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Spring marks the start of one of Georgia’s most exciting fishing opportunities, largemouth bass season. As water temperatures begin to warm, bass move into shallow water to prepare for the spawn, making them more active and accessible for anglers. Lakes, ponds, and reservoirs across the state begin producing quality catches as bass stage near shoreline cover, docks, and vegetation.

NEWS TO KNOW:

This week, we have fishing reports from Southeast and North Georgia (Central and Southwest report will be back next week). Reel in a new largemouth bass license plate and get out and Go Fish Georgia!

SOUTHEAST GEORGIA

(Fishing report courtesy of Joshua Barber, with help from Region Staff and Local Experts)

Some big fish have been caught this week with the springtime warmup. Bass and crappie are moving shallow and they are getting ready to spawn (some already are). Only a handful of people fished saltwater this week due to the high winds and bigger tides. However, the anglers who did go out there did well. There will be some good messes of fish caught in the coming days.

River Gages as of March 5th:

• Doctortown on the Altamaha – 8.5 feet and rising
• Lumber City on the Ocmulgee – 4.2 feet and rising
• Clyo on the Savannah – 7.6 feet and falling
• Statenville on the Alapaha – 3.4 feet and steady
• Waycross on the Satilla – 7.3 feet and falling
• Atkinson on the Satilla – 5.5 feet and steady
• Quitman on the Withlacoochee – 2.4 feet and falling
• Macclenny on the Saint Marys – 2.0 feet and steady
• Fargo on the Suwannee – 1.7 feet and steady

Last Quarter Moon is on March 11th. To monitor all the Georgia river levels, visit the USGS website. For the latest marine forecast, check out weather.gov/jax/.

ALTAMAHA/OCMULGEE RIVERS

Richard Cravey caught this 10 pound monster bass out of the Ocmulgee River last Saturday in a Tournament.

Ron from Jesup fished with his girlfriend last weekend out of Jaycee Landing for catfish. They landed 7 catfish on Saturday and 9 on Sunday while using live baitfish. The biggest one on Sunday was a 47 pound monster flathead catfish. Richard Cravey and his son Cohen participated in a tournament last Saturday on the Ocmulgee River. They won 2^nd place out of 26 boats with a 20.8 pound bag. They also caught a 10 pound giant that won them the big fish pot.

SAINT MARYS RIVER

Dalton Bennett broke the Saint Marys River record channel catfish with this 21.3-lbs. giant while using cut bait.

Dale Anderson took his grandson Dalton Bennet catfishing last Sunday on the river. Dalton had open heart surgery six weeks ago and this was his first trip back after the operation. Dale put him on some nice bowfin and a 6 pound catfish to start off the trip and then the big one hit. Dalton caught the Saint Marys River record channel catfish that pulled the scales down a whopping 21.3-lbs. and measured over 31 inches long! They were using cut bait (shad and bream) to fool them. Brandon Nix and his wife Christie fished out of Temple Landing for a few hours this week. They caught 16 fish total (specks, redbreasts, warmouth, and bluegill) on jigs and beetle spins.

SATILLA RIVER

Austin Hill caught these big bass out of the Satilla River.

Luke Steedley landed this big 5 pound bass out of the Satilla River while using a black and gold silverback buzzbait.

Luke Steedley fished the river this week and landed 15 nice bass up to around 5-lbs. A black and gold silverback buzzbait was the ticket. Austin Hill had a big day while fishing on the lower river. He caught around 40 bass with the biggest weighing around 7 pounds. He said that they would eat anything that you would throw at them. Austin also won an open tournament last Saturday on the river with a 13.9 pound bag. A Blackshear area angler fished at Burnt Fort last week and caught around 20 crappie on live minnows. He said that they were caught in shallow water as they are getting ready to spawn. 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.

OCMULGEE PUBLIC FISHING AREA (near Hawkinsville)

• Ocmulgee PFA Info
• Ocmulgee PFA Fishing Guide

Ken Burke fished at the PFA yesterday for 5 ½ hours and he boated 5 bass up to 4 ½ pounds. Ken said that a bank fisherman caught 6 bass that weighed a combined 29 pounds before he ran out of shiners. Latest water temperature is around 65 degrees.

