Georgia Fishing Report: May 3, 2024

Tackle 2024 with a Trout Slam! Catch all 3 species of trout (brook, rainbow, brown) found in Georgia and you have a Trout Slam. With trout stockings currently in full swing - they stocked 30,000 trout just this week - the time is right to get out there and get a Slam.

NEWS TO KNOW:

• Find Fish Info: If you need a place to start when looking for fishing information, visit the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division website Angler Resources webpage. There you can find links to interactive maps, places to fish, reward programs and so much more!
• Get Social! Be sure you are following the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division on Facebook and Instagram, and are signed up to receive the free e-newsletter Georgia Wild.

This week, we have fishing reports from Southeast and North Georgia, with a snippet of info about Central Georgia. Whether you are seeking a Trout Slam or just wetting a line, we love that you Go Fish Georgia!

SOUTHEAST GEORGIA

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

The annual Satilla Riverkeeper fishing tournament will be held May 3rd through the 12th, and there are going to be some big fish checked in. There have been some giant fish of several species weighed in from all over the place this week. I wish I could clone myself to fish multiple locations this week! Take your pick where you go, there are no bad places to fish right now, just some are on fire and some are good.

River gages on May 2nd were:

• Clyo on the Savannah River - 5.4 feet and falling
• Abbeville on the Ocmulgee - 5.0 feet and falling
• Doctortown on the Altamaha - 8.6 feet and falling
• Waycross on the Satilla - 9.0 feet and falling
• Atkinson on the Satilla - 9.0 feet and falling
• Statenville on the Alapaha - 6.9 feet and falling
• Macclenny on the St Marys - 4.4 feet and falling
• Fargo on the Suwannee - 10.7 feet and falling

New Moon is May 8th. To monitor all the Georgia river levels, visit the USGS website HERE. For the latest marine forecast, click HERE.

ALTAMAHA RIVER

The upper and middle river sections are getting within the banks, and the fish that have fattened up in the floodplain are ready to eat now that it's warming up.

OGEECHEE RIVER

Chris Baumann and a buddy fished the river on Saturday and said they had to work for them. Still, they ended up catching 30 fish. Their best lure was a sexy shad Satilla Spin, and they said it caught fish 3:1 over the others they used that day.

SATILLA RIVER

The annual Satilla Riverkeeper fishing tournament will be held May 3rd through the 12th. Get the details on the Satilla Riverkeeper Facebook page. Dylan Lee started the Satilla big fish parade this week with a whopping 1-lb., 7-oz. redbreast that ate his bug pitched on a micro bream-buster in the upper river. The monster was only a few ounces off the world record that was set a couple years back. He had just gotten the lightweight pole from Satilla Feed and Outdoors. I have one of the micro poles, and I don't know how he landed the fish on that tiny thing…Kyle Meyer also caught some giant redbreasts this week on the upper Satilla basin out of his canoe. He caught fish on black poppers and green poppers fished on a fly rod. Mason Davis caught a youth angler award-sized shellcracker this week at just under 1 1/2 pounds. A couple of Pierce County anglers hit a small creek in the Satilla basin on Thursday evening after work and whacked the panfish. They pitched pink Okefenokee Swamp Sallies for 28 fliers up to 7 inches, 10 stumpknockers, and a bluegill. The upper river is within the banks but is still high. The bite for panfish won't be peak, but you can catch some. The size of what you catch is what should be very impressive. Catfish and bass will likely be your best bites right now but give panfish a try. The middle and lower rivers are still high, and catfish will likely be your best bite in those areas.

SAVANNAH RIVER

Mark Vick and Daniel Rhodes fished the lower Savannah on Friday. They had a great 2-hour trip, catching 20 nice warmouth and several big fliers in the backwaters. Some of the fliers were pushing 11 inches! They caught their fish with 1/16-oz. crawfish-colored Warmouth Whacker Jigs.

ST. MARYS RIVER

Brentz McGhin fished the upper river on Tuesday and had a great trip. He caught a couple dozen panfish on bruised banana and Halloween Satilla Spins and a few on a black/red beetlespin. He set the new St Marys River record redbreast at 10.6-oz. after having it certified at the Waycross Fisheries Office. He ended up keeping 13 nice redbreasts and a channel catfish.

OKEFENOKEE SWAMP

I fished the east side on Wednesday afternoon and checked some of my flier spots. I fooled 26 fliers up to 8 inches with a catalpa (black and chartreuse) Okefenokee Swamp Sally under a small balsa float and a 3-lb bowfin by casting a fire tiger Dura-Spin. I only fished an hour and a half. Folks walking the boat basin on the east side caught some bowfin, but the warmouth reports have been mediocre at best so far. Expect that to change with the warmth and water level falling to a good level. The most recent water level (Folkston side) was 121.24 feet.

SALTWATER (GA COAST)

Rickey O'Berry and a friend fished the Brunswick area this week and whacked the sheepshead by dabbling fiddler crabs around pilings and rocks. They caught a couple dozen big ones up to about 5 pounds. I heard about a decent whiting bite in the sounds and off the St. Simons Pier. Capt. Greg Hildreth (georgiacharterfishing.com) had a good trout trip on Thursday morning. They fooled several dozen nice trout up to about 22 inches on live shrimp under Harper Super Striker Floats. A few tripletail have started showing up floating off the Jekyll beaches. Wat-a-melon Bait and Tackle in Brunswick is open Friday through Sunday from 6am to 4pm each week. They have plenty of lively shrimp and fiddler crabs and also have live worms and crickets for freshwater. They're on Hwy 303 just north of Hwy 82. For the latest information, contact them at 912-223-1379.

LOCAL PONDS

Hayes fished a pond near Brunswick with his dad on Sunday afternoon and caught a GIANT bluegill pushing 12 inches. It's a very cute video of him admiring it and then letting it go. Crickets were the ticket for their trip. Jimmy Zinker was at it again at night this week. He started off catching a 11-lb., 13-oz. bass on Saturday night and then Monday night caught a 7-lb. 13-oz. fish. He caught both of those monsters on a black Pat Cullen Trophy Bass Buzzbait (the Squeaker Model). Joshua Barber fished a pond on Saturday afternoon and caught 3 bass up to 2 pounds apiece on topwaters. Chad Lee fished an Alma area pond on Friday with Daniel Johnson, and they had 6 bass up to 2 pounds on Christie Craws and white spinnerbaits. Chad had 4 big bluegills and a few crappie pitching white, pink, and chartreuse plastics on a Zombie Eye Jighead. He fished on his lunch break this week and caught a total of 7 bass up to 3 pounds. Rat-L-traps and Whopper Ploppers fooled them.

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]).

NORTH GEORGIA

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

DNR crews are very busy this time of year with fish population surveys and fish stockings. Over the past week, walleye and hybrid bass fingerlings were stocked into several North Georgia impoundments. The fish may be small when stocked, but they will grow fast over the next few months. In addition to warmwater stocking, tens of thousands of catchable-sized trout were stocked across dozens of North Georgia streams. So, it's prime time to Go Fish Georgia! Here are a few tips from our staff and local experts to help tip the odds of success in your favor.

RESERVOIR REPORT

Lake Lanier Striped Bass (This report is by Buck Cannon, Buck Tails Guide Service (404) 510-1778) -Stripers are on the blue back spawning areas, and they range from up the rivers to the main lake points. Targeting low water markers is a good idea for pitching live baits or a shallow diving crank bait. Fish the point from side to side not straight from deep to shallow. Planer boards and flat lines are still productive in the same areas.

Lake Lanier Bass: (This report courtesy of Phil Johnson. [email protected] (770) 366-8845) - Bass are shallow and actively feeding. Swimbaits, Jerkshads and Shakey Heads are all working well in water less than fifteen feet deep on reef poles, flats, coves and docks. The Lanier Bait's Jerkshad rigged with a swivel and an eighteen-inch fluorocarbon leader has produced multiple fish this week. Work this bait with a sweeping action and then a long pause. Often the fish will bite it as it slowly sinks. For a swimbait, Lip Thrasher Lure's "Slickstick" produced the most fish this week. Work this bait around reef poles, bedding flats and in the backs of sandy pockets to draw strikes. Both the white and the chrome colors have been productive. A steady retrieve just below the surface has worked well and makes it fun to see most of the strikes. For the Shakey Head, either a green pumpkin Senko or a watermelon candy have been the most productive colors. Work this around docks in less than fifteen feet of water, rocky points, and shallow humps for the most fish. There is some top water activity, but it is not consistent and is likely to happen anywhere so keep either a top water bait or a Spotchoker with a two eighth Keitech ready on the deck to quickly hit these fish.

Lake Lanier Crappie (This report is by Captain Josh Thornton (770) 530-6493) - Crappie fishing is good. The water temperatures are in the upper 60's. Crappie are 4 to 10 feet deep under docks starting to see some crappie on deeper brush. This week we caught Fish in 4 foot of water and caught fish in 30 feet of water. They're kind of scattered right now but still finding a few with eggs have most have already dropped their eggs. Look for creeks or coves near a main channel for roaming fish they are suspended shallow in 2 to 4 foot of water cast to them or troll for them. Try translucent jig color combinations. The gear I recommend for crappie fishing is Acc crappie stix 1 piece rod and reel with a 4-pound test K9 line. We use Garmin Live Scope and Power Pole.

Lake Allatoona Bass (This report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant,www.southernfishing.com) - Bass fishing is great. The passing of the last full moon signals the beginning of a great top water bite. May is time to think shad. Shad begin to spawn and invoke a feeding frenzy for bass, white bass and hybrids. Shad will spawn on hard surfaces, like rock, and will end that ritual just after daybreak. The Spro Dawg, Little John crankbait, the McStick jerk bait and Big Bite Jerk Minnow are my go-to bait for active fish. There is also a good jig bite in blowdowns and shallow trees. Big females will move to these areas after coming off the bed. Bass will slowly be moving out toward summer areas and mid-depth brush. The deeper fish can be targeted with jig head worms, drop shots and finesse jigs.

Lake Allatoona Crappie (This report courtesy of Red Rooster Custom Baits from 4/26) - The crappie bite on Allatoona is slowly coming back around! After a lackluster March and most of April, this last week or two of April is picking up. Allatoona is clearing up nicely but there are still some debris floating out on the main lake so keep your eyes peeled and where your life jackets. The water clarity is clear to light stain with visibility in the 2′ - 4′ range…use natural/translucent colors (Blue Glimmer, UV Shad, Splatter Back, Gray Ghost, Watermelon, Motor Oil Red, Mayfly…etc.) to mimic the small baitfish during this time of year. If you are unsure what jig colors to use in clear to lightly stained water, we have combo packs available to help get you started. We caught crappie anywhere from 4′ in shallow cuts around wood or cover to 14′ over the tops of brush piles. The crappie will be moving to the shallow brush piles first for the better part of May, then deeper brush end of May to June time frame. Spider Rigging with jigs or live minnows is a great way to catch them this time of year. Lord willing the weather will cooperate and we will bring you another report next week! If you are new to crappie fishing and/or want to learn more about fishing on Lake Allatoona in general, book a trip with either Jeff "Crappieman" Albright of CrappieMan Allatoona Crappie Guide Service or Jake Turner of Main Line Fishing Charters. They are Red Rooster Pro Staffers and will put you on fish!

West Point Lake Bass (This report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant,www.southernfishing.com) - Bass fishing is good. We are now in a post-spawn week. The lake is clear and look for fish moving up and in a variety of depths. Fish the blow downs and any shallow cover in the pockets with a black and blue Berkley swim jig and a chartreuse and white spinnerbait. Fish the docks in these pockets with a Big Bite Bait's Yomama in hematoma. With the lake clear look for the fish to be in the backs of the pockets or on any sand patches that are in the pockets. Keep a bone Zara Spook ready all day for any top water action. If the water is clear enough and work shallow baits like a white or green pumpkin Big Bite Bait's Fighting Frog. Also add the dark colored Big Bite Bait's Lizard around these same areas. Make multiple casts to the same areas and work the same area as soon as they show up.

Lake Hartwell Bass (This report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant,www.southernfishing.com) - Bass fishing is good. Many bass are still in shallow and moving day to day. The fish are fairly easy to catch on a variety of lures and patterns. Now with the weather warming start out fishing shallow using crank baits, spinnerbaits or a Zoom Trick Worm rigged weightless. If it's a little cool find them on main lake and secondary points with a Carolina rig and a Zoom lizard, especially in the spring. The post-spawn fish are moving off the banks except for small males. A Trick Worm is going to be hard to beat with all the flooded cover shallow now. The water is clear almost everywhere so keep looking shallow because the fish are roaming a lot.

Weiss Lake Mixed Bag (This report courtesy of Mark Collins Guide Service www.markcollinsguideservice.com (256) 996-9035) - 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. Crappie fishing is fair. They have spawned and have started moving back to deeper water. Anglers are using 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. Catfish are biting good in the bays and creeks in 8-15 feet of water. Cut bait is working best.

MOUNTAIN LAKES REPORT

Bass & Bream (Report by fisheries biologist, Anthony Rabern) -The cooler morning temperatures in the mountain lakes means bass, crappie, and stripers will soon be in their post-spawn patterns and eager (a.k.a. hungry) to replenish their energy. At the same time, blueback herring are cruising the shallows along rip-rap banks in search of a suitable place to spawn. Hungry predators and easy prey are a match made in heaven for the savvy angler. Casting flukes and other topwater baits around rip-rap and other rocky banks may be just the ticket to help you land a trophy striper, hybrid, or bass, like the 6 lb spotted bass our crews caught while sampling on Lake Burton. Also bream - bluegill, redear, and redbreast - will soon be swarming in the shallows to spawn. On Lake Tugalo, bream were more concentrated around woody debris, especially in the Stoneplace Cove. Look for their circular nests on soft bottoms and around boat houses on all the mountain lakes. It's no problem catching bream using crickets or red wigglers on ultralight tacker or fly rods tipped with poppers or rubber ants.

Lake Chatuge Mixed Bag (report by fisheries biologist Hunter Roop) - The Gainesville Fisheries crew made several trips over Unicoi Gap this week to conduct annual electrofishing surveys of Lake Chatuge. Largemouth bass numbers were good throughout the lake. Anglers should target the backs of the warm, shallow coves like Bell Creek, Patterson, and Armstrong since these areas held some of the biggest largemouth we saw this week. You can also try some of the fish attractors around Mayor's Park and Bell Creek for good largemouth and crappie targets. Alabama bass were prevalent on the main lake north of the Highway 76 Bridge, where blueback herring had shown up in droves for their May spawning frenzy.

TROUT REPORT

Stocking Report (report courtesy of Trout Stocking Coordinator, John Lee Thomson) - The glory days of fishing for stocked trout are upon us in North Georgia. Stocking trucks are rolling out of the hatcheries daily and some trout over 14 inches are regularly being stocked. These larger trout are mixed into loads headed to our largest stocked trout streams. Additionally, brown and brook trout have been added to some of our traditional loads of rainbows and completing a trout slam on a stocked stream is a possibility. This week, nearly 30,000 trout will be scattered across North Georgia trout waters, so take advantage of these prime conditions and Go Trout Fish Georgia! To find a list of streams that were stocked, click HERE. Enjoy this video from one of our more popular stocked streams in Rabun County. Here's another video from the newest addition to the trout stocking program - Connesena Creek in Bartow County.

Delayed Harvest Report (Report from the Dredger's Archives) - Georgia's Delayed Harvest season ends on May 14, so this is a last call for fly flingers and a heads up to harvesters. It's been a steady pick through the daytime sunshine on DH streams, while the Dark30 action has been hot. Have tans and yellows in your fly boxes for the last of the cahills and caddis and the first of the yellow salliesand stoneflies. The very best action will be the very last hour of daylight, so eat supper early, stay late, and bring two flashlights to return safely. Before dark, try a dry/dropper combo of a parachute adams and a small pheasant tail or hares' ear (nymph or soft hackle wet) about 3-4 feet off the bend of the dry's hook. A #16 back fur ant (wet fly) is another killer dropper.

CENTRAL GEORGIA

Our Central Georgia blog contributer, Steve Schleiger, has retired (congrats to Steve!). As we look to find the next blog contributer for Central Georgia, we may have a few weeks without a post to share from this area. However, we encourage you to check out SOUTHERN FISHING WITH KEN STURDIVANT for some fishing reports that include this area!

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