National Fishing and Boating Week, celebrated June 6–14, is the perfect time to get outside, enjoy Georgia’s incredible waters and introduce someone new to fishing or boating. This nationwide observance highlights the many benefits of spending time on the water, from making family memories to connecting with nature. To help more people experience fishing firsthand, Georgia offers two Free Fishing Days during National Fishing and Boating Week on Saturday, June 6, and Saturday, June 13. On these days, Georgia residents can fish on public waters without a fishing license, trout license or Lands Pass (for PFAs and WMAs). Whether you are a seasoned angler or casting a line for the first time, there is no better time to grab a rod, hit the water and discover what makes fishing in Georgia so special. Learn more about National Fishing and Boating Week, Free Fishing Days and family-friendly fishing opportunities at GeorgiaWildlife.com/nfbw.

• New Black Bass Conservation License Plate Available: Georgia anglers can now purchase a specialty license plate featuring a largemouth bass, with proceeds supporting fisheries conservation, habitat improvements, research, stocking programs, and education efforts across the state. Learn more: GeorgiaWildlife.com/licenseplates.
• Summer is the perfect time to get your family outdoors and on the water together. Georgia offers kid-friendly fishing events, clinics, and family fishing opportunities across the state where young anglers can learn, compete, and make lifelong memories. Find upcoming kid and family fishing events at GoOutdoorsGeorgia.com.  

Whether you are chasing your first catch or your next big one, there is never been a better time to get on the water, Go Fish Georgia.

(Fishing report courtesy of Chris Smith, fisheries biologist with Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division, with help from Region Staff and Local Experts)

RESERVOIR REPORT 

LAKE ALLATOONA 

Bass (courtesy of Southern Fishing) — Bass fishing is good. The bass are in mid depth ranges of 9 to 21 feet deep, even though there are some fish shallow. First thing in the morning, there are still some shad spawning and the top water bite is good. Use the Sprog Dawg and a Zara Spook. Look for fish activity and schooling around rock and hard banks. Some shad will even spawn on floating docks. Once the sun gets up look for brush or blowdowns. A good Lowance Structure Scan machine with Fish Reveal with GPS is key this time of year. The main lake docks and shallow points are producing the best. The jig by Kacy’s Kustom in bluegill fire or brown and a Spro Little John are hard to beat.

There is an ALGAE bloom on Lake Alltoona and it’s dangerous to animals! Freshwater algae blooms specifically blue green algae or cyanobacteria are highly dangerous and often fatal to pets, livestock, and wildlife. https://share.google/5YkNOEag5A1K370fa

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 (courtesy of Southern Fishing) — LAKE HARTWELL IS DOWN 7.6 FEET, 70’S- Bass fishing is good. Anglers are starting the day off by throwing spinnerbaits, Zoom Trick worms and buzz baits in the coves and pockets. The top water bite is on so have a Pop R and a Sammy ready while searching the shallower water three foot or less. Late morning turns the picture around a bit with most of the bites coming on the crank baits in the three to eight foot range. Have the #5 shad and blue back Rapala Shad Raps ready the rest of the day. Spotted Bass are suckers for a ½ ounce all white Rooster Tail for some fun fishing. Hybrids may show up on the bait too. Start on the points and secondary points and work to the back of the creeks. Look for any docks rocks and wood along the way.

LAKE LANIER 

Bass: (Via Phil Johnson, Pjohnson15@hotmail.com (770) 366 8845 via The Southern Fishing Report)- LAKE LANIER IS DOWN 5.5 FEET, 70’S CLEAR- Bass fishing on Lake Lanier is good. The lake is currently five feet below full pool and the water temperature is running in the mid to upper seventies. Overall, the lake is clear. The bite over the last week has certainly changed with the bass being more finicky with what and how they will bite. It is definitely transitioning time for the bass moving to their summer hideouts. The top water bite is still active across the lake, especially early, but is not producing like it was. The Skimmer, Gunfish and Riser in chrome or bone are still catching fish over the twenty five to thirty foot structure on humps and long points, The bait that has been the most productive has been the Fluke worked up on points early and then later in the day over the deeper structure. The best colors for the week have been the Crazy Chrome, Glimmer Blue and Chartreuse Herring and it shows in the stores as these colors are hard to find. Vary your retrieve during the day to see what will trigger the strike on the Fluke. The drop shot bite has started to pick up around the deeper brush with a Sweet Rosy or Blue Lily drop shot worm. Definitely use your electronics to see how the bass are oriented to the brush for the day. A green pumpkin green worm or a watermelon red worm worked around the twenty foot or less docks has also been producing bites as well as some size fish. The night bite is good right now with good numbers of bass in the two and a half to three-pound range. Work a half ounce black, red and chartreuse spinnerbait with a chartreuse split tail trailer very slowly along the bottom for these bass. Work any of the shallow rocky areas and especially up shallow on the rocky points. For the night bite most of the fish have been coming in less than ten feet of water. Anglers may have to work a little harder right now but anglers can still turn some good fish so Go Catch ‘Em!

Stripers (This report courtesy of Jack Becker, a.k.a. “Georgia Water Dog”  Aquadog45@gmail.com , https://www.minithumper.com/ ): Received an unexpected phone call from a buddy that has not been out fishing with me for stripers on Lanier.  Made a quick trip Thursday morning with the very low wind and a little overcast weather.  We picked up our bait at Brocktons catfish school restaurant & bait. they really take pride in the way they handle the bait and I’ve never been disappointed in the quality of their herring.  We found small schools of bait and fish off the first point that we stopped at, close to the river channel in 35 to 40′ of water. We stayed in a 50 yard stretch aling the bank and in the next couple of hours we caught 3stripers two big catfish and missed a few more. If I find bait and mark a few fish I will stay in a small area of water and use spot lock, moving short distances to find active fish. It was a down line and free line bite.  Belly hooking the blue backs while on Spotlock. Good luck and be safe. Jack Becker Gainesville, Georgia a.k.a. Georgia water dog.

Lake Lanier Striper Report (This report courtesy of Buck Cannon, Buck Tails Guide Service 404-510-1778 via www.southernfishing.com):

Lake Lanier stripers are heading south for the cooler water and oxygen levels. The points and humps will be a good place to start, using anglers r electronics locate the bait and where anglers find small bait balls being chased by the stripers is when anglers put out your r spread of planer boards, flat lines and downlines. Blue backs and gizzards are the bait of choice and cover as much water as possible and anglers can get close enough to the banks that might be holding the fish of a lifetime. Water temperature is mid 70’s and clear. The rain we receive may muddy some areas but fish the mud line it could payoff. Remember to wear the life jacket. BuckTales 404-510-1778

Lake Lanier is experiencing unusually high levels of algae causing taste and odor issues in drinking water and prompting warnings about potential harmful algal blooms (HABs). While the water is safe to drink, the Lake Lanier Association advises avoiding bright green, “spilled paint” looking water, especially in coves.

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.

WEISS LAKE

Mixed Bag (Courtesy of Ken Sturdivant, The Southern Fishing Report) — LAKE WEISS IS FULL, 70’S- Bass fishing is good and most have spawned and have started moving to the creek and river channel ledges, Carolina rigs and crank baits are catching fish. Skip or cast the bait past the cover and pull the lure and let it drop right into the cover. Have the Strike King spinnerbait ready all day and depths can vary from 3 to 10 feet of water. The Bass Pro Shops Enticer spinner baits in the 3/8 ounce size with silver and gold blades in either the willow leaf or Colorado combinations have been working. Slow roll these baits on cover and and any wood. The chrome and blue combination ½ ounce Rat L Traps has been good for bass in the same locations.

Crappie fishing is fair. They have spawned and have started moving back to deeper water, they can be caught long line trolling with Jiffy Jigs in colors JJ13, JJ17, JJ20. Shooting docks with jigs is also producing some fish, Spider rigging with live minnows over deep brush is catching fish.

WEST POINT LAKE 

Bass (Courtesy of Ken Sturdivant, The Southern Fishing Report) — WEST POINT LAKE IS FULL, 80’S- Bass fishing has been fair to good and several baits and patterns are working. Early and late use spinner baits and buzz baits in the shallows and shadows then get to the humps and use larger crank baits. Work the main lake humps and check out the rip rap on bridges and main lake points early morning and use a # 7 or # 5 Rapala Shad Rap in baby bass or shiner and the Lucky Craft spinnerbait. There has been a good bite up lake in the cooler river waters. Use larger Zoom Bush Hogs and green lizards on a Texas rig. The river points down lake have been best in the middle of the day and also use a 200 all white Bandit. Use the Lowrance and fish off the points out to 50 feet away from the banks and points on the main lake.

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.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN PUBLIC FISHING AREA

(Report courtesy of Chris Smith, fisheries biologist with Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division)

Despite less than ideal weather conditions over the holiday weekend, several families were still able to get out on the water and enjoy some successful fishing for Bluegill and Channel Catfish. It was great to see anglers taking advantage of the opportunity and making memories despite the challenging conditions.

Our recent spring fisheries sampling also revealed some quality Largemouth Bass in the lakes.

Visitors to the area will also notice an additional improvement to the property, as the park’s newly renovated bathrooms are now open and available for public use. We appreciate everyone who came out over the weekend and look forward to seeing more anglers enjoying the lakes as fishing activity continues to pick up heading into summer.

TROUT REPORT

North Georgia Wild Trout Streams Report: (Report courtesy of Unicoi Outfitters)

Wes’ Hot Fly List: 

• Dries:para-Adams,  #14 water walker, tan and black Micro Chubbies, 409 Yeager yellow, yellow humpy, yellow stimulator, black Para-ant.
• And dusk hatch matchers: para light cahill, yellow sally, emerger caddis, and sulfur Drymerger.

Nymphs & Wets: 

• Squirmies, Mops, and buggers for stockers. Soft hackles, zebra midge , micro girdle bug, frenchie, duracell, jig CDC pheasant tail.
• Mountain streams: Pheasant tail, prince nymph, small Frenchie, sunken ant, and soft hackle partridge for blueline wilds.

Streamers:

• Sparkle minnow, jig mini bugger, bank robber sculpin.

Headwaters:

They’re low and clear, but getting an occasional boost in flow after each storm. The cooler, cloudy days have also helped the bite. Stick with fluffy dries when the water is clear.  If it’s higher and stained after a rain, use a buoyant dry like a micro chubby and drop a small frenchie or sunken ant 12-18 inches off the back. If it’s muddy, dredge a squirmy or big pats rubberlegs for a trophy.

Delayed Harvest:

GA’s DH season is over and will return next November 1st.  Thanks to higher mountains and colder water, NC’s DH season extends til the first Saturday of June. Their hatches usually run 1-2 weeks later than GA streams, so some caddis, cahills, and sallies will bring fish up at dusk. Bring a headlamp.

Dredger woke up yesterday, checked the USGS river gauges, and went for a NC double-dip.   He detoured to Nan DH yesterday evening after his earlier river bass trip.  The clouds were out, a light rain occasionally sprinkled, and the stream was slightly stained and 62F upon his 5PM arrival. And the fishing was hot in those perfect conditions!  He started with a fluffy 14 Adams and a 16 frenchie dropped 3 feet under it. Fish hit both the dry and dropper, with a lot of refusals on the dry. So he switched to a single dry and downsized the Adams to a 16. That was the ticket, as all three stocker species, a handful of wild bows, and one nice wild brown came to hand. Some cahills hatched at 7PM and he added a 16 cahill dropper behind the Adams to pick up a few bonus fish. The bugs flew off at 8 and the fish went to sleep, too. It was a fine spring evening tossing dries with his 4-weight Clearwater in this mist of the Nan DH.

Tailwaters:

Going strong, thanks to cold winter water. UO buddy Ryan: “I hit the Hooch tailwater yesterday with a friend wanting to try out his new euronymphing setup, a 10ft 2wt.  We fished a section known for being technical,where smaller flies and tippet are the key.  We fished 6.5x (3lb) tippet and size 20-16 jig nymphs.  We put a pile of fish in the net in about 3 hours on the water, with a fun mix of rainbows and browns.  The water was lower than expected, so finding the deeper remaining holes, pockets and runs was crucial to finding fish.”

To learn about Georgia’s diverse trout fishing opportunities including the latest stocking information, check out Georgia DNR Trout Fishing page.

Chattahoochee River Fishing Report:

Pautzke Bait uploaded a video of fishing for trout on the Chattahoochee, which can be viewed here.

Trout Stocking : Check the latest weekly stocking report to see if your favorite creek was stocked. Good luck and Go Trout Fish Georgia!

Parting Trout Note:  Want to do more to support trout fishing in Georgia?  Consider upgrading to a Trout Unlimited license plate this year (https://georgiawildlife.com/licenseplates).  Aside from being a great looking tag, each purchase or renewal of a Trout Unlimited license plate directly supports Georgia’s trout conservation and management programs. Hatcheries and wild trout efforts both benefit from the trout tag.

