The Southern Fishing report by Ken Sturdivant 11-3
By Ken Sturdivant
106 Hickory Ridge
770 889 2654
Cumming, Georgia 30040
November 3, 2011
LAKE LANIER IS DOWN 11.79 FEET, THE CREEKS ARE SLIGHTLY STAINED AND THE MAIN LAKE IS CLOUDY & 63 DEGREES.
This Lake Lanier Bass report is from Jim Mathley, www.jimboonlanier.com 770 542 7764
Spotted bass fishing is good. The schooling activity has came back some this week in a few of the upper end creeks. Jerk baits and flukes seem to be the best weapons to catch these fish. Our best baits over the last week have remained the shaky head worm and a jig. We have been targeting secondary points with brush as well as lay down trees in these same locations to catch our fish. The jerkbait and a crankbait are working on most days and are good choices to pick off the active fish. Many very active fish continue to be shallow and can be found in 10 feet of water or less. The backs of some of the upper end creeks are holding fish as well. Also fishing docks with brush has proven successful at times but some creeks with docks are producing and some are not. Stay on the move to find the ones holding fish and concentrate on those areas. Keep an eye on your Lowrance electronics as you scout for good fishing areas. Move back further in the creeks and look for the bait balls. Where there is bait there is or will soon be fish. Once you have targeted a creek or pocket holding fish, you may have success by rotating that area with other areas you find holding bait and fish. Fish move up and down in the water column throughout the day, and in the same context move from deep to shallow. Given that, if you have success at one point in the day in a particular location plan to return again later and you can have success in the same area. Once the turnover ends completely and the water stabilizes, the fish should return to normal and be a bit easier to target. 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. There is still a lot of shallow bait over deep water lake wide. The stripers are schooling and surfacing on main lake over open water. They are moving very fast, so keep your eyes open and on the water. The Red Fin has been the most productive top water bait this week but always keep a Capt. Mack’s bucktail tied on and use it when the surface activity slows. The majority of the surfacing activity has been on the South end of the lake from the dam to Aqua Land Marina. There is also a live bait early morning bite. Focus on long sloping points and flats with free line herring and trout pulled 20 feet behind planner boards and 50 to 80 feet behind the boat. After the sun gets up especially on those high pressure, blue sky and bright sunny days you should switch to down rods and move to deep water points. Keep your eyes open for schooling fish and do not spend too much time on any one point. The lake level is down and a number of ramps are closed. Check with US Army Corps of Engineers web site to find a list of the ramps and their status. http://www.sam.usace.army.mil/lanier…Elevations.htm
November 3, 2011
WEST POINT LAKE IS DOWN 12.11 FEET, STAINED & 71 DEGREES BY CHRIS BELL
Bass fishing has been good. Fishing has been on fire this week. The same patterns continue to work completely dependent on current conditions. The lake is extremely low right now which has concentrated fish on isolated pieces of anywhere on the lake. Be extremely careful when leaving the river channel with the current lake levels. Most all of the ramps are still accessible. We will continue to keep everyone updated as lake levels change. In the early morning, just about any type of topwater is producing right now as long as it is in a natural pattern. On windier morning the buzzbait can pay off with bigger fish. This is the same with the spinnerbait action if wind is present. Use a War Eagle 3/8 ounce spot remover spinnerbait with double silver willow leaf blades. If there is no wind switch to your shaky head and jig with green pumpkin being the best color. Use a 3/8 ounce All Terrain jig AT Craw with a Zoom green pumpkin speed craw.
Hybrid and striper fishing is good. Trolling is really beginning to pick up as water temperatures have dropped and shad have begun stacking in the mouths of creeks, pockets, and up the main river. The key is finding the bait right now. Once you have located shad begin trolling medium running crankbaits that dive from ten to twelve feet in depth. The best colors producing are in a shad pattern.
Crappie fishing has been good. Fish have finally pulled up into mid depth brush piles in five to ten feet of water. There will be multiple fish in each brush pile so slowing down with live bait down lined below corks is working best. When shad begin to migrate into pockets, look for the trolling bite to heat up.
November 3, 2011
LAKE ALLATOONA IS DOWN 10.2 FEET, 65 DEGREES AND CLEAR
This Lake Allatoona bass fishing report is from Matt Driver, www.proanglerradio.com
Bass fishing is fair on Allatoona and is still very consistent. The fall feed up continues with lots of open water feeding going on. The Scrounger bite has been getting better. We prefer to tip it with a 4 inch Alewife colored big bite jerk minnow and fish the bait at a medium retrieve. For fun, we have been playing a new rig called the Alabama rig tipped with 1/8 ounce jig heads and Big Bite Cane Thumper don’t be surprised if you catch a double. Mid to upper lake in the mouths of the creeks seem to be the most productive. You can burn lipless crankbaits like the Spro Aruku Shad or the Rat L Trap on open shallow flats where active bass are chasing bait. Try the wide lipped crankbaits like the Spro Little John or the Fat John around wood and visible shallow cover. 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 great. The lake is in the process of turning over and all the action is on the north end of the lake this week. We have been catching most of our fish on the bottom at 8 to 20 feet deep on the flats from Little River to Fields Landing. Soon, the fish will gradually start moving back down lake and the fish are relating to the bottom. The best bite has been on jigging spoons dropped to the bottom and then twitched up about 6 inches. The bite will come as the spoon falls. We use a 3/4 or 1 ounce Flex It in chrome with either white or chartreuse. Spoons are catching a mixed bag of hybrids, stripers and white bass, and we are even catching a few big catfish in the same area. Its not uncommon to boat 30 or 40 fish. The fish will also hit live bait, and the gizzards and threadfins are easy to catch in Little River. You just have to get there before sun up. Linesides are hitting shad both on down lined and free lines. With the down rods being the better bite.
