The Southern Fishing Report by Ken Sturdivant 10-13
By Ken Sturdivant
106 Hickory Ridge
770 889 2654
Cumming, Georgia 30040
October 14, 2011
LAKE LANIER IS DOWN 9.89 FEET, THE CREEKS ARE SLIGHTLY STAINED AND THE MAIN LAKE IS CLEAR AND 71 DEGREES. THE UPPER LAKE IS TURNING OVER.
This Lake Lanier Bass report is from Jim Mathley, www.jimboonlanier.com 770 542 7764
Spotted bass fishing in Lake Lanier remains good. Even though the weather conditions have been suspect with cooler temperatures, rain, and high winds, the fishing has been solid. The spotted bass in the lower lake continue to school heavily around creek mouths as well as over the river channels and standing timber near both long running steep points and humps. Topwater baits, swimbaits, flukes, and a Fish Head Spin will catch these schooling fish. Focus on points and humps in the mouths of creeks and work your baits over brush or rocky areas where the fish are schooling. When the sun is out, the fish will relate more strongly to the brush. This is the best case scenario as when the fish are in the brush, they are easier to target and they will come up for your baits. When the weather is cloudy the fish tend to roam and sometimes become bottom locked. We have been catching these fish on a shaky head worm. In addition to the schooling fish, there are some good 2-3 pound fish available on rocky secondary points in cuts off the main lake as well as in the mouths of the major creeks. A buzzbait or spinnerbait early in the morning when the wind is blowing into the structure is the best time to fish these areas. Be flexible on the water and experiment with different baits and presentations. Fish are readily available and are feeding heaving in preparation for winter. The lures and presentation to catch these fish changes every day, but the fish will bite. See our web site for Rods, Reels and Lures for Bass DVD on sale.
This Lake Lanier Striper report is from Captain Ken West and Captain Mike Maddalena of Big Fish On! Guide Service, 404 561 2564. www.bigfishonguide.com
Striper fishing is fair and the turnover is in full swing. Stripers are chasing the bait to the surface and have started moving into the creeks and north. The shallow top water bite has started and the old reliable Red Fin, Spook and Chug Bug will work. Running and gunning points with top water, bucktails and Capt. Macks new Game Changers will keep you busy with spots as well as stripers. There is a lot of shallow bait over deep water, so keep your eyes open for those surfacing fish. Because the fish have moved up in the water column it’s time for free line herring behind the boat and on planner boards. Start with herring about 40 foot behind my boards and 80 to 100 feet behind the boat. The bait stores are starting to carry trout. We have not used them this week but we do have some good reports of trout on down rods on points over a 25 to 40 foot bottom. You should also consider them on your planner boards and free lines. Umbrella rigs are also working but they are getting a little difficult to pull due to the trees and brush which are 10 feet closer to the surface. The mouth of Young Deer Creek, Bald Ridge Creek and Shoal Creek continue to be good places to start. I have also had reports of stripers on the north end in Wahoo and Little River.
October 14, 2011
WEST POINT LAKE IS DOWN 11.1 FEET, STAINED & 75 DEGREES BY CHRIS BELL
Bass fishing has been good. Fishing has continued to pick up with the recent cooler temperatures. With the cooler temperatures and low water conditions have concentrated fish on just about any shoreline cover available. Fish can be caught on many different patterns right now dependent on current weather conditions. On windy days use a 3/8 ounce spinnerbait in a chartreuse white color with double willow leaf blades gold and silver combination. On days where there is less wind use shallow diving crankbaits and top water poppers in shad patterns. With all of these baits you will need to cover a lot of water so be prepared to stay on your trolling motor.
Hybrid and striper fishing is good. Topwater activity is heating up first thing in the morning and late in the evening. The mid day bite has continued to be the same using live shad on humps and road beds, but for consistent action focus on schooling topwater fish. To catch these topwater fish use floating flys trailed behind popping corks. The action can last for a while so be prepared. The best areas for topwater action have been mid lake from north of Wehadkee creek to the 109 bridge.
Crappie fishing has been good. Fish have not begun roaming yet, but once you locate fish in cover you can catch quite a few. The best locations have been in Yellow Jacket creek on standing timber and deep brush piles. Temperatures have not dropped quite enough for trolling jigs so stick with down lining live bait.
