Channel Catfish: Catfish bite has remained steady. You need to be out there early in the morning or at dusk to have much luck. I was using my 4 weight fly rod, rigged with a #14 black Wooly Booger on 3x tippet. Not much else beyond thatjust staying stealthy as Im sure these fish are seeing a lot of flies! Crappie bites seem to come in waves fast action, nothing for a short time, then fast action again. Good places to try are the very upper end of the boat ramp cove, the timbered shallow flat between the big island and the mainlake shoreline, the two timbered coves on the right past the big island, and the far end of the lake which is almost completely timbered. You might be pleasantly surprised with your catch and the nice smell of your bait! When targeting bass, try shad as well as other fish look alike baits at a variety of depths. braid on a 7 medium action spinning rod. Check out this incredible footage of a mating pair (and a few sneaker males trying their best to disturb them). Fishing high elevation lakes and streams has taken the backseat during the winter. When fishing these, particularly in the fall, the trick is to get them down deep and fish them slow. ANGLER INFORMATION Angler Name: _____ But, the timber is where the fish are, and I dont know about you, but I try to go to the fish instead of hoping they come to me. Waterfowl hunting is allowed on Antioch Lake and Heath Lake and hunters may use firearms. Brantleys biggest crappie was a 1-lb., 12-oz slab, and they had a couple others right at a pound. With the fish deepalmost all the action has been in the afternoons. His biggest was a 15 inch fish pushing 2 pounds, and it ate a shad colored curly-tail grub. Recent catches have been made using black worms. 3. Striped Bass: With the cooler weather, stripers are becoming more active. What happened?? They are running a special this weekend: buy a quart of live shrimp get a quart free (Saturday 10/15 and Sunday 10/16). I see the strike indicator pause and I set the hook! Woody structures in shallower water all around the lake are good target areas. In his experience, Mark has found the crappie arent picky about color, but he does have a basic guideline. Lake Weiss: Mark Collins reports Bass fishing is good and they are still on the creek and river channel ledges. Both lakes are intensively managed through fertilization, creel limits, forage stocking, and in the case of Heath Lake, a limited-access program. Crankbaits and Texas-rigged worms were best again. Heath Lake is open to fishing from sunrise to sunset the first 10 days of every month. I stayed close to the bait with my electric motor, and it wasnt long before small groups of fish were chasing bait. I use ATX lure companys jigs on a lip thrashing lure jig heads. Either way, a day out on the water is better than a day at the office, am I right? Also on Friday, Mike Harrell and a friend caught 12 keeper flounder, a limit of redfish, and a sheepshead in the Brunswick area by casting VooDoo Shrimp. Using the same set up of a Zug Bug fished deep and slow, I found redemption. I will let you know when I hear good reports from rivers, but let it suffice to say that your time in the winter will usually be best spent on lakes, ponds, and saltwater. Chattooga Riverfrom GA Hwy 28 bridge upstream to the mouth of Reed Creek. Brantley Wester of Waycross fooled this 1-lb., 12-oz. Talked to a couple of other guys and they both had only caught 1 fish. Mentors are worth their weight in gold! Put in on your calendar! We are waiting for the temperature to cool consistently and then the crappie bite will heat up! The bass are already staging on the main lake and secondary creek points. A chrome Slick Stick or a Sebile are a great choice on sunny days. New Moon is February 11th. In a strange exhibit of some sort of herd mentality, anglers will line their boats up in a row and just work down the edges of the standing timber, one behind the other. The water is still warm enough that the cats are biting fairly well. Dont forget to use those Ito Vision 110 jerk baits on rip rap early in the morning and then again just before dark. Deep nymphing was the key in this section, and 8-10 fish took a variety of patterns. By April, the fish will be back in the timber in extremely shallow water. ** With hunting season in full swing, you may notice a dip in fishing pressure around the lake. Spotted bass fishing is the best right now. All of the trout were on 2 and 3-inch Keitech swimbaits and Capt. Hatcheries and wild trout efforts both benefit from the trout tag. The Guide is Fish North Georgia's way of helping our community of anglers by bringing you up to date fishing reports on our local bodies of water by anglers . 11:50 - 12:00 Rocky Mountain Public Fishing Area Jim Hakala 12:00 - 1:30 LUNCH . If you are throwing streamers, anything from wooly buggers if youre throwing the smaller rods to large articulated patters like the bottoms up and dungeon patterns by Galloup. This PFA has archery hunting opportunities for deer, turkey and small game. Unfortunately, water temps in the mid-50s, bluebird skies, and a dead-accurate forecast of 20 to 30 mph winds were the conditions we faced, not exactly prime-spawning conditions. Once you get into a good spot, fan cast all around the boat before moving on to another spot. You can try the rivers if you would like, but they are not easy systems to fish in the winter. TROUT REPORT Check Your Knots! If you are not dock shooting right now you are missing out on some slabs (let yourjig sink give it time). Anglers are having a lot of success at the north end of the lake, but fishing is also good near the rail road trestles and by Smoak Bridge. Find and fish the mouths of the smaller coves especially the ones that have water in the 15-foot depth at the mouth. Most if not all of our favorite mountain streams and lakes are completely iced over. They are feeding well but the bite is super soft. Try to wait to fill the tension before you set the hook. If youre more experienced and would like the challenges of wild trout this fall, hit the high elevation headwaters of trout watersheds in GA and NC. Pat is behind me, grinning and shaking of his head he had seen the whole thing. Catfish Catcher Jigheads. Trey Lee fished an Alma area pond this weekend and caught a nice mess of crappie, including this one pushing 2 pounds. Sophia Petty showing off a nice bream catch at Allatoona. A slow retrieve like the one you would use with a buzz bait is all that is needed. DH streams are: Amicalola Creek, Chattahoochee River, Chattooga River, Smith Creek, and the upper Toccoa River. For more information seewww.lakelanierboatshow.com. Preparing for DH Season: Are yall getting ready?! Start the day with a slow-moving bait and a Zoom pumpkinseed lizard on a short Carolina rig is fair. However, cooler temperatures may increase catch potential. If you answered yes, you are likely a short drive from some excellent trout fishing opportunities. Ill outline this as the Q&As of fall trouting and cover the four main Qs: 1) who, 2) where, 3) what, and 4) how, to be successful as our weather finally cools. The most productive jigs havebeen milk with green tail or a chartreuse hair jig. Us the 3/8 ounce Rat L Trap or Rapala Shad Rap in the shad and baby bass colors. Brook Trout are not monogamous and will mate several times. An official website of the State of Georgia. I put 3 split shot weights on the tippet and was using a strike indicator. 1:40 - 1:50 Carters Lake Public Fishing Area Jonathan Wise 1:50 - 2:00 Silver Lake Public Fishing Area Johnathan Pritchard 2:00 - 2:15 BREAK. Things slack off considerably by mid-afternoon though, and the evening can be the best time to fish. As the water temperature continues to drop the activity should only get stronger so it is a great time to be on Lanier. 3 reviews of Paradise Public Fishing Area "Paradise public fishing area is a great place for the family to spend time together fishing and camping. You can add other hot fly patterns as your time and budget allow, but first stock up on these dozen bugs and learn how to fish them well. Couple of Lanier Striped Bass caught by Academy Jack Becker. The Rocky Mountain Recreation and Public Fishing Area is located near the Chattahoochee National Forest and offers 2 lakes totaling 559 acres. (Fishing report courtesy of Bert Deener, Region Supervisor and fisheries biologist with Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division, with help from Region Staff and Local Experts). There are costs for this great intel. Use a steady retrieve to get the Bass to strike. Fish the bait just like a worm. Tennessee Shad Specktacular Jigs and chartreuse pearl back 2-inch Keitech swimbaits. (Peruse the other topics, too, for some great intel.) The scenery around the mountain lakes is spectacular and fish are on the move and feeding actively. Fished right, these 12 patterns will put you on fish year-round and across the country. Bass are biting the Fat Rap and the Rapala DT6 in this color. It doesnt have to be far, but sometimes a short move can make all of the difference. Up in the river in the coves some are catching small spotted bass on shallow to medium diving crank baits. These conditions can add a bit of challenge to your fishing trip. We even had a surprise bite from a Chain Pickerel and ended the day with enough perch to take back home and fry for dinner. Allatoona Bass (Report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant www.southernfishing.com) Bass fishing is fair. Be sure to study this map to help you narrow in on which species youd like to chase after. This is a good time to have a Zoom Trick worm in green pumpkin on a 2/0 Mustad Offset worm hook. Check Your Knots! Fish this along the shore in 2 to 5 foot of water in the coves off the main lake. Anglers have had success fishing from the Clubhouse dock, the lower side of Beaver Lodge Lake, and casting into the deeper waters surrounding both Willow peninsulas. Antioch lake, the larger of the two, at. My son recently had that kind of trip. The water temperaturesarein the low tomid40s. Ive done best by fishing the day when a cold front is approaching. 341 towards Eastman then turn left on Hwy. A different Waycross angler fished the upper Altamaha on Monday and had the best catch I heard of this week. Fishing the crappie spawn kicks off the angling year for many anglers, and for some, is the highlight of the year. It inhaled a vibrating jig. Turn their crummy day into a memorable one. Fish it on a light spinning outfit, and just cast it out and bring it back with a slow, steady retrieve. As the temperature starts to warm up, small dry flies on the North Georgia streams are going to be another option. Boating. Anglers are having success from the docks of Clubhouse, Bream Buster, and Jones lakes. Notable points are at minutes 1:40 and 4:25. When the fishing is slow, go to a short Carolina rig and a small Zoom lizard in green pumpkin and small jigs fished around the wood. Anglers fishing DH stream sections must release all trout immediately and use and possess only artificial lures with one single hook per lure from Nov. 1May 14 annually. Then fish for crappie! 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