November 3, 2011
LAKE HARTWELL IS DOWN 9.1 FEET, CLEAR & 64 DEGREES
Bass fishing is fair and as the weather cools the water the bass are feeding. The best baits during the day are the drop shot rigged with a Zoom Swamp Crawler and a jig head or Scrounger head rigged with a Zoom Fluke Jr.. Keep a top water bait ready like the Lucky Craft Pointer 78 and a Lucky Craft Sammy and fish the offshore areas with all of these baits. This is when the Navionics chart will get anglers off the banks and on the off shire humps and ledges. The Lowrance will help the drop shot rig find the schools of bass holding on the points and humps close to brush and deep timber. Any fish suspended will take a jerk bait but work it slowly. Keep your Sammy ready in case you see schooling activity. Also try the backs of the major creek arms and fish shallow. Look for the activity to pick up in the backs of the major creek arms later in the month. Try a lipless crankbait like a Lucky Craft LV 200 and a Buckeye Lures Flat Top Finesse Jig when fishing shallow. The Bass Fishing Lake Hartwell guide is for sale so send us any e mail for a free sample. Lake levels are from www.lakelevels.info/?StateID=GA
November 3, 2011
CLARKS HILL IS DOWN 9.6 FEET, 65 DEGREES WITH MOSTLY CLEAR
Bass fishing is good and the bass are shallow. Use a buzz bait early along with the Zara Spook Jr. Hit the humps at the mouths of the creeks. Then head to the creeks behind the shad schools. When they are on the surface, use the Sammy and Super Flukes. A spinnerbait or Rat L Trap will also work. Look for fish breaking in the backs of the coves, and always keep a Super Fluke tied on to throw at schooling fish. Hit the humps also with the small shad crank bait or a trick worm on a shaky head. Bass will into the backs of the creeks to feed up on shad. Get on the flats in the backs of the creeks, and look for bait and fish busting on it. Crank a Shad Rap or other crankbait that doesnt get any deeper than about 7 feet. Later this month, the jig bite should get good. Try jigging docks or any wood cover you can find on secondary points in 8 to 12 feet of water.
November 3, 2011
LAKE RUSSELL IS DOWN 2.6 FEET, CLEAR & 65 DEGREES
Bass fishing is fair. This is a good week to be on the main lake structure and use the crank bait and the Carolina rig. There are some anglers already vertical jigging with a shaky head, spoon or a drop shot. Rocky points with brush piles, the reef markers around the dam or vertical structure like bridge pilings. These fish will bite a Rapala DT6 or DT10 crankbait. Then slow down and pick apart the structure with your finesse worm rigs once you locate some fish. Keep a Super Fluke ready as well as the double fluke rig as these bait can pick them off when they are schooling. See our web site for Rods, Reels and Lures for Bass DVD on sale.
November 3, 2011
LAKE SEMINOLE IS DOWN ONE FOOT, CLEAR, 70 DEGREES BY MATT BATY
Bass fishing is fair but the bass have been a little frustrating to figure out lately. The cooler temperatures should eventually make the fish bite better. There has actually been a decent lipless crankbait bite going down on the main lake. To cash in on this bite, you need to use a Spro Aruku Shad 75 in old glory color on 20 lb. Sunline fluorocarbon. The best places to fish the bait are on grass points on the main lake. The grass has actually started dying back already, and in some of these places it may be underwater. This is where your electronics, especially a Navionics chip, will help you find humps and points. This time of year, the fish really just prefer a steady retrieve with the bait. Another pattern that is working well is to fish a spinnerbait in these same areas or a soft plastic jerkbait. A good spinnerbait to use is a 1/2 ounce Strikezone Lure Company Edgebuster spinnerbait in chartreuse/white or bumble bee. The best soft plastic jerkbait to use is a 6 inch Big Bite Baits Jerk Minnow in glow silver on a 6/0 EWG Gamakatsu Hook.
November 3, 2011
LAKE GEORGE IS DOWN 2.94 FEET, 72 DEGREES AND CLEAR
Bass fishing is fair and the fish are feeding. First thing in the morning go to the topwater grass bite and try the buzz bait and the Chatter Bait. Throw any colored frog especially at daylight and then at duck. Mid day go to the creek and river ledges with a deep running crank bait. Bass are feeding on threadfin shad around the ledges, and some sort of structure on the ledge really helps. If you cant get them on the crankbait, try fishing a big worm or a jig very slowly. There are a lot of small 12 to 14 inch fish out there and encouraged anglers to keep these small fish and eat them. Also try any small, shad imitating topwater bait. Concentrate on areas about halfway back in the creeks where the creek channel swings in against the bank. Look for shad and fish activity on the surface, and pay close attention to your electronics to help pinpoint key areas. Once the topwater bite is over, your best bet for numbers and quality fish is to throw a crankbait on shallow main lake and creek channel ledges in the 6 to 10 foot range. A Spro Little John MD in the spooky shad color will work where you find the bait balls.
November 3, 2011
LAKE WEISS IS DOWN 3.13. FEET, 55 DEGREES & CLEAR 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 larger crappie have shown up on the old river channel ledges in the main lake and Little River and the Chattooga River, spider rigging with minnows 12-14 feet deep is really producing some good fish with a lot of under size fish. Look for the fishing to really get hot over the next few weeks. The crappie have started moving away from the docks, but they are still holding a lot of smaller fish.
November 3, 2011
LAKE SINCLAIR IS DOWN 1.16 FEET, 66 DEGREES, MOSTLY STAINED.
Bass fishing is good. The Texas rigs and the jig will work also. Try the Carolina rig in the brush and shorten the leader to about 12 inches. Be ready to quickly set the hook and pull the fish clear of the brush. Use the /16 ounce Stanley Rattlin jig with a Baby Brush Hog trailer on any man made brush pile on the docks. Some bass are beginning to school in deeper water down the lake and a Fluke will fool them. Depths are varying from 6 to 12 feet. Look for them on points, flats and humps. Try a .6 Flex It spoon in white or chartreuse prism. Fishing line should be easily visible to help see the bites as the spoon is falling vertically. Stren clear blue fluorescent in 10 to 14 pound test is a good choice. Other baits to try are a Carolina rig, Little George, and jigs. See our web site for Rods, Reels and Lures for Bass DVD on sale.
November 3, 2011
LAKE OCONEE IS DOWN 2.28 FEET, 66 DEGREES AND CLEAR.
Bass fishing is good and the water is clear on the main lake and stained up the rivers. Bass have moved into the creeks and coves off the main lake. The main portion of the lake has a light stain or what we would call a good color to it. So a darker color worm would be the chose on this part of the lake. Fish the docks and wood structure in the coves and creeks. Lick Creek is loaded with bait and the bass are close by. Also fish a small crank bait by the docks and pick up a few fish as well. The Richland Creek arm of the lake is very clear. The fishing on this end of the lake is not as good as the main lake but there are still fish in the back of the creeks in 5 to 10 feet of water. To catch these fish you will need to down size your line and bait. Work the wood structure with a small Texas rigged worm.
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. Some fish are showing up in the usual fall locations. These locations are at River Bend and at the mouth of Richland Creek. The fish at Richland Creek are showing up around 20 to 30 ft deep. The best way to locate these fish is with your Lowrance. They will be under the large bait ball. Live bait is my first choose. You can also draw a strike with a spoon. The fish at river bend seam to prefer the live bait over the spoon. These fish are not as deep however the Lowrance is still the way to locate the fish. 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 give me a call and I can show you how it works. You can have an on the water demo. 404-803-0741
Crappie fishing is good. The crappie are showing up in the middle of the major creek. Live bait is the best bet for loading the cooler. Use your Lowrance to locate the fish and drop a live shad down. Keep moving until you locate the fish. They are scattered all over the major creeks but when you find them they will feed.
November 3, 2011
JACKSON LAKE IS .89 FEET, CLEAR & 68 DEGREES
Bass fishing is fair. During mid day use the Stanley jigs in 3/8 or 1/2 ounce sizes in black and blue or all black. Be sure to add a Zoom salt pork trailer imitation and work the lure in and on the heavy cover. Work the lower lakes creeks and docks and pitch with a Texas rigged Culprit black shad worm. Use larger worms in dark colors and add the Real Craw scent. Cast a large dark Berkley Power ribbon tail worm in and around the docks. Work the backs of these docks as well as the bank cover and the sea walls on down lake. The upper rivers are slow and fish are tight in brush.
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
Yesterday, we collected probably the largest walleye anybody has ever seen in Georgia waters (picture attached). The behemoth walleye was 30-inches long and exceeded the capacity of our certified scales that weighs up to 12 lb. Using a Boga grip, the giant walleye weighed a hair over 12 lbs. In the spring, this huge female walleye will probably weigh 15 pounds! The fish was released unharmed and swam away with no apparent side effects from her ordeal.
This is the second 12 lb fish we have collected from Lake Seed. The first one was caught a couple of years ago during the spring spawning run. The fish was caught within 400 yards of dam and was situated in a downed tree top. Walleye love those downed trees!
Anthony Rabern
Senior Fisheries Biologist
Georgia Department of Natural Resources
Lake Burton Hatchery
3695 Highway 197 North
Clarkesville, GA 30523
706/947-1507 (office)
404/695-7816 (cell)
Anthony.Rabern@dnr.state.ga.us
Sport Fishing Forums – North Carolina, South Carolina & Georgia
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