Trout Fishing Opportunities for Those With Disabilities: Find sites that are open to the public and offer specific amenities for anglers with disabilities at GeorgiaWildlife.com/fishing/trout.

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.

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

Contributions for the Central Georgia fishing report are thanks to Ken Sturdivant’s Southern Fishing Report, and contributions from Region 3 WRD Fisheries staff, local guides, and anglers.

RESERVOIR REPORT 

CLARKS HILL LAKE

CLARKS HILL IS DOWN 7.4 FEET, 80’S – Bass fishing is good. The fish are now post-spawn and the bass are schooling on these baits. Fish long, tapered, red clay points. Best baits to use are top water walking baits like the Zara Spooks in chrome or a clear color that closely mimics blueback herring. Use a Zoom Super Fluke in pearl and a Bass Pro Shops Enticer jig. The blueback herring spawn is in full swing and the bass are feeding on the baitfish around points and shoals. Have the top water lures and the Zoom flukes and Carolina rigged pumpkinseed lizards all day. There are still some bass shallow in the bigger coves and pockets feeding on bream. Have the Rice, a Pop R or Chug Bug to get these aggressive fish especially around bream beds. Look for some big fish to stay shallow early in the rivers. Try the Texas rig Zoom lizards, Bass Pro Enticer jig or a Zoom trick worm around blowdowns and stumps.

LAKE SINCLAIR

LAKE SINCLAIR IS DOWN 1.8 FEET, 70’S – Bass fishing is fair. There is some top water action early. Use to water Devils Horse lures and all white buzz baits. All white seems to be the hot colors with a little green in the skirts. These baits have been taking some really good fish early in the day. After the sun gets up, slow rolling spinner baits and large crank baits have been the best way to get to the deeper fish on the river. Carolina rigged Zoom green pumpkin Trick worms or the same color in the Zoom lizard in the six-inch size will work. Some extra Mega Strike scent will help the fish hold the baits longer. There has been a good top water bite on docks on the shady side. Use green frog and white buzz baits. Go up the river and work the points and small cuts up to and past Murder Creek. There is good fishing in these areas as the day warms up. Take the Carolina rig and fish the points out to 20 feet deep.

LAKE RUSSELL

LAKE RUSSELL IS DOWN ONE FOOT, 70’S – Bass fishing is fair. The increased boat traffic and the lower lake levels are creating a few mud lines along the banks and some of the main lake points. Bass are being caught on the edges of these mud lines while cranking a Rapala Hot Mustard DT 6. Also don’t forget to continue fishing the big rocks that lie close to the deeper water. Bass will use these large rocks to hide from the sun and to ambush their prey. Try using a ¼ ounce jig or a Storm Wiggle Wart in shad and baby bass patterns. Use the Carolina rig with an 18-to-24-inch leader and a ½ ounce weight and add a Zoom green lizard. Jerk baits like the McStick and Chatterbaits will work even if it is windy. Also try fishing rip rap or red clay banks that are in the sun for most of the day and look for the shad spawn to start in those areas very soon.

LAKE OCONEE

LAKE OCONEE IS FULL, CLEAR 80’S – Bass fishing is fair. Fish have been moving to shallow areas. There is a shad spawn in the mornings where spinnerbaits, Pop Rs, square bill crankbaits and ChatterBaits will work almost all day. Get on the right stretch docks or on any rocky bank. With the shad spawn, there are lots of options to try. A Strike King Spinnerbait in chartreuse and white continues to work. Use the Rapala square bill OG8 Ott’s Garage lure on rocky banks and blowdowns. A pink Zoom trick worm on a 2/0 Mustad offset hook is also producing well. The frog bite is just getting underway. Rapala #7 Shad Raps crankbaits are catching fish over brush on docks. The DT Rapala hot color is hot mustard. Always try flipping docks and blowdowns with an Ole Monster worm in Junebug and black emerald or a shaky head trick worm.

LAKE JACKSON

LAKE JACKSON IS FULL, 70’S – Bass fishing is fair. Go early and late and the bass are mostly small. Fish the dam and work the shallow ledges. Use a Rapala DT6 crank bait and Rapala Shad Raps in perch and baby bass patterns on points in the middle of the lake. Spot Sticker jig heads with a green pumpkinseed Zoom finesse worm worked slowly on the rocks up shallow when the weather is calm. As the winds pick up, use a ½ ounce Strike King spinnerbait and work points on the rivers. There are some good fish cruising around any rock formations, and they will feed if anglers can get something in front of them.

