A new year means new goals, new memories, and plenty of chances to get out on the water. Whether you’re planning to catch your first bass of the season, explore a new Georgia lake, or finally take that fishing trip you’ve been talking about, now is the perfect time to start fresh. Each cast is an opportunity to reset, reconnect, and remember why we love fishing in the first place. Here’s to a year full of early mornings, tight lines, and great stories from Georgia’s waters.

NEWS TO KNOW

• Happening Tomorrow in Rome, GA (Sat. Jan. 3): Support Fish Habitat with a Tree Donation: Your Christmas tree can have a second life, as fish habitat! Bring your live, undecorated Christmas tree to the “Bring one for the Chipper” event on Sat. Jan. 3 (9am-12pm) to the Home Depot at 103 Hicks Drive, Rome GA. Keep Rome-Floyd Beautiful and Georgia DNR Fisheries have partnered to place trees in nearby ponds and lakes, supporting fish and wildlife. 
• Go Fish Education Center – Improvements: The work on the outdoor aquariums at the Go Fish Education Center have hit a few construction delays due to weather, so the re-opening date is to be determined. But, don’t worry, the rest of the Center and casting pond will remain open on weekends, with education programs continuing during the week. 

This week, we have fishing reports from Central, Southeast, and North Georgia (Southwest will be back with a report after the holidays). We hope that your New Year is filled with opportunities to Go Fish Georgia!

CENTRAL GEORGIA

(Fishing report courtesy of Chad Kaiser, 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 brought to you by Ken Sturdivant’s Southern Fishing Report, and contributions from Region 3 WRD Fisheries staff, local guides, and anglers.

RESERVOIR REPORT

LAKE RUSSELL IS DOWN 2 FEET, 50’s 

Bass (courtesy of Ken Sturdivant’s Southern Fishing Report): 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. Good 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. Find the fish on the Lowrance DOWN SCAN technology and if have Fish Reveal use it on the Down Scan so the fish appear like on regular Sonar. Use the vertical jig in a 1/2-to-3/4-ounce spoon. Then add the jigs, Shad Raps and Husky Jerks or Ito Vision 110 and use them all. Use the deep diving crank baits around rocks and wood. Smaller bass are still being caught up shallow, but this will change with the cold weather. The warm days will get schools of bait fish up to the rocks and rip rap where anglers easily caught on Rapala Shad Raps and Rapala DT6. As colder weather returns, change to the Rapala DT10 and DT14 along the same areas and use a slower retrieve. As long as the water stays clear, stay with the Shad colors in these baits. Hot Mustard and Brown Bone are excellent when visibility gets to three feet of less. With temperatures fluctuating between upper 70’s to below freezing in the new year fishing will be variable. Chase areas of full sun to find bass seeking warmer waters.

Black Bass 2 (courtesy of SC Fishing Reports):  Guide Jerry Kotal (706-988-0860) reports that in December bass will be in deep water in the creeks and also on the main lake. By the end of November, they had already moved out to 50-60 feet and the bite was very good. They will be caught on jigging spoons, drop shots, jigs, and live bait.

Striped Bass (courtesy of SC Fishing Reports): Guide Wendell Wilson (706-283-3336) reports that December is one of the best months of the year to fish Russell for striper, and fish usually group up in the mid-lake. Whether you opt to throw artificial lures at feeding fish or cover water by pulling herring on free-lines and planer boards, following the birds is key.

Crappie and Perch (courtesy of SC Fishing Reports): Guide Wendell Wilson reports that in December he will not usually target crappie, although they are sometimes a by-catch, but yellow and white perch will be caught in excellent numbers. They will be caught on minnows fished around deeper schools of bait.

Catfish (courtesy of SC Fishing Reports): Guide Jerry Kotal reports that December is not a month when very many people will be targeting catfish, but if you concentrate on deep water you can pick up channel catfish or even a big flathead before it gets too cold.

CLARKS HILL IS DOWN 7 FEET, 50’S 

Bass (courtesy of Ken Sturdivant’s Southern Fishing Report): 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. Cold, windy days make fishing a little tougher for sure. For the serious angler, the bass are still biting it just takes some work. Find the fish on the Lowrance DOWN SCAN technology and if have Fish Reveal use it on the DOWN Scan so the fish appear like on regular Sonar. Use the vertical jig in a 1/2-to-3/4-ounce spoon. Fish are holding near rocky structure where the water stays warmer. Lipless crank baits work as the morning moves on. Finish up with a jig or a Texas rigged worm. Carolina rigs are great fall and winter favorites during the fall transition. Try the north Little River or Savannah River area. Fish the rivers by picking apart the cover with Chatterbaits and jigs. On windy days, fish the deeper points with a Rapala DT10 and a DT14 and use shad and hot mustard colors.

Black Bass 2 (courtesy of SC Fishing Reports): Guide Josh Rockefeller (706-513-6152) reports that in December there should be two major groups of fish. Once temperatures get below 55 degrees there will be bass in the creek ditches that can be caught on The Sled and blade baits. At times these fish will get very shallow. There is another group of deeper fish out on the main lake focused on bait schools that can be caught on minnow imitations or underspins fished in open water or over humps and other structure. Birds can help locate the bait schools.

Striper and Hybrids (courtesy of SC Fishing Reports): Little River Guide Service (706-210-3474) reports that during December many fish should move into the backs of the creeks. As the fish get shallower and scatter out in the backs more anglers will switch over to free-lines and planer boards, but there are also always fish that can be caught on down-rods.

Catching Award Winning Fish (courtesy of WRD Fisheries Biologist Aaron Gray): This week we have a young fisherman putting seasoned bass anglers to shame. 10-year-old Cooper Malcom recently fished Clarks Hill with his father and landed an 8 pound, 5 ounce largemouth! Cooper caught his trophy bass on a small swimbait – always a solid choice for Clarks Hill bass most any time of year. Congratulations to the budding Bassmaster – no word yet on his guiding rates!

Parents! Don’t forget about Georgia’s Angler Award Youth Program for anglers 15 and under. Visit GeorgiaWildlife.com/fishing/anglerawards for the application and submission rules for all species.

