Bass fishing in Georgia is more than a pastime…it’s a challenge, an adventure, and a chance to create memories on the water. If you’ve been working toward your Georgia Bass Slam, consider this your reminder to keep going and finish strong. Whether you’re chasing shoal bass in rivers or hunting largemouth in quiet ponds, each catch brings you one step closer to completing the Slam, and every species you cross off the list adds another story worth telling. If you’ve already landed a few of Georgia’s iconic black bass species, now is the perfect time to plan that next trip, explore new water, and wrap up your accomplishment. Finish your Slam, earn your bragging rights, and celebrate everything that makes fishing in Georgia unforgettable. More info at GeorgiaWildlife.com/fishing/angler-resources/GeorgiaBassSlam.

NEWS TO KNOW:

• Go Fish Education Center – The outdoor aquariums at the Go Fish Education Center will be temporarily closed from October 31, 2025, through January 8, 2026, to allow for exciting improvements. The rest of the Center and casting pond will remain open on weekends, with education programs continuing during the week. We look forward to seeing those refreshed aquariums on January 9, 2026!
• Fish a Delayed Harvest Stream: Delayed Harvest trout season begins November 1 on five designated Georgia streams—Chattahoochee River, Toccoa River, Amicalola Creek, Smith Creek, and the Chattooga River. From November 1 to May 14, these waters are catch-and-release only with single-hook, artificial lures, and are stocked monthly by WRD and partners to provide anglers with outstanding trout fishing opportunities.

This week, we have fishing reports from North, Central, and Southeast Georgia. The Southwest report will be back next week! You only need to catch five of Georgia’s 10 black bass to complete your Slam, so Go Fish Georgia!

SOUTHWEST GEORGIA

The Southwest Georgia report will be back next week with fresh fishing info. Until then, check out the Fishing Forecasts reports for major reservoirs and rivers to get great intel to make your day on the water successful! GeorgiaWildlife.com/fishing-forecasts

NORTH GEORGIA

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

RESERVOIR REPORT

LAKE ALLATOONA

Bass (courtesy of Ken Sturdivant, www.southernfishing.com): Bass fishing is fair. The early morning spinnerbait bite is fair. Fish bluff banks and points with a Davis Vibe Spinnerbait in Glimmer Shad or Peacock. Try this spinnerbait because it is made out of X Wire. If the wind is blowing, you can often throw this bait for most of the morning. A large number of fish are moving into the pockets and creeks in the midsection of the lake. They are feeding on the abundant shad in the creeks. Fish a Bandit Flat Max in CJ Shad into the creeks and then cast a Paca Jig in Green Pumpkin or Alabama Craw to any wood cover. You can also opt for a Shaky Head with a Net Bait Watermelon Candy Finesse Worm. In the mouths of the deeper creeks you can fish a drop shot with a Robo Worm in Morning Dawn or Baby Bluegill colors. The upper and lower ends of the lake are fishing well, also. Fish a run and gun approach on flats.

Allatoona Weekly Crappie, Shellcracker & Bluegill Fishing Report (courtesy of Baynes Fishing & Outdoors via Red Rooster Custom Baits, www.redroosterbaits.com): The nights are definitely starting to cool off rapidly this past week which means cooler water temps and more active crappie! We love to see the leaves start to change colors because that means that long line trolling is not too far off. The crappie are still hanging close to the brush but as the water level continues to drop the brush is getting closer to the surface. Once the brush gets within 5-8′ of the surface the crappie will start moving out to deeper water and schooling in the creeks and mouths of creeks. They will also start moving around in the flats off of the main river channel. This is a great time of year to start getting your baits, jig heads, rods, reels organized as well as to blow the dust off of your trolling bars or rod holders because the time is almost here. The good news is at least for this week is that there doesn’t appear to be any major hurricane activity which means that the lake should be pretty stable for the foreseeable future.

Area Fished: Kellogg Creek, Victoria Area & S-Turns & Little River

Jigs Used: UV Shad – Dagger, Gray Ghost – Dagger, Chicken Pox – Dagger, ‘Lectric Chicken – Small Fry & Sasquatch – Talon 2.0.

