The Southern Fishing Report” by Ken Sturdivant 8-25

By Ken Sturdivant

106 Hickory Ridge

770 889 2654

Cumming, Georgia 30040

www.havefunfishing.com

August 26, 2011

LAKE LANIER IS DOWN 6.6 FEET, THE CREEKS ARE SLIGHTLY STAINED AND THE MAIN LAKE IS CLEAR & 84 DEGREES.

Spotted bass are on the main lake points all over the lake. The rocks, mud and sand points in Two and Four Mile creeks are good areas. Main lake reef markers are areas worth casting a top water shad stick bait any time of the day. Follow the top water lures with a ¾ ounce Mini Me spinner bait and pull it about 5 feet under the surface. Hand poured worms on the drop shot rigs are still the best all day technique lake wide. This is where the Lowrance Down Scan along with the Lowrance 200 kHz sonar on split screens can really make this effort pay off. Up the rivers and creeks the spots are on rocky points and banks and are aggressive on small shad crank baits and worms. The small #5 Shad Raps in the baby bass or shad colors on light line will work. Use the stop and go retrieve and run it by docks and stop it. Spots can be caught on the pearl and chartreuse Fat Albert curly tailed grubs on a 1/8 ounce jig head. Depths are 10 to 20 feet and work the main lake points on the lake. The marina docks hold a lot of fish and doodle the lures slowly to draw strikes. Live minnows and night crawlers are and fish these baits straight down.

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 morning bite continues to be slow. You may want to wait until late morning or early afternoon before hitting the lake. The stripers are scattered but they are sticking to the river and creek channels from Orr Creek to the Dam. Your odds of finding fish are best in 80 to 140 feet of water. The fish you mark with your Lowrance structure scan at 40 feet have been very stubborn and difficult to get to bite. The fish under the 40 foot fish at 60 to 100 feet are much more cooperative. The summer time techniques of trolling and down rods with herring is best this week. These will be the same until the lake turns over. Try power reeling to ‘fire up’ those stubborn fish. Drop your bait well below the fish and reel your bait up through the fish. Try different speeds. This approach will often trigger a reaction bite and can serve to "fire up" the rest of the fish in the school. Shorten the leaders to about three foot when power reeling. You will have a lot less trouble with tangles and knots than with the long leaders. Use a 2 ounce Captain Mack’s bucktail jig tipped with a herring. Use 10 foot leaders with 12 pound test fluorocarbon for the down rods. We have had some luck trolling this week. Lead core at 8 to 9 colors with Captain Mack’s bucktail jig and a chartreuse or white 4 inch shad body. Umbrella rigs are working at 140 to 160 feet behind the boat. Use a 9 arm rig loaded with 9, 1 ounce bucktail jigs with 4 inch shad bodies. Remember to power up when turning or you will put the inside rig in the trees. Stop by and meet Captain Ken West and Captain Mike Maddalena at the Chamber of Commerce Expo in Cumming on September 8, 2011 from 2pm until 7pm. Finding fish in trees is a much simpler with the new Lowrance structure scan. Meet Captain Ken West and Captain Mike Maddalena at the Chamber of Commerce Expo in Cumming on September 8, 2011 from 2pm until 7pm.

August 26, 2011

WEST POINT LAKE IS DOWN 7.3 FEET, STAINED & 89 DEGREES BY CHRIS BELL

Bass fishing has continued to be tough. Look for little change until outside temperatures begin to drop and hold steady for a few days. With current high temperatures the bite can be really tough. My best success has came from fishing soft plastics slowly on points and humps down lake south of the 109 Bridge to Wehadkee Creek. Our best baits have been Carolina Rigged trick worms in Watermelon and 1/8 ounce shaky head worms in water melon as well. You have to work structure very slowly to catch fish.

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 Rat L Traps and the Pop R. 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.

August 26, 2011

LAKE ALLATOONA IS DOWN 6.8 FEET, 88 DEGREES AND CLEAR

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

Bass fishing is fair to good and some cooler weather would be nice because it is miserable in the sun right now. Shaky heads tipped with a finesse worm is hard to beat. You can upsize to a 8" big bite finesse worm for larger fish. We use the larger worm because of more action. Finesse Jigs in brown and orange with a small chunk. The jig works deep as well as on shallow wood. The night bite is still the time to be on the water. For the kids its fun to hit the docks and boat ramp with ultra light tackle for bream and small bass. Weightless night crawler and crickets are working best. The key is light line and very small hooks.

