Georgia Fishing Report: January 10, 2025

While we want to say anytime is a great time to go fishing…this weekend, maybe watch the weather and the road conditions before you go. If the weather doesn't allow for safe travel, that makes it a great time to do some tackle box and fishing pole maintenance as you dream about better fishing conditions.

NEWS TO KNOW

• Fishing Forecast: Want to know about fishing conditions, best species to pursue or best time of year to fish at a lake or river? Check out our Fishing Forecasts. WRD fisheries biologists and technicians put together these comprehensive forecasts (for 31 lakes and 18 rivers). Find more at GeorgiaWildlife.com/fishing-forecasts.
• Need a Chilly Weather Activity? Let's Go Look at Boats!: The 2025 Atlanta Boat Show is January 9-12, 2025, at the Georgia World Congress Center. Get all the times and event information at atlantaboatshow.com/.

This week, we have fishing reports from Southwest, North, Central, Southeast Georgia and a bonus report from Southeast Georgia Kayak Bass Fishing. If anyone makes an angler snowman, send me a photo and SNOW, we mean GO Fish Georgia.

SOUTHWEST GEORGIA

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

LAKE BLACKSHEAR

For the holiday season most things slow down, but not so for the Crappie bites on Blackshear! Still, Crappies are the top bites on the lake, with bream following suit. Some people report finding both species relatively close to shore. Be careful to watch your depth gage as you move to shore, as with recent rains GA Power has been releasing more water. Others are having better luck on deeper brushpiles along the main river channel. Good catches have been made using live minnows from Flint River Outdoors and a variety of jigs - ATX, Sugar Bugs, and LiveWire heads. Thanks to C&S Guide Service for the photo!

LAKE WALTER F. GEORGE

Cooler weather and cooler water have resulted in a slowdown in the bass fishing and the fish are much slower to react to a lure. Try fishing the lake points with a slow retrieved crank bait. Be sure the bait bumps the bottom as the fish will most likely be hanging tight to the bottom this time of year. Look for suspended fish along the creek channels and try a jigging spoon on the suspended fish or try bouncing the bottom with the spoon as well. Dark jigs and worms fished very slowly in the creek mouths can also entice a cold-water bass to take the bait.

Crappie and catfish are still being caught but the average size seems to have gone down a bit. Catfish are being caught with jug lines using stink baits and crappie are being caught on minnow and jigs in water depths over 10 feet. Same as when bass fishing, move your bait slowly and stick close to structure and the bottom to connect with the fish.

LAKE SEMINOLE

Crappie: Crappie fishing has been great on Lake Seminole. Anglers Bubba and Ginnie Hansen got into some slabs this weekend!

Photo credit; catfish; Seminole & Flint Guide Service

Catfish: Catfish anglers rang in the new year with Seminole & Flint Guide Service. The catfish they caught averaged 20 pounds.

Photo credit; bass tournament; The Reel Deal at Wingate Landing

Bass Tournament: Bass tournaments have been picking up with the onset of cooler weather. Bowynn Brown took home 1st place at The Reel Deal Fishing Series with 6.22lbs, as well as the side pot with another nice bass coming in at 4.53lbs.

Bass: (Bass fishing report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant with Southern Fishing Schools Inc.) - The main lake grass lines are the best places on the lake; however, Spring Creek is starting to pick up as well. The lipless crank bait bite is the best bet on the main lake. Use a Spro Aruku Shad 75 in Old Glory on main lake grass lines. Use 20-pound test Sunline FC Sniper Fluorocarbon or 30-pound Sunline FX2 Braid for this technique. Ditches and points are the best places in these areas. If the lipless crank bait bite slows down use a slower presentation with a square lip crank bait such as a Stanford Patriot 1.5 in shad color.

Another good pattern is to fish a drop shot in Spring Creek. This can be a tricky technique but with good electronics the task is easier. Spring Creek is full of standing timber, but there are some irregularities throughout the timber such as larger stumps and trees, ditches, and creek channels. Use the electronics to find the fish and use the drop shot to catch them. The drop shot should have 7-pound Sunline Fluorocarbon, a 1/0 Gamakatsu Drop Shot Hook, and a Fish Catchin Fool 3/16-ounce Tungsten sinker with a bobber stopper to hold it in place. Most people use a drop shot sinker, but the Fish Catchin Fool worm weight works best because of the black finish on the lead being less spooky to the fish. For bait of choice, any straight shank finesse worm will work, but a Big Bite Baits shakin' squirrel is about the best on the market.

FLINT RIVER

Flows are up and water temps are still down. Water clarity is muddy until water from the recent rains pushes through. When flows drop and clarity is better, white bass fishing is good below the Lake Blackshear Dam. Fish small topwater lures or small jerk baits. White bass aren't large, but the action can be fast and furious, and they pull good on light tackle. Remember that striped bass season is now open below Albany Dam. These fish have been surviving in thermal refuges all summer and are now freely roaming the river and ready to put on some weight for winter. Fish large minnow imitations in topwater or swim baits. Bass fishing will be slowing down with the cold temperatures. Think about slower baits like jigs or reactive type baits.

CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVER

The Lower Chattahoochee River flows are up since the recent rains. Fishing will be off with the cold muddy water coming downstream. Catfish have been caught in deeper bends recently. As the water levels drop and clarity improves, striped bass season is open south from Columbia Lock and Dam and should provide some good action. Fish structure on deep bends for crappie.

BIG LAZER PUBLIC FISHING AREA

• Big Lazer PFA Info at GeorgiaWildlife.com/big-lazer-creek-pfa
• Surface water temperature: 53 F
• Water visibility: Visibility is about 34"
• Water level: 1" above full pool
• Big Lazer PFA Fishing Guide

Overall fishing is slow now and there are not too many people on the water this week. Crappie fishing can be productive this time year and until the warmer temperatures arrive fish for crappie in 10-12 feet of water with minnows and jigs. Largemouth fishing could be successful in deeper water as well with a much slower presentation of your baits. Channel catfish and bream fishing is generally slow right now.

SILVER LAKE PUBLIC FISHING AREA

• Silver Lake PFA Info at GeorgiaWildlife.com/silver-lake-pfa

Silver Lake

Water temps are into the low 60s and crappie fishing is heating up. Minnow tipped jig under a slip cork just off the bottom is hard to beat. Bass are still biting and crankbaits over shallow weed beds are producing nice fish.

House Pond

Hybrid striped bass provide consistent action during these colder months. The most action is coming from trolling small swim baits and casting inline spinners near the feeders. These big bluegill are moving to deep water. Be patient and focus on standing timber and beep stumps. Live grass shrimp are the best bait for these brood gills, but wigglers are a close second.

NORTH GEORGIA

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

RESERVOIR REPORT

LAKE ALLATOONA

Bass (Report Courtesy of Matt Driver, The Southern Fishing Report) - Jan. 2-LAKE ALLATOONA IS DOWN 9.9 FEET, 50'S -Bass fishing in January can be tough. If we have a return of cold weather in January, we could see the water temperature dropping into the low 40s, and we will see a shad kill. The bite will definitely be affected if that happens. A shad kill is not necessarily a bad thing. It just helps regulate the amount of baitfish that we have in the lake. The best bite for the month of January is definitely an open water, forward facing sonar bite using jig head minnows and jerkbaits. This is the best way to locate large, free roaming spotted bass this time of year. We are catching occasional largemouth doing this as well. There is a good jig bite on bluff walls for most of the day. You can mix it up with a drop shot, as well. We have caught a few using a jerkbait paralleling bluff walls. The month of January has to be one of the most difficult months on Lake Allatoona. The month of December had some really nice weights in tournaments, and I believe we will continue to see this in the month of January. Right now, it's taking 15 plus pounds with the best five bass to win but an 18-pound bag is not out of the question.

Crappie (Report courtesy of Red Rooster Custom Baits) -

• Lake Level: Approx. 828.47′ and falling
• Water Temp: 46 - 48
• Water Clarity: Stained to Muddy (North End Muddy, Mid Lake Stain to Heavy Stain)
• Area Fished: Blockhouse Area, Little River, S-Turns, Victoria & Kellogg/Owl Creek
• Jigs Used: 'Lectric Chicken - Small Fry, Cajun Chicken - Slab Dragon, Lemonade - Slab Dragon and Black & Blue - Slab Dragon and and Black & Chartreuse - Kic'n Chic'n
• Technique: Trolling

Jan. 3: Happy New Year! We hope everyone was blessed over the holiday season and is ready for some awesome crappie fishing on Lake Allatoona in 2025! The first week of 2025 was tough and there ain't no two ways about it. The heavy rains hit us again last weekend and raised the lake level up to 831 feet! When we get a large amount of rain in such a short period of time the lake gets muddy as well as a lot of trash. This abrupt change in water level and clarity does adversely affect the fishing. Anywhere there is run off on the lake is where the trash and sediment comes from and it makes its way into the main lake and makes for a few tough days. With that said, we got out on Monday in the morning and managed to find a few roaming slabs, one of those was a 1.7 lb Black Crappie. It was tough sledding as we covered a lot of water from the mouth of the creek all the way back to the shallow end of the creek. Our crappie were all roaming in 7′-10′ of water. We caught them trolling from .7mph to 1.1 mph on 1/24th oz. underspins. Tuesday & Wednesday the high winds kicked up but on Thursday the wind was not bad, and we got out on the water again in the afternoon for a few hours. We managed 12 crappie and 5 spotted bass. Same pattern, we found roaming crappie and some small schools in 8′-12′ of water and caught them using a combination of 1/24th oz. jig heads and 1/24th oz. underspins trolling at .7 to .9 mph. By Friday the wind was back to gusting upwards to 25 mph. Muddy water and lots of wind made it tough this week. Next week's weather is not looking much better as a major cold front is going to be on top of us. Hopefully we can still get out a couple of days and find some cold water crappie to report on! Lord willing we will have another report for you next week.

WEST POINT LAKE

Bass (Courtesy of Ken Sturdivant, The Southern Fishing Report) - Jan. 2 - WEST POINT LAKE IS DOWN 8.2 FEET, 50'S - The lake was slowly drawn down to 626 feet below pool for dam maintenance. The lake will be at 635 full pool by January 14, 2025. Bass fishing is fair, but it will be best after mid-day. Most of the fish are spots being caught lake wide. The dam area up to the Maple Creek area is the best fishing spot. All of the fish are bunched up together in 25 to 30 feet of water. There is a mix bag of fish vertical jigging on the bottom. Find the fish on the depth finder and then vertical jig using a 1/2-to-3/4-ounce spoon. With the bright sunny days, the bass will be a little sluggish. Those that are heading back into the creeks and coves are just getting a few small bites while throwing plastics. The bass are suspending in the channels and deeper water and move up early and late to feed. The bigger bass especially the spots want the bigger slower moving crank baits. Rocks, deep water and wind is the key thing to look for.

Crappie (Courtesy of Guide Keith Hudson, Georgia Outdoor News) - Try tightline fishing with minnows or a 1/16- or 1/8-oz. jigs around bridge pilings, brushpiles and blowdowns in 15 to 20 feet of water. Concentrate on trees and brush that are close to the old creek channels. Sometimes crappie will even hold almost dead on the bottom, as well. Pitching or shooting the few remaining deep-water docks with small tubes or feather jigs around or under the docks can still produce this time of year. As usual, crappie seem to love shade and cover. Yellow Jacket, Wehadkee and Whitewater creeks are still producing some crappie. Spider trolling usually starts up in January, as well, and can be very effective. If January turns unusually warm and wet, the crappie can show back up surprisingly shallow very quickly and can be caught from the shoreline. The Float-n-Fly technique can work really well in this situation.

LAKE LANIER

Bass (Courtesy of Phil Johnson, ([email protected] and 770 366 8845) The Southern Fishing Report) - Jan. 2 - LAKE LANIER IS DOWN 2.2 FEET, 50'S - Bass fishing on Lake Lanier is good. The lake is currently about three feet below full pool and overall it is clear with some slight staining in the backs of the creeks and up the river. The water temperature is running in the low fifties. With the colder weather the fishing patterns are staying fairly consistent which means ditch bite. A lot of the bass are located in the thirty-five to sixty feet of water in the narrower ditches. Structure can help but finding the shad is the critical thing. As the water temperature cools over the next few weeks the shad will lock down in areas but for now, they are still constantly moving so be prepared to do some searching for them. The tree eights ounce Spot Choker Pro Model with a three-inch Cast Echo in Ozark, Blueback Herring or White Pearl has been very productive when work slowly, and I mean slow, in the ditches. A half ounce War Eagle jigging spoon in either white or chrome has worked well on top of and around the balls of shad. Be prepared to move with the bait and look for the bass to be scattered around the bait balls. With Forward Facing Sonar it is possible to watch the bass working the bait ball and to get better placement of your spoon. Be sure to keep you spoon vertical with the boat to avoid snagging the structure. There are still bass in less than thirty feet of water that can be caught on either a RK Crawler or a DT6 in a green crawfish pattern. Work these baits on the rocky banks and small secondary points. The bass seem to be on the sides of the points more than directly on the points. A Shakey Head with a green pumpkin trick worm has also been working on the same rocks and under the deeper docks. The bite is still good but be sure to be careful with the colder weather. Know how to layer your clothing properly and always have on your life jacket. We will be at the Atlanta Boat Show from January ninth through the twelfth so be sure to stop by the Southern Fishing School booth and see us. Stay warm and Go Catch 'Em!

Cold Water, Slow Retrieve (This report courtesy of Jack Becker aka Georgia Waterdog, Gainesville) - This week, colder weather and high winds kept me off the water of Lake Lanier. I decided to fish off our dock for a few hours one afternoon using a spy bait, (spin bait). I was fishing brush piles in about 15 feet of water. With the water temperature in the low 50's I was slowly moving the prop bait with the blades barely moving. I felt a slight tap. I really thought it was a big crappie, but I was surprised when I had trouble keeping it away from the cables and luckily it did swim out towards deeper water. A few minutes later to my surprise I ended up with this nice largemouth bass. I didn't have a scale with me, so I don't know what it weighed. I released it. I'm guessing conservatively it was 7 pounds. Cold Water, SLOW Retrieve = Big Fish.

Stripers (Courtesy of Buck Cannon, The Southern Fishing Report) - Lanier stripers are hard to find and when you have them under your boat it's a challenge to get them to bite. Shiners have been the best bet but you never know so take everything. Water temperature is high 40's to low 50's. Water clarity up north of Gainesville has some stain due to the weather. Wind seems to be the challenge so when you can't notice the bite then switch to trolling the umbrella rigs. Good search tool and keep your eyes for the bird activity. When they hover trolling through them can produce. The top water bite is hit or miss, getting close to the fish before they sound is key. Remember wear your life jackets your chances are slim in this cold water.

Crappie (Courtesy of Captain Josh Thorton, Georgia Outdoor News) - Lake Lanier's crappie are showing increased activity as water temperatures fall into the mid to low 50s. Recent rainfall has concentrated these fish into larger schools, making for excellent opportunities to land some large crappie. This week's successful fishing spots have been in depths ranging from 5 to 15 feet above a deeper bottom of 20 to 40 feet. Crappie minnows have proven to be the most effective bait, accounting for more than 75% of the catch. To maximize your chances of a rewarding fishing experience on Lake Lanier, consider equipping yourself with high-quality gear. A one-piece ACC Crappie Stix rod and reel, paired with 4- or 6-lb. test K9 line, provides excellent sensitivity and control. For enhanced precision and fish location, a Garmin LiveScope, ideally protected with a sonar shield cover, is highly recommended.

WEISS LAKE

Bass (Courtesy of Ken Sturdivant, The Southern Fishing Report) - Jan. 2 - WEISS LAKE IS DOWN 3.2 FEET, 50'S - Bass fishing is fair. The bass are being caught shallow in 2 to 5 feet of water in the back of the coves and bays. Rat L Traps, shallow running crank baits and spinner baits are producing well. Spotted bass are in Little River and the Chattooga River. Jerkbaits shine for in the wintertime because bass are in all stages. Even cold waters in the mid 50's can make a great day. The bass can be shallow around docks and grass or suspended over 50 feet of water relating to schools of shad. Drop shot rigs, Shaky Head Jigs and Texas rigged and Carolina rigged Senko style worms are producing some fish.

LAKE HARTWELL

Bass (Courtesy of Cole Wilson, Spot Chaser Guide Service) - Level: 3.3 feet below 660. Temp: Mid 50s. Clarity: Clear - Fish are fully into their wintertime homes, and the ditch bite is hot on the main lakes and in the creeks. Many baits will work in the ditches, such as a 1/2-oz. jigging spoon, a blade bait or a Damiki jig. Keep an eye out for any big balls of bait you might find, as well as any channel swings in the creeks. It is best to focus on ditches anywhere from 25 feet all the way out to 65 feet. Bait is usually key but is not a must. Stay on the move since not every ditch will be holding fish or bait. Another pattern to look for is the roadbeds. Roadbeds are bass highways. Especially in the winter, fish will use roadbeds to travel to their pre-spawn areas. Rocky roadbeds or ones with brushpiles are usually better for holding fish. A Carolina rig, jig, drop shot or a jigging spoon can all be used to target these fish. As we move into the later part of January, start to focus a little more on the very early prespawn and staging areas that bass will be moving into toward the end of the month.

Crappie (Courtesy of Captain Rodney Donald (864-356-0143) SC Fishing Reports) - Fish should continue to be caught around deep docks and bridges in both the creeks and on the main lake. Jigs and minnows will both work.

Catfish (Courtesy of Captain Bill Plumley, SC Fishing Reports) - Some blue catfish may be catchable that have moved shallower out of the deep timber, but the easiest fish to target may be those that are still deep but over clean bottoms. A variety of cut baits will work. Channel catfish and flatheads will be close to dormant.