Dereck Fulton is no stranger to our Adult Angler Award Program himself. He’s a crappie-catching machine out on Clarks Hill. Here he is with some recent crappie and catfish catches, all caught while wearing one of his Georgia Angler Award hats! We won’t claim that the hats help anglers land bigger fish, but they certainly don’t hurt your chances!! Visit GeorgiaWildlife.com/fishing/anglerawards for the application and submission rules for our adult awards.

Crappie (courtesy of SC Fishing Reports): Little River Guide Service reports that in December there should still be some fish ganged up around mid-depth brush piles and submerged timber in creeks. Generally creeks in the middle and upper part of the lake will fish best, and crappie will eat minnows or jigs. As more fish start to roam, however, the bite usually slows down.

Catfish (courtesy of SC Fishing Reports): Captain Chris Simpson (864-992-2352) reports that December is one of the best months of the year to catch a big catfish on Thurmond, and if anything fishing is likely to improve from what has already been an excellent fall bite. Anchoring on deep structure is usually the most consistent way to catch large blue and flathead catfish this month, although drifting has been strong so far this fall. 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. This year all signs point to a continued good bite in the creeks.

LAKE OCONEE IS FULL, 50’S

Bass (courtesy of Ken Sturdivant’s Southern Fishing Report): Bass fishing is slow. Be sure to match the color of the bait to the water color. The best fishing is in Richland Creek. Spoons are the hot ticket. South end of the lake in the light-stained water around humps and just off the river channel in about 30ft of water. Find the fish on the Lowrance DOWN SCAN technology and if have Fish Reveal use it on the DOWN Scan so the fish appear like on regular Sonar. Use the vertical jig in a 1/2-to-3/4-ounce spoon. Small crank baits fished around docks and sea walls from the middle of the creeks to the back of the creeks. Look at 8 feet of water depth at the end of the docks seems to be the best producer. A spinner bait fished around wood in Richland Creek has been producing a few fish.

Tournament Update (courtesy of ABA News):  The AFT D72 tournament was held on Lake Oconee on December 6, 2025, with 32 anglers competing. Greg Yarbrough of Milledgeville won the event with a five-bass limit weighing 18.07 pounds, anchored by a 5.28-pound largemouth. Les Charles of Milledgeville finished second with five bass totaling 15.87 pounds, including a 4.72-pound fish. Tony Wooten of Dublin caught the tournament’s largest bass at 5.72 pounds. Tournament results showed multiple bass over five pounds being weighed, indicating strong largemouth bass condition and good fishing success on Lake Oconee during early winter.

Striper (from Doug Nelms with Big Fish Heads Guide Service):  The striper bite is really heating up on Lake Oconee and the fish are starting to put on some winter weight thanks to a combination of cold temperatures and heavy feeding activity. Striper are finally grouping up in deeper water and along main-lake river channels, following schools of bait. Look for fish suspended over 20–40 feet near channel bends, creek mouths, and the dam. Live shad or large bucktails and umbrella rigs worked slowly through the marks are producing best, with the most consistent action coming during the warmer part of the day.

LAKE SINCLAIR IS DOWN 2.0 FEET, STAINED, 50’S

Bass (courtesy of Ken Sturdivant’s Southern Fishing Report): Bass fishing is fair. 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.

Tournament Update (courtesy of ABA News): The American Fishing Tour Central Georgia Division 72 tournament was held on Lake Sinclair on December 20, 2025, with 38 anglers competing. Lance Collins of Monticello won the event with a five-bass limit weighing 14.48 pounds, anchored by a 4.51-pound largemouth. David Lowery of Milledgeville finished second with a five-fish total of 13.49 pounds and also landed the tournament’s largest bass, a 5.96-pound largemouth. Tournament results included multiple quality bass, with nearly six-pound fish weighed, indicating solid largemouth bass condition and productive fishing on Lake Sinclair during the winter period.

Catfish (from WRD Fisheries): During December, expect most blue catfish to be holding in deeper water — deep holes, channel edges, or old creek-channel depressions, especially near river arms or the dam. Use heavy tackle — a stout rod, 20-50 lb braided or mono line, large circle hooks, and a strong sinker to keep bait on the bottom. Cut shad or large gizzard shad, live bream, or other sizeable natural baits are most effective — blues on Sinclair prey on gizzard shad, threadfin shad, crappie, and other fish species at this time of year when they aren’t gorging on Asian clams (Corbicula). Prior WRD-funded research on blue catfish from this Oconee system shows that fish are an important dietary component for blue catfish in the winter season. Fish slowly — anchor or slowly drift over deep structure, channel bends, submerged humps or holes, or near rip-rap banks where deeper water or slack current meets structure. On cold or calm days, midday may offer the best bite, though the bite can slower overall compared to the warmer months.

LAKE JACKSON IS DOWN 2.0 FEET, CLEAR, 50’S

Bass (courtesy of Ken Sturdivant’s Southern Fishing Report): Bass fishing is fair. There are hardly any anglers on the lake with hunting season now. Some fish are shallow and can be caught on 3/8 ounce. Net Boy Baits jigs around shallow rocks and docks. Good colors are all black or all brown. More numbers are found deeper in 15 to 20 feet and are being caught on Carolina rigged watermelon-colored worms, 3/4 ounce. Net Boy Baits football jigs or jerk baits. Look for rock with any brush on it for the deep bite. Find the fish on the Lowrance DOWN SCAN technology and if have Fish Reveal use it on the DOWN Scan so the fish appear like on regular Sonar. Use the vertical jig in a 1/2-to-3/4-ounce spoon. If all else fails get three rods all rigged with various sizes and colors of the jig and fish them on the rocks and sea walls.

Catfish (from WRD Fisheries): At Lake Jackson in December, most catfish — especially larger blues and flatheads — settle into deeper holes and bends near the main lake and dam. Expect fish tight to the bottom, with the best action around deep channel transitions such as the South River arm near the Hwy-36 Bridge or other creek-to-river breaks. Fish with heavy gear because Jackson has some large catfish roaming around! Flatheads have a preference for live bait (bream) while blues seem to be less selective and can be caught with cut bait. Anchor or slowly drift over deep structure and channel edges; bite windows often improve during low light or stable midday weather.