October 14, 2011
LAKE ALLATOONA IS DOWN 8.57 FEET, 74 DEGREES AND CLEAR
See our web site for the Rods, Reels and Lures for Bass DVD on sale.
This Lake Allatoona striper and hybrid fishing guides report has been brought to you exclusively by Robert Eidson of First Bite Guide Service, 770 827 6282. www.firstbiteguideservice.com Lake Allatoona, Georgia email: eidson6260@comcast.net
Line side fishing is good. There is good schooling activity going on all over the lake in the mornings and afternoons and all day on cloudy days. Look for hybrids and small stripers busting the top in the Fields Landing and Delta area, at the island in front of Kellogg Creek and Harbortown, between Bartow Carver and Illinois Creek. The biggest school is between Bethany Bridge and Stamp Creek. Fish big will take the white Rooster Tails, Jr. Flukes and anything on a popping cork. These lures must be fish on 6 to 8 pound test line or you wont get bit. If theyre not coming up, pull umbrella rigs and this will out fish live bait 5 to 1. We use a Mack Farr four arm umbrella rig with nine ½ ounce white bucktails. Chartreuse or white trailers seem to be working equally well. If you dont like trolling try dropping a white with chrome Flex-It spoon on top of fish you see on the graph.
October 14, 2011
LAKE HARTWELL IS DOWN 7.86 FEET, CLEAR & 74 DEGREES
Bass fishing is good and the fish are active most of the day. Look on the points and creek bends down lake and fish out to 18 feet of water. Down lake use the 1/2 ounce jig and a larger Pro Pork Trailer by Uncle Josh on the heavy cover. The crank bait and spinner baits cast on the bank cover and slowly worked will get strikes. Pick apart any hump especially mid lake and up. Many of the humps are holding schools of bait fish but the most baits schools are up lake. Later in the day, spinner baits down lake in the creeks are fair just work rocky points. Stanley spinner baits with bright blades will draw shallow strikes as the bass move to the creek banks and points during the day. The Zoom water melon seed lizards on a Carolina rig has been good later each day. On creek channels use a Culprit red shad worm on a Texas rig with the brass and glass combination. Work baits right on the bank around any cover. Look on the maps for any old road beds and find them with the Lowrance Structure Scan technology and there will be schools of fish out there. The Bass Fishing Lake Hartwell guide is for sale. Lake levels are from www.lakelevels.info/?StateID=GA
October 14, 2011
CLARKS HILL IS DOWN 8.41 FEET, 74 DEGREES WITH MOSTLY CLEAR
Bass fishing is good and the backs of the creeks both up and down lake can hold a schools feeding on small bait schools. Start out the day with the jig and eel in all black and add some extra Berkley bass scent. Work any deeper docks or grass lines with the half way back in the creeks and hit points closest to the creek channel. Later in the day small crank baits with blue and shad colors are fair. Fish these baits out on the main lake points and humps. The Bill Norman Little N is working with a stop and go retrieve. Do not hesitate to cast this lure right into the docks with any brush exposed. Work this lure through the structure as slowly as possible and tick the lures off the tree limbs. For the better bass use the larger 1/2 ounce Stanley jig and an Uncle Josh #11 pork trailer. Select dark colors in brown and black combos. Jig and pigs can be fished slowly and cast the bait into the trees and work every limb with this lure. If there are any docks close by be sure and work them very well. There are some better fish under these docks and effective use of lures can draw a larger bite. All Georgia lake levels are from www.lakelevels.info/?StateID=GA Georgia lake levels are from www.lakelevels.info/?StateID=GA
October 14, 2011
LAKE RUSSELL IS DOWN 8.40 FEET, CLEAR & 73 DEGREES
Bass fishing is good and the water is cooling down moving the bait schools shallow. Stay down lake where the waters are a little warmer in the backs of the creeks. Use small finesse worms or a trick worm as well as the jigs and the dark greens are best. Keep a pearl Super Fluke ready all day for any schooling action. The bass will move shallow on a warmer afternoon and small crank baits on points and secondary points mid lake are good areas. Brush piles on points in 10 feet of water are holding bass and worms and jigs will fair. Work all lures slowly and use a Gilraker red and black worm in the brush using a Texas rig with Tungsten weight and use the smallest weight you can still feel. Tungsten and a glass or metal bead creates a lot extra sound and draws fish to look at the lures. Crank baits in the Shad Rap in a #7 have been fair in creeks on the northwest side of the lake. See our web site for Rods, Reels and Lures for Bass DVD on sale.
October 14, 2011
LAKE SEMINOLE IS DOWN ONE FOOT, CLEAR AND 82 DEGREES
Bass fishing is good and the water is warming fast. Get out the spinnerbait and beat all the grass beds mid lake. Also fish the current breaks along islands of the main lake or in canals just off the rivers. Fish a Spro Superstar Spinnerbait with dual Colorado blades in chartreuse and white with gold blades. Fish the spinnerbait with the current and not against it. Another good pattern is flipping any type of vegetation along the river banks and in the pockets off of the main river channel. Use a flipping rod like the 7’6" Falcon Expert and heavy braid. The best bait for flipping is a 4" Big Bite Baits Fighting Frog in Prime Rib. Use a 1 ounce True Tungsten weight and a 5/0 straight shank Gamakatsu hook. The old frog colored Jitterbug will also work and anyone can use this old lure to catch bass all day.
October 14, 2011
LAKE GEORGE IS DOWN 3.05 FEET, 79 DEGREES & CLEAR
Bass fishing is good and it easy to use the Texas rigged worms or lizards on main lake sandbars. Try the 1/4 tungsten sinkers and a 5/0 Gamakatsu offset worm hook and add a 8" Big Bite Baits Kriet Tail Lizard in watermelon red. Make sure to use heavy line for this technique and the 16 or 20 pound test Sunline Fluorocarbon works real well. The other technique that catches big ones is to fish near the grass lines in any clear water with a Spro BBZ 1 swim bait. This technique will add some weight to a days catch. See our web site for Rods, Reels and Lures for Bass DVD on sale. Georgia lake levels are from www.lakelevels.info/?StateID=GA
October 14, 2011
LAKE WEISS IS DOWN 2.04 FEET, LIGHT STAIN & 66 DEGREES BY COLLINS GUIDE SERVICE
Now available for sale 50 of my proven GPS waypoints for off shore structure for Bass and Crappie fishing on Weiss Lake, Alabama. E mail ken@havefunfishing.com
Bass fishing is good and a lot of Largemouth bass have moved shallow in the coves and bays, look for any brush or stumps in 4 feet of water or less. Shallow running crank baits, spinner baits and Rat L Traps in shad patterns are working great. The Spotted Bass are on main lake points and humps, road beds and shallow river channel ledges, soft plastics like the Senko worm in green pumpkin with a chartreuse tail is catching a lot of good spots.
Striper fishing is fair and they are showing up in the main lake on river channel ledges 8-14 feet deep. Live Shad down lined and free lined, trolled slowly on the old Coosa river channel is producing best
Crappie fishing is good and a lot of crappie are under the deeper docks, look for larger, older docks that create a lot of shade. Use a 1/24 ounce jiffy jig in colors JJ13 and JJ17. A lot of larger crappie are starting to show up on the old river channel ledges in the main lake and the Riverside area, spider rigging with minnows is starting to produce some good fish with a ton of under size fish. Look for more to move to the ledges as the water cools more.
October 14, 2011
LAKE SINCLAIR IS DOWN 1.82 FEET, 78 DEGREES, MOSTLY STAINED.
Bass fishing is good and now is the time to work the on schooling fish down the lake. Watch main lake points and humps for activity. Have three baits ready to go, a Zoom Fluke in albino color, a Sammy and a 1/2 ounce chrome and blue Rat L Trap. Idle over these areas, and look for bait on your graph. Sometimes the boat wake will actually trigger the feeding frenzy if there are fish there. If you see bait, stop and work all three baits over the point, and you should get fish to come up.
See our web site for Rods, Reels and Lures for Bass DVD on sale. Lake levels are from www.lakelevels.info/?StateID=GA
October 14, 2011
LAKE OCONEE IS DOWN 2.28 FEET, 72 DEGREES AND CLEAR.