Technique: Casting & Trolling

Crappie: We got out a few days this past week and had good luck casting a Red Rooster Dagger to active brush piles and hooked up with some nice 10″ to 13″ crappie that were fairly aggressive and put up a good fight all the way to the boat. We we were throwing the Red Rooster Dagger in UV Shad, Gray Ghost, Splatter Back and June Bug on a 1/16th and 1/24th oz. jig head with good success. Interestingly enough many crappie were hitting the jig on the fall versus chasing the bait. Jeff “Crappieman” Albright had a good day trolling flats and over brush at .7 – .9 mph using a 1/16th oz. jig head paired with a Red Rooster Small Fry in ‘Lectric Chicken and the Talon 2.0 in the Sasquatch (Black & Orange) Color. Hunter Moore of Moore Outdoorz had a great day casting the Red Rooster Dagger in Gray Ghost and Chicken Pox and a 1/16th oz. jig head. All signs are pointing to some great fall crappie fishing on Lake Allatoona!

Bluegill: As we move into fall you should be able to find the bluegill hanging around shallow docks and shallow brush, stumps and laydowns. They will be feeding up for winter and should be pretty aggressive. The tried and true method is to use a #4 – #6 gold Aberdeen hook with 4 – 6 lb. test fishing line and a bobber set about 8″ – 12″ above your cricket or worm. Aggressive bluegill have been hitting crappie jigs on a 1/32nd oz or smaller jig head as well.

Shellcracker (Redear sunfish): As the water level is dropping the shellcracker should be in 5′ to 8′ of water and feeding up for the winter as well. The rig we use for shellcracker is a #2 hook on 4 – 6 lb. test fishing line and a #5 clam shell split shot pinched on the line about 12″ – 18″ above the hook. We are primarily using either a red wiggler or nightcrawler. Lord willing we will continue to have good reports as we move through fall and into winter! If you don’t know what colors to choose check out our Combo Packs, this will save you a lot of time with proven stained and clear water colors. Lord willing we will have another report for you next week. Be sure to check out the archives for October 2024 and see what we were doing this time last year! Make sure to download the Red Rooster Long Line Trolling Guide for tips on how to troll for Allatoona Crappie. Verse of the Week: When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”  ~ Matthew 19:25-26.

LAKE HARTWELL

Bass (courtesy of Ken Sturdivant, www.southernfishing.com): Bass fishing is fair. The fish are still holding to lay downs along the bank and most of them are being caught out in the tops of the trees in the heavy branches on jigs. Use a 1/4 to 1/2 ounce jig in brown and green colors with a twin tail or frog trailer. Out on the main lake points, fish are still breaking the surface and on occasion are hitting top water baits. As the lake turns over, bass tend to suspend and Ito 110 jerk baits are excellent. Down Deep Husky Jerk will work too on the deeper channel ledges. Stay on the main lake or in the rivers this week and out of the coves. Spinner baits are catching a few bass that are roaming the banks and most of these fish are small spots. Use the six inch worms, the Rapala #5 RS Shad Raps and trick worms with a very light Texas rig. Fish every point and piece of structure and it may be necessary to fish several baits in one locations to trigger a strike.

Lake Hartwell Fishing (This report courtesy of www.dnr.sc.gov)

Black Bass: Guide Lane Clark (864-254-8614) reports that in November fish should be eating bait in the creeks, but while they are unlikely to be feeding on the surface as much as last month they will often still take a bait fished higher in the water column like a swimbait or jerkbait. Drop shots and shaky heads fished around brush will also work for spotted bass. The turnover slowed the fishing at the end of October but soon things should pick up again.

Striper and hybrids: Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports that in November anglers typically look for fish to set up off the end of long tapering points where they can hold on the bottom in 35-40 feet of water. Points that are too shallow, or drop off too sharply, will not hold as many fish. Fish should be about half-way back in the creeks and a similar distance up the rivers, and typically they will relate to the bottom. Finding bait is absolutely key. This pattern should hold through December when fish will eventually head deeper.

Crappie: Guide Rodney Donald (864-356-0143) reports that in November fish will still be found over brush and deeper docks, as well as suspended over timber. Both minnows and jigs will work. After a strong late October they expect at the very least a good start to this month.

Catfish: Captain Bill Plumley reports that in November bigger blue catfish will come shallower and move out of the timber. They can be caught with cut bait in the creek runs. This is also a good month for flatheads on live bait as well as channel catfish unless temperatures really drop.

LAKE LANIER 

Bass (courtesy of Phil Johnson (pjohnson15@hotmail.com or 770-366-8845); report via www.southernfishing.com): Bass fishing on Lake Lanier is good. The lake is currently five feet below full pool and the water temperature is running around sixty seven degrees. The main lake is clear with some staining in the backs of the creeks. The shad and the bass are definitely making their fall move to shallower water and the cooler rainy days should speed this up as the water temperature drops. There are lots of bass in thirty foot or less of water right now with several areas to target. Look for you fish around shallower humps, rocky points, docks in less than twenty feet of water and in ditches shallower than thirty feet. As you can see by the number of areas the bass are scattered and on a variety of baits. For the top water bite the Gunfish, Ima Skimmer and the Riser have all caught fish for the week with wind being a key for these baits to work. With the wind a white three eights spinnerbait with chrome willow leaf blades worked on the windy rocky points or banks has also produced bass. The new bite for the week has been a quarter ounce Pro Model Spot Choker with a Colorado blade paired with a three three Keitech worked down the middle of ditches in less than thirty feet of water that have shad in them. Forward facing helps to put the bait on the fish but just a simple slow bottom retrieve will draw strikes. This bait falls very slowly so be patient. The worm bite has picked up on the rocky points and on the docks in the first half of the creeks. Work a three sixteenths shakey head with either a green pumpkin purple or a watermelon candy Zoom trick worm on these areas. There are two things to be aware of right now, Turnover is beginning and the lake is five feet low. If you are in an area that has a lot of bubbles or foam you may need to leave as this is a sign of full turnover. It’s also very important to change the settings on your mapping unit to reflect the five-foot drop in water level. This much cheaper to do than losing a lower unit. As typical fall fishing, you may have to move quite a bit to locate the bass but some of the best Spots of the year are going to be caught in the next month so gear up and Go Catch ‘Em!

Linesides (courtesy of Buck Cannon, Buck Tales Guide Service (404-510-1778); report via www.southernfishing.com): Lake Lanier stripers have been caught up and down the lake but north of brown bridge is beginning to light up with the migration. Using your electronics and the birds locate the bait and the stripers are close together. The down line bite is very good using blue backs in 30 to 40 feet dedep over the edge of most channels and creeks. The deeper coves that lead to the rivers are a good bet. Now is the time to step up your leaders to 12 or 15 pound test and get ready for the big ones to bend your poles. Blue backs and gizzards will be the baits of choice. Remember to wear your life jacket.

WEISS LAKE  

Bass (courtesy of Ken Sturdivant, www.southernfishing.com): Bass fishing is fair. Fish are being caught shallow in 3 to 6 feet of water. The shad are moving to the back of the cove’s and creeks and some good Bass are starting to move to secondary points and shallow road beds, following the bait fish. Shallow running crank baits are working well, and Rat L Traps, Spinner Baits are also producing some fish. Anglers are primarily bank fishing with other baits. Cast the 6th Sense Crush Flat 7 5 X Pro Shad in pearl and shad. While many fish will be moving to shallow water in the pockets other groups will be roaming in search of shallow open water bait in the pockets. Use the rig to present finesse worms and Trick worms to fish passing directly under your sonar and roaming high in the water column. The top water bite is good early and late also.

WEST POINT LAKE

Bass (courtesy of Ken Sturdivant, www.southernfishing.com): Bass fishing is fair. The same patterns continue to work completely dependent on current conditions. Use any type of top water in a natural pattern. If the wind is up, the buzz bait can pay off with bigger fish. This is the same with the spinnerbait action if wind is present. Use a Strike King 3/8 ounce spinnerbait with double silver willow leaf blades. Anglers are primarily off shore fishing with other baits. While many fish will be moving to shallow water in the pockets other groups will be roaming in search of shallow open water bait in the pockets. Use the rig to present finesse worms and Zoom tick worms to fish passing directly under the sonar and roaming high in the water column. If there is no wind switch to your shaky head and jig with green pumpkin being the best color. Use a 3/8 ounce All Terrain jig AT Craw with a Zoom green pumpkin speed craw. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District is now in a drawdown at West Point Dam to support scheduled maintenance on the concrete pier between spillway gates 5 and 6. The lake is down now a level chosen to balance the project’s flood risk management, hydropower, and recreation missions. Maintenance and repair work is scheduled to occur from October 1, 2025, through January 15, 2026. Once repairs are complete the lake level will gradually return to normal as conditions allow. For more information, contact the West Point Project Manager’s Office at 706 645 2937.

LAKE SEED

Jeffery Smith with his crappie caught on Lake Seed.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN PFA

• Rocky Mountain PFA Information

Report courtesy of PFA Manager Dennis Shiley: With cooler temperatures, Crappie fishing has been picking up at the PFA and size quality has been pretty good too.  Anglers Gary Campbell and Darrell Ellis both recently weighed in crappie weighing 2 lbs., 2 oz.

TROUT REPORT

If you want to harvest a few trout for dinner and the Delayed Harvest streams are not your thing, take a tip from avid north Georgia angler Monti Bracamonte has been taking advantage of hungry leftover stockers. He reported great catch rates on Chattahoochee WMA and Soque River. Thanks for sharing the intel Monti and head out and harvest some beautiful browns sporting their best fall spawning colors.

Report courtesy of Jeff Durniak, blog.angler.management; report via www.unicoioutfitters.com:  Catch the GA bluelines soon before flows subside to drought levels and fish get real spooky again. Mountain mornings are now chilly, so start with a dry/dropper rig early and ditch the dropper around lunchtime, when stream temps rise above 50F and those little wild trout rise more consistently to your fall dries.

Wes’ Hot Fly List: 

• Dries: Orange Stimulator or elk hair caddis, chubby Chernobyl, parachute Adams, blue wing olive, various midges.
• Nymphs & Wets:
  • DH Stockers: twister egg, squirmy worm, mops, Duracell, psycho prince, CJ controller, ruby midge.
  • Mountain streams: hares ear, pheasant tail nymph and soft hackle, prince nymph, crazy leg stone.
• Streamers: Mini shimmer buggers, sparkle minnow, Jiggy fry.

Delayed Harvest Report (courtesy of GA DNR fisheries biologist Chris French): The delayed harvest season for trout kicked off on November 1st with several streams being stocked with Rainbow and Brown Trout. Portions of Amicalola Creek in Dawson County, Smith Creek in White County, Toccoa River in Fannin County, and the Morgan Falls Tailwater in Fulton and Cobb Counties were stocked last week with several thousand fish. These delayed harvest areas are catch and release, using single hook artificial lures only until May 14th, 2026. Fish will be periodically stocked in these streams throughout the delayed harvest season. For more information on the delayed harvest streams, check out the Georgia DNR fishing regulations at GeorgiaWildlife.com/fishing/angler-resources.

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

CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVER

Lanier Tailwater 

An awesome brown trout recently caught in the Chattahoochee tailwaters. (Photo courtesy of Phil Hutcheson, Home | Fish With Puffy Copy )

Parting Trout Note: Want to do more to support trout fishing in Georgia?  Consider upgrading to a Trout Unlimited license plate this year. See more info at GeorgiaWildlife.com/licenseplates.  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.

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 REPORT

LAKE RUSSELL IS DOWN 2 FEET, 70’S

Bass (courtesy of Ken Sturdivant at www.southernfishing.com): Bass fishing is fair. The lake is loaded with spotted bass and they love the cooler water. Expect these fish to be roaming in and out along the shallow rocky areas and a variety of baits will catch these fall bass. A few largemouth are also found here and they prefer the wood cover over the rock. Since this lake is nothing more than a flooded gorge, there is plenty of wood in various forms scattered all over the lake. Cast the 6th Sense Crush Flat 7 5 X Pro Shad in pearl and shad. Don’t rule out that top water bite this week after the cold fronts. Big bass are caught on the surface during the fall months. Good baits to use this week include spinner baits, and jigs, Shad Raps and Husky Jerks or Ito Vision 110.

Bass 2 (courtesy of www.dnr.sc.gov): Guide Jerry Kotal (706-988-0860) reports that in November bass should be out deep around bait schools on both the main lake and in the creeks. They will be caught on jigging spoons once temperatures cool and soft plastics before that.

Striped Bass (courtesy of www.dnr.sc.gov): Guide Wendell Wilson (706-283-3336) reports that in November fish will start out the month still a little scattered, but they will soon concentrate into the middle section of the lake. They will group up tighter as the month progresses, and fishing baits higher in the water column will become more effective.

Crappie (courtesy of www.dnr.sc.gov): Guide Wendell Wilson reports that November should continue to be a good time for Lake Russell crappie. Fish will be caught in both the main lake and the creeks around mid-depth brush with minnows.