TROUT REPORT

Trout (Courtesy of Tad Murdock, North Georgia Fly Fishing) - The bite throughout North Georgia should progressively get more and more tough in the coming weeks. The wild trout bite is slowing quickly as they congregate in their winter haunts. The trout on Georgia's Delayed Harvest streams have been pounded into submission over the holidays, but some trout are still around. This is likely the most productive bite around for anglers looking to put a bend in their rod. So, when the junk fly patterns lose productivity and if you can stomach it, drop down to smaller size 18,20, or even smaller fly patterns along with light tippet and you can still net the all the trout you manage to not spook. It won't be long before we begin seeing the Blue Wing Olive hatches. Have your emergers and small profile dry fly patterns ready when you begin seeing the BWOs appear. Fly patterns between size 16-22 will work best. Be prepared to cycle through sizes until you can find what the trout are looking for. This is also a good time to explore some new streams as the undergrowth is a bit more dialed back than normal. If you do manage to find some trout, remember that you can have 2-3x as much success in these places during the warmer months.

Delayed Harvest Streams: (Courtesy of Jeff Durniak, Unicoi Outfitters) - New UO reporter "SC Shane" got a new fly outfit for Christmas and migrated across the border today (3rd), to Smith DH with high hopes for his first trout on the fly. And he succeeded with one to hand during his AM session. After lunch he swung into our Helen fly shop for a shot of heat, a handful of Wes' hot bugs, and some encouragement for a Round 2. Thawed and inspired, he returned to Smith, where he happened upon a random Rabunite (rabuntu.org) taking a water temp (47F at 3:30). Ole RR took a little time out to enroll the rookie in Rabunite 201. After a brief instream session on fly selection, rigging, roll casting, and fish-fighting, he let Shane loose on Smith. The new 201 graduate earned an A+, hooking just a few trees, but a healthy handful of fish. Half were lost and half were landed, included two beautiful, burly bows of 14 and 15 inches. Best bugs were micro eggs, flashback pheasant tails, frenchies, and black zebra midges. The rookie said he's now hooked! Smith DH continues to fish well, despite the crowds, for folks with small bugs and a good drift. Even for rookies like this young dude!

Parting Trout Note: Want to do more to support trout fishing in Georgia? Consider upgrading to a Trout Unlimited license plate this year. 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 in the state.

CENTRAL GEORGIA

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

RESERVOIR REPORT

The reservoir reports below are brought to you by Ken Sturdivant's Southern Fishing Report, with contributions from Region 3 WRD Fisheries staff, local guides, and anglers.

LAKE RUSSELL IS FULL, 60'S

Bass: Bass fishing is fair. Fish the lower lake in the major creeks and find the schools of bait fish with the Lowrance. Use small or medium spoons and jigs on the points closest to the deep water. Current can help, but the fish are on the sides of the creeks bends just off current flows. Use the spoons to 1/2 ounce and work the humps and old roadbeds all over the lake. Later each day slow roll a Stanley 3/8-ounce spinner bait on the river blow downs and creek bends. Use a #6 single Colorado blade in hammered copper or silver, and an all-white skirt. Always watch for any suspended fish and hit them in the head with a spoon. The fishing is tough. Use spoons or dark larger sizes of the Stanley jig with the pork trailer or the old eel. Keep moving until the active fish are found.

Striped Bass (courtesy of WRD Fishing Forecasts): During the month of January, focus on the lower third of the reservoir and look for schooling striped bass in deeper (20+ ft) water following schools of baitfish. You can deploy downlines or freelines with live bait, or even cast artificials like a fluke or Sebile above these schools to hook into a big winter lineside. As the month progresses, striped bass will continue to press northward as they continually feed in preparation for spring spawning.

Crappie (courtesy of WRD Fisheries): January can be a tough month for crappie fishing on Russell as these panfish grow sluggish and tend move deep as water temperatures drop below 50 F. Many anglers will put their best foot forward with live minnows fished along the mid-lake creek mouths, but some rewarding bycatch including yellow perch can serve as a suitable consolation when the crappie fishing proves slow.

CLARKS HILL IS DOWN 3.5 FEET, 50'S

Bass: Bass fishing is fair, and this is the warmer of the three large lakes on the border. Stay with the spoons or dark larger sizes of the Stanley jig with the pork trailer or the old eel. Work the jig or a worm on the points and up lake. Also work this same lure on thick bank cover. Afternoons, the weather may warm the shallow and a Zoom Super Fluke or a Baby Fluke can work the sand pockets just inside the main lake coves and creek. The bait fish will roam up on the sand and grass looking for any warm weather and the bass will follow. Work the jig or a worm on the points up lake and fish these same lures on thick bank cover. Watch for any suspended fish and hit them in the head with a spoon or drop shot rig.

Catfish (courtesy of WRD Fisheries): January can be a rewarding month for catfish anglers on Clarks Hill. You'll need electronics to locate schools of bait, which will likely be balled up in the creek mouths during a typical "cold" Georgia winter, or they could be moving out over the main river channels during truly cold weather when water surface temperatures drop well below 50 F. In either scenario, put out a spread of rods rigged with heavy circle hooks and cut shad or herring. Target points or humps adjacent to creek or river channels where you have used your electronics to find the bait. You still have to pack your patience, but if you haven't gotten a bite in about 30 minutes, then chances are that you should move to another similar site. If you're fishing on sunny day after a recent rain, targeting stained water at depths around 20 - 30 feet can help improve your catch rate.

LAKE OCONEE IS FULL, 50'S

Bass: Bass fishing is fair. But a big old front and high winds will make it tough. The bass will be feeding on the shad that are bunched up in the creeks and large coves during the first of the month. As the cold fronts keep coming, the shad will move out of the coves into the main lake, and the bass will follow. Target the bass in the middle in the backs of the creeks and coves with spinnerbaits and small crankbaits fished along the seawalls and docks, along with other wood cover in the coves and creeks. As the water cools, the fish will move out into the main lake with the bait. It will be time to switch to the deeper humps and off the points on the main lake.

LAKE SINCLAIR IS DOWN 1.5 FEET, 60'S

Bass: Bass are biting, and most fish are in the coves and creeks and shallow. Some fish are deeper in the clearer water down lake. Slow bait like worms and jigs should work early on the warmer docks on the northwest side of the lake. After mid-day, go to the docks and secondary points and use the smaller crank baits like the Shad Raps, RS Shad Raps, Bandit, and Bomber Model A. Shad patterns and chrome blue have been good colors in more clear water while the same colors along with crawfish have produced in dirty water. Spinner baits are catching a few fish around wood cover and docks, although this may slow down after the cold front. Try a 3/8-ounce bait with chartreuse white with gold Colorado blades. Jigs are catching bass especially on days the fish aren't hitting crank baits or spinner baits very well. Try a 3/8-ounce Strike King Pro Model in black and blue, browns or solid black. Add a Zoom Salty Chunk or Pro Chunk or #1 Uncle Josh pork chunks as the trailer. Work the bait slowly through any wood cover and against dock posts. Texas rig worms are also producing a few fish around the docks. A few schools of deeper fish remain in the clearer water. Depths are from 10 to 20 feet or more and along the sides of humps and points. Carolina rigs and spoons are the primary choices along with jig head and worm, jigs, and tail spinners.

Linesides (courtesy of Lake Country's Mark Smith): Mark reported "What a great cold morning on the pond. We put fish in the boat all morning long and every stop produced. Hopefully this bite will continue into January. Thanks to all who came to fish with me it was a good time for sure." Mark's secret sauce on this recent cool, sunny December day was a chartreuse spoon. For more information, contact on fishing Sinclair, contact Mark at reeltimeguideservices.com/.

LAKE JACKSON IS FULL, 50'S

Bass: Bass fishing is fair. The water is cold, but the fish are still eating. Drop shot rigs, fish head spins and spoons are the best early baits. After mid-day, go down lake and use the bone brown Rapala DT6 on a spinning reel and hit the shallow pockets around the dam. Early, hit them in the head with a small Hopkins spoon. Try the Zoom u tail worms on a Texas rig and peg the sinker. Use the greens and purple colors on the Texas rig in the warmer waters in the lower lake coves. Fish slowly with the DT6 Rapala crank baits in shad or hot mustard and use the stop and go retrieve. Stay down lake and use the dark larger worms and jigs on the trees and docks. Flip docks with a Texas rigged Culprit red shad worm. The larger worms in red and are fair and add the Jack Juice garlic scent on soft lures and use the Mega Strike scents on any hard baits. Make casts to the same location often and stay in the brush.

PUBLIC FISHING AREA REPORT

McDUFFIE PUBLIC FISHING AREA (courtesy of Fisheries Technician Nick Brewer)

• McDuffie PFA Information
• Water Level: all public fishing ponds are full
• Water Clarity: 24-48 inches
• McDuffie PFA Fishing Guide

The recent cold weather and high winds have lightened traffic at the PFA and pushed the fish out to their deeper winter haunts, but there is still plenty of quality fish to be caught for those patient anglers that brave the cold and can slow their presentation to a near crawl.

Bass: Fewer bass are being caught on the PFA by anglers. Consider slowly fishing a crankbait, jig, or a 1/4 oz spoon around deeper structure in larger lakes like Bridge or Willow for the best chance of success.

Striped and Hybrid Bass: Anglers should use chicken livers in areas with lots of bird activity for the best chance of success. Many small hybrids and striped bass are being caught in Clubhouse and Bridge Lakes.

Channel Catfish: Anglers on the PFA are still catching catfish. Some anglers are reporting catfish in the 4-9-pound range. Anglers are reporting the most success fishing either chicken livers or stink baits fished on the bottom. Jones, Clubhouse, Bridge and Beaver Lodge Lakes were all stocked with more than two thousand pounds of catchable-sized catfish recently, which should make catfishing light work on warm, sunny days when they will be most active.

Bream: Bream on the PFA are not being caught as frequently, anglers targeting bream should use live worms in and around structures in the lakes during peak hours of sunlight.

Reminder: Live fish/minnows are not allowed on our PFA!

FLAT CREEK PUBLIC FISHING AREA (courtesy of Fisheries Technicians Amory Cook and Deven Thompson)

• Flat Creek PFA Information
• Water Level: 91.75" below full pool
• Water Clarity: 27.25"
• Flat Creek PFA Fishing Guide

Bass: The bass fishing has been very slow in recent weeks with only a few fish being reported; however, the fish that have been caught were quality fish. Don't let the cold weather hold you back as the fish will soon be feeding heavily to prepare for spring spawning. Techniques to utilize this week should include power cranking around deeper structure and drop offs, Alabama rigs on suspended fish, and jigs around shallow structures. Other baits that may prove to work good this week are hard and soft-bodied jerk baits fished slowly.

Bream: Despite the cool weather, the bream have been biting extremely well. Notably larger specimens have been getting caught in the last few weeks. The best technique is to target 5 to 10 feet of water with small red wigglers fish on the bottom.

Crappie: The crappie bite has been inconsistently hot or cold, but some very good-sized fish have been caught. The highest catches were reported was just after a storm front pushed through. Using weather as a tool is critical for getting on the crappie bite. The best technique I've seen is jigs in natural colors fished in 2-10 feet of water near structures.

Catfish: The catfish bite has slowed a little bit but are still biting! Live bluegill and small chunks of chicken liver fish on the bottom will still give you a good chance at one of these whiskery critters!

Boaters Use Caution! Due to the extremely low lake level, please use caution when unloading/loading your vessels.

ATTENTION ANGLERS: Flat Creek PFA staff are conducting an annual angler (creel) survey on the lake this year. If you are approached by a PFA staff member after your fishing trip, please take a moment to answer their questions and share information about your fishing success (or, lack of success, whichever may be the case). These surveys are a valuable management tool that can improve our understanding of the fishery and ultimately improve fishing quality on the reservoir.

MARBEN PFA FISHING REPORT

• Marben PFA Information
• Water level: Several of the smaller bodies of water are slightly low but the larger lakes are full pool. Margery is under renovation and closed until further notice.
• Water clarity: Clarity varies but most water bodies have up to 24-48" visibility.
• Surface temperature: 50s.
• Marben PFA Fishing Guide

Bass: Bass have moved into their deep winter habits and fishing has slowed. Slowly fished aoft plastics such as worms or creature baits should work as well as crank baits. Bass will be hitting shad as they school. Due to decreases in temperature look for lethargic shad or gulls diving to take advantage of.

Crappie: The crappie are still in deeper water suspended over woody habitat. Use jigs tipped with minnows or a "search-style" bait such as a curly tail jig. Alternatively jigs with a float could be used with a slow retrieve.

Bream: The bluegill and some shellcracker bite is slow but a few are being caught on or near the bottom. Red wigglers and wax worms are a good choice for bait.

SOUTHEAST GEORGIA

(Fishing report courtesy of Capt. Bert Deener, Retired Georgia WRD Fisheries Supervisor, with help from Region Staff and Local Experts)

Cold (and windy for most of it) - that pretty much sums up the week. Even so, some folks caught fish. With the sustained cold for the weekend, expect the fish to be dormant in deep water. If you figure out where they are, it can be awesome!

River gages on January 9th were:

• Clyo on the Savannah River - 5.1 feet and rising
• Abbeville on the Ocmulgee - 4.8 feet and rising
• Doctortown on the Altamaha - 8.7 feet and falling
• Waycross on the Satilla - 10.9 feet and falling
• Atkinson on the Satilla - 7.7 feet and rising
• Statenville on the Alapaha - 5.3 feet and falling
• Macclenny on the St Marys - 2.7 feet and falling
• Fargo on the Suwannee - 3.3 feet and falling

Full Moon is January 13th. To monitor all the Georgia river levels, visit the USGS website. For the latest marine forecast, check out weather.gov/jax/.

SATILLA RIVER

Van Palmer fished with me for a couple of hours after church on Sunday on the lower river, and we caught 21 fish total. A half-dozen of them were bowfin up to 4-lb., 11-oz., but the vast majority were warmouth - some of them BIG. We had a crappie and stumpknocker mixed in, as well. Van caught his fish on a watermelon-colored Silverback Jigs Micro Jig and I caught mine on a 1/16-oz. Mirage Jig tipped with a minnow. The fish were in the deeper holes back in the slack water and thumped our offerings as we worked them along the bottom. The neat thing is that we caught all of our fish in a lake that I've never even tried before. We were scouting, and we found them!

ST MARYS RIVER

Chad Purvis fished the river on Saturday and caught some really nice bluegill. He caught 16 bluegills and a crappie. Matt Rouse fished the upper St. Marys on Monday from the bank and caught a few panfish (mostly stumpknockers). He fooled them with white curly-tail grubs. He said that the level is low enough that it's hard to get around in a boat. Note: The Temple Landing is currently closed while the GA Wildlife Resources Division boat ramp crew rebuilds the ramp. It will be a much-improved facility when they finish the project. The projects typically take a few months to complete, but it is always weather and river level dependent.

OKEFENOKEE SWAMP

The number of folks fishing the east side of the swamp this week went to zero according to Okefenokee Adventures staff. The most recent water level (Folkston side) was 120.78 feet.

DODGE COUNTY PUBLIC FISHING AREA (near Eastman)

The bite slowed significantly with the cold this week. Ken Burke only caught 1 bass in about 4 hours of fishing on Wednesday. Find out more about this area at GeorgiaWildlife.com/dodge-county-pfa.

LOCAL PONDS

Jimmy Zinker fished a Valdosta area pond this week. He was tuning some of his favorite buzzbaits and caught a 4-pound bass. That was a bonus, as he was just playing. Bass hit topwaters in winter, but the bite is usually slower than in warm weather. I heard of a few folks doing well on crappie, but no details.

SALTWATER (GEORGIA COAST)

A friend took his daughter to the Brunswick area on Sunday and had to work for them. It was 39 degrees when they left - very cold for our coast! They managed a couple of redfish, a keeper trout, and a few short trout but did not get on a big school (or at least not a school that would bite…). Dane Clements and Danny Stone fished the Brunswick area on Friday and spanked the sheepshead on fiddler crabs. They caught 44 sheepshead and kept a limit in shallow water. It was 28 degrees when they pushed off, and slack tide was their best bite. Redfish were off and on. A couple friends got on them well and a couple didn't do much of anything. It's all about finding the school in the winter. Capt. Tim Cutting (fishthegeorgiacoast.com) said that the stars aligned for a great bite this week. Monday was the warmest day and was an outstanding bite. They had about 70 trout with half of them keepers. In the cold on Tuesday, the bite was about half as good. Wednesday was cold - he had a layer of frost covering his boat in the morning! But the fish bit well without his folks having to deal with wind to make a good presentation. They had two limits of trout keepers and about 20 shorts. They had a good red and flounder that day, as well. Thursday was cold AND windy again, but his anglers fished hard and managed 27 keeper trout and about 20 short fish. Most of the fish came on provoker or Christmas tree-colored Fourseven grubs on a rootbeer crackle Zombie Eye Jighead (the spring keeper version). After your next trip to the Georgia coast, drop off your fish carcasses in the freezer at the GA Wildlife Resources Division Waycross Fisheries Office at 108 Darling Avenue. The Coastal Resources Division collects most inshore saltwater species so that they can determine age and growth for each species. All the supplies and information cards are in the freezer. Filet your fish then drop off the carcasses in the freezer. Wat-a-melon Bait and Tackle in Brunswick is open Friday through Tuesday each week (closed Wednesday and Thursday) They have plenty of lively shrimp and also have live worms and crickets for freshwater. For the latest information and their hours, contact them at 912-223-1379.

Blog Contributer Capt. Bert Deener guides fishing trips in southeast Georgia and makes a variety of both fresh and saltwater fishing lures. Check his lures out at Bert's Jigs and Things on Facebook. For a copy of his latest catalog, call or text him at 912-288-3022 or e-mail him ([email protected]).

BONUS REPORT: Southeast Georgia Kayak Bass Fishing

Daniel set out on the water in his kayak, ready for an exciting day of bass fishing. Conditions were cool and breezy with water temps around 58 degrees. The sun shining overhead made the temps manageable. SEGKBF member Robert Reid joined Daniel at a local private pond in Savannah, Georgia.

Drop shots helped them reach the fish that were holding deep, while crankbaits covered more water. The finesse of shaky heads was perfect for the more cautious bass, and the swirling action of spinnerbaits drew out even the most elusive predators. It was a fantastic day on the water with both anglers catching bass. Find out more about SEGKBF at segkbf.com/.

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