LAKE TOBESOFKEE

Shellcracker (from WRD Fisheries): WRD Fisheries staff from Perry recently conducted fall gillnet samples from Lake Tobesofkee, a 1,750-acre City of Macon-Bibb County-operated recreational reservoir just west of Macon. This lesser-known reservoir contains excellent fisheries for bass, crappie, and hybrids stocked by WRD Fisheries. It also contains a good population of hearty shellcracker that are popular among bank anglers. Recent surveys revealed great numbers of shellcracker in the 8” – 10” size range that make for fun, easy fishing off the dock or bank, and they’re also great to eat! Use live bait such as nightcrawlers, red wigglers, or crickets fished directly on the bottom, especially in 6–12 feet of water near submerged vegetation or dock pilings. A light Carolina or split-shot rig fished slowly and kept in contact with the bottom is effective, with bites often subtle so a slip bobber can help. Focus efforts during the morning and late afternoon when fish are most active. A handful of the fish we caught were processed as samples to update the Environmental Protection Division’s Fish Consumption Guidelines for Lake Tobesofkee.

PUBLIC FISHING AREA REPORT

MCDUFFIE PUBLIC FISHING AREA (courtesy of Fisheries Technician Chalisa Fabillar) –

• McDuffie PFA Information
• Water Level: Water Levels are fluctuating with rainfall, currently all fishing lakes water levels are down.
• Water Clarity: 24 “ in Rodbender, 36+” in other lakes
• McDuffie PFA Fishing Guide

Waters are cool and mostly clear, with lower lake levels. However, the unseasonable warm days have brought on blooms in Bridge and Bream Buster Lakes.

Bass: Bass bite has been challenging lately with bass moving slowly in deeper waters. Anglers should use slow forage lookalikes and deepwater worms. The key this time of year is low and slow with lures to entice a bite.  

Striped and Hybrid Bass: Anglers are seeing the increased cooler weather feeding activity for striped bass and hybrids. Striped bass are in Bridge and Clubhouse Lakes, while hybrids are in Bream Buster and Bridge Lakes.  Anglers should use chicken livers, worms, and shiner-like lures in white, gold, and silvers in deep water for stripers.  Fishing in Clubhouse from the dock, near all the outflow siphons, and in the deeper waters of Bridge Lake this time of year consistently yields good stripers. 

Channel Catfish: Catfish bite is consistently good right now. Anglers are catching creel limits using chicken liver and worms off the bottom of the lakes.  Other good options are artificial baits and stink baits also fished off the bottom of the lakes.   Reminder: Jones, Rodbender, Clubhouse, Bridge, and Beaver Lodge Lakes all got healthy stockings of catchable catfish in November and December. 

Bream: Bream on the PFA has picked up a bit with anglers using crickets near stumps, docks, and other structures. Nice sunfish are being caught around stumps in Willow Lake and near the dock of Bream Buster Lake. 

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

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

• Flat Creek PFA Information
• Flat Creek PFA Information
• Water Level 54.5’ below full pool
• Water Temperature: low 50’s
• Water Clarity 21” and green
• Flat Creek PFA Fishing Guide

Bass: Anglers are reporting 3-4lb bass being caught from the fishing pier at night. Try Strike King rage swimmer in white on a 3/8-ounce jig head.

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

Crappie: Anglers are reporting half pound and better catches from the fishing pier. Minnows continue to be the choice bait.

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 PUBLIC FISHING AREA (courtesy of PFA Manager Jamie Dowd) —

• Marben Public Fishing Area
• Water level: Most ponds water levels are low, Shepherd and Bennett are near full
• Water clarity: Clear
• Surface temperature: 52 degrees 
• Marben PFA Fishing Guide

Bass: Bass fishing will be slow. Try using Plastic worms or jigs in deeper water. Some might have success using a bait mimicking a lethargic shad or other baitfish in the afternoon. Anglers have also had success in the early morning.

Crappie: Good. Fox, Margery, Bennett, and Dairy Lakes have been the most consistent for crappie, with most being caught while trolling jigs at 6-10 feet deep or by casting jigs with a float and retrieving slowly.

Bream: Shell Cracker and bluebill can be caught at or near the bottom, red wigglers are a safe choice for this.

SOUTHEAST GEORGIA

(Fishing report courtesy of Don Harrison and Tim Bonvechio, Fisheries Biologists, with help from Region Staff and Local Experts)

Special Thanks to Joshua Barber for his help with obtaining the fishing information and many of the photos found below. 

I hope that each of you had a great New Year! The cold front has slowed down the fishing, but it should pick back up next week with the forecasted warm weather. Bass and crappie were the best reports that I received.

River gages on January 1 were:

• Doctortown on the Altamaha – 4.2 feet and steady
• Lumber City on the Ocmulgee – 1.8 feet and rising
• Clyo on the Savannah – 4.0 feet and steady
• Statenville on the Alapaha – 1.9 feet and falling
• Waycross on the Satilla – 5.4 feet and falling
• Atkinson on the Satilla – 3.8 feet and steady
• Quitman on the Withlacoochee – 1.7 feet and steady
• Macclenny on the Saint Marys – 2.0 feet and steady
• Fargo on the Suwannee – 1.9 feet and steady

Full moon is on January 3rd. To monitor all the Georgia river levels, visit the USGS website. For the latest marine forecast, check out weather.gov/jax/.

ALAPAHA RIVER

The new GON Alapaha River record Black Crappie of 1 lb, 0.50 oz was caught by Catlin Grant on December 21, 2025. For more about the GON Lake and River record program, visit gon.com/fishing/georgia-lake-river-records.

ALTAMAHA/OCMULGEE/OCONEE RIVERS

Bob Preston fished the lower river last Sunday afternoon and Monday morning. He first caught 18 quality sized panfish (bluegill and redbreast) on crickets. Then using cut bait and those live panfish, he caught 7 channel catfish up to 29 inches, 2 big blue cats and a flathead catfish that measured 28 inches. I received a few reports this week of some anglers who caught their limits of crappie in the middle river by using live minnows. Most of the specks were giants though. An angler fished the middle Ocmulgee River on Christmas eve and caught 25 crappie and a pair of bluegills on live minnows.

An angler caught 25 crappie and 2 bluegills fishing the middle Ocmulgee River on Christmas eve.  He was using floats with minnows and gold hooks.

The 3 Rivers Bass Tournament Trail announced their 2026 schedule.  Anyone interested in the cost of participating can contact Ashley Boggan at 912-292-3072 or you can email him at Boggan75@gmail.com 

SATILLA RIVER

Alvin Thrift and a friend fished the lower river last weekend before the cold front. They caught a nice mess of 14 bass on soft plastics. Two Waycross area anglers fished the upper river last week and caught around 15 specks on minnows and jigs (minnows worked best). Before your next trip to the river, stop by Satilla Feed and Outdoors located at 2270 US-84 in Blackshear. They have a variety of rods, reels, and fishing tackle. For their hours, call 912-449-3001.

WITHLACOOCHEE RIVER

Jim O’Conner tore the fish up on a four hour trip Monday while trying out his homemade 1/8 ounce jigs. He caught over 50 fish, which consisted of a dozen big redbreasts, a 20” inch largemouth (weighed 4 lbs., 6 oz.), and over 30 Suwannee Bass up to 15 inches.

SAVANNAH RIVER

Mark and Tripp had a great trip on the lower river on Friday. They caught around 60 fish (27 slab crappie and the rest were mixed species) by pitching chartreuse and Tennessee shad color 1/16 oz. Specktacular jigs (made by Bert’s Jigs and Things). The crappie ate the jig without the minnow but the other species seemed to want it tipped with one.

PARADISE PUBLIC FISHING AREA

• Paradise PFA Info
• Paradise PFA Fishing Guide

The winter black crappie bite continued in earnest at Paradise PFA.  George and Melonese Brownlee reported catching 12 black crappie from the bank while using jigs this past weekend. Michael Carter recently reported catching 5 black crappie on minnows and said they were holding to deeper structure.  Paradise PFA has great bank access on its lakes and has fishing piers in lakes Patrick, Horseshoe 2, and Horseshoe 3.

Also, don’t forget, if you catch a tagged largemouth bass in Paradise PFA, please clip the tag off as close as you can to the bass.  Then, once you are done fishing for the day, obtain a form from the front office porch and fill out the information as best you can including attaching the tag to the form, a weight, length and if you kept or released the fish.  There is a drop box for tag forms, on the front porch as well, if you don’t want to pay for postage. Tag forms should be sent to the Region 4 Waycross Office, P. O. Box 2089, Waycross, GA 31502-2089.  For, first time catches, you will receive a nice Paradise PFA bass tagging ball cap and you will be placed in a drawing for a YETI cooler.  Any additional tagged fish caught should be turned in also, as each additional fish caught by the angler, increases their odds of winning the cooler.  Single tagged fish get one entry in the drawing, double tagged fish get two entries into the drawing.  The drawing will take place in late March 2026, after the conclusion of the one-year exploitation study.  There are 10 lakes across the area that WRD fisheries staff have put tagged fish in, so get out there and Go Fish Georgia!

DODGE PUBLIC FISHING AREA

• Dodge County PFA Information  
• Dodge County Fishing Guide

Water temperature is still a brisk 53F but that hasn’t stopped the big crappie from biting….Paul Moore caught a 1.53 lb. crappie on December 23. 

OCMULGEE PUBLIC FISHING AREA

• Ocmulgee PFA Info
• Ocmulgee PFA Fishing Guide

We got several reports of good size bass biting at this trophy bass destination. A Warner Robins angler boated a 6.56lb bass on Christmas Eve, early in the am but that was his only bite. Also, a pair of nonresident anglers from the state of Washington reported they caught 5 bass, and all were in the 5 to 6lb range. So, the big ones are smart on this area, but with some diligence and thinking outside the box, a trophy bass can still be caught and released from this public fishing area.

HUGH M. GILLIS PUBLIC FISHING AREA (NEAR DUBLIN)

• Hugh Gillis PFA Information
• Hugh Gillis PFA Fishing Guide

LOCAL PONDS

An angler tossed June bug and bubblegum senko worms in a private Pierce County pond on Christmas afternoon and caught 5 bass up to 14 inches.

A Turner County angler fished a rattle trap style lure and a jig and pig in a private pond just before Christmas and caught 25 bass up to 7.12lbs and 3 black crappie up to 1lb. His best 5 bass went 23.36lbs. The bass took a while to get going with the cooler air and water temperatures, but once the sun got up a little bit (10:30 am), the bite turned on. The next weekend, the same angler took his buddy, and they fished a different Turner County pond on Saturday the 27^th and did well fishing for bass and crappie.  They ended up fooling 35 bass up to 7.57 lbs. and 31 crappies. The bass were caught on threadfin shad imitation like rattle traps and the crappie mostly bit a chartreuse jig fished 2 to 3 feet under a cork.

Jimmy Zinker fished a Valdosta area lake this past weekend. He had to work for them but managed to catch 5 bass (missed a big one) on a Bang-O-Lure and buzzbaits. I went bass fishing at a lake last Saturday afternoon and they were very tight lipped. I wound up catching 4 with the biggest weighing around 3 1/2 pounds on soft plastics and a Rapala jointed minnow. Lee Pearce and his daughter fished the last hour of daylight Saturday afternoon at Reed Bingham State Park. They caught a couple fish including a big 5 pound bass on a Crush City Cleanup Craw. They also fished the day before at a pond and caught 6 bass on an 1/8 oz. Texas rigged black trick worm. A Tifton area angler fished a private pond before Christmas and caught 25 bass up to 7.12 lbs. and 3 black crappie up to 1lb. His best 5 went 23.36 lbs. He used a rattle trap style lure and a jig and pig to smoke them. He and a friend went to a different pond last Saturday and they slayed 35 bass up to 7.57 lbs. and 31 crappie. They used rattle traps for the bass and crappie mostly bit chartreuse colored jigs under a cork. 

OKEFENOKEE SWAMP

Report courtesy of Capt. Bert Deener: Hayes and Jackson came down from Atlanta on a father-son getaway trip to the Okefenokee and had a blast. They stayed in the Eco-Lodge at SC Foster State Park and poked around the trails and the park. On Sunday afternoon they fished with the Capt.  Jackson caught his first fish ever (totally by himself!). Trolling Dura-Spins was the ticket, and the best colors were crawfish-brass, lemon-lime, and white-white blade. Hayes caught the biggest at 4-lb., 9-oz., and Jackson’s 20-incher earned him a Youth Angler Award from the GA Wildlife Resources Division. Find out more about the Angler award program at GeorgiaWildlife.com/fishing/anglerawards.