PUBLIC FISHING AREA REPORT

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

Marben PFA is a great place to enjoy spring fishing. As always, anglers are encouraged to adjust tactics based on daily conditions and water temperatures.

Spring conditions are here at Marben PFA, and warming water temperatures have anglers back on the water. As daylight increases and temperatures rise, fish activity should steadily improve across all ponds. 

Largemouth: Most of the females have spawned and moved to deeper water.  The males may be found still guarding fry.  Carolina rigged lizards do well.

Bass: Bass fishing is expected to improve as water temperatures continue to warm. Fish will begin moving shallower during stable, warming trends. Anglers should focus on soft plastics, spinnerbaits, and shallow-running crankbaits around shoreline cover, woody structure, and pond points during the afternoon hours when water temperatures peak. 

Crappie: Crappie will transition from deeper winter holding areas toward shallow structure as spawning approaches. Target brush, submerged timber, and pond edges with minnows or small jigs. Fishing success should improve significantly with consecutive days of warm weather. Crappie were really hitting jigs and jigs tipped with minnows.

Bream: Spring is an excellent time to target bream at Marben. Recent bluegill stockings will provide additional opportunities for anglers, and fish will become more active as water temperatures rise. Red wigglers and crickets fished near the bottom around shoreline cover and shallow structure should produce steady action. Bluegill have been biting worms. They should be bedding the first full moon in May.

Channel Catfish: Channel Catfish are moving in and will spawn soon. 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) —

With summer vacation on the horizon, McDuffie PFA is a great spot to spend some of that newfound free time. Those that have been taking advantage of that time this past week have done well with their channel catfish and bluegill catches. Catfish on the PFA have been caught on a variety of baits, with most anglers choosing worms or chicken liver. Bream used as cut bait also provided some nice-sized catfish. PFA visitors have been primarily using worms to fish for bluegill with good results. Bass have presented more of a challenge for anglers than the bluegill and catfish. However, anglers with successful bass fishing trips have been using green pumpkin soft plastic baits. Texas rigging those soft plastics have helped those anglers spend more time on the bass and less time tangled in vegetation and snags.

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

Bass: Anglers are having success using plum colored ‘Ol Monster worms by Zoom, white buzz baits, and minnows. Most bass are being caught from boats.

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

Crappie: Minnows have been the go-to bait, while jigs (John Deere or yellow and white colored Triple Ripple, or June Bug colored Teaser Tail) fished with light tackle to feel the slightest bite and trolled have been working very great! If you are bank fishing, try fishing near the pier. If on a boat, try cover (treetops).

Catfish: Most catfish caught has been bycatch while fishing for Bream or Bass. The last angler interviewed that was catching catfish had great success with worms fished on the bottom.  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.

If you are having difficulty catching fish at FCPFA, try talking to other anglers. Flat Creek PFA receives high pressure, and it can take some time to narrow down techniques and locations where fish are biting.

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

Bass have been munching this week. The recent rains have caused most rivers to start rising again. Saltwater has been pretty much hit or miss. Lakes and ponds have produced some of the best reports.

River Gages as of May 28^th:

• Doctortown on the Altamaha – 6.2 feet and rising
• Lumber City on the Ocmulgee – 3.1 feet and steady
• Clyo on the Savannah – 6.2 feet and rising
• Statenville on the Alapaha – 2.3 feet and falling
• Alapaha on the Alapaha – 5.8 feet and rising
• Waycross on the Satilla – 6.4 feet and rising
• Atkinson on the Satilla – 3.7 feet and rising
• Quitman on the Withlacoochee – 4.2 feet and falling
• Macclenny on the Saint Marys – 1.8 feet and steady
• Fargo on the Suwannee – 1.1 feet and steady

Full Moon is on May 31st.  To monitor all the Georgia river levels, visit the USGS website (waterdata.usgs.gov/ga/nwis/rt). For the latest marine forecast, check out www.weather.gov/jax/.

OKEFENOKEE SWAMP

Jeff, Jeffrey, and Jaxson (three generations) went on a guided trip with Captain Bert Deener on the east side on Wednesday. The ended up catching a total of 71 fish. Jaxson caught a youth angler award warmouth and bowfin, earning him a hat, t-shirt, and a certificate from the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division. Their biggest bowfin weighed 7-lbs. 10-oz. And their biggest pickerel measured 17 inches long. They caught them by trolling and casting Dura-Spins. The best colored Dura-Spins were black/chartreuse-silver blade, crawfish-brass blade, firetiger-silver blade, and jackfish. Latest Swamp level on the east side was 119.57 feet.

ALTAMAHA RIVER

I fished on the lower section of the river yesterday afternoon (May 27^th). I had a real nice trip and my top 5 was close to 16-lbs. Most of my fish hit spinnerbaits and a topwater lure. The water was fairly muddy and it was tough to get a bite, but they appeared to be stacked up in certain areas. A bad thunderstorm rolled in and got me soaked. I talked to some other anglers who caught some decent bass. One angler reported that the catfish bite was very slow. Justin Harrison also fished yesterday and managed to catch 6 nice bass. Austin Hill fished two evening tournaments this week and got second place both times. Topwater lures produced most of his fish.

SATILLA RIVER

Don Harrison kayaked on the upper river on Tuesday and caught a mixed bag of bluegill and redbreasts. The bite was slow, but he was able to catch 7 nice ones. He used Satilla Spins and bruised banana/gold blade was the best one of the day. 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 hours, call 912-449-3001.

LAKES AND PONDS

Jimmy Zinker and his friend Colton fished down at Orange Lake Sunday night and had the time of their life! They caught two bass around 10 pounds and had 5 in the 6-7 pound range. Jimmy caught the biggest one that weighed 10-lbs. 3-oz. They used topwater lures, and the most productive one was a Muskie Jitterbug. The ramp on the Southwest side of the lake closed back down on Tuesday (May 26^th) for renovation. The bass bite has been good at Paradise Public Fishing Area in Tifton. Danny Cooley caught a big bass at Paradise on Tuesday. Billy Lee and I fished at a private pond and caught 8 bass up to around 7 ½-lbs. Soft plastics worked best. I got a report of two anglers catching a small mess of bass at a pond. An open tournament will be held at Reed Bingham State Park on May 30^th from 7:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. Entry is $50 dollars.

OCMULGEE PUBLIC FISHING AREA (near Hawkinsville)

HUGH M. GILLIS PUBLIC FISHING AREA (NEAR DUBLIN)

SALTWATER (GEORGIA COAST)

Kelly Dial and his grandson Aiden Cox fished out of Crooked River last Saturday morning. They caught a nice mess of trout, redfish, and flounder wile using live shrimp. I have heard of other good reports in the Saint Marys Area. Captain Greg Hildreth reported that the inshore trout bite has been a little slow but they still have been able to catch some.

DODGE COUNTY PUBLIC FISHING AREA (NEAR EASTMAN)

PARADISE PUBLIC FISHING AREA

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.

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.

(Fishing report courtesy of Laura Wenk, Fisheries Technician, with help from Region Staff and Local Experts)

LAKE BLACKSHEAR 

Bream bites have been strong again this past week and are likely to continue if you can entice them through the incoming muddy water from recent and continuing rains. Crappie have also been consistent biters, and most reports are of them around brush along the old river and under docks. Bass catches are still up, though might become harder with the incoming muddy water. If you do fish for these visual fish, try using darker lures as it will make it more visible or lures that make noise/vibrations.

WALTER F GEORGE

Bass are transitions to post spawn on the lake now, so for those folks wanting to still catch some focus on fining threadfin shad activity around daybreak and sunset. Some recommended lures from Southern Fishing are Carolina rigs and big crankbaits when fishing for bass right now. Focus on areas like points and creek bends, ideally where you have some depth to help them bite. Bream and crappie on the lake are also biting nicely. Though be careful when you are out on the water this week for all the pop-up storms.

CHATTAHOOCHEE AND FLINT RIVERS

The Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers are seeing their first rain in a long time. Flows are up and visibility will be down. Try using lures that match the colors of the water. Reds and browns should be good options as they mimic the natural coloring of fish in the muddy water. Please use caution in the tail races. Since water is moving through the system there should be good catches of hybrids and catfish in the tail races but water will be moving quickly and can be a safety hazard.

Downstream try deep outer banks with long rigs to target catfish hiding in their holes. Anything smelly like chicken soaked in strawberry Jell-O will be a hit there.

Related