The Southern Fishing Report” by Ken Sturdivant 7-29

By Ken Sturdivant

106 Hickory Ridge

770 889 2654

Cumming, Georgia 30040

www.havefunfishing.com

July 29, 2011

LAKE LANIER IS DOWN 5.3 FEET, THE CREEKS ARE SLIGHTLY STAINED AND THE MAIN LAKE IS CLEAR & 87 DEGREES.

Spotted bass fishing has been steady. The best baits are top water smaller shad colored baits, drop shot rigs suspending jerk baits and the Zoom Super Fluke have been quite successful. The drop shot rigs are best with the longer hand poured worms in morning dawn and blue pearl. For the top water fish use the Spro Chug Minnow, a Lucky Craft Sammy 100 in any color and a Storm Chug Bug in bone color. Spots are after the Zoom Super Fluke with a 3/0 Mustad hook in the white pearl or any shad color especially around the schooling fish. The finesse worm rigged on a Spot Sticker has slowed this week in exchange for the drop shot rig. The suspended jerk baits for the schooling fish are a Spro Down Minnow and a Lucky Craft Pointer 100 model in shad or blue back herring forage. Deeper brush piles way out on the longer points and humps about the 30 foot mark. Have a ready rod and a Zara Spook Jr in bone ready all day for the schoolers.

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 very good. The morning bite has picked up this week and the fish are biting all day. The challenge has been finding the fish. Several days this week we have found fish in one creek only to go back the next day and there is no sign of a fish. The fish are moving and you have to do the same. The only exception has been six, two and four mile creeks which have been good for a few fish every day. The fish are holding tight to the trees in the south end creeks. Start your search in the creek mouths on the side of the creek channel over trees. The fish are holding at 30 to 60 feet. The summer time pattern is in full force and all of the summer time techniques are working. Down line herring at 30 to 60 feet is working but the fish are easily spooked and it can be difficult staying on them. If you see fish vertical in the water column do not hesitate to fish for the deeper fish. As an example; if the 30 foot fish will not bite drop your baits to 55 feet and fish for the deeper fish. You can also try power reeling for those fish that will just not bite. Drop your bait well below the fish and reel your bait up through the fish. This approach will often trigger a reaction bite and can serve to fire up the rest of the fish in the school. Shorten your leader to about three foot when power reeling. You will have a lot less trouble with tangles and knots than with the long leaders. You can also use a 2 ounce Captain Mack’s bucktail jig tipped with a herring. Downriggers and lead core are both working with Captain Mack’s 1ounce buck tail jig with a chartreuse or white 4 inch shad body. Lead core at 7 to 8 colors and a chartreuse shad body has worked best this week. We used umbrella rigs this week with some success but trying to clip the tree tops with a heavy rig 160 to 180 feet back can be a challenge. Lead core and downriggers are probably your best bet. At our current 80+ degree water temperature catching a striper subjects it to a lot of stress. Consider not taking another fish picture and instead release it immediately. Finding fish in trees is a much simpler with the new Lowrance structure scan. Meet Captain Ken West at the Chamber Expo in Cumming on September 8, 2011 from 2pm until 7pm.

July 29, 2011

WEST POINT LAKE IS DOWN 4.5 FEET, STAINED & 91 DEGREES BY CHRIS BELL

Bass fishing has been slow. Fishing has been slow with the extremely high temperatures. We look for little change with all species until we begin seeing some temperature changes leading into fall. Best fishing right now can be at night using large soft plastics and jigs. With night time temperatures fish will often move up to feed. If you do brave the day time temperatures focus on deep water humps and road bed’s lake wide. If current is present use deep diving crankbaits in shad pattern such as a Strike King 6xd or Bomber Fat Free Shad. On those stagnant afternoons with limited current or wind it is best to use soft plastic shaky heads or All Terrain Football jigs both in green colors.

Hybrid and striper fishing is fair. Fish are schooling lake wide over the tops of humps and road beds following shad on the surface. The action will be fast so use fast moving shad imitating baits. Use ¼ ounce rattle traps and Pop R’s. Work baits quickly to resemble fleeing shad. Once top water action slows use live bait over the same humps and road beds that produced with top water earlier in the morning. The best locations are on the southern end of the lake.

Crappie fishing has been fair. Fish have not moved much over the last few weeks and do not look for other major movements until temperatures begin entering a fall pattern. Fish have fully committed to deeper water. Look for deep brush piles near main lake during day time hours. Best fishing has come from bridge pilings at night. Down line live bait twelve to fifteen feet deep.

July 29, 2011

LAKE ALLATOONA IS DOWN 3.7 FEET, 88 DEGREES AND CLEAR

This Lake Allatoona bass report is from Matt Driver of www.proanglerradio.com

Bass fishing is slow to fair: Long deep points and bluff banks are producing numbers this week. Fish are coming off the drop shot mainly. Try fishing a big bite bio minnow or tiny fluke on 6 or 8 pound test. Pitch the bait to the bank and shake the rod tip for good movement of the bait. Fish will just load up or it will just "feel funny" just start reeling. The night evening bite is still good, deep cranking a Spro Little John DD in cell mate and a big Colorado blade spinner bait around brush and large rocks in the 12 to 18 ft range is producing good fish. Use a little John DD on 10lb Sunline fluorocarbon and a 7’11 cranking rod. Don’t rule out the Skakey head. We are throwing a 1/8 davis bait co hbt jig head tipped with a natural colored squirrel tailed worm made by Big Bite. Fish it slow around rock and brush in 12 to 16 feet deep around mid lake.

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 very good. The summer bite is in full swing, and we are catching a ton of fish down lining and pulling umbrella rigs on the south end of the lake. The dissolved oxygen levels have plummeted up north. This has moved south to between Bartow to Carver and the dam. Check Clear Creek, Stamp Creek, McCaskey Creek and Cooper Branch on up to the Bethany Bridge area and into the Allatoona Creek Arm all day. The thermocline is starting to set up at about 28 feet, and we are catching all of our fish either down lining or trolling rigs between 18 to 28 feet. Down lining a threadfin shad is absolutely the best bite on the lake, with trolling running a close second. But remember we are in the dog Days of summer and shad will die quickly on the line, so take a lot of bait or keep a bucket of shiners as a back to up. They’re biting shiners about 25 percent as well as they’re hitting the threadfins, but you’ll need to match the size of your hook to the size of your bait or the fish won’t hit. For example, A size 6 Gamakatsu octopus on a medium shiner is a good match. When using smaller hooks, be sure to use quality hooks so the fish don’t straighten them out.

July 29, 2011

LAKE HARTWELL IS DOWN 4.1 FEET, CLEAR & 88 DEGREES

Bass fishing is slow and it is hot all day. The mid day fishing is tough to almost unbearable after about 1:00 p.m. A few anglers can be seen scattered throughout the lake. Some are still fishing the long main lake points, while others are still concentrating on those deep water docks. Both patterns are producing some smaller bass with a few keepers thrown in. As the sun beams down, water temperatures are climbing to 85 to 86 degrees by late afternoon on. Up the rivers there is a little bit cooler water. If rains roll through, this can trigger the spotted bass into biting. The spots aren’t big but there can be plenty to go around. Late in the day the spotted bass are active along with a few largemouth are getting very aggressive and a #5 jointed Shad Rap or a DT6 in the shad pattern will catch you a quick limit along the rocks.

July 29, 2011

LAKE RUSSELL IS DOWN 3.9 FEET, CLEAR & 87 DEGREES

Bass fishing is fair the lake is not really crowded as many other areas lakes are this week. Bass are located throughout the lake with most of them being taken on points. Fish these points on both sides with a #5 Shad Rap in the fire tiger color then back it up with a Carolina rigged six inch finesse worm in red shad color from Storm. This bait is working with great results after the morning crank bait bite turns off. Concentrate on points and the bowl areas on the side of points throwing the worm in very shallow and working it all the way back. The late afternoon around 3:00pm and on is the time to pick up the crank and the Carolina rigs again and stay on point after point until you get the bite.

July 29, 2011

CLARK HILL IS DOWN 5.1 FEET, STAINED & 88 DEGREES

Bass fishing is fair but you will need to work for the fish. This week the secret is going shallow at 2 to 3 feet of water. Find rock, wood or good weed beds and you will find some nice bass hanging nearby. Start off the morning with a big Chug Bug and work it at a medium pace after making a long cast in and around these areas. The late evening bite seems to be best. The smaller husky jerk baits are also catching bass when worked along the ditches leading into the bigger creeks. Look so any signs of herring and if they are present, don’t leave the area. Long points in the rivers is a good place to start. Next go to the medium diving wiggle wart and work the sides and the drop off areas in the same place. A steady slow retrieve will work just fine and don’t stop moving the bait. The Shad Raps in the #5 and #7 are fair either in the balsa wood or the suspending models.

July 29, 2011

LAKE SEMINOLE IS DOWN ONE FOOT, CLEAR AND 86 DEGREES BY CLAYTON BATTS

Bass fishing is good and the recent rains have added a little stain and current to the lake. The fish are really relating to grass points all over the lake right now. You can target these points early in the morning with a top water lure such as a buzz bait or a Spro Dawg 100 in Old Glory on Sunline FX2 Braid. After the morning top water has diminished, you have some other techniques that seem to be working well on the same grass points. The grass points that have seemed to be producing better are the ones that are closer to the river channels. If the wind is blowing, you need to fish the wind-blown points with a Spro Superstar 1/2-ounce. spinnerbait in white/chartreuse. If there is no wind, then back off a little and fish a little deeper off of the points with a Texas rigged 7 inch Big Bite Baits Sugar Cane worm in easy money color. Use a 5/16 ounce Tungsten and a 5/0 Gamakatsu off set worm hook on this bait. This bait works really well because you can either bump it off the bottom or swim it through the grass. In the upcoming dog days of summer, look for the flipping bite to become a dependable way to catch fish. A Big Bite Fighting Frog is the best flipping bait on Seminole.

July 29, 2011

LAKE GEORGE IS FULL, 89 DEGREES & CLEAR

Bass fishing is fair and the deep fish are the way to go. In the backwater sloughs the big fish are on deeper grass lines and sandbars in 6 to 12 feet of water. A rattle bait is the ticket. A #7 Shad Rap painted is working in shad and black back. Using light 10 pound test line, tick your bait over the top of the grass lines and rip it out when you get hung up. The bigger the bait in the summer is going to work on the bigger fish. A CBT football jig in tilapia color, brown and orange, is also producing some good fish pitched to big stumps and trees on the grass lines. Try the Zoom Ultra Vibe Texas rigged on a 3/16 ounce Tungsten weight.

July 29, 2011

LAKE WEISS IS DOWN .18 FEET, LIGHT STAIN & 85 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 poor and they have really turned off over the last week. Some Bass are being caught very early and very late. A few good fish are being caught in the upper Chattooga river and the upper Coosa river, where there is more current and higher oxygen levels. Carolina rigged plastics are working right now, green pumpkin and pumpkin seed are the dominant colors. Medium to deep running crank baits and 1/2 ounce spinner baits slow rolled are also catching some bass. Look for this to hold for the next month or so, unless we get a lot of rain and really put some oxygen back in the water.

Striper fishing is fair and they are in fair numbers in Little River and the lower Chattooga River. The canal and the powerhouse lake are also producing some Stripers. Live Shad is the key to catching these fish, flat lines and down lines fished 8 to 10 feet deep and trolled slowly are producing some great striper fishing.

Crappie fishing is poor and the crappie are mainly under the docks and out deep 8-14 feet, on the channel ledges, Night fishing with live minnows with lights on the edges of the old Little River channel is producing some fair crappie. Shooting Jiffy Jigs in 1/24 ounce under docks is still producing some decent crappie fishing. A few crappie are being caught on minnows from under lights at night off docks.

July 29, 2011

LAKE OCONEE IS FULL, 90 DEGREES AND A LIGHT STAIN UP RIVER

Bass fishing is fair. The rivers have a light stain and the main Lake is clear. There is an early morning bite on white Old Nelly ¼ ounce buzz bait. Look for main lake sea walls. Do not over look the docks and dock poles. This pattern will only last for the first hr. of daylight. After that switch to a deep diving crank bait and work deep water timber. Use your Lowrance to find the structure off of the points and ledges in 10 top 20 ft of water. The DD22 in a shad pattern has been working the best. As a back up pattern have a Carolina rig with a Zoom 6 in watermelon u tail worm ready. Drag the worm from the top of the ledge into the deeper water.

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. The best way to find the fish is with a Capt. Mack’s rig. We can see the fish on the Lowrance at 14 feet to 30 feet. There is a chart on the back of the package that will tell you how deep it runs under certain conditions. The fish are on the move so be ready to search until you find them. Some fish are showing up on the flats outside of Great Waters marina. There are also some fish at the 44 bridge area. Sugar Creek has the Capt. Mack rigs in stock along with Okuma line counter reels and Okuma striper rods. If you like to learn how to fish your rigs, give me a call and I will take you out and show you how I do it. 404-803-0741

Crappie fishing is fair. Some fish are showing up in brush piles from 10 to15 feet. The night bite in the timber is still the best producer. Look for the fish to show up on your Lowrance and drop you live shiners down the depth they are holding at.

July 29, 2011

LAKE SINCLAIR IS DOWN 1.3 FEET, 89 DEGREES, MOSTLY STAINED.

Bass fishing is slow and the weather is hot. A few are hitting top water baits early, mostly around seawalls near deep water. It seems the few fish that move in shallow are aggressive and will take a bait worked fast. An angler should also work fast to cover more water and present the bait to more fish before the top water bite ends. Some good choices are Pop R’s, buzz bait, Zara Spook, weightless Trick worm and Fluke. After the early morning, try medium to deep crank baits and Carolina rigged worms on main lake points near deep water. Depths in the central and upper lake are 8 to 15 feet and 12 to 25 feet deep down the lake. Good crank bait choices are #6 and #7 Fat Free Shad’s, #300 and #400 Poe’s, and Mann’s 15 Plus and 20 Plus. All these baits work well with 10 pound Sufix Elite line. Chartreuse and shad patterns are best. For the Carolina rig, try a Zoom Trick worm with a 2/0 Gamakatsu wide gap hook and a 3 foot leader of 12 pound line. Good worm colors are June bug, red bug, green pumpkin. A ¾ ounce weight, bead and swivel should be used on 14 or 17 pound main line. Try to keep the worm or crank bait in cover and moving slow. A few are being caught around the docks and boathouses, but this too is slow. Use light weights with soft plastics.

JACKSON LAKE IS DOWN 2.1 FEET, STAINED & 88 DEGREES

Bass fishing has slowed down due to the hot and muggy weather. Early in the morning is a good time to throw a buzz bait or a Storm Chug bug off any point in the lake. After the sun comes up, a 1/2 ounce black pig and jig with a pork trailer is working on isolated stumps and docks. Add garlic scent to the pork. This will increase the bites. Green pumpkin worms on the Texas rig are also taking bass when thrown into brush piles and around docks. Don’t forget about the dam area especially later in the afternoons. Top water action is good later in the afternoon on the rocks near the dam. Work the baits slow and throw different ones in the same areas. Some bass are taking these baits early and often during the early hours. Also try a 1/4 or 3/8 ounce double willow leaf spinnerbait in either white/blue or all white. Work the same areas as the top water baits and all blow downs and brush piles that are present.

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

On Thursday, September 8, 2011, the Southern Fishing Schools Inc. and Big Fish On! Guide Service will be at the Small Business Expo to be held at the new Forsyth Conference Center. This venue will allow for more room, bigger booth space, and space to host a speaker series that will bring value to all businesses and the community as a whole. This year’s expo will be open from 2pm until 7pm. Make plans to attend and we’ll see you there.

Lowrance announces the new StructureScan and HDS10 and HDS8 Plus StructureScan bundle. These new HDS offering pairs award winning HDS fish finder/GPS combination units with the Lowrance exclusive Structure Sonar Imaging which provides users with the most complete structure and fish finding technology available. Both the StructureScan transducer and 83/200 kHz transducer are included in this bundle. Contact your retailer for current availability.