Captain Bert Deener made a short 2 1/2-hour trip to the east side of the Okefenokee after church on Sunday and smoked them. He caught and released 32 fish total. In the first half-hour of the trip, he used his fly rod and caught 10 bowfin up to 4 pounds on a electric chicken Capt. Bert’s Bladed Fly. He switched it up and caught 10 more bowfin (including a 5 lbs. 10 oz. giant) and a couple nice pickerel on black/chartreuse and crawfish colored Dura-Spins. For the last 30 minutes he picked up his fly rod again and caught 8 more bowfin on a fire tiger bladed fly up to 3 lbs. After he loaded his boat, he walked around the boat basin and caught a few nice fliers and a big 10-inch bluegill while using pink Okefenokee Swamp Sallies. I fished the east side last Friday afternoon and had a blast! I caught 36 bowfin up to 7.3 lbs and a 14-inch jackfish by trolling firetiger and crawfish colored Dura-Spins. Captain Bert Deener offers guided fishing trips in the Okefenokee. To book a trip with him, visit his website bertsjigsandthings.com.

SALTWATER

Captain Tim Cutting (fishthegeorgiacoast.com) had two great guide trips earlier this week in the Saint Simons Area. On Monday they caught 15 redfish and 5 black drum by using live shrimp. They fished Tuesday and fooled 21 keeper trout up to 21 inches and some underslots. The trout were all caught on DOA shrimp, Prawn USA jr. shrimp, and Z-Man Trout Trick. An angler fished the Saint Simons Island Pier this afternoon and caught 6 monster sheepshead between 5-8 lbs. I also heard of a good redfish report in the Brunswick area today.

NORTH GEORGIA

(Fishing report courtesy of Jim Hakala, Fisheries Biologist and Region Supervisor, with help from Region Staff and Local Experts)

RESERVOIR REPORT

Allatoona Bass (This report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant, www.southernfishing.com): Bass fishing is good. There is a good jig bite fishing a Kaci’s Kustom 3/8-ounce jig. Bluegill fire or a Kustom Kicker Dock Monkey on primary points is producing fish. Now is a good time to really practice the drop shot rigs. Use a few different sizes of drop sow weights. Be sure the sinkers have swivels, so the rig does not twist the line. Use 14-pound test Sunline fluorocarbon line with a Big Bite twin tail trailer. As the water temperature drops, this can be a good time to use jerk baits. Watch the water temperatures with the Lowrance Heat Map feature in the areas that are getting more sun. A couple of degrees can make a big difference all month. Primary and secondary points from Galt’s Ferry to just above Little River are good areas. Have the Spro McStick jerk bait and the Alabama Rig with Big Bite Baits 3.5 inch with the Cane Thumpers. Watch the graph for baitfish to begin to ball up tightly as water temperatures drop past the low 50’s.

Allatoona Bass Tid-Bit: DNR stocked Allatoona Reservoir with over 14,000 largemouth bass in fall 2025.  These 5–8-inch juvenile largemouth were largely stocked by boat into prime shoreline habitat in the McKaskey Creek, Kellogg Creek, Sweetwater Creek, and Little River areas of the lake.  Stockings of largemouth bass with high Florida alleles have been occurring at Allatoona since 2012.  Look for more “largies” to be stocked at Allatoona in 2026.

Allatoona Linesides and Bass (This report courtesy of Captain Joseph Martinelli with Heron Outdoor Adventures): The Bite: Lake Allatoona fishing report for December.  Our beautiful North Georgia reservoir shines all year long, and winter has its own unique sereneness that only adds to the magic that is Lake Allatoona. And on that note, one of the most beautiful things I have come to witness over the past couple years is the increase of the common loon. It absolutely warms my heart every time I hear one, and now I am seeing more and more young loons – a testament that this reservoir thrives with life.

Current water levels are around 826 ft – 14 ft below full pool. With morning surface water temperatures ranging from 41° on the north end to 48/49° mid-lake, baby – it’s cold outside and inside.

This is a great time of year to find the bait huddled thick and often deep, and the fish that we seek to pull on our lines not far behind.

Over the course of the past 2 weeks on guided fishing trips and plenty of scouting and fun fishing, we have come across every predominant species that swims in our reservoir.

The striped bass and hybrid striped bass bite has been pretty strong. There are surely days when they are hard to find, and days when they are easy to find and hard to get to chew. And then there are the days that dreams are made of. Even on the toughest days when we are reminded why it is called fishing and not catching, there can be much to learn while enjoying the serenity of a fairly recreational boating-abandoned reservoir. Many times, it’s just you and the water.

But let’s talk about what gets them to bite – food! There is no doubt that the linesides move around more than most fish. When God gave out fins and tails, it appears he commanded the striped bass and cousins to use theirs the most. So now you have a couple of options – try to chase them around or simply stay put and wait for them to come through to you again. Tough decision sometimes but when concentrating on channel bends and intersections with roadbeds, ditches and creek mouths, sometimes you staying in place can be found to be most effective. They are still using the channel as a highway for most of the sunlight hours in my observation. Sometimes the activity may be right up on the higher edge/flat of the channel, but oftentimes it’s happening right in the depths.

Dripping herring, threadfin shad and especially trout this time of year will often out-produce artificials. Running your baits on downlines with a couple free lines in the mix is often sure to catch. Don’t forget though – this is predicated on keeping fresh and frisky bait on the hook. Sometimes we forget that when we drill a little 4-in herring 30 to 50 ft down at high speed on a 1-2 oz. sinker, we’re not doing ourselves any good. Ease your bait on down through the column to your desired depth. Don’t forget to check your baits in five minutes or so after your first setup. Check the health of them and you’ll pretty much have a good idea of what you can get away with in the same area for the duration of your trip. The same goes for gizzard shad Now, if you are fishing with some rainbow trout, they are pretty tough and typically only need to be checked after a big strike and potential miss.

On these windier days, trolling artificials may be the ticket. Yesterday during higher west winds and whitecaps on the reservoir, we pulled into our favorite little section of Kellogg Creek and found fish stacked all over. Same thing though – they are on the move and you can sit still and wait for them to come to you, or you can go get after them with the bigger motor. We chose for the ladder and hammered them on the Captain Mack’s minis. Big football-sized hybrids often chomping two to three at a time on the lines kept us quartering the waves and going back for more. There were hefty schools, and while those schools were scattered, they were still schools. Running through this same area showed myriads of schools of crappie, often stacked above the bait line.  Don’t think the hybrids and stripers weren’t also watching their every move, looking for a smaller stray to chomp on.