Bass fishing is good. Start with a buzz bait on the sea walls as you come into the cove. Clear on the main lake and stained up the rivers. A white or a chartreuse and white Old Nelly buzz bait has been working over the past few days. Next, switch to a dark color worm. Fish the worm under any dock in a pocket or cove. Docks with wood structure on them are the best. Start at the mouth of the cove and work to the back. There are also some schooling on the south end of the lake. When moving from cove to cove keep an eye on your Lowrance for a school to show up and then run your shad rap through the school. With all the rain this week the river bite has shut down. After a few days without rain this bite should pick back up. The water up the rivers is cooler and should not be overlooked once the water clears some.
Lake Oconee Line Side report brought to you by Mark Smith at Reel Time Guide Service. 404-803-0741. wwwreeltimeguideservice.com
Line Side fishing is fair to good. The fall bite is starting up. Look in the river bend area of the lake and have a bait tank full of live bait (threadfin shad, shiners, and gizzard shad.) All will work on most days. A good way to locate the schools is to pull a Capt. Mack umbrella rig in the mouths of the creeks and coves until you find the schools. Lick Creek is loaded with bait. I was fishing that area before all the rain. There was more than one school of stripers in this area. Electronics are very important at this time of year. Your Lowrance can save you a lot of time fishing an area with no fish. The cooler the water gets the bigger the schools will become. Sugar Creek has the Capt. Mac umbrella rigs in stock along with Okuma line counter reels and Okuma striper rods. They also have a complete line of Zoom baits on hand. If you like to see the Lowrance HDS units in action call and we can show you how it works with the on the water demonstration.
Crappie fishing is good. Right now the fish are showing up in the mouths of the creeks. Some fish are showing up in brush piles from 5 to 10 ft. Look for the fish to show up on your Lowrance and drop you live shiners down the depth they are holding at.
October 14, 2011
JACKSON LAKE IS DOWN ONE FOOT, CLEAR, 74 DEGREES
Bass fishing is fair. Look for bait to move shallow in the backs of creeks and pockets all over the lake and the bass will follow. Early in the mornings, work a topwater bait on seawalls, boat ramps and docks in these areas. A Sammy or Pop R will be very effective at daylight. On bright sunny days, use an all white 1/4 ounce double willow leaf Ol Nelle spinnerbait around these same areas. On cloudy days, use a black or gold blade buzz bait. Add a Zoom Super Fluke to the tackle and baby bass and pearl are the two best colors. Be sure to use the flukes on a 3/0 Mustad offset worm hook. The sea walls are holding some good fish and the Zoom fork tail worm on a spot sticker cast right on the walls should get bites.
Georgia lake levels are from www.lakelevels.info/?StateID=GA See our web site for Rods, Reels and Lures for Bass DVD on sale.
Our DVD, Rods, Reels and Lures for Bass is now on sale for only $ 25.00 including shipping. Send a check payable to Southern Fishing Schools Inc. to: Southern Fishing Schools Inc to 106 Hickory Ridge Drive, Cumming Georgia. Please allow 14 days for delivery.
Ken Sturdivant, Lowrance Professional Fishing Staff will be conducting FREE! Sonar Seminars at Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World in Lawrenceville Georgia. The BASICS OF SONAR seminars are held on the last Saturday of each month at 2pm. All seminars are subject to change without notice.
If you would like to have a free set up sheet for your sonar, send me an e mail to kensturdivant@earthlink.net and ask for the Sonar Setup Quick List.
We have these BASS FISHING books for sale: BASS FISHING LAKE LANIER, BASS FISHING LAKE ALLATOONA, BASS FISHING WEST POINT LAKE, BASS FISHING LAKE RUSSELL, BASS FISHING WEST POINT LAKE and BASS FISHING LAKE HARTWELL. These books are written exclusively for Bass and each book covers every week of the year. Each book $ 39.00. If you would like a sample of any book, send us an e mail to kensturdivant@earthlink.net. Our mailing address is: Southern Fishing Schools Inc. 106 Hickory Ridge, Cumming Georgia 30040.
Copyright 2011, Southern Fishing Schools Inc. calls us to set up a school, Maps and Depth Finders or Rods, Reels and Lures for Bass. www.havefunfishing.com 770 889 2654
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