The Southern Fishing Report” by Ken Sturdivant 9-1

By Ken Sturdivant

106 Hickory Ridge

770 889 2654

Cumming, Georgia 30040

www.havefunfishing.com

September 2, 2011

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

This Lake Lanier Bass report is from Jim Matherly, www.jimboonlanier.com 770-542-7764.

Bass fishing is good and the lake temperature has started to drop with the recent cooler nights. Lower lake temperatures have been around 84 degrees most of this week. There are several different patterns working to catch spotted bass. In the early mornings, work lower lake creeks and focus on the rock and clay secondary points mid way back in the creek. Don’t ignore the backs of creeks. The bait fish are already showing up in the backs of some of the larger creeks and the bass will soon follow. Start with your favorite top water bait like poppers and prop baits. Then move to a Carolina rigged worm when the action slows you can throw any color you like as long as it has green in it. At the mouths of creeks and on the main lake, fish can still be taken on a drop shot worm or minnow imitations. The Fish Head Spin is also working and should be fished with a fast retrieve to include intermittent pauses allowing the bait to drop. Many strikes will come on the fall. Work points and humps and start in the 15 to 20 feet range early in the day, and move out to the 25 to 35 foot range later in the day. Many smaller spots are relating the brush in these areas, but you will find better fish closer to the nearest break in deeper water and often not relating to brush or any cover. The Lowrance structure scan identifies the position of these fish very clearly. We have shown many of our clients this amazing feature which allows me to pinpoint the exact location of the fish. To catch the spots positioned away from the brush, we have found that casting a drop shot rig with a longer leader at 3 to 5 feet long can really make the difference. These fish are often sensitive to the sonar pings and trolling motor noise this time of year. Try backing off and cast to them will get you more bites. Above Brown’s Bridge, there are several fish relating to brush piles on docks that are near deep water or a sharp break. Work these docks and brush with jigs and drop shot rigs. The bite in these areas seems to be best when water is being released from Buford Dam which is often in the afternoon. The Army Corps of Engineers provides daily water release schedules via recorded message call 770-945-1466 to hear this information.

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. The striper bite has slowed this week. That is not to say you cannot have a good day. If you can find feeding fish they will bite and it does not seem to matter what technique you use; live herring or trolling. The best bite continues to be in the afternoon. There are a few fish on main lake points in 40 to 80 feet of water however, your best bet is lead core and down rod herring over the river and creek channels. The creek channels in Young Deer, Bald Ridge Creek and Shoal Creek and the river channel from Big Creek to the dam are good places to start. The fish you mark with your Lowrance structure scan at 40 feet have been very stubborn and difficult to get to bite. If you find fish with lead core and have trouble getting them to bite, try changing your trolling speed 2.5 to 5 mph and depth 8 to 10 colors to trigger a strike. Also, use a 2 oz bucktail instead of a 1oz and make sure you have both a white and a chartreuse shad body tied on. When down rod fishing keep in mind that the deeper fish are much more cooperative than the 40 foot fish. 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. 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.

September 2, 2011

WEST POINT LAKE IS DOWN 8.9 FEET, STAINED & 89 DEGREES BY CHRIS BELL

Bass fishing has continued to be tough. Fishing is very inconsistent right now with lower water and high temperatures. Fish can be very difficult to locate off shore with consistency. Look for little change over the next few weeks until outside temperatures begin to drop. My primary pattern has been working humps and roadbeds off shore. Use the Lowrance electronics to locate fish and bait and then fish these areas. If bait is not there continue moving to your next location. You may have to check multiple locations at different times throughout the day. Start by throwing deep diving crankbaits in a shad pattern such as a Strike King Series 6XD in sexy shad. After a few casts then switch to a green pumpkin Zoom ten inch Ole Monster Texas rigged with a ¼ ounce lead and 5/0 worm hook.

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 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 and are still deep. Fishing has been best at night on bridge columns with the use of lights. Use live minnows at nine feet down lined below lights. It will take a little time for fish to attract to lights.

September 2, 2011

LAKE ALLATOONA IS DOWN 7.8 FEET, 88 DEGREES AND CLEAR

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

Bass fishing is good and there are some top water fish out there. Fishing has really picked up over the past week, with numbers of spots and largemouth being caught shallow at 5 to 14 feet of water. Start the morning with a black buzz bait. Then use the buzz bait again for the first hour or so. Bluff wall are great for morning buzz bait bite. After the sun comes up it’s hard to beat a 1/8 jig head tipped with a Big Bite squirrel tail worm in green pumpkin, fish on 8lb test Sunline fluorocarbon. Rock and blow down trees are the target to produce fish on soft plastic. Keep the drop shot ready in case the fish lock up on the brush mid day.