Catfish (courtesy of www.dnr.sc.gov): Guide Jerry Kotal reports that catfish can be found in the creeks and coves on the main lake fishing with cut herring on the bottom.

Perch (courtesy of www.dnr.sc.gov): Guide Wendell Wilson reports that as it gets colder both white and yellow perch will bite minnows well. The fish will be on the bottom in deep water.

LAKE OCONEE IS FULL, 70’S

Bass (courtesy of Ken Sturdivant with www.southernfishing.com): Bass fishing is fair. The temperature is 72 75. North of the 44 bridge is stained up to I20.The rivers are a heavy stain. The main lake is clear. The bait is starting to stack up in the middle of the creeks and large coves in the mid lake area. There is some top water activity starting to show up in the middle of the big coves in Richland creek. Most any top water bait will work as long as it is small. These fish are feeding on small thread fins. Small crank baits fished on the secondary points and boat docks in this area will draw some strikes. Also soft plastics fished under docks and around wood structure will also produce.

Tournament wrap up (courtesy of www.americanbassanglers.com): The next AFT Division 72 tournament will be held on November 15 at Lake Oconee, launching from Sugar Creek Marina. For details, contact Director Benny Howell at 770-365-4795.

CLARKS HILL IS DOWN 5.3 FEET, 70’S

Bass (courtesy of Ken Sturdivant with www.southernfishing.com): Bass fishing is fair. Expect the bass to move back a little to deeper water this week. The bass are suspended out in 10 to 15 feet of water. This will enable angler to pin point them on the Lowrance graph and use those Down Deep Husky Jerk Baits to catch them. Expect the bites to be slow and far and few between. Carolina rigs are always a fall favorite with anglers during the fall transition. The lower end of the lake if turning over but this will have little effect on the fishing up in the Little River or Savannah River. Fish the rivers by picking apart the cover with Chatterbaits and jigs. Up lake in the creeks, look on the long runs out points as they are producing some nice spots in the three pound class. White Sebile swimmers and dark color worms seem to be the baits that are working the best in this area. On the windy days, fish the deeper points with a Rapala DT10 and a DT14 and use shad and hot mustard colors. Plenty of sunshine should dominate the weather for the majority of the week.

Bass 2 (courtesy of www.dnr.sc.gov): Guide Josh Rockefeller (706-513-6152) and tournament angler Tyler Matthews report that in November fish should continue to make their move back into the creeks – although some will stay offshore on the main lake. For shallow water fishermen, square-billed crankbaits should work well around natural rock, and it can also be a good time for flipping jigs around creek docks. Especially at the beginning of the month continue to look out for schooling fish.

Tournament wrap up (courtesy of www.americanbassanglers.com): Ben and Ashley Sutton emerged as the winning team at the second tournament of the American Bass Anglers Couples Series, South Carolina Division 11, held on the scenic Clarks Hill. With a strong field of returning couples and new faces alike, the event was filled with high energy as anglers aimed to secure top catches and claim the day’s bragging rights. Ben and Ashley Sutton showcased exceptional teamwork to capture first place with a total weight of 13.47 pounds, anchored by men’s big bass weighing 4.53-pounds.

Striped Bass & Hybrids (courtesy of www.dnr.sc.gov): Little River Guide Service (706-210-3474) reports that this month fish will head up the rivers and into the backs of creeks and the bite should really turn on. Down-line fishing should still be effective, but as the fish get shallower and scattered out in the backs some anglers will switch over to free-lines and planer boards.

Crappie (courtesy of www.dnr.sc.gov): Little River Guide Service reports that in November fish should gang up around mid-depth brush piles and submerged timber in the backs. Generally creeks in the middle and upper part of the lake will fish best, and crappie will eat minnows or jigs. The latter part of October was fair and fish were moving around a lot, but they may settle this month.

Catfish (courtesy of www.dnr.sc.gov): Captain Chris Simpson (864-992-2352) reports that November is one of the best months of the year to catch a big catfish on Lake Thurmond, and he has every expectation that very large blues and flatheads will continue to be caught this month. October was excellent. Anchoring on deep structure is about the most consistent way to catch big fish this month. The creeks can be good depending on whether bait has moved into them, and gizzard shad and white perch are hard to beat for the bigger fish.

LAKE SINCLAIR IS DOWN 3.2 FEET, 70’S

Bass (courtesy of Ken Sturdivant with www.southernfishing.com): Bass fishing is fair. Top water baits will work but the cold front will slow tis a few days. Spinner baits and crank baits are working as the as the water temperature cools down. Quality bass are started to show up using the spinner bait. Blow downs, shallow brush, stumps, and grass have been the cover holding these fish. Try a 3/8 ounce model in chartreuse white with double Colorado blades, one nickel and the other gold. Try to bump the cover with each retrieve and use multiple casts from various angles. Also try a ½ to ¾ ounce bait with a large #7 Colorado rear blade. This bait should be bulged just below the surface and retrieved over or very near likely looking cover. Jigs and soft plastics continue to draw a few bites around docks and shallow brush. The jig bite has been the most consistent bait on the humps, points and flats. Carolina rigs and crank baits are the primary baits here.

LAKE JACKSON IS FULL, 70’S

Bass (courtesy of Ken Sturdivant with www.southernfishing.com): Bass fishing is fair. Bass have moved into the pockets following the movement of bait fish. Focus more of your fishing in the pockets rather than the main lake. Long deep pockets may be most productive. We have been through a full moon phase and the bite after dark has been good, particularly for larger bass. A green jig and Zoom craw combo is ideal for targeting larger fish. Probe docks, brush, and other structure as you work the pockets. Texas rigged Finesse worms are also good for a bite and crankbaits should certainly be tried. A Bandit 200 and a #7 Shad Rap are good choices. Target flats and their edges in particular. Spinner baits and the Chatterbait are good choices, particularly in the early and evening hours. Use a shaky rig for all around plastic fishing. Finesse worms and crawfish patterns have been working well in 8′ and shallower rock, dock, and wood structure. Trick worms in watermelon seed will work on the shaky rig. Throw the plastic baits and jigs into the wood cover and let it soak a while before working it up and out through the tree limbs. Shad are primary forage for good numbers of schooling bass.

PUBLIC FISHING AREA REPORT

McDUFFIE PUBLIC FISHING AREA (courtesy of Fisheries Technician Nick Brewer) —

• McDuffie PFA Information
• Water Level: Water Levels are fluctuating with rainfall, currently all PFA lake water levels are down.
• Water Clarity: 24 inches
• McDuffie PFA Fishing Guide

With the recent drop in water temperatures, anglers are having more successful trips at McDuffie PFA.  Anglers are catching bass, catfish and sunfish frequently, and as the weather continues to cool, this trend should continue.  On October 10th, McDuffie PFA hosted a fish-n-learn with 7 participants learning the basics of catfishing and bass fishing. McDuffie staff hosted a Kids Fishing Event on October 25th, with around 50 kids attending—thanks to everyone who came to fish with us! Lastly, McDuffie staff have recently stocked intermediate sized catfish into Willow, Rodbender, Breambuster, and Bridge Lakes to increase catch and smile rates.

Bass: As temperatures cool, bass should be feeding more to prepare for winter.  Anglers should use lures that mimic bait fish in shallows and deeper water.  Plastics on a Texas or Carolina rig are also producing catches.

Striped and Hybrid Bass: Dropping temperatures are making hybrid and striped bass more active!  Anglers should use chicken livers in deeper water if they are targeting stripers.  Areas with lots of bird activity can indicate good areas to target.

Channel Catfish: Many anglers are catching catfish! Use a chicken liver and fish off the bottom of the lakes for the best chance of success.  Other good options are artificial baits and stink baits also fished off the bottom of the lakes. Bridge Lake was recently stocked with nearly 1,100 catchable catfish, which should help boost angler catch rates during the month of November.

Bream: Bream on the PFA are being frequently with worms in and around structure on the lakes.

Reminder: live fish/minnows are not allowed on our PFA.

FLAT CREEK PUBLIC FISHING AREA (courtesy of Area Manager Amory Cook) —

• Flat Creek PFA
• Water Level: 54” below full pool
• Water Temperature: Low 70’s
• Water Clarity: 20”
• Flat Creek PFA Fishing Guide

Bass: Anglers using watercraft are reporting that the bass bite has been steady with the majority of catches in the 3-4lb range. Target log jams. Anglers are continuing to report that Powerbait Swim Shad are producing the most catches but shallow running jointed square-bill crankbait lures like are landing fish as well.

Bream: Red Wigglers continue to produce Bream. Drop bait right next to the fishing pier instead of casting out.

Crappie: Cooler weather is promising extended catch times for Crappie. Target submerged treetops and use live minnows and jigs.

Catfish: Catfish are being caught on nightcrawlers. Remember the PFA lake record for catfish is still open and the minimum requirement to qualify is 12lbs or 32in long. You must have the catch weighed on a certified scale and properly documented.  Should you land a catfish that you believe to be at least 12 pounds (about 30 inches long), please notify DNR staff.

MARBEN PFA FISHING REPORT (courtesy of PFA Manager Jamie Dowd) —

• Marben Public Fishing Area
• Water level: All the ponds are full or nearly full, except Otter and Little Raleigh.  Margery is still closed till further notice.
• Water clarity: Clarity varies but most water bodies have up to 24″-48” visibility.
• Surface temperature: <70 F and decreasing.
• Marben PFA Fishing Guide

Bass: Bass are moving into shallower water as the temperatures decrease this month.  Spinner baits, crank baits, and top water are good.  Try depths from 6’ and less until you determine where they are.

Crappie: The crappie are not up shallow yet. Fishing over suspended brush is your best bet.  Use jigs tipped with minnows.

Bream: Bluegill and some shellcracker are being caught on or near the bottom.  Wigglers and wax worms are good choices for bait.  We’ve seen several nice bluegill and shellcracker that have been caught lately.

Other: Threadfin are schooling on the surface early morning and late afternoon in Bennett and Fox.   Bass and Hybrid bass (where present) are feeding on the schooling shad.

SOUTHEAST GEORGIA

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

Saltwater was great over the weekend with the stable weather and doable winds. The Okefenokee Swamp produced some great catches, as well.

River gages on November 6th were:

• Clyo on the Savannah River – 3.9 feet and falling
• Abbeville on the Ocmulgee – 2.7 feet and falling
• Doctortown on the Altamaha – 6.5 feet and falling
• Waycross on the Satilla – 4.8 feet and falling
• Atkinson on the Satilla – 3.6 feet and falling
• Statenville on the Alapaha – 1.7 feet and falling
• Macclenny on the St Marys – 2.0 feet and steady
• Fargo on the Suwannee – 1.6 feet and falling

Last quarter moon is November 12th. To monitor all the Georgia river levels, visit the USGS website. For the latest marine forecast, check out weather.gov/jax/.

ALTAMAHA/OCMULGEE RIVERS

The Altamaha came up this week due to releases from Lake Sinclair, and the Ocmulgee rose from Piedmont rains. Both are falling out again and should produce some great bass fishing again this week. Richard Young and a buddy fished the lower river on Saturday and caught 9 bass. They didn’t have any monsters, but everything was over 2 pounds. Their top 5 bass weighed right at 12 pounds. They tried crankbaits to no avail, but figure out how to catch them with Texas-rigged junebug worms. A couple of Waycross anglers fished the lower river with worms on the bottom and caught catfish and bream on Thursday.

SATILLA RIVER

The level is back down in the range where paddle crafts are the most effective. With the cooler mornings, expect the bass or crappie bites to be best, but panfish should be chewing in the warm afternoons this week.

OKEFENOKEE SWAMP

My wife Teresa fished with me for a few hours Sunday after church on the east side. We poked around looking at stuff for the first hour then checked some spots for the next hour and a half – both casting and trolling Dura-Spins. We caught 4 bowfin and a pickerel on lemon-lime and crawfish-brass Dura-Spins. The water is low enough that boat traffic stirs up the peat for a half-hour, and it seemed as if we were constantly trying to get away from boats. We found a clean spot for the last half-hour, and I was able to fool 6 bowfin with a fly rod and a fire tiger bladed fly. We did not have any really big bowfin – the largest was 3 pounds. We bumped blowups and sticks a few times with the outboard – it’s getting low! Ryan, Cathy, and Conrad from New Jersey fished with me on the west side Thursday, and they caught 59 fish on a half-day charter. Most were bowfin, but they had about a half-dozen pickerel up to 19 inches (Ryan had the biggest pickerel) and 4 fliers. The fliers all ate a pink Okefenokee Swamp Sally under a small foam float. The pickerel and bowfin ate Dura-Spins both cast and trolled and cut flier. Conrad caught the biggest bowfin (6-lb., 11-oz.) while casting a fire tiger-silver blade Dura-Spin. But, the crazy thing is that he hooked it right at the boat as he started into a Figure 8 (like he does for muskies). The fish annihilated the lure, and Conrad’s patient fight kept it hooked up. They caught about a dozen bowfin and a pickerel by casting cut flier on a 1/16-oz Mirage Jig Magnum, but the vast majority were on the in-line spinner. They had several “doubles” during the trip. Conrad earned 2 youth angler awards from the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division for his flier and bowfin. Curtis Hazel fished with Brad Reed on the east side Thursday. They caught 8 fish total (6 bowfin and 2 pickerel) by trolling Dura-Spins in the canal. Both fire tiger and crawfish versions worked for them equally well. Their largest bowfin pulled the scales down to 5 pounds. For the latest information about open areas, call Okefenokee Adventures or SC Foster State Park. The most recent water level on the Folkston side was 120.30 feet. On the west side, the level on Thursday was 3.72 feet.

