Why did the fisherman hang up on his boss? Because he had something on the other line!

The workweek can be busy, but there’s always time to plan your next fishing trip! As fall settles into Georgia, cooler temperatures bring changing conditions for anglers across the state. Whether you’re heading out after work or making the most of the weekend, check out this week’s Central Georgia Fishing Report. So finish up that to-do list, grab your gear, and get ready to trade the busyness for a little time on the water!

News to know: 

• TOMORROW, 10/24: Flat Creek Public Fishing Area is hosting a Family Fishing Event! Bring the family out for a fun day of fishing and enjoying the outdoors. To register, visit https://license.gooutdoorsgeorgia.com/Event 
• GET BASS SLAMMED: We’re highlighting a different black bass species each month in our new blog series! Follow along to learn about Georgia’s native bass species and for tips to complete your very own Georgia Bass Slam. Read this month’s post on the Shoal Bass here: georgiawildlife.blog/2026/10/07/get-bass-slammed-shoal-bass/
• VISIT a Public Fishing Area (PFA) near you: Central Georgia is home to three PFAs: Marben, Flat Creek, and McDuffie. These areas offer great opportunities to get outdoors and enjoy fishing in Georgia. To find the PFA closest to you and explore the activities each area offers, visit georgiawildlife.com/allpfas.

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

Two nice crappie out of Flat Creek PFA!

CLARKS HILL LAKE

CLARKS HILL LAKE IS DOWN 10.5 FEET, 70’S – Don’t let the distraction of deer season keep you away from a really great time of year to be fishing. The bass bite on the lake has been good the last few weeks. With the lake being as low as it is, it is important to be cautious on the water; however, these low water levels have created good conditions for fishing. Finding humps at the mouths of creeks has been the ticket to a really good day of bass fishing. Bass are now following forage into shallower areas of the lake and into creeks. Targeting these transitional zones where baitfish are migrating is key. Channels in the lake that transition to flats or those humps are good places for bass to chase baitfish up from deeper water. As you’re fishing, work to imitate baitfish by fishing lipless crankbaits, spinnerbaits, and buzzbaits. Choose lures that match the size, shape, and color of the baitfish. Local anglers have been successful using hard baits early and switching to dropshot and Carolina rigs towards mid-day. 

The cooler temperatures will encourage crappie feeding and will get them moving off their summer brush piles. Finding areas of baitfish on the lake is the key to finding the crappie right now. The creeks are a good place to start. Try trolling small, curl-tail jigs in the creeks. With the lake being as low as it is, it is a really good time to mark trees and other structure that will hold crappie but won’t be visible when the lake level rises again. Crappie anglers have been catching catfish as bycatch around these trees and structures. Fishing cut bait around these areas is a good way to pull some catfish from the lake.

Bream fishing on the Savannah River has been great recently, with the days cool in the mornings and warm in the afternoons. In the mornings, fish the Georgia side of the river where the sun first hits the river. These sunny banks have been productive for bluegill and shellcracker. Fishing close to the moss beds and grass with 1/16 oz Charlie Brewer grub or Beetle Spin has been good for anglers targeting panfish. Crickets and Louisiana Pinks are good live bait options. The river crappie bite has been picking up with cooling weather. Valley Boy Baits 1/16th oz crappie jigs have been a popular choice among those fishing the river for crappie. Grassy points that create ditches between them and the bank are good areas to work for river bass.  Dropshot rigs have been the favorite method for those seeking bass on the river. 

LAKE SINCLAIR

Ogeechee River Bowfin.

LAKE SINCLAIR IS DOWN 1.8 FEET, 70’S – Bass fishing is fair. Most quality bites come from near the mouth of coves to halfway back in coves. Blowdowns, brush, stumps, and shallow dock posts have been the best targets for the last few days. Spinner baits have also fooled a lot of fish lately from the same cover. If buzz baits and spinner baits don’t produce, try jigs and soft plastics around the same wood cover. A 3/8-ounce jig in black blue with a Zoom Fat Albert Twin Tail works well as a swim bait. The same jig with a Zoom Pro Chunk works well when slowly working the bait through the cover.

LAKE RUSSELL

LAKE RUSSELL IS DOWN 1.7 FEET, 70’S – Bass fishing is fair. The morning bite has been tough to figure out. Spotted bass are roaming up on the points and flats all during the day and retreating to deep-water stump beds. Either way, these bass can be caught all day long. The shallow water fish can be easily caught with Bandits and Shad Raps. Try the deeper water for some of the bigger bass. The Rapala DT10 and DT6 in shad or hot mustard, slowly retrieved over heavy cover, caught some bigger fish. Also try the green tiger and use a stop-and-go retrieve during the slow periods to trigger a strike. Carolina rigs can also be used on the ledges and deeper water structure. Zooms green pumpkin U-tail worm will work all day.

LAKE OCONEE

LAKE OCONEE IS FULL, 70’S – Bass fishing is good. The main lake is clear, lightly stained up the rivers. The water has cooled, and the bait and bass have moved into the back of the coves and creeks. Start the day fishing a white old nelly buzz bait from the middle of the creeks and coves, working your way to the back. Bass fishing is good. After the sun gets up, change over to a small crankbait. Use a #7 Rapala Shad Rap in a shad pattern or a rattle trap in the same pattern fished around docks or any structure in these creeks or coves.

LAKE JACKSON

Like father, like son, duo gets it done with catfish at McDuffie PFA.

LAKE JACKSON IS FULL, 70’S – Bass fishing is fair. Spotted bass are after the spinnerbaits on windy points. Schooling activity on high spots near main river and creek channels is improving. Use the Zara Spooks, Sammy’s, Sebile swim baits, a double fluke rig, Pencil Poppers, and Chug Bugs. Fish them fast. Texas rigs and drop shot rigs on any brush on these points are working well for numbers of bites. This type of fishing should continue to improve throughout the month. There just isn’t much in the backs of pockets, so concentrate on main lake and creek mouth points.

PUBLIC FISHING AREA REPORT 

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

• Marben PFA Information
• Marben PFA Fishing Guide
• Water Level: Most ponds are low. Margery remains closed until further notice.
• Water Clarity varies between 24 – 48”, depending on plankton bloom and amount of rain
• Surface Temperature: Low to mid-70s. Cooler nights will drive temps down. Warmer nights with warm days will increase temps. It’s always cooler in the shade.

Largemouth: Bass are moving into shallower water as the temperatures decrease this month. Bass should respond well to spinner baits and crank baits.

Crappie: The crappie are not up shallow yet. Fishing over suspended brush is your best bet. Use jigs tipped with minnows. We have noticed crappie at depths of 10 – 20 ft, but suspended.

Bream: Bluegill and some shellcracker are being caught on or near the bottom. Wigglers and wax worms are a good choice for bait.

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

Other: Shad have recently been moving into shallower water. Shad-style lures would likely be good for both largemouth and hybrids. Use weedless style lures in ponds with heavy vegetation.

MCDUFFIE PUBLIC FISHING AREA (courtesy of Area Manager Chalisa Fabillar)

McDuffie angler checks in with nice largemouth.

“Eye” think you should check out this walleye at McDuffie PFA.

• McDuffie PFA Information
• McDuffie PFA Fishing Guide
• PFA water clarity: 28″
• Water Temperature: Mid 70s

The leaves are not the only thing changing at McDuffie PFA right now. With the recent cool-down, we have seen anglers going home with different species of fish too. Several anglers fishing Bridge and Clubhouse lakes have been able to harvest Walleye. This is a pretty unique opportunity for this part of the state, and the colder weather has increased the likelihood of anglers catching them at the PFA. Square-bill crankbaits, especially fished in lower light conditions, are a good bet for walleye. Aside from the walleye, striped bass are being harvested more frequently at the PFA. Check out Clubhouse Lake with baitfish imitation lures to get on some stripers. 

Largemouth on the PFA have been active and caught on spinnerbaits, glide baits, and crankbaits. Bridge and Willow Lakes have seen nice fish come out the last couple of weeks. Targeting structure in shallower waters and transition areas has been good for anglers to catch bass. Bream bite on the PFA has slowed a little, but fishing with red wigglers or crickets will still produce fish. The backside of Breambuster Lake has shown good size shellcracker. Clubhouse and Rodbender lakes have been the most popular areas for catfish anglers. The mid-day bite using worms or chicken liver has been good to anglers over the last week. 

At the nearby Ogeechee River, access from the Hwy 88 bridge has been limited to kayak and canoe anglers. Unless you are willing to get out, access is limited to a few hundred yards either way of the ramp.  Despite a limited area to fish, anglers have had good days recently targeting bream, especially shellcracker. Dark colored grubs on small jigs fished under a bobber is a common method for this stretch of river. Red Wigglers are also effective, especially when paired with smaller-size hooks. There are plenty of overhangs and woody structure along the river to fish nearby. The bowfin population is also healthy and provides a thrilling fight, especially when expecting panfish. Rooster tails fished on a steady retrieve, especially towards dusk, can land you a good bowfin fight.

Special thanks to Mr. Dustin and Mr. Dean of Number One Tackle Hadden Outdoors, Mr. Andrew Whidby, and Mr. Derek Fulton for their contribution to this month’s report.

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

Ogeechee River Bream Bait

• Flat Creek PFA Information
• Flat Creek PFA Fishing Guide 
• Water Level: 51” below full pool
• Water Temperature: 71 degrees
• Water Clarity: 27″

Mid-October finally brought cooler temperatures! Anglers have been most active early in the mornings and during the evenings, but we have seen an increase in the number of anglers staying throughout the day. We are seeing the most success catching fish from boats, the fishing pier, and the areas around the pier.

October has been mild with little rain. As a result, the water level has decreased, and more structure can be seen. Visibility has stayed consistent throughout the month and is expected to stay consistent in the coming months. Currently, there is no spawning activity. Instead, fish are involved in heavy feeding to prepare for winter.

Bass: Target bass by locating schooling shad. Try using Strike King KVD Square Bill Green Gizzard Shad around submerged fish habitat

Bream: Early morning anglers can expect a lot of action on Bream while fishing with red wigglers

Crappie: Crappie anglers, rejoice! Finally, cooler temperatures have arrived, and we expect the Crappie bite to pick up. Jigs and minnows are always the bait of choice at Flat Creek.

Catfish: We expect the catfish bite to increase in November. Try using shrimp if chicken livers aren’t working for you

Did we not cover your part of the state this week? No worries, we have some great resources to help you find a favorite fishing spot and to see what is biting and where: