

Bass: (Report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant’s Southern Fishing) — Bass fishing is fair, and the fish are starting to show up on top feeding on small shad pods. An all-white 3/8-ounce Rooster Tail can work. Try flipping visible timber in 20 to 40 feet with Texas rigs or Spot Removers for bass suspended 12 to 15 feet down. Many of these shallow fish will also be focused on eating bluegill and other pan fish especially around grass and docks. Because of this several other baits can come into play. Try the up-lake areas end around Pickens Creek and Sanders Ferry and they can schools in the very back of Pickens or around bridge at Sanders Ferry. These fish are a mix of spots and largemouth so be prepared with good fresh Sufix Elite line on all the reels. Many anglers are just using Pearl Zoom Super Flukes and a shad or glimmer blue 115 Sammy on a bait caster in case a line side shows up. Fishing around baitfish is always a good idea if anglers want to find hungry bass but it becomes even more crucial this time of year.

Striped bass (courtesy of anglersheadquarters.com): Guide Wendell Wilson (706-283-3336) reports that fish have been have caught on both ends of the lake this summer, but particularly the lower end. However, with even a little cooling in September he expects more fish to move to mid-lake flats where they can be caught on down-lined herring.

Crappie (courtesy of anglersheadquarters.com): Guide Wendell Wilson reports that in the first part of September the crappie are likely to continue to hold around deeper brush and timber, where they have been biting well. Hopefully the good bite will continue, but with dropping temperatures they should soon move onto shallower brush where they can be caught on jigs and minnows.

Catfish (courtesy of anglersheadquarters.com): Guide Jerry Kotal reports that fish should move shallower this month where they can be caught on cut herring in less than 15 feet of water. At the end of August, they were still catching catfish in very deep water.

CLARKS HILL IS DOWN 5.5 FEET, 80’S

Bass: (Report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant’s Southern Fishing) — Bass fishing is fair, and the water temperature has dropped just a little. Anglers will need to use everything from trick worms to tubes on the Carolina rig. Color will play in important role as the water near the feeder creeks and up in the rivers has a little bit of color to it. The big key is to work all of the baits slowly. Find any cooler water on a windblown point and get out the Husky Jerk Baits or the Rapala DT10. The Ito Vision 110 with a slow retrieve seems to be working the best. Slow crank the ledges for the best results. Bass are still biting up in the narrow part of the rivers on top water, cranks and plastics or small jigs. The earlier action is best with the Pop R top water bait and the Rico. Make a few casts on any point or on any rocks formations. After the top water dies off, go to the Rapala DT6 or the Fat Free Shad in shad patterns and take the #5 Rapala Shad Raps along as well. Try using jigs and plastics around wood during the mid-day period. Expect bites to be slow, for the most part, all during the day.

Striper and hybrids: (courtesy of anglersheadquarters.com): Little River Guide Service reports that to start out the month fish were suspended over very deep water, but in September fish should progressively migrate out of the deeper channels. Bait will eventually move shallower into the top 10-15 feet of the water column, leading to more surface activity, and fish should also be related to the sides of humps in 25-35 feet of water.

Crappie: (courtesy of anglersheadquarters.com): Little River Guide Service reports that at the beginning of September fish are generally still holding around deeper brush, but if the weather cools they should move shallower into the 12- to 15-foot range. At the end of August, the bite could be finicky, but with cooling that could also change.

Catfish: (courtesy of anglersheadquarters.com): Captain Chris Simpson reports that in September fish will be scattered everywhere. Some will be in the backs of creeks in shallow water feeding on threadfin and gizzard shad, while some fish will be staging out on main lake humps and points in deeper water feeding on blueback herring. This is the beginning of the prime time to catch big blue catfish on Lake Thurmond.

LAKE OCONEE IS FULL, 80’S

Bass: (Report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant’s Southern Fishing) — Bass fishing is fair. As the water cools the fishing will improve. Try a buzz bait with white skirts and a silver blade and look for any structure on the main lake or just inside the main lake pockets. Add a trailer hook and a trailer tail. Some fish are showing up under docks. Work these docks with a Senko. Throw the Senko as far back under the dock as possible. Also pick up some fish off of the deep humps down 15 to 20 feet deep. Use the Lowrance to find the humps with a lot of structure on them. Work these humps with a big crank bait like a DD22, or any deep diving crank bait. Also, work these same areas with a Carolina rig. It seems that the crank bait is getting the larger fish. If Georgia Power is moving water this can be a productive way to get a limit of fish. Many of these shallow fish will also be focused on eating bluegill and other pan fish especially around shallow docks.

Striped Bass (courtesy of Doug Nelms with BigFishHeads): With the full moon on the way, the striper activity is picking back up from the late-August slump. Striper should be schooling on points and humps, with a topwater bite that will steadily improve around the mid-lake areas. Power reeling a spoon over schooling striper is another effective tactic.