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

PARADISE PUBLIC FISHING AREA

• Paradise Public Fishing Area Information 
• Paradise PFA Fishing Guide

LAKES AND PONDS

Jimmy Guess fished at a Lowndes County area pond this week and landed 15 bass total. Two of them measured over 18 inches long. He was using a Green Shiner colored Producto Buzz Tail Shad to catch them. Jim Colley and Rickey Corbitt ventured down to Lake Iamonia (near Tallahassee) recently and caught 32 bass (kept their limit). The two biggest ones measured 19 ½ and 18 ½ inches long. A Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Worm and a black Trick Worm worked best. I heard that some Homerville area anglers have been catching some giant bass lately at Lake Miccosukee. Jimmy Zinker fished at a Worth County pond on Tuesday and reported only catching two bass, but they were both 5 pound lunkers. He was using a Bang-O-Lure to catch his fish. I fished at a lake last Saturday and I managed to land a dozen nice bass while using Zoom Magnum Speed Worms and large swimbaits. I missed a decent one that was probably around 7 or 8 pounds. Two anglers fished at a private Pierce County pond on Saturday afternoon and tossed senkos, beetlespins, and crankbaits and landed 11 bass and 10 crappie. The biggest bass weighed 5 1/4-lbs. Danny Cooley fished at a pond on Tuesday and caught 7 bass while using speed craws and swimbaits. I heard that panfish have been biting well at ponds this week.

OKEFENOKEE SWAMP

Tom Lanyi and Captain Tim Cutting went fishing with Captain Bert Deener on the east side on Tuesday and landed 32 fish (fliers, bowfin, pickerel, and Florida gar). Tom caught two big bowfin that pulled the scales down to 8-lbs. 13-oz. and 6-lbs. 5-oz. Half the fish were caught on yellow bladed flies and the other half were caught on Dura-Spins. The trio also saw their first swallow-tailed kites of the year (3 of them soaring over the prairies). Bill Stewart fished with Captain Bert on the east side yesterday and they caught and released 71 fish (fliers, pickerel, bowfin, warmouth, and Florida gar). Bill caught a bowfin that weighed 5-lbs. 4-oz. and lost one that was around 7 pounds at the boat. The panfish were caught on 1/16 oz. Warmouth Wacker jigs and pink Okefenokee Swamp Sallies and the other three species were caught on Dura-Spins and a Bert’s Bladed Fly. The best colored Dura-Spin of the day was a white/white blade. The boat ramp on the west side (Stephen C. Foster State Park) is currently closed due to some renovations that are taking place around the boat basin. They estimate that it will probably be at least early May before it is reopened. Anglers can still launch kayaks and canoes though. Captain Bert Deener offers guided fishing trips in the Okefenokee. To book a trip with him, visit his website bertsjigsandthings.com. Recent Swamp level on the east side was 120.18 feet. Be careful driving your boat with the low water conditions.

SALTWATER (GEORGIA COAST)

An angler from Amelia Island reported that she caught a nice mess of trout out of Egans Creek recently. That angler also said that the black drum have also been biting well lately. Captain Tim Cutting (fishthegeorgiacoast.com) fished with Tom and Mary Lanyi last Friday. They landed 19 redfish,  21 trout, and a 7.2 lbs. sheepshead. Many of the trout were short. Jamey Sweat and Felipe Moran fished with Captain Tim last Sunday and they whacked 17 redfish and 5 sheepshead. Lee and Deborah Watkins fished with Captain Tim yesterday and the bite was slow with the tough tide but they managed to catch around 10 redfish, 6 trout, and 3 nice black drum. Live shrimp worked best on those trips.

Before your next fishing trip, stop by Winge’s Bait and Tackle located at 440 Memorial Drive in Waycross. They have all the tackle you need for a successful trip! For their hours, call 912-283-9400.

If you have any fishing reports or fish pictures that you would like to be included in this report, email them to me joshuabfishhunter@gmail.com or send them through Messenger on Southern Waters Fishing Report’s Facebook Page.

SOUTHWEST GEORGIA

Sorry y’all, our fisheries folks are out doing fisheries stuff. The Southwest Report will return next week!

NORTH GEORGIA

(Fishing report courtesy of Josh Stafford, Fisheries Biologist, with help from Region Staff and Local Experts)

RESERVOIR REPORT 

WALLEYE UPDATE

A nice 4.5 pound walleye that GA DNR crews recently sampled in Lake Chatuge. (Photo courtesy of GA DNR)

The walleye are starting to run in Lake Hartwell and GA DNR crews sampled over a hundred this week during their surveys. (Photo credit GA DNR)

GA DNR crews continued their scouting for walleye broodstock in various north Georgia reservoirs. Thanks to the recent rain and warmer temperatures the walleye are starting their runs up into the headwater tributaries of several reservoirs and GA DNR crews encountered significantly more walleye this week compared to last week. Walleye catch rates have been increasing for anglers on other reservoirs as well (see below). With even warmer temperatures and rain forecasted in the coming week, expect the walleye run numbers to continue to increase in the near future. If you would like to learn more about how to fish for walleye or GA DNR’s walleye program, follow this link, georgiawildlife.com/fishing/walleye.

LAKE ALLATOONA 

Lake Allatoona Bass (Courtesy of Ken Sturdivant, The Southern Fishing Report and GA DNR/U.S. Army Corps) — Bass fishing is fair. Now the bass are transitioning hard toward pre spawn staging areas. Look on the secondary points inside creeks with rock transitions leading into spawning pockets mid lake. The mid lake channel swings that hit shallow banks will be the first stopping points for these fish to move on. The mid lake pockets facing north that get the most sun are keys areas. Some fish are already moving shallow. These fish are hungry cruising and feeding. McStick jerk baits on 10 pound test line and slightly shorter pauses. Spinnerbaits and Chatterbaits around wind blown banks and the Alabama rigs over 10 to 20 feet near bait is working. Square bills in stained water during the warmest part of the day are fair. With some wind the shallow bite and can good. Spotted bass will hold in the deeper on rock and point’s but they will rise in the water column when bait lifts.

Lake Allatoona Crappie (Courtesy of Red Rooster Custom Baits redroosterbaits.com) — This week’s Lake Allatoona crappie fishing report is brought to you by Bayne’s Fishing & Outdoors. Bayne’s Fishing & Outdoors is conveniently located in Cartersville, Georgia and has everything you and your family need for a great day on the water! Bayne’s Fishing & Outdoors has a large live bait selection featuring minnows, shad, worms & crickets as well as all the top name in lures and artificial jigs (including Red Rooster). If you are looking for a kayak or kayak related products they have those as well. They also feature custom rod work, rod repair and rod spooling. Stop by and see Bayne’s Fishing & Outdoors and let them know you saw them on Red Rooster’s weekly Lake Allatoona crappie fishing report.

• Air Temp: High: 75 – Low: 36
• Wind: 5-25 mph
• Lake Level: 827
• Water Surface Temp: 48 – 52
• Water Clarity: Light Stain (Brownish/Green to Clear in Most Areas)
• Area Fished: S-Turns, Victoria, Kellogg/Owl Creek & Little River Area
• Jigs Used: Catawba – Slab Dragon, Tre’s Gold – Slab Dragon, Green Glimmer – Small Fry, Green Glimmer – Slab Dragon, Green Glimmer – Kic’n Chic’n XL, Sour Grape – Kic’n Chic’n XL, BlueGrass – Kic’n Chic’n XL and UV Melon – Kic’n Chic’n XL
• Technique: Trolling

A nice catch of crappie from Lake Allatoona (photo courtesy of Crappieman Lake Allatoona Crappie Fishing Guide Service)

This week was a typical February where the weather was spring-like for a couple of days then turned back into winter! The weekend was in the 70’s and the water temps were approaching 58 degrees by the end of the day. And then the cold weather blew back in with some strong gusty winds that kept many off of the lake. The week was chilly and windy which dropped the water temps back down to 48 degrees. We saw the weather forecast so we made sure to get out the weekend leading up to the cooler, windy days and were greatly rewarded with some nice crappie! The smaller crappie seemed to be the most aggressive as we caught a lot of small crappie anywhere from 6″ to 9″ but they were fun to catch! We trolled a mix of Slab Dragons, Small Fry, Talon 2.0, Kic’n Chic’n and Kic’n Chic’n XL as we are in between crappie moods. Some want the jigs with the action of a paddle tail and some seemed to prefer a straight tail with little to no action. We did notice that when the days are overcast the opaque colors were working well but as soon as the sun came out and was high in the sky the translucent colors, especially with gold flake, were triggering a lot of bites. Keep that in mind when you are fishing on low visibility days to use opaque or solid bodies and when the sun pops out make sure you have translucent with a contrasting flake…it seems to make a big difference! It’s go time for Lake Allatoona crappie! Get out there and troll the creeks from the mouth to the back and any flats and sloping points adjacent to creeks and river bends. This past weekend the weather and water temperature was great! The water temperature was approaching 58 degrees and we found a lot of active crappie in shallow water anywhere from 8′ to 12′. A cold front blew in that changed the game a little bit on Sunday and Monday. Low temps and high winds kept us off the lake until Tuesday but we were able to get back on the water and find some active crappie. The water temperature has dropped back to 48 degrees in just a matter of 48 to 72 hours. This sudden temperature change pushed the crappie back out into deeper waters between 10′ to 15′. After the cold front the crappie were scattered with some suspended in 8′ to 10′ over 14′ of water. But they were still willing to bite. We noticed a few things this past week that we would like to pass along: 1) Water temps above 50 degrees, the crappie were chasing jigs with action like the Kic’n Chic’n and Kic’n Chic’n XL. They wanted an active, paddle tail style jig. 2) Once the water temps dropped below 50 the crappie wanted a jig with less action like the Slab Dragon, Small Fry or the Georgia Razor. 3) When the sky was overcast, solid or opaque colors like Black & Blue, Black & Chartreuse were the preferred colors. 4) When the sun came out and light penetration was optimum the crappie then wanted more translucent colors with gold or silver flake like Tre’s Gold, Chicken Pox or Green Glimmer. Tre’s Gold and Green Glimmer were by far our most productive colors this past week when the sun was shining. We trolled flats and sloping points adjacent to creek channels and a lot of open water once the crappie moved back out deeper after this recent cold snap. It’s no secret that the north end of the lake, s-turns is the place to be this time of year. Kellogg & Owl Creek has shown promise but has yet to produce large schools of crappie. With that said we are expecting Stamp, McCaskey, Clark and Tanyard creeks and the surrounding area to heat up soon! We are looking for other areas to start heating up and bringing in crappie soon. When the water warms up above 50 degrees we will troll a mix of 1/24th and 1/16th oz. jig heads but we had to switch back to 1/16th and 3/32nd oz. jig heads to target the deeper crappie after the cold snap. We trolled between .7 and .9 mph which are the go to speeds when the crappie are in deeper water. Keep an eye on the upcoming weather as we move into March. Once the day and night temps warm up the water will rapidly heat up and so will the crappie action. Remember as we move into the spawn try to keep crappie that measure between 10″ to 12″ as the crappie that are over 12″ are the key to keeping this lake stocked for years to come. If you do catch a big slab crappie practice “CPR” – Catch – Photo – Release. Our go to colors for light stained water are Sour Grape, Lemonade, ‘Lectric Chic’n, Green Glimmer, Black/Blue & BlueGrass. There are other colors that we use during the month of February and you can see our article “The Best Crappie Jig Colors For Lake Allatoona In February” for the complete list. You want to use anything that is bright and will stand out when fishing this type of water during this time of year. We also believe that it helps to use a bright color jig head such as pink, chartreuse, orange and glow white. Red Rooster Custom Baits is your “Long Line Trolling Authority” for all things long line trolling for crappie. If you have questions about when, what and where give us a call or shoot us an email. Red Rooster makes custom jig heads, under spins and we can color match any jig color that you want or need. We love talking about crappie fishing so we are here to help. We also do a Facebook Live most Friday nights unless something comes up. 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. Be sure to check out the archives for February 2025 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: Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ~ Matthew 22:37-39.

LAKE HARTWELL

Lake Hartwell Bass (Courtesy of Ken Sturdivant, The Southern Fishing Report and GA WRD) — Bass fishing is good. Several events are on the lake so be aware. The lake is transition mode. Air temperatures are rising into the low to mid 70s are heating up the upper layer fast. Now is the time to look shallow in stained creeks and protected pockets. Surface temps are generally upper 40s to low 50s, warmer in the backs of creeks during the afternoon. This is pre spawn staging season is just around the corner. Fish are moving toward spawning areas but still holding near depth. They are feeding when conditions line up. Hartwell largemouth and spotted bass are positioning on routes leading into pockets. The secondary points inside creeks and rock transitions near spawning flats where channel swings touching red clay banks should be fished all day. Mano of the lake long tapering points will have brush so scan these areas on every stop and look for brush in 10 to 25 feet.

Lake Hartwell Bass 2 (Courtesy of SCDNR Freshwater Fishing Trends) — Guide Lane Clark (864-254-8614) reports that it is possible that some Lake Hartwell bass could spawn in March depending on water conditions and the moon phase, even as April is usually a much stronger month for spawning fish. This month expect bass to be moving towards the banks as they get into pre-spawn patterns and begin to stage adjacent to spawning areas. Crankbaits, spinnerbaits, and a variety of soft plastics will all work. By the end of February deep patterns were already getting weaker.

Striper and Hybrids— Captain Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports that March is a transition month on Lake Hartwell. The beginning of March usually looks a lot like February, and fish should start out the mornings deeper off points just like they have been. However, the afternoon swimbait bite which was already coming on late in February should quickly get really good on sun-drenched, wind-blown banks. Then as water temperatures hit about 60 degrees the fish will be shallow all day, and they will mostly be caught from about 3-14 feet of water. For some anglers the preferred pattern is to beach the boat on points and cast out live bait, while others will prefer to fish planer boards. Overall March is usually when stripers turn on for the year after a slower winter.

Crappie— Guide Rodney Donald (864-356-0143) reports that in February he was already catching crappie surprisingly shallow, and in March even more fish will be up there. Significant numbers of fish should spawn in March and continue into April. While some people will be trolling in the creeks, Rodney will generally be single pole fishing and 90 percent of the time on Hartwell he will be casting a jig with a black head and chartreuse tail. Once conditions are right you can also cast a minnow or jig under a cork at shallow cover this month.

Crappie— Captain Bill Plumley reports that to start out the month fish will still be deep, but by the middle to end of March the better blue catfish should move shallower into the creeks. Cut shad and cut herring will be the best baits.

LAKE LANIER

Lake Lanier Bass: (Via Phil Johnson, Pjohnson15@hotmail.com (770) 366 8845 via The Southern Fishing Report) — Bass fishing on Lake Lanier is good. The lake is currently five and a half feet below full pool with the water temperature running around fifty-two on the lower end and up to fifty-six up the rivers. The main lake is clear with some light staining in the backs of the creeks and up river. The water temperature was showing the effects of the warm weather over the last week and the fish moved up all over the lake. Lots of fish were caught either on docks in less than ten feet of water, shallow rocky points or flats adjacent to deeper water. Wacky rigs, Neko rigs, Alabama rigs and spinnerbaits were the main baits for the week. With the Wacky rig and the Neko rig slow was the key on the docks with many of the strikes on the Wacky rig coming on the fall. With both baits, once it reaches the bottom, let it soak or sit for several seconds before moving it slightly. A Senko worm in any of the green pumpkin combinations has been the key bait of both these techniques. For the Spinnerbait, a three eights in chartreuse and white with a silver and gold willow leaf blades has been producing in the water that has some color to it which is mostly up the rivers or in the backs of the creeks. For the Alabama rig we have been loaded it with two eight Keitech”s in Electric shad or Tennessee shad. Both of these baits work well in the backs of the pockets, shallow points and flats by throwing them next to the bank and using a steady retrieve. Most of the fish for the week were in less than ten feet of water but look for this to change with the colder weather coming through and the water temp dropping as the bass will back out some. As it warms back up to the mid fifties the bite will be strong again as the bass move up for spawning season. While it may slow for a few days it will pick back up quickly so Go Catch ‘Em!

A good looking lineside caught on the fly on Lanier. (Photo courtesy of Unicoi Outfitters)

Linesides: (Courtesy of Buck Cannon, Buck Tales Guide Service (404-510-1778) via The Southern Fishing Report ) — Lanier stripers has been caught on a variety of methods. The planer boards have been effective covering a wide area using gizzards, blue backs and trout. The birds are making their largest impact by hovering around the bait and the fish are under the surface. Top water has been used in many areas where surfacing fish have been seen. Water temperature is still high 40s but. The future rains will likely have an effect and start looking in shallow areas and work your way out to deeper waters. This time of the year the bigger fish are more active so make sure your bait is healthy. Remember to wear your life jacket. Buck Tales 404-510-1778

WEISS LAKE

Bass (Courtesy of Ken Sturdivant, The Southern Fishing Report) — Bass fishing is good. These fish are being caught 4 to 8 feet deep on the creek channel ledges, humps and points on spinner baits, Alabama rigs and Carolina rigged plastics, A lot of fish are being caught, shallow in the back of the coves, on Rat L Traps, shallow running crank baits and spinner baits.

Crappie (Courtesy of Ken Sturdivant, The Southern Fishing Report) — Crappie fishing is very good. Fish are being caught long line trolling in Little River and Little Spring Creek and a lot of fish are starting to be caught in the bays up river near River Side Camp Ground, They are being caught trolling with 1/16 and 1/24 ounce Jiffy Jigs in colors JJ01, JJ06, JJ13, JJ17 JJ20, JJ37 and Marks Special Blue. Church House cove and Yellow Creek are producing some crappie.

WEST POINT LAKE

Congratulations to Team Catch 22 who recently won the Striped Bass Challenge tournament on West Point Lake. (Photo courtesy of Striped Bass Challenge, https://www.facebook.com/thestripedbasschallenge/)

West Point Lake (Courtesy of Ken Sturdivant, The Southern Fishing Report) — Bass fishing is good. The water is lightly stained, temperature has been 50 degrees in the morning to 555in the afternoon. The bass have been moving back into the pockets in the coves running shad all over the banks. Try throwing Rat L Traps in chrome blue back or metallic red in stained water. Try the crawfish Rapala Shad Rap and a new bait the Storm Flat Arashi crank bait in the crawfish pattern. Try fishing rip rap or red to clay banks that are in the sun for most of the day. Jerk baits are also great spawning lures for bass. So have one ready on the deck each and every day on the water and use it on every stop. Jerk baits are also great spewing lures for bass. So have one ready on the deck each and every day on the water and use it on every stop. Anglers are catching fish on a # 5 Rapala Shad Raps, black with silver 1/4 ounce and 1/2 ounce Rat L Trap, white spinner baits, also Carolina Rigged lizard in pumpkinseed green. The bass have been on clay banks and rocky points in the main creeks. Use the Lowrance Structure Scan and Down Scan technology to help find the concentrations of bait and the bass will be there too.

BLUE RIDGE LAKE

This report courtesy of Capt.Eric Crowley, head guide at Lake and Stream Guide Service (706-669-4973, lakeandstreamguideservice@gmail.com, and www.lakeandstreamguideservice.com)

BLUE RIDGE LAKE MARCH 2026

• Temp 48
• Level -17 ft
• Clarity 15ft

Frank Giusti with a Lake Blue Ridge walleye. (Photo courtesy of Eric Crowley)

Walleye— March is when we start to see this lake wake back up from winter . We start to get some grass coming back, water levels start to come up and temps start to elevate above their bottomed out February lows . This brings the walleye out of the depths and back into the zone . This zone is 35 ft to the shore depending on where the bait is . Lures that get down in the 18 to 27ft range are perfect for getting in these fishes’ faces. Varying presentations from casting to trolling just to see what the fish want will help you get numbers and switching to a spoon or vertical presentation after you find them will typically yield the bigger fish. Key areas are from point 4 to 6 as the fish get ready to move upriver to spawn. Early morning and after dark are going to be the best time to target these big-eyed fish as they prefer little to no light when feeding.

Bass— The bass bite has been downright ridiculous at times . Jerk baits and red craw cranks are getting absolutely destroyed on rocky points and shorelines. Bump bump pause on the jerk baits or banging boulders with cranks will trigger the bites and bites you will get . Mostly fat spots but occasionally theres a small mouth mixed in as a nice bonus fish . Also keep an eye out for any top water action as it can start anyday in March and you’ll want to be ready when it happens.

CARTERS LAKE

This report courtesy of Capt.Eric Crowley, head guide at Lake and Stream Guide Service (706-669-4973, lakeandstreamguideservice@gmail.com, and www.lakeandstreamguideservice.com)

CARTERS LAKE MARCH 2026

• Temp 52
• Level -3′
• Clarity 10ft

Walleye— We had the best February walleye bite we have ever seen . Lots and I mean lots of fish were caught in the last few weeks. Trolling and jigging were both super productive and should stay steady for the next week or so. Finding fish under bait balls has been the go to pattern but thats pretty typical for Carters Lake especially this time of year. We have seen good avg size 20 to 24″ fish and sime bigger fish in the 26 to 28 ” range. Our best bite has been on a jigging spoon working the fish that are just off the bottom in 55 to 60ft of water. Again, having bait around really helps as the fish are already ” in the mood “. Look for the night bite to fire up this Month too. As the bait gets ready to spawn it will start to move up on shallow rocky structures under the cover of darkness. You can bet the big walleyes will follow them. Casting to the shoreline disruptions made by both bait and feeding fish is a great way to put some big-eyes in the boat. We switch to all night trips when this happens and will target the nighttime feeding pattern till early April to maximize catch rates. This is a great time of year to book a night trip.

Striped Bass— The striper bite has been really solid all winter and has picked up even more in the last week or so as the temps bump the 50 deg mark. We have been trolling Mini Macks and single bucktails from Capt Mack with great results seeing fish from 10 to 23lbs recently clobbering the smaller wire frames of the U-rigs. 25 to 30ft has been the targeted zone for the past few weeks and I imagine that to be the case for the next few weeks as well.

LAKE CHATUGE

Some nice yellow perch recently caught on Lake Chatuge. As the water is warming up, perch are moving into shallower water and are being caught on a variety of live baits and jigs. (Photo courtesy of Josh Stafford)

SMALL RIVER REPORT 

Holland Duffey (10years old) caught the 5.3lb large mouth bass in a small creek in Meriwether County yesterday. He fought her for a good 3-4 minutes on an ultra light spinning reel with 2lb test and a crappie jig.

TROUT REPORT 

This report courtesy of Jeff Durniak, Unicoi Outfitters —

A nice brown trout caught on the Smith Creek DH. (Photo courtesy of Unicoi Outfitters)

Delayed Harvest: There are still good numbers of winter-stocked fish in the GA DH streams.   Flows are receding after an inch of midweek rain. Smith was back to low and clear today, but was much cooler (48F) than mountain streams due to the winter waters of the lake. DH stockers are smarter now after being caught and released a bunch, so smaller egg and nymph patterns will usually be preferred over big, bright bugs. That may change after next week, when those streams might see their March restockings. Change patterns often to show them something they haven’t already seen and been hooked on. Hint: come in mid-afternoon and stay late to outlast the crowds. It’s not dark until 6:45 and those fish are more gullible when the shadows fall, as long as water temps don’t dive along with the sun.  Warm days will slow the evening cooling of streams, so you don’t have to quit at 4PM like you did for the last three months. UO guide Sydney: “I did a 180 on Smith DH and enticed this nice brown with a white sparkle minnow. Normally I would throw real small, dark Euronymphs in the low, clear water, but I tried something different and it worked on this brown.”

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.

CENTRAL GEORGIA

The fish are biting everywhere, so get out and Go Fish Georgia! The Central Report will return next week.