The Southern Fishing Report” by Ken Sturdivant 4-29

By Ken Sturdivant

106 Hickory Ridge

770 889 2654

Cumming, Georgia 30040

www.havefunfishing.com

April 29, 2011

LAKE LANIER IS FULL, THE CREEKS ARE SLIGHTLY STAINED AND THE MAIN LAKE IS CLEAR & 65 DEGREES.

Bass fishing is good and the temperatures are warming fast. The Mini Me spinnerbait in the all white is a great fast bait to cover a lot of water and catch some huge spots. Concentrate on wind blown points and sandy pockets on the main lake and just inside any main lake creek. The Sammy and Rico bite will be on once the wind dies down but the bigger fish will come on the Mini Me and the Zoom Super Flukes and a Scrounger head. On the retrieve for both the Mini Me use a very rapid retrieve to trigger those fish into biting your bait. The fish need to see this bait racing by them and this will get them into their investigative mode and attack the baits. We are using Sufix 832 braid to make super long casts and get the hook ups from the long casts. Be sure to tie a double Palomar knot on any braid so it will not slip out. The docks in Shoal Creek from marker #1 all the way to the back of the creek at the ramp, has a lot of bass shallow. Spots seem to be on every point on the lake from the dam all the way up past Gainesville. For the really big fish, use the ¾ ounce spinnerbait and work these points with long casts. Solid white blades can be seen from great distances and the fish will even chase these baits back to the boat. After the spinnerbait, the green finesse worm is hard to beat for numbers daily. Rig the worm up on a light Spot Sticker lead head or even a plain lead head ¼ ounce weight. The Zoom finesse worms in Limeaide on a Texas rig and brass and glass is also a great way to catch these fish. The fish are at 8 to 12 feet all day and even shallower at night. The big rock island in the back of Big Creek is a great day and night location for both sizes and numbers of fish.

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 good. The weather continues to be the key. Storms, high winds and cold fronts continue to make fishing challenging. There is an early morning bite with some quality fish being caught. The numbers of fish being caught is improving and if the weather holds the fishing should ire up this week. Flat line herring 80 to 100 feet back with planner boards at 50 feet back continues to be the best bet. After about 9:00am start weighting your lines with split shots and move over deeper water. A large gizzard on a balloon about 150 feet back is always a good idea. Hang a down rod over the side and adjust the depth as needed. With the increase in water temperatures the top water bite should kick in any day. It’s time to tie on a Red Fin, Chug Bug or Spook and spend a little time throwing to points. The fish are starting to move out of the backs of the creeks and will start to move up on points from half way to the mouth of the creeks. The spots are biting and can keep your grandchildren busy during the slow periods. They will also skin your herring without you knowing. Keep an eye on your lines and check your baits often. We pulled umbrella rigs again this week without any success. The fish are scattered lake wide from the mouth of the creeks to half way back. The north end has improved with a few fish being caught in Sardis Creek, Ada Creek and Gainesville creek are good places to start. Bald Ridge, Shoal and Flowery Branch have been slow this week.

April 29, 2011

WEST POINT LAKE IS DOWN 2 FEET, STAINED & 73 DEGREES BY CHRIS BELL

Bass fishing has been excellent. Fish are mixed between pre spawn, spawn, and post spawn with most being in post spawn. The pattern has changed little over the last week except for a little more stain in the water column. This is a time for your soft plastics. Use lizards and creature baits in the backs of pockets. Our best colors have been green pumpkin and watermelon depending on the stain. We fish these baits Texas rig with a 3/16 ounce lead with a 4/0 Gamakatsu EWG hook. With the wind we have had over the last weeks some areas are more stained than others so switching back and forth is recommended using green pumpkin with more stain. Our best areas have been mid lake from Wehadkee creek to the 109 Bridge.

Line side fishing is good. The best fishing has been north of Ringer access. Drop live shad and cut bait in deeper holes in the river. The bite has been the best when current is present so check generation schedules before heading out. Early in the morning some schooling action is beginning to start in short pockets with shad. Use small ¼ ounce lipless crankbaits in chrome or a top water Pop-R in shad pattern. Schooling action can be very quick so be prepared.

Crappie fishing has been great. Fish have been caught in two ways. There are a few beds left, but most have left to stage on docks and brush piles. Use live minnows below corks approximately two to three feet deep. The best creeks have been mid lake in Whitewater and Wilson creeks.

April 29, 2011

LAKE ALLATOONA IS 2.1 FEET OVER FULL, 66 DEGREES AND CLEAR

The Lake Allatoona bass fishing report is by Matt Driver, 404-456-6094, www.proanglerradio.com

Bass fishing is fair and most bass of the fish are off the beds this week as we see tournament weights go down. Top water is getting better for sure. Bass are post spawn and are to eating. Main-lake areas at daybreak are starting to get exciting with some schooling activity. Baits like the Spro Dawg and Spook Jr. are the ticket. Move the baits fast, using a walk the dog motion. Fish may bust the bait several times before the hookup and having nerves of steel is the key. The jig head squirrel tail worm and small jigs are getting good on rocky banks and bluffs. Also, the big bite Jerk minnow has been getting good numbers on secondary points and shad colors are best.

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 and the up river bite is off the charts. You can catch 40 or 50 2 to 5 pound hybrids a day up the Etowah from Knox Bridge to the ball parks in Canton. Small bait is the key to this bite. Go with medium shiners or threadfins and fish right on the bottom. Cut bait and chicken livers will also work. If you don’t want to get into the boat traffic up the river, Allatoona Creek also has a decent amount of fish. We have been catching bigger stripers and hybrids in Allatoona Creek but there is no where near as many fish as up the river. They are hitting a little bigger bait and the gizzards and threadfins on free lines and planer boards will work better down lake than up river. Make sure you have some type of top water ready when you get bit. Bring the fish up to the boat, but don’t land it. Four or five others will follow it up and you can get a double or triple by being quick with a top water bait. Use the X Rap in the bone color. The trolling bite is dead. You best bet right now is live bait. The bite is getting better and better with each passing day.

April 29, 2011

LAKE HARTWELL IS FULL, & 62 DEGREES

Bass fishing is good and the sight fishing shallow pockets is still working. Bass are still cruising the shallow pockets. Use the Net Boy Baits 1/8 ounce jig head rigged with a Zoom watermelon seed trick worm or a weightless Zoom magnum trick worm. Use the Zoom Speed Craw rigged on a 5/16 ounce spot sticker jig head. If the wind is blowing, fish the same areas with a Lucky Craft Redemption Spinnerbait or a Lil Dude rigged with a Zoom Super Fluke. Fish the rocky secondary points with a Lucky Craft Staysee 90 or Weightless Zoom Super Fluke will work. The blue backs will go to the blow throughs and on shoal markers. The bass that spawn early will be on the same areas and there can be some schooling activity. You might want to have a Lucky Craft Sammy tied on just in case you encounter some of this activity.

April 29, 2011

LAKE RUSSELL IS FULL, CLEAR & 71 DEGREES

Bass fishing is good and the bigger fish are being caught around wood using a Redemption chartreuse and white spinnerbait. There are a lot of buck bass up shallow on the secondary points, and you can catch them on a Carolina, a trick worm or Texas rigged Zoom lizard or curly tail worm in green pumpkin. There are still some fish out on the main lake and mouths of major creeks that seem to be keying on baitfish, especially when the wind is blowing. When you find these conditions, you can run a Blade runner or Pulse Jig through these areas. The next couple of weeks, we should see a lot of fish cruising the banks looking for food.

April 29, 2011

CLARK HILL IS DOWN 3.2 FEET, STAINED & 73 DEGREES

Bass fishing is good and spinner baits and buzz baits are producing well during early morning Fish any wood points, grass and lay downs. Also use a white Zoom Trick worm rigged weightless with a swivel about 10 inches above the bait. A 3/8 ounce Rat L Trap is also very easy to fish and the bass love this size. After the early morning bite has slowed, soft plastics have been the ticket. Carolina rigs with Trick and Finesse worms have produced well on points and a short distance off seawalls. Texas rigs with green trick worms and Culprit green shad worms will work on docks and lay downs. Use a chartreuse and white and a combination of mixed the blades with nickel or white willow leaf blades bait any time of the day. When fishing an area of spawning shad, try to match the bait size with the size of the shad. Top water baits like a Pop R, Chug Bug, or a Devils Horse are working well.

April 29, 2011

LAKE SEMINOLE IS FULL, STAINED AND 76 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 good flipping rod such as a 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.

April 29, 2011

LAKE GEORGE IS FULL, 69 DEGREES & STAINED

Bass fishing is good there is a good morning and evening feeding period and this is a good top water time especially near the Hydrilla. Buzz baits, Pop R’s and Flukes will work. Once the sun gets up get to the ledges and drops with the Rapala DT 10 crank baits. Good bass schools are right out on the ledges in front of Lakepoint all the way down to the dam. The fish seem to be holding in the 6 to 12 feet deep all day. Carolina rigs and crank baits are the best choices for these fish. The ledge bite will explode any day and when it does, there is no better time to head to Lake Eufaula. Just take a lot of large deep diving crank baits and a long cast rod. Keep a Zoom Super Fluke ready in pearl and use the Swarming Hornet Lil Due lead head to get the bigger bites.