Crappie: (courtesy of Doug Nelms with BigFishHeads): Doug reports that “the crappie bite has picked up substantially on the tree tops and brush piles. Size has been really good too.” Downlining live minnows or jigs over suspended crappie will put good numbers of crappie in the cooler this month.

LAKE SINCLAIR IS DOWN 1.8 FEET, 80’S

Bass: (Report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant’s Southern Fishing) — Bass fishing is good and the old Deep Wee R in shad and parrot colors are taking fish on docks and wood mid to down lake. Begin to concentrate on docks in 4 to 8 feet of water instead of the deeper stuff. The grass fish will be caught on ¼ ounce spinner baits and buzz baits early and late in the day. Some late day schooling fish will begin to show up late in the month. Small ¼ ounce Rat L Traps will catch them. Watch for schooling fish over open water in the dam area. They will be found on points and humps. Work the deep docks in 10 to 15 feet of water with Texas rigged lizards and Senko’s in June bug or red bug colors. The Little River arm above the train trestle has been best for the dock bite. Expect the dock bite to improve some, and there will be some fish headed toward grass patches with cooler temps later in the month.

Crappie: Lake Country’s Crappie Ninja reports the crappie on Sinclair are fishing well on clear days following a cold front. This week, he filled the cooler on jigs, including Sugarbugs and Delta jigs. Use your electronics to locate schools of crappie orienting to shallow structure or underneath docks and pitch them subtly over the schools.

Linesides & More: Another Lake Country angler reported on other Sinclair species: “Well today was fun but not getting all the fish we hoped for. Caught two small bass, three catfish and 15 linesides. I wasn’t targeting the linesides, but they sure were fun. Whites and hybrids were positioned on the ledge of a long point in 10-12. I was fishing 5-10’ water with structure off ledges and outer pockets mid-lake.

LAKE JACKSON IS DOWN 0.42 FEET, 80’S

Bass: (Report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant’s Southern Fishing) — Bass fishing is fair and with shorter days the water temperatures will be falling, and the fishing will be improving. Fish some of the same deep structure in or near the main lake but search shallow sections also. Target main lake points, bluffs and humps at the 6 foot to 12 foot depths. Later in the day head to the brush and docks. Fishing around baitfish is always a good idea if anglers want to find hungry bass but it becomes even more crucial this time of year. Spend some time ducking into pockets and be there when bass follow in behind the bait. Put to use the Shakey Heads, compact jigs and crank baits like the DT 6 Rapala shad colors through the day. Early in the day throw a Rico or other top water bait on the deep sea walls or at open water opportunities.

RIVER REPORT

Ocmulgee: Despite the threat of rain this week, the Ocmulgee River below Lake Jackson remains low, clear, and very fishable according to USGS gauges and our field staff. Fisheries Biologist Brandon Baker, Amory Cook, and Deven Thompson were in the field this week conducting fall electrofishing surveys for black bass and other centrarchids as a part of their semi-annual sampling and management of the Ocmulgee River fisheries. Good numbers of bass can be found right now, as waning daylight and water temperatures can serve as a both a thermal reprieve and an early cue that fall is on the horizon. Target the shoal complexes, shallow pools downstream of the shoals, and deeper runs to improve chances of catching shoal bass, like the impressive 6.6 lb shoal bass pictured here. Be versatile with presentations and “sample” all habitat types including seams, near boulders, undercut banks, and along the outskirts of blowdowns to draw a strike. A variety of convention tackle types including swimbaits, spinner baits, and trick worms will be effective, as will surface poppers, woolly buggers, and stealth bombers for fly anglers fishing the clearer flows.

PUBLIC FISHING AREA REPORT

McDUFFIE PUBLIC FISHING AREA 

• McDuffie PFA Information
• Surface Temperature:  82°F
• Water Visibility: clear-to-stained
• Water Level: All lakes are full
• McDuffie PFA Fishing Guide

Bass (courtesy of hatchery manager Chalisa Fabillar):  The cooler temperatures of early September will improve bass fishing overall and spur a more aggressive bite as the fish become more active and vacate the depths of their late summer haunts. Angler Darryl Welch reports a steady topwater bite on frogs, with more natural patterns like the KVD Sexy Frog being the ticket this week. A few successful anglers were going for the tried-and-true Texas rig (midnight blue sparkle was a winning color this week) while fishing the edge of the vegetation in Bridge.  

Bream: Bream fishing in September at McDuffie can be very rewarding. Many post-spawn bluegill and redear will now be putting more effort into feeding and growth ahead of the fall. Target shallows with woody brush or fish attractors that have been placed throughout the area lakes. Live crickets and red wigglers are a solid go-to for live bait, just fish a little deeper when targeting redear specifically. Bream are a great species to target when fishing with first-time or younger anglers.

Channel Catfish (courtesy of hatchery manager Chalisa Fabillar):  Channel catfish remain a viable target in September. Chicken livers, hearts, nightcrawlers, and hotdogs weighted to the bottom will continue to put fish on the end of the line. Try a variety of depths to figure out where they are foraging. Anglers are also catching tasty bullheads, like the one pictured here, which was caught on red wigglers fished on the bottom.

Striped Bass: The striper bite will begin to improve towards the end of the month as cooler air temperatures will bring water temperatures down into the upper-to-mid 70s. At this time, the best bet will to target striped bass by casting artificial swim baits or topwater presentations like a bomber or Gunfish. For bait anglers, striped bass also have a taste for chicken livers.

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

FLAT CREEK PUBLIC FISHING AREA (courtesy of Fisheries Technicians Amory Cook and Deven Thompson)

• Flat Creek PFA Information
• Water Level: 70.5” below full pool
• Water Clarity: 18”
• Flat Creek PFA Fishing Guide

Largemouth Bass: With the cooler morning temperatures, the bass bite has picked up. The key to a lunker this time of year is power power power! On these cooler morning’s spinner baits, crank baits and lipless crank baits in silver, chartreuse and white colors are key to catch these bass as they chase the shad around the bank. Towards the middle of the day and the evening switch up to worms, jigs and deep-diving crank baits fished slowly on the bottom, natural bluegill and green colors work best. At night buzz baits, frogs and large worms fished along the shore should also produce some big bass!

Bream:  The bream bite has continued to stay active at Flat Creek with hundreds of these aggressive little guys being caught. Bluegill have dominated the catch rates this week, expect most fish to be 4-7” long.

Catfish:  The catfish bite has been unmatched this week with lots of catches being reported and quite a few larger catfish showing up on the end of angler lines! Your best bet for these whiskery fish will be small live baits such as 3-5” bream and 2-6” shiners. For higher catch rates, using chicken liver and night crawlers will give you a consistent amount of hookups but expect to work through some smaller fish at the beginning. Cut bait, fished on the bottom, has also been productive.

Crappie: Longtime Flat Creek angler Larry Brudnicki fished very early one morning this week and caught 9 crappie in an hour. According to Larry, the crappie are in transition mode. Maybe one more cool week and their shallow migration will be complete. The fish were deeper—around 8 feet. Most of the fish were on the smaller size, around 7 inches, potentially a sign of a good year class showing up. Larry fished 1/20 to 1/32 jig head. The crappie were not very aggressive and not willing to chase baits. They were feeding on minnows.  Very plentiful in the green lights. Also very promising to see minnows at the dock. I was able to trick the crappie with very slow movement of the jig. White/blue plastic body. 4 lb line used and no bobber. I expect in a few weeks they will chase baits and begin the fall feeding. 

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 

• Marben PFA Information
• Water Level: All ponds and lakes are full.
• Water Clarity: 18” to 40” on the smaller ponds. Fox Lake visibility is 4` or greater.
• Surface Temp: Mid 80s.
• Marben PFA Fishing Guide 

Bass:  September bass fishing at Marben PFA stands to improve upon the typical August slump. Especially if fishing by boat, fish Fox, Bennett, or Shepard ponds. Fishing topwater early mornings along shorelines and around brush. In the late afternoon, fish deep-diving crankbaits in the flooded timber of fox or near Bennett Dam. A Texas-rigged or Ned-rigged worm is also a great go-to anytime of day when a more subtle presentation is required.

Crappie:  Crappie fishing should start picking back up in September as the water clears and cooler temperatures spur more aggressive feeding tendencies. Select area lakes including Bennett, Dairy, Lower Raleigh, Fox, and Shepard have fishable crappie populations. Minnows and crappie jigs on 1/32 or 1/16 oz jig heads will be most effective.

Bream:  All area lakes contain bream populations. Fishing brush, especially around the feeders will be productive for size, while small bream can typically be caught lakewide. September is still a a great month to grab a couple cricket tubes or tubs of red wigglers catch a mess of bluegill and redear.

Hybrid Bass (courtesy of PFA manager Jamie Dowd): The hybrid bite in Bennett will really turn on in September. Hybrids are constantly on the move chasing schools of threadfin shad, and they will be feeding more aggressively in September as surface temperatures dip below 80 F. A variety of presentations can be effective to catch hybrids including topwater plugs or a Whopper Plopper, jerkbaits, swimbaits, crankbaits and a small A-rig fished around schooling shad. This Bennett hybrid was landed on a diving crankbait fished among a hybrid feeding frenzy.

Channel catfish: The catfish bite will remain steady through the month of September. Most lakes have catfish populations and can be fished most effectively with cut bait, livers, and nightcrawlers fished patiently on the bottom.

SOUTHEAST GEORGIA

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

These cooler temperatures have been great for anglers, and most of the bites have fired off, as well. The Altamaha system bass bite has remained great. Saltwater has been consistent, as well.

River gages on September 11th were:

• Clyo on the Savannah River – 3.9 feet and rising
• Abbeville on the Ocmulgee – 0.3 feet and rising
• Doctortown on the Altamaha – 4.6 feet and rising
• Waycross on the Satilla – 9.7 feet and rising
• Atkinson on the Satilla – 6.5 feet and rising
• Statenville on the Alapaha – 3.6 feet and rising
• Macclenny on the St Marys – 5.7 feet and rising
• Fargo on the Suwannee – 8.2 feet and falling

Full Moon is September 17th. To monitor all the Georgia river levels, visit the USGS website. For the latest marine forecast, check out weather.gov/jax/.

ALTAMAHA/OCMULGEE RIVER

The bass bite has been great on the Altamaha system! Bill Stewart fished with me on Friday in the lower Altamaha, and we whacked the bass in the afternoon. The morning bite was slow, but when we went away from Texas-rigged worms and fished unweighted Trick worms around the same wood cover, we could trigger bites. Pink was our best color, but chartreuse pearl fooled several, as well. We ended up catching 32 bass (35 fish total) up to 3 pounds. Our biggest 5 bass would have weighed a little over 12 pounds. Shane and Joshua Barber fished the lower Altamaha on Tuesday and caught 13 bass up to 3 pounds. Texas-rigged plastic worms worked best for them, and black was one of their best colors. Joshua was rigging his on a Capt. Bert’s Swimbait Hook (it has a spring keeper to hold the nose of the worm). 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).

OKEFENOKEE SWAMP

The water is still high, but folks caught some bullhead catfish in the east side boat basin on Saturday. They fooled them with chicken livers and red wigglers. The most recent water level (Folkston side) was 121.44 feet.

DODGE COUNTY PUBLIC FISHING AREA (near Eastman)

• Dodge County PFA Information at GeorgiaWildlife.com/dodge-county-pfa
• Dodge County PFA Fishing Guide 

Ken Burke fished the area on Monday and caught some bass. He fished about 6 hours and caught 6 bass that weighed a total of just under 10 pounds. He lost 2 big fish that shook the crankbait during the trip. Of the 6 he landed, he fooled 4 of them with a shaky head worm and 2 with a crankbait. Another angler fishing that morning had about the same success, and that angler also lost 2 bigger bass. The water is cooling into the lower 80’s and the fish are getting more active.

HUGH M. GILLIS PUBLIC FISHING AREA (near Dublin)

• Hugh Gillis PFA Information at GeorgiaWildlife.com/hugh-m-gillis-pfa
• Hugh Gillis PFA Fishing Guide 

Ken Burke fished Tuesday morning at the area and had some really nice bass. He fished 4 hours until the wind got up and caught 17 bass weighing a total of 31 pounds. His biggest was a 7-lb., 5-oz. toad. He caught them on a crankbait and shaky head worm. The fish were fired up early, as he caught 16 of his 17 bass in the first hour.

LOCAL PONDS

Conner fished with his family in his Blackshear pond this week and caught a bunch of bass and bluegills. He fooled them with beetle-spins. Jimmy Zinker has been going some for trophy bass in south Georgia ponds. He’s been throwing Jitterbugs and buzzbaits at night, but the big fish have not been responding this week. His biggest was a 4-pounder that inhaled the Jitterbug. The crappie bite picked up some with the cooler temperatures this week. I talked with a group fishing some ponds in the Savannah area, and they caught a bunch of decent crappie by swimming a plastic on an 1/8-oz. Zombie Eye Jighead.

SALTWATER (GA COAST)

There are LOTS of short redfish being caught, confirming that they got off a really good spawn last fall. That’s great news for having a bent rod inshore this fall! Capt. Greg Hildreth (georgiacharterfishing.com) had a charter on Monday and did well for trout. They had plenty of throwbacks and a nice mess of keeper trout. Float rigs and live shrimp produced their fish. Capt. Tim Cutting (fishthegeorgiacoast.com) has been throwing Four-Seven plastics all week on Zombie Eye Jigheads and doing well for trout and reds. His trips have been shorter than usual this week, but they have been catching about a dozen total fish of mixed species on the paddle-tails. The biggest trout was a 22-incher caught Tuesday by Johnny Lijoi. Capt. Tim’s best colors have been clear with purple hues. After your next trip to the Georgia coast, drop off your fish carcasses in the 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.