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 and we need 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 my be your best bet right now. 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 you use long leaders at 6 to 8 feet. 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. Mid lake has been the best. A Zara Spook Jr. is working best for these little line side. With the cools nights coming up fishing should really get good in the next couple of weeks.

September 2, 2011

LAKE HARTWELL IS DOWN 7.1 FEET, CLEAR & 84 DEGREES

Bass fishing is good and the top water bite can be found all during the day. Have a blue and white and silver black back Chug Bugs ready all day. Skitter Pops are working as well but be sure to throw directly at or just a little past any shad or hearing that might be breaking the top. Also look for any depressions along the bank and work these areas real good with a Texas Rigged Storm or Zoom U tail green pumpkin worm with no more than a 3/16 ounce bullet weight. Any small bowl areas along rivers or major creek channels need to fished with a #5 Shad Rap in either black and white or natural shad colors. If stained water is present, go to a fire tiger or bone color Wiggle Wart and make several casts in the same location. Always be sure to have a black/brown pig and jig ready to target any stumps or lay down trees you might find that are in or close to deep water.

September 2, 2011

LAKE RUSSELL IS DOWN 2.6 FEET, CLEAR & 83 DEGREES

Bass fishing is fair and the lake is relatively void of bass anglers. The early morning bite on top water baits is fair with the blue and white chug bug working best. Go up into the main rivers and take along some white flukes and some four inch dead ringer worms in green pumpkin. Work the points and sides where wood and brush piles are present. Start off throwing Zoom pearl Flukes into heavy cover without any weight and let it settle into the thick cover. Watch for any line movement for the bite will be subtle. About mid morning work lay down trees and brush piles with the worms on a light ¼ ounce Carolina rig or a 1/4 or 3/16 ounce Shakey Head rig. Fish the back of the wood first and work all the way out to the front. Most bites are occurring in five to eight feet of water. Midday work a small pig and jig on stumps midway back into creeks.

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September 2, 2011

CLARK HILL IS DOWN 7.2 FEET, STAINED & 84 DEGREES

Bass fishing is fair this week. The percentage of anglers with a limit of Bass is still very slim. Not much has changed from last week and anglers are putting together a somewhat weak pattern. Early in the morning fish the flats with Flukes and Skitter Walks then move to the ditches while using an X-Rap and small crank bait like a DT6 or Number Five Shad Rap. By afternoon move to main lake humps and ledges and use DT10’s, DT16’s and Carolina Rigged Plastics. A slow presentation and a lot of determination will be necessary. Any wind blown area will work the best along with areas that sport the most shade. Take along a variety of colors. During tough fishing conditions, color can sometimes be the one key factor between winning or losing.

September 2, 2011

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

Bass fishing is poor. The bass just simply are not biting on the lake right now. Your best bet is to fish early in the morning at daylight. Fish grass points near deep water on the main lake with a Spro Popper in Albino White. Throw the frog up in the grass about 6 to 10 feet and work it out to the edge of the mats then slow it down. This pattern will hold up all day, but the bite is extremely slow. Another way to catch them right now is to fish deep ledges on the main lake that have deep grass on them. A deep diving crank bait will help you find the grass and will occasionally catch fish, but the best way to catch them deep is on a Carolina-Rig 6" Big Bite Baits Kreit Tail Worm in Redbug. Use 20 pound test Sunline FC Sniper as the main line and 16 pound Sunline Supernatural for the leader. Your leader needs to be at least 4 ft long. Rig the Kreit Tail worm on a 4/0 Offset Gamakatsu Hook. Once again, this is a slow pattern but will usually put a few more keepers in the boat throughout the day.

September 2, 2011

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

Bass fishing is fair and the fish are still mired in their summer patterns and they’re sitting in the 15 to 20 foot range around bottom structure like humps, points, ledges and bottom indentations. Look for brush or stumps in these type areas, find baitfish over them, and try to fish when the water is moving. Once you find a likely spot, start out throwing a deep diving crank bait like a Spro Little John DD. If you can get one to bite, sometimes the whole school will start biting. Citrus shad is a good color. Follow up with a Carolina or Texas rig for a couple more bites once the feeding frenzy dies down or if you can’t get them to hit the crank bait. Concentrate on the cover with your soft plastics. If you’re looking for some top water activity, try fishing a frog or a popping bait around the grass early in the morning. Late in September, the fish may begin to move up some. The grass bite should pick up, and there may begin to be some schooling activity. Keep a top water tied on, and if you see schooling fish around points or at the mouths of creeks, throw a popper or rattle bait at them.

September 2, 2011

LAKE WEISS IS DOWN 2.9 FEET, LIGHT STAIN & 82 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 fair and some bass are starting to move shallow, