CENTRAL GEORGIA

(Fishing report courtesy of Matthew Gerber, 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

CLARKS HILL LAKE

Super Slider with Charlie Brewer grub: a hot commodity for Savannah River bream.

Local angler Matt Palmer has been getting in on the Clarks Hill hybrids.

CLARKS HILL LAKE IS DOWN 7.5 FEET, 80’S – Stripers in the lake are trying just as hard as we are to stay out of this August heat. Fishing across the lake has been fair. They have been holding at depths of 60-to-80-feet of water. Oxygen is being pumped into the southern end of the lake, meaning the deeper, cooler water that stripers prefer also has good oxygen levels to support the fish. Launching from Modoc boat ramp in South Carolina provides easy access to the oxygen lines. Information on lines and a map of the oxygen lines can be found by searching them on Google and referencing articles published by the Army Corps of Engineers. Getting on these lines this time of year is your best bet for finding stripers. 25-to-35-pound fish have not been uncommon the last couple weeks. Pairing a Sakamata shad with a ¾ oz jig head has been a deadly combination fished around these oxygen lines.

Largemouth can be found shallow in the mornings near humps and points. They are moving deeper towards the 40′ mark in the afternoons. Spinner baits worked in the shallow areas are producing early in the mornings. Switch over to crankbaits as midday approaches. White crawfish imitation baits on 3/8 oz jigs have been a popular choice. Target fish in creek mouths at the upper end of the lake. Spotted bass

A good option for fishing Clarks Hill stripers are these Sakamata Shad.

are around brush piles and we are starting to see some schooling action out of them. Crappie on Clarks Hill have been picking over the last month. Nice size 1 ½ pound fish have been caught around brush piles and timber. Small Bobby Garland jigs have been the ticket. The current crappie bite is at its best before 9 in the morning. Catfish have been challenging to bring home the last few weeks in the hot weather.

Bluegill bite has been good on the river just below Clarks Hill Dam. Throw a beetlespin or super slider rigged with a Charlie Brewer grub over moss bed areas and in inlet mouths to get on them. Check these same inlets with swift running water for your river stripers. A large swimbait like a Berkley cull shad is a good bet for bringing those stripers out. For river largemouth, running a topwater frog over grass mats has been an effective way of drawing them up.

LAKE SINCLAIR

LAKE SINCLAIR IS DOWN 1.3 FEET, 80’S – Bass fishing is tough. A few fish continue to hit top water baits at first light on some mornings. Try baits like a Pop R, Chug Bug, and Tiny Torpedo along the main river and creek banks that drop quickly into deep water. A few more fish are beginning to feed around docks and boat houses, especially those with good depth and brush present. Soft plastics continue to be the best chance for success, along with an occasional bite using small to medium crank baits and jigs. If a normal presentation isn’t producing, try “dead sticking” the bait, allowing it to sit motionless for 10 to 30 seconds before moving slightly. A Zoom U tale worm works great rigged Texas style with a ¼ ounce weight. Also try a Finesse worm rigged on a 1/16-ounce jig head like a Spotsticker. For either of these worm rigs, use the lightest weight possible, with wind or current dictating the size. These same rigs are also producing a few fish along rip rap and bridge supports. On bridge supports, cast right beside each support and allow the bait to fall vertically on a slack line to 20 feet deep or more.

LAKE RUSSELL

Rowan and Ben Mathis with a night’s work on Lake Russell.

LAKE RUSSELL IS DOWN 1.2 FEET, 80’S – Bass fishing is slow. Water temperatures will be rising into the 90’s by the afternoon hours, and anglers are forced to fish deep to catch them. The crank bait bite is off but should return by early fall. Try a drop shot rig and find the fish on the electronics as they are holding to stumps or brush piles in twenty or thirty feet of water and slowly fish them with a drop shot rig with eight-to-ten-pound test line. The Carolina Rig is excellent. Downsize the line to 12-pound Sufix Advantage clear lone test. A 1/2-ounce sinker is more than plenty to use but try to go even smaller later in the day. The Rapala DT110 and DT14 will hit the mark while using 10-pound test line. A one-ounce Storm Wart will also catch bass and get the baits down to cooler waters. There are plenty of stumps in 25-to-50-feet of water all over this lake. Use the Lowrance Structure Scan technology and scan the creeks up lake for the stumps holding in the fish. This is a typical summertime pattern. A slow presentation along with patience is also needed. Four-inch worms and small flukes seem to be the favorite baits to use.

LAKE OCONEE

LAKE OCONEE IS FULL, 80’S – Bass fishing is fair. Richland Creek and the main lake are clear, up the river is stained. On the south end, there is a good frog bite in the grass early in the mornings. Soft plastics fished under docks and wood structure in the rivers above I-20 will also produce. When all else fails, get out a spinning reel with 8-pound Sufix Siege clear line and carry several colors of #5 and #7 Shad Raps. Change colors every 20 minutes. There is still a buzz bait bite on the main lake on deep banks with sea walls and deep water nearby. This is an early morning and late evening bite. On the late evening bite, move to the bridges and work the rip rap with the buzz bait when Georgia Power is pulling water.

LAKE JACKSON

LAKE JACKSON IS FULL, 80’S – Bass fishing is fair. Try up the Alcovy and Yellow Rivers. Spinnerbaits along with buzz baits seem to be the baits most folks are throwing. Work the small flats and especially the sandy points in the bends up Yellow River. The black 6-inch worm on a Texas Rig is working as well, especially when the water turns that pretty red clay color. Look for isolated stumps and single laydowns for best results. When all else fails, get out a spinning reel with 8-pound Sufix Siege clear line and carry several colors of #5 and #7 Shad raps. Change colors every 20 minutes. At the dam, fish the first good cove right around the corner from the marina with white spinnerbaits and Super Flukes. The bass are scattered from one end of the lake to the other, and are hitting everything from cranks to top water baits to plastics.

PUBLIC FISHING AREA REPORT

Marben Public Fishing Area (courtesy of PFA Manager Jamie Dowd) —

• Marben PFA Information
• Water Level: Most ponds remain full, except for some smaller ponds.
• Water Clarity: 18 – 36”, depending on plankton bloom and amount of rain
• Surface Temperature: 85+ degrees
• Marben PFA Fishing Guide

Largemouth: Early morning and late in the afternoon are the best time to try and catch largemouth bass. Using baits mimicking shad or any finesse rigs such as drop shots are a safe bet. Crank baits, jerk baits, and top water lures have also yielded success for anglers. Try fishing on or near the bottom of the ponds.

Crappie: Few crappie are being caught this time of year. As temperatures stay high, night fishing may yield better results. Whether it’s during the day or at night, try fishing suspended brush piles or structures.

Bream: Using Red wigglers and wax worms are a good bet for this time of year. Try fishing at different depths with these. Smaller beetles, spins, or grub imitation bits could work as well. Fishing for bream should pick up in the late afternoon and at night.

Channel Catfish: Anglers fishing cut bait, worms, or prepared baits on the bottom should begin to see improving success, particularly during the evening hours

McDuffie Public Fishing Area (courtesy of Area Manager Chalisa Fabillar) —

Hitting limits at McDuffie PFA.

A mid-morning haul of bluegill and redear from McDuffie PFA.

• McDuffie PFA Information
• McDuffie PFA Fishing Guide
• PFA water clarity: 35″
• Water Temperature: High 80s

It’s been a toasty month across the PFA, but cooler weather is on the horizon with the promise of more comfortable outings. The bream have been biting consistently well for the last couple weeks. Area regular, Vera Moody, has been able to catch her limit of bluegill and redear on multiple occasions fishing from sunrise to just after noon. Try looking for areas of the lake banks that remain in the shade as the morning wears on. This will give you some cover as well as a cooler water refuge for the bream you are after. Earthworms as bait on a dropshot rig have been an effective way to get bluegill and redear into the cooler. Willow, Jones, and Breambuster lakes have been top picks by our anglers looking for these cooler areas to fish and having that pay off.

A McDuffie PFA bluegill.

Catfish have been equally abundant lately. The setup that has been working for catfish is that same dropshot rig that has been effective on bream. While catfish have been bycatch of bream fishermen using worms for bait, dough baits and chicken liver have been king when it comes to catfish. Early morning fishing has been good, especially on Rodbender Lake. Fishing off the western bank of Rodbender has been a popular spot to get on some channel cats. If work conflicts with morning fishing or you’re more inclined to sleep in, the 24-hour access side of Jones Lake has been a solid producer too.

Bass fishing at McDuffie hasn’t been quite as productive the last few weeks as bream and catfish. Fishing off the end of either peninsula in Willow Lake will put you over the channel cut in the lake and is a good spot to look for largemouth this time of year.

Flat Creek Public Fishing Area (courtesy of Area Manager Amory Cook) —

• Flat Creek PFA Information
• Flat Creek PFA Fishing Guide
• Water Level: 43” below full pool
• Water Temperature: 90 degrees
• Water Clarity: 26.5″
  

  A 2-to-3-pound bass caught near the well outflow on a plastic lure.

It’s been hot at Flat Creek! Anglers have been most active early in the mornings and during the evenings. We are seeing the most success catching fish from boats, because it’s much easier to reach the cooler, deeper waters from farther out in the lake. Fish move to these deeper waters during the heat of the day near the dam and around air diffusers but can be found in brush piles closer to shore in overnight and early morning hours.

While August has been dominated by hot days with stormy afternoons and evenings, a cool morning after an overnight storm offers relief for anglers and fish alike. Visibility has been low due to the green algae that feeds our primary consumers in the lake.

Bass: Target bass in deeper water near aerators and brush piles near the dam. We’ve been hearing reports of 5-10 lb fish being caught during evening hours. Try throwing dee-diving crankbaits to reach those cooler water temps. As temps drop in September, the shoreline action will pick up. Try throwing live/plastic minnows.

Bream: Red Wigglers continue to produce Bream. Target the treetops next to the boat ramp in the early morning.

Crappie: Overnight anglers can still catch crappie using live minnows under a float.

Catfish: Use chicken livers or cut bait, and cast as far as you can from the dam or the point opposite the dam.