HUGH M. GILLIS PUBLIC FISHING AREA (NEAR DUBLIN)

• Hugh Gillis PFA Information
• Hugh Gillis PFA Fishing Guide

DODGE COUNTY PUBLIC FISHING AREA (NEAR EASTMAN)

• Dodge County PFA Information  
• Dodge County Fishing Guide

OCMULGEE PUBLIC FISHING AREA (NEAR HAWKINSVILLE)

• Ocmulgee PFA Info
• Ocmulgee PFA Fishing Guide

Ken Burke fished the area early in the week and caught 3 bass in just over 5 hours of fishing. They weighed 5.1, 2.67, and 1.1 pounds. He caught them all on crankbaits in 8 to 22 feet of water. The water temperature was 64 degrees in the middle of the day.

PARADISE PUBLIC FISHING AREA (NEAR TIFTON)

• Paradise PFA Info
• Paradise PFA Fishing Guide

LOCAL PONDS

Chad Lee fished an Alma-area pond over the weekend and caught a great mess of crappie, bluegill, and flier. He kept 19 that he fooled with live minnows. The biggest crappie was pushing 1 1/2 pounds. Joshua Barber fished a Tifton area pond on Saturday in the cold temperatures and had 3 bass (one keeper). Plastic worms were the ticket. The crappie bite has fired off in several places. Fish minnows or jigs in your favorite pond that has the tasty panfish, and you should do well this weekend. They will probably slow down early next week if the strong cold snap materializes.

SALTWATER (GEORGIA COAST)

The fish bit well this week despite the increasing tides. Weather (other than being cold in the mornings) and winds were great over the weekend, and the trout bit well. I had several folks report catching lots of trout in the Brunswick area. One angler used hard plugs and topwaters to catch and release some really nice trout. Wyatt Crews fished with me in the Brunswick area on Tuesday in the wind, and we did great on redfish and black drum. We had a total of 54 fish (released all but 3 reds, a black drum, and a trout). Our biggest trout was 17 inches, and biggest redfish was 25 inches (we had a half-dozen oversized redfish). Live shrimp rigged on 3/16-oz. Redfish Wrecker Jigheads was the ticket. We tried artificials several places to no avail and then caught them with shrimp on that jighead. Our arms were sore after that trip! Capt. Tim Cutting (fishthegeorgiacoast.com) had great trips from Monday through Thursday despite the growing full-moon tides. They had lots of trout and reds on Fourseven plastics. They also mixed in a MirrOLip L30 for some of their bigger fish. After your next trip to the GA Wildlife Resources Division 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 open Friday through Tuesday each week (closed Wednesday and Thursday). They have plenty of lively shrimp and also have live worms and crickets for freshwater. For the latest information and their hours, contact them at 912-223-1379.

KEATON BEACH, FLORIDA

Don Harrison, Rob Weller, Bill Janowsky, Bryan, and Mike fished the Keaton Beach flats for a few days and whacked some nice fish. On Friday they ended up with 19 keeper trout and a redfish between 2 boats. They did best with a pink slick jerkbait. The bite was a little slower on Saturday, but they had a couple big fish. Their biggest trout was Rob’s 25-incher, and Don had a 22-inch redfish. They had a dozen keepers that day. They went off in deeper water to some rocks on Sunday and caught a bunch of black sea bass, but most were undersized. Capt. Pat McGriff (onemorecast.net) had some excellent trips this week in the Gulf. Trout and black sea bass topped the catches, but they also had some redfish mixed in when they went shallow. Live pinfish under floats worked best, but they also caught them on Assassin 5-inch Shads in pink hues.

Blog Contributor 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).