Spotted bass bite has been pretty good also. While a lot of our recent endeavors chasing them have included fishing with live bait, one thing we have noted is that a trout pattern will really smoke them this time of year. This was once again verified by me personally last week when I brought out a half a dozen rainbow trout and found a nice school on a deep ledge. After quickly ripping through those trout, I tied on the very first thing that might have made sense – an A-rigs. The fish were seeming to eat right around the 35 to 40-foot depth coming down a ledge all the way to 90 ft. I thought I could slow roll that A rig and catch them hand over fist. After 20 casts and a little dink, I thought to just try an artificial swimbait. I reached in for the mega Bass slow roll swimbait I had in a trout pattern and commenced to whacking them. I bet I caught another 11 to 12 fish on that bait until they all just got wise to me. It’s okay – it was time to go 🙂

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

• Current Water Level
• Water Surface Temp: 46 – 50 (and falling)
• Water Clarity: Clear Green to Stained depending on area of the lake
• Area Fished: Blockhouse, Kellogg Creek, & Little River
• Jigs Used: Wildcat – Talon 2.0, Black/Chartreuse – Kic’n Chic’n, Black & Blue Flake – Talon 2.0, Bubble Gum – Talon 2.0,  Black & Blue – Slab Dragon, Lemonade – Slab Dragon, Black & Blue Flake – Georgia Razor & A new Test Color called “Blue Streak” which is a metallic silver body with a blue flake tail.
• Technique: Trolling

Merry Christmas everybody! We hope that you had a great week and a wonderful Christmas celebrating the birth of our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ with your friends and family this past week. We got out on the water a couple of days this past week and the weather was absolutely perfect for catching some Lake Allatoona crappie. The weather hasn’t been this good for Christmas crappie fishing in four years! We hope that this good weather continues through January and if so we are going to have a great long line trolling crappie season! The lake is down almost 15′ and a lot of land and structure has been uncovered. This is good as you can see some areas that are normally underwater that will be productive in the spring. We take pictures and notes of certain areas where structure exists that we didn’t know was there. If you can get close to stumps, humps and brush that are exposed you will want to mark those areas because once the lake is at full pool those are areas that you want to fish in the spring. We have said this before, but we are approaching BIG crappie time frames. Usually, the end of December through January is when we catch our larger crappie. Disclaimer: We only keep crappie that are 10″ to 12″! We impose our own “slot limit” and leave the bigger crappie in the lake for spawning purposes…the bigger crappie make more crappie for years to come! Help us keep Lake Allatoona a great crappie lake for years to come by only harvesting crappie that are 10″ to 12″ long and keep only what you need and can eat when possible.

Let the good times TROLL! We are all in for Long Line Trolling season! If you are not familiar with long line trolling or have questions, we are here to help! Reach out to Red Rooster if you need some tips on how to get started long line trolling for Lake Allatoona crappie. We got on the water this past week and had a great time on the water. The lake is down 15′ and it looks quite a bit different as many landmarks are exposed such as points and structure that was underwater is now either completely out of the water or exposed. Be careful out there as you can run aground quick if you are not familiar with the lake. Your best bet is to stay in 10′ to 12′ of water and look deeper or shallow on either side of 12′. We are finding crappie out in deep open water suspended anywhere from 6′ to 12′ or as shallow as 4′! The main thing is the main thing…you want to be in proximity to creeks and the river channel. Troll the flats around the creeks, in the creek, around the mouths of creeks. Big water close by a creek or river should have schools or roaming crappie. We have great success pulling 1/24th & 1/16th oz. jig heads if the crappie are in 15′ to shallow water. If the crappie are out deeper we run a mix of 1/16th oz. and 3/32nd oz. jig heads as well as a “Double Rig” which is where we tie on a 1/16th oz. jig head on top and a 1/32nd oz jig head on bottom. This time of year we rely heavily on sidescan and downscan. Sidescan will help you find schools of crappie and bait fish and downscan will tell you the depth that the crappie are in. Find the depth of the crappie and you will know what jig head size and speed you need to be trolling. This is where the Red Rooster Long Line Trolling Guide will help you! Our go to colors this time of year are Black/Blue, Black Chartreuse, Lemonade, JuneBug, ‘Lectric Chicken, Sour Grape…etc. Once the lake starts to stain, we rely heavily on bright colors and colors with Orange in them such as Tannic Flo Orange, Cajun Chicken, Albright Special, Sasquatch and Copperhead, the bright colors we use are Bubble Gum and Flo Pink Pepper as examples.

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.

Lake Hartwell Bass Report (This report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant, www.southernfishing.com): Bass fishing is fair. On cloudy and overcast days the bass are roaming between the shallows and secondary points.  Fish these areas using a DT8 Rapala crank bait. The water is beginning to drop now for the winter drawdown. Bass are staging on the drops between 20 and 30 feet deep. Have the Carolina rigs and drop shot rigs ready all day. The water has still not cooled off enough for the jigging spoon. As soon as is hits 50 degrees, the spoon bite and the under-spin bite will pick up. The birds are starting to show up more on the lake so keep a white buck tail and a spoon ready and fish around “birdy” areas. Watch the water temperatures with the Lowrance Heat Map feature specially the areas that are getting more sun. A couple of degrees can make a big difference all month. Continue to look for the bait and this help during the colder months. Take the time to find the bait and fish these areas thoroughly.

Hartwell Mixed Bag (This report courtesy of the guides mentioned below):

• Black Bass: Guide Lane Clark (864-254-8614) reports that in December fish will mostly leave the shallow creeks and set up in deeper ditches, channels, and off points. Some days they will be suspended, and other days they will relate to the bottom. Fish head spins, drop shot rigs, spoons, and dragging a jig or shaky head will work.

• Striper and hybrids: Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports that in December fish will continue to bite down-lines in the creeks and rivers until if and when water temperatures get very cold. If that happens look for the bite to slow down, and anglers may need to switch over to trolling umbrella rigs or pulling free-lines with big baits.

• Crappie: Captain Rodney Donald (864-356-0143) reports that in December fish will be all over the place, from brush to bridges to docks to roaming in open water. Generally 15-20 feet of water is a good depth range, and casting jigs at brush is often his most productive pattern – even though fish can be caught plenty of other ways.

• Catfish: Captain Bill Plumley reports that in December blue catfish often get easier to catch and they should be catchable on clean bottoms. A variety of cut baits will work. In November some big fish were already showing up. 

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 six and a half feet below full pool and the water temperature is running around fifty-three degrees. Overall, the lake is clear with some areas still showing signs of turnover. The Ditch bite is here. The shad and the bass have made their move to their winter areas in the ditches and on the ledges. Ditches are scattered throughout the lake in the pockets, creeks and even out in the mid lake. The best ones tend to be well defined in the twenty-five-to-fifty-foot range and have some structure associated with them. The correct settings on your electronics will allow you to identify them much quicker. Four baits have been on the deck this week to work these ditch areas, the half-ounce spoon, a three-eighths Spot Choker with a two-eight Keitech, a dropshot and a jig. We have been working the ditch area first with the Spot Choker by making long cast down the ditch and working the bait slow enough to keep contact with the bottom while reeling it. Fan the area by working both sides of the ditch as well as the middle. If there is a good bit of structure, we will take the three eights ounce jig and slowly drag it through the area, Check all the structure closely as some days the bass tend to bury up in it and the drop shot is a great way to work them out of it. Use the dropshot with a Morning Dawn or Sweet Rosy worm vertically into and around the brush for the bites. The spoon has worked well for the bass all the way to sixty feet of water. Look for the shad around old standing trees and other structure along the ditches and work either a white or chrome spoon vertically around the structure. Often this bait will trigger strikes from bass that are tight against the bottom and not showing on your electronics. One great thing about this time of year is that once the bass get into an area, they may stay there for quite some time. They aren’t in every ditch so don’t spend too much time in one spot trying to make them bite, just move and use your electronics to find them. Bundle up and Go Catch ‘Em!

Lanier Stripers Too (This report courtesy of Buck Cannon, Buck Tails Guide Service 404 510 1778): Lake Lanier Stripers have not changed their pattern. Down lines have been the most consistent using blue backs in water 60 to 90 feet deep. Fish 30 to 45 feet deep. Look for bait using your electronics and once you find it drop down and locate your baits stagger the depths until you find what’s working. For the impatient fishermen troll the Capt Mac mini Mack on planer boards 20 to 30 feet behind the board at .7 to 1.5 mph over points and change in the river channel bottom. Remember to wear your life jackets it’s colder than you think.

Lanier Crappie (This report courtesy of Captain Josh Thornton, 770-530-6493): Lanier crappie fishing is good the water temperatures are in the 40s and the lake is still way down The Crappie are suspended in open water at 5 to 8 feet deep in open water and on deep water docks. Minnows are working well and the jig color of choice is d2d by ATX lures its 1.25-inch flat tail green color. For your best fishing experience consider using the following equipment: a one-piece ACC Crappie Stix rod and reel paired with 4- or 6-pound test K9 line with a Atx lure company jig. Further optimizing your efforts with a Garmin LiveScope.

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

Lake Weiss Bass (This report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant, www.southernfishing.com): Bass fishing is fair. The fish are on their winter pattern in the river and creek channels. Check all the structure closely, as some days the bass tend to bury up in it, and the drop shot is a great way to work them out of it. Use the dropshot with a Morning Dawn or Sweet Rosy worm vertically into and around the brush for the bites. The spoon has worked well for the bass.  Drop shot rigs and Carolina rigs are also catching fish.

Lake Weiss Crappie (This report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant, www.southernfishing.com): Crappie fishing is good. The fish are on the creek and river channel ledges at 18 to 25 feet deep. Spider rigging with live minnows and jigs over brush and stumps is the way to catch fish. A few Crappie are still being caught shooting docks with jigs. Some fish are starting to suspend in the river channel in Little River and can be caught long line trolling with Jiffy Jigs. Some fish have moved shallow in the bays to the warmer water.

West Point Bass Report (This report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant, www.southernfishing.com): WEST POINT LAKE IS DOWN 10 FEET.  Bass are fair. Fishing has not changed. The warm weather has kept some of the bass shallow. Expect the largemouth bite to continue to be good around any shallow wood or brush or around baitfish schools. Shallow water baits such as Chatter Baits, square bill crankbaits continue to work. Spinnerbaits and jig ’n pigs are also producing some bass around wood. Some largemouth are even showing up on the south end of the lake on gravel or rock banks near the creek channels. One of the main keys to this type of shallow fishing is to look for the schools of shad. A ditch or creek run helps to hold the shad in an area. If the colder weather finally moves in, expect more fish, especially spotted bass, to stack up on structure such as humps, ledges, roadbeds, and brush piles in 15 to 20 feet of water. Drop shot worms, jigging spoons or a copper-colored jigs are good choices for deeper mixed fish. As usual, for specifically targeting spotted bass, try a Zoom finesse green pumpkin worm around rip rap, brush piles or rocky banks with blowdowns. Another good spot technique during winter is drop shotting directly in brush piles in deeper water.

Use caution when boating at West Point. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District has drawndown West Point Lake to support scheduled maintenance on the concrete pier between dam spillway gates 5 and 6. 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.

West Point Bass Tid-Bit: DNR stocked West Point Reservoir with over 500,000 largemouth bass in 2025.  These fingerling largemouth were largely stocked by boat into prime shoreline habitats.  Stockings of largemouth bass high in Florida alleles have been occurring at West Point since 2016.  Look for more “largies” to be stocked in 2026.

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.

Find DNR fish attractors at West Point here.

SMALL LAKE REPORT 

Rocky Mountain PFA:  New fish attractors were recently deployed by DNR Fisheries staff at Rocky Mountain Public Fishing Area (PFA) in Floyd County.  Most of these new artificial fish attractors were placed close to the bank for easy access by bank anglers.  You can expect bream, bass, and crappie to take up residence on these new structures in the coming weeks. To find the location of these new structures, as well as the dozens of other fish attractors already at the PFA, visit GeorgiaWildlife.com/rocky-mountain-pfa and select “Interactive Map.” Want to help create more fish habitat at Rocky Mountain PFA?  On January 3, 2026, the Georgia DNR Fisheries Section is partnering with Keep Rome-Floyd Beautiful to recycle your live, undecorated Christmas tree to help create new valuable fish habitat at Rocky PFA. Tree drop-offs will be accepted Saturday, Jan. 3, 2024, from 9 a.m.–12 p.m. at the Rome Home Depot (103 Hicks Drive, Rome, GA).  

State Park Lakes: Want to enjoy some winter fishing potentially close to home?  If so, Georgia State Parks has got you covered. Small lakes can offer great fall fishing opportunities close to home.  Here are a few north Georgia State Parks with small lakes you may consider fishing this weekend.

• James H. “Sloppy” Floyd (Chattooga Co.).
• Fort Mountain (Murray Co.)
• Vogel (Union Co.)
• Unicoi (White Co.)
• Black Rock Mtn. (Rabun Co.)
• Fort Yargo (Barrow Co.)
• Sweetwater Creek (Douglas Co.) 

TROUT REPORT

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.

Delayed Harvest Report (courtesy of GA DNR fisheries biologist Chris French): The delayed harvest season for trout is in full swing!  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 recently stocked with several thousand trout. 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.

Trout and More (This report courtesy of Unicoi Outfitters): Check out Unicoi Outfitter’s regular “Angler Management” fishing report here to get the complete story and more!

Here’s your UO New Year’s fishing report, courtesy of several friends and staff members who were able to hit the water this week.  Region trout waters remain “droughty,” low and crystal clear. Thankfully, they are much warmer than normal due to this recent stretch of pleasant weather. Hit them before next Tuesday, when winter returns via a sub-freezing cold front. Streams are so warm that a couple of our reporters even had luck on dries over the holiday.  Both blueline wilds and Delayed Harvest stockers looked up during the last few warm days. Some of the DH stockers are big, too! Tailwater fish are cooperating, as well.  Our lake anglers took some time off, so we’ve got no breaking news on reservoir action. We expect it to be pretty good, too, during this warm spell. Happy New Year to all of you, our dear fishing friends!

Wes’ Hot Fly List: 

• Dries: parachute blue wing olive, tan elk hair caddis, small tan chubby, parachute Adams.
• DH Stockers: twister egg, ruby midge, pheasant tail or Frenchie, diamond midge, rainbow warrior, Duracell, micro girdle bug.
• Mountain streams: zebra midge, soft hackles, micro mayfly, prince nymph, hares ear.
• Streamers: Black and olive woolly buggers, Sparkle minnow, barely legal, UV polar Jig.
• Reservoir Bass & Stripers: clouser minnow, low fat minnow, Cowen’s somethin else.

UO buddy Weston hiked high above Helen this morning (26th) and treated himself to some wild bows and specks. A small jigged leech worked in deeper pools while some dries worked in runs and shallow pools.

Delayed Harvest: We had mixed reports at the shop. Again, the success rates were dependent on angler expertise.  A Smith Creek angler came in the shop today to resupply and said he had a fun morning on that creek. He said that most of his nymphs were ignored, but fish really liked his small tan dries. Most were big and some were trophies, and he complimented GAWRD on the size of their December DH stockers.

UO buddy Athens Jay said: “Unseasonably warm weather got me thinking that trout might be getting frisky. I used some excellent information from UO’s recent blog posts and headed to north Georgia. I started with a double nymph rig under a strike indicator and had good luck all through the middle of the day. I even had a fish munch on my indicator! Water was low and clear and most fish were found in deep runs. The fly of the day was a jig style variation of a Hare’s ear with a gold tungsten bead. I tied this based on some information from Blog contributor Ryan Hartley. I also caught several on a peach-colored egg. It was a good day.”

Stockers: Your best bets are the two tailwaters for summer holdovers and just outside the DH stream boundaries to catch the wash-downs and swim-ups after flood events.

Private Waters: We had some successful trips prior to our Xmas break. While low flows make the fishing really challenging, the warmer water temperatures have the fish active.

UO-Helen manager Wes: “Here are my fishing reports from last weekend.  I fished on Saturday morning with repeat clients Brad & Colin on the Soque. Despite the cold temps the fish were very cooperative. Small tungsten weighted eggs and midges were the best flies.

Lake Blue Ridge Trout Stocking (This report courtesy of fisheries biologist John Damer): For the 3rd straight year, Fisheries staff from DNR Regions 1 & 2 and the Chattahoochee National Fish Hatchery successfully stocked ~9,200 catchable rainbow trout into Lake Blue Ridge.  The fish were offloaded from stocking trucks and onto boats before being stocked in open water areas near Blue Ridge Dam.  The stocked trout will help diversity fishing opportunities at the reservoir, while putting predatory pressure on the non-native blueback herring population that has negatively affected native walleye and white bass populations in the reservoir.

Georgia Trout Slam: 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 in 2026!  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. Slammer-intel: Brown trout have been stocked in the Morgan Falls (Chattahoochee River) and Smith Creek, Delayed Harvest Areas, as well as Lake Burton and the lower Toccoa River downstream of Lake Blue Ridge.

Trout Fishing Opportunities for Those With Disabilities: Visit GeorgiaWildlife.com/Fishing/Trout and select “Accessible Trout Fishing Sites for Anglers with Disabilities” to find locations open to the public and that offer specific amenities for anglers with disabilities.

Supporting Trout Fishing: 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 which can be found at GeorgiaWildlife.com/fishing/trout. Hatcheries and wild trout efforts both benefit from the trout tag.

MISCELLANEOUS

How Healthy is My Fish?  With each fish at the end of their line, avid anglers often ask themselves a simple question: How healthy is this fish? One way that fisheries biologists answer that question is by looking at the relative weight of a fish.  Most fish have a relative weight between 90 and 100. A value below 80 means the fish is very thin, while anything over 100 means its relative weight is above average. Be in the “know” by checking out this handy relative weight calculator for ten common Georgia sportfish at GeorgiaWildlife.com/how-healthy-my-fish.

Aquatic Nuisance Species Are No Joke! Remember, moving live fish, aquatic plants, or mussels from one body of water to another can cause irreversible damage to the existing ecological balance of Georgia lakes, rivers, and streams. Releasing unwanted aquarium species or other non-native species into a water body can have severe negative impacts on Georgia’s native fish and fauna.  Learn more about aquatic nuisance species, how to stop their spread, and ways to report them if you observe them at GeorgiaWildlife.com/ans.