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 fair but this has been the slowest week we have seen all year. We could use a major cold front or a ton a rain to get these finicky fish to eat. The fish are still schooling in depths for 20 to 40 feet deep and trolling single bucktails and small crank baits are best. Live bait will also catch you a few fish. Down line your bait over the river channels between 20 to 40 feet deep. Make sure to use long leaders at 6 to 8 feet long. The white bass and small hybrid fishing is still the best bite on the lake. These fish are schooling on top from sun up to sun down. Just ride until you find them and mid lake has been the best. A Zara Spook Jr. is working best for these little line sides.

August 26, 2011

LAKE HARTWELL IS DOWN 63FEET, CLEAR & 88 DEGREES

Bass fishing is slow but there are a few fish being caught at daylight and dusk, all over the lake. Small top water lures early and late on the banks is barely fair. After the sun gets up, it’s tough to get a strike. The best bet is to go up river and cast small Sluggo’s in shad. Main lake points are fair early on top water prop baits. The river fish are active on the river ledges and stay close to the current. Use a 3/8 ounce jig and plastic or pork trailer in black and blue. Watch for any activity on the shallow grass lines and cast to them quickly. Small shad crank baits will get a strike. Use a watermelon seed worm is fair. Down lake the bass are on the main lake and secondary creek points. Shad Raps in the #7 shad black back on points all day can be productive, run and gun.

August 26, 2011

LAKE RUSSELL IS DOWN 2.9 FEET, CLEAR & 87 DEGREES

Bass fishing is fair early and late on Zoom’s Creepy Crawlers in motor oil on the up lake river points. A few top fish will hit a gold black back Bang A Lure early and late. Try the Zoom Trick worm in centerline yellow. The down lake fish are biting any small blue worms or blue back crank baits on the points and humps. The lake is still very clear so use light line. The Zoom pumpkinseed lizard is fair using a long Carolina rig and a full one ounce weight to points. The small Stanley buzz bait is fair up the rivers in coves. Down lake, the Lunker Lure buzz baits with all white skirts and silver blades is fair but run and gun any wood. Stay in the creeks and on docks up the rivers for best day fishing. The short Carolina rig with a small green or motor oil French fry worm on points down lake is fair.

.

August 26, 2011

CLARK HILL IS DOWN 6.6 FEET, STAINED & 88 DEGREES

Bass fishing has been slow all week and the area needs some rain. Up the river, use the Shad Raps in #5 and #7 in the silver and black back and perch colors. Rip rap rocks around the bridges with shad colored lures is fair. Cast parallel to the rocks and bump them with the lures. Later in the day and at dusk, small shad and blue combinations crank baits on the points and humps are fair. The Zoom green lizard and a long Carolina rig can draw a few strikes on road beds and creek ditches. Small top water stick baits on grass lines or stumps can be fair early and late. Early use a small all white trick worms or a small silver blade 1/4 ounce buzz bait. After the sun gets high, go to the river and bream colored crank baits or in the pockets can get a strike.

August 26, 2011

LAKE SEMINOLE IS DOWN ONE FOOT, CLEAR AND 90 DEGREES BY MATT BATY

Bass fishing is fair up and down lake. Zoom’s pumpkinseed lizard either on a Texas or Carolina rig and hit the main lake points that are at around 8 feet during the day. Sebile Swimmers and the Sebile soft baits in shad colors can also work with a slow steady retrieve on points all over the lake. On the lower lake in the heat of the day get out the dark blue jigs and a Zoom salt trailer on the grass lines can get a strike. Stay close to the river current on points at 5 to 10 feet. Buzz baits are fair can be good all day in the pockets right off the river. Lunker Lures all white buzz baits are good any time of the day on bank cover. The fish are at a lot of depths and moving early and late. The #7 Shad Raps in the shad and carp colors on Sufix 832 braid will work.

August 26, 2011

LAKE GEORGE IS FULL, 89 DEGREES & CLEAR BY CLAYTON BATTS

Bass fishing is fair and as the water temperature has increased, the fish have continued to move slightly deeper in their summertime locations. Fish during the week, if possible. Work the 15 to 20 foot range and look for main lake bottom irregularities that cause current breaks such as humps, points and indentions. Stumps or brush are real fish magnets on these type places, especially if shad are present. Once you find an area with the right ingredients, start out with a crank bait. Use the Spro Little John DD when the fish are deep this week. Use either the citrus shad or spooky shad color. Once a school stops biting the crank bait, you can often pick up another fish or two by slowing down and fishing with a Carolina rig or Texas rig. On the Carolina rig use the Big Bite 6 inch finesse worm in green pumpkin. On the Texas rig, try a Big Bite Kreit-tail worm in green pumpkin using a 3/8 ounce weight. With both of these rigs, fish them fairly rapidly until you get into some type of cover.

August 26, 2011

LAKE WEISS IS DOWN 1.40 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 couple of weeks or so. 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 seem to be the dominant colors. Medium to deep running crank baits and 1/2 ounce spinner baits slow rolled are also catching some bass. Top water baits are working fair, early and late, around deeper sea walls. Look for this pattern to hold for the next month or so, unless we get a lot of rain and really put some oxygen back in the water. Weiss Lake always gets a big algae bloom in late summer, which depletes the oxygen from the water and make’s the fish very lethargic, so the dog days of late summer can be some of the toughest of the year.

Striper fishing is poor and they are in fair numbers in Little River and the upper Chattooga River. Little Spring creek is also producing some fish. 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 to 16 feet, on the channel ledges and suspended in the old river channels, 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.

August 26, 2011

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

Bass fishing is fair. It is clear on the main lake and stained up the rivers. The bass fishing has improver over the past week. The best bite is in the late afternoon when Georgia Power is pulling water. When the water is moving, look on the south end points and work deep diving crank bait off of the points into the deeper water. A green pumpkin zoom U tail worm fish on a short Carolina rig will also work in the same areas. While the water is moving you can work the rip rap on the bridges with a Rapala DT10 in a shad pattern. Some fish are still coming off of the deep water boat docks with a worm fished as far back as you can get it. Use a Zoom u-tail worm in a dark green or brown pattern. Color is not as important as location.

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 poor. As the water cools this fall look for the fish to start showing up in the River bend area of the lake, and also at the dam. Right now you can catch the smaller fish that are schooling all over the lake in the afternoons. These fish are not staying up very long and are very spooky so have your top water plugs ready when you see them. Sugar Creek has the Capt. Mac u-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 we can show you how it works. You can have an on the water demo just give me a call.

August 26, 2011

LAKE SINCLAIR IS DOWN 1.3 FEET, 91 DEGREES, MOSTLY STAINED.

Bass fishing has been slow all over the lake and the river fish are not biting well. Early and late, silver blades and a white skirt on the wood or grass lines can draw a fish, but run and gun all over the creeks. Day fishing is slow but the Power lizards and worms in dark reds or motor oil colors on Texas rig on any wood on around the grass beds is the best bet. Go up the river and flip a dark Zoom U tail on a Texas rig greens on wood and brush very tight bank and river structure. Later in the day, try casting or flipping the river docks and shallow bank with a Zoom motor oil lizard. Main lake docks and sea walls are fair and a buzz bait early and late. Night fishing has been slow all week. Try the Texas rigged red or black worms on any dock with lights.

August 26, 2011

JACKSON LAKE IS DOWN 2.9 FEET, STAINED & 88 DEGREES

Bass fishing has been slow all over the lake and the river fish are not biting well. Early and late, silver blades and a white skirt on the wood or grass lines can draw a fish, but run and gun all over the creeks. Day fishing is slow, but the Power lizards and worms in dark reds or motor oil colors on Texas rig on any wood on around the grass beds is the best bet. The up river fish are a more active and a dark Zoom U tail on a Texas rig greens on wood and brush very tight bank and river structure. Later in the day, try casting or flipping the river docks and shallow bank with a Zoom motor oil lizard. Main lake docks and sea walls are fair and a buzz bait early and late. Night fishing has been slow all week. Try the Texas rigged red shad or black Culprit worm on any dock with lights. Live minnows cast into the lights on a free line can produce a lot of fish for the night anglers.

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.

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.

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