April 29, 2011

LAKE WEISS IS .43 FEET OVER FULL, LIGHT STAIN & 69 DEGREES BY MARK 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 some good largemouth are being caught. Most of the females are off the beds, but some fish are coming off and moving to the grass as it is turning green. Double willow spinner baits, jigs, tubes and plastic lizards and worms are catching these fish. Some fish are starting to be caught flipping shallow docks also. Spotted bass are showing up on gravel or rocky secondary points and humps in the cove’s and bay’s. Rat L Traps, Crank Baits and Spinner Baits are catching these fish.

Crappie fishing is fair and some fair stringers of fish are being caught trolling in 3 to 5 feet of water on 1/24th ounce Jiffy Jigs in colors JJ11, JJ12, JJ13, JJ17, JJ20, JJ24, JJ25, JJ34, JJ37. Mud Creek is also producing some good fish. All the creeks in the Riverside area are producing some fish trolling in 3 to 5 feet of water. Godfrey’s is also producing some fish. Crappie are starting to move under the docks. Church House cove and Anderson’s cove, Little Nose and Big Nose creeks are producing some crappie under the dock’s, some fish are being caught on shallow brush on minnows under a float. Most of the fish are post spawn and have moved to 6 to 10 feet of water.

Striper fishing is fair and they are spawning way up in the head waters of the Chattooga River and the Coosa River, Live or cut shad on the bottom on a Carolina rig is a great way to catch these spawning fish.

April 29, 2011

LAKE OCONEE IS FULL, 74 DEGREES AND STAINED UP RIVER

Bass fishing is good and up the rivers there is a heavy stain main lake light stain and Richland creek is clear. The shad are still spawning and the bass are up on the banks at first light. Rattle traps are producing a lot of fish early in the day. Small crank baits fished in the same areas will also produce. Match you bait color to the water color. Another pattern that is also producing good numbers of fish it worm fishing under docks from the middle of the coves or creeks to the back. A Zoom 6in. U tail worm fished Texas rigged has been out producing all others. The shad spawn has been going on for two weeks. It could be over any day so get to the lake soon and have some fun as the bass and hybrids chase these baits up on the bank.

Lake Oconee Line Side report brought to you by Mark Smith at Reel Time Guide Service. 404-803-0741. wwwreeltimeguideservice.com Lowrance is having an on the water demo on Oconee. It will be at Sugar Creek Marina on May 20 and 21. Come by and let me show you the HDS10 at work.

Line side fishing is good. The stripers at the dam seem to have lock jaw. They are feeding on the shad that are spawning and not eating our bait. The best way to get them is with Capt. Mack’s umbrella rig. These fish are up in the water column, so pull a smaller lighter rig. Most of these fish are holding in 12 feet of water and you need your rig to pass above them. There are also a lot of smaller fish on the humps near the dam and they will eat shad dropped down to them.

April 29, 2011

LAKE SINCLAIR IS DOWN 1.3 FEET, 76 DEGREES, MOSTLY STAINED.

Bass are feeding on points and docks as the: post spawn pattern set in. Bass well move back toward the deep water patterns just after leaving bedding areas. Be sure to use a Pop R, a Lucky Craft 115 and as always have a buzz bait ready. A light Carolina rigged lizard in 4 to 8 feet of water will catch fish almost all day. Shallow running bream colored crank baits or spinner baits will always attract a hungry bass. The deep crankbaits like the Rapala DT10 and a 300 Bandit would also be a good search bait to locate schools of fish. There will be a top water bite late on most afternoons. Spooks and Sammy’s will draw a big bite in the right areas. The Super Fluke in pearl and baby bass will work and be sure to use a Mustad 3/0 offset worm style hook and some Sufix 832 braid.

April 29, 2011

JACKSON LAKE IS DOWN 2.1 FEET, STAINED & 63 DEGREES

Bass fishing is excellent. First thing in the morning bass are on sea walls and rip rap all over the lake feeding on the shad that are spawning. Put the front of your boat right on the sea wall and cast parallel to the shore. You will catch a mixed bag of fish consisting of whites, hybrids and largemouth. After the shad have moved to the deeper water as the sun come up move to points and flats with 5 to 7 foot of water and use a zoom finesse worm or a 5 inch lizard in the watermelon seed color fished on a Carolina rig with a 24 inch leader. There are fish being caught off the summer time points and under water islands around the lake. A Carolina rig fished in these areas will get a lot of fish but most will be small. You can catch a few good fish but will have to work your way though the smaller ones. There are lots of good largemouth bass being caught in the mix. A buzz bait, spinner bait, or a ¼ ounce Rat T Trap would be the bait of choice. If there is any wind, work the wind blown banks with a small crank bait, like a ¼ ounce Rat L Trap in the chrome/black or a number 5 Shad Rap in sliver/black colors.

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. Call us to set up a school, Maps and Depth Finders or Rods, Reels and Lures for Bass. www.havefunfishing.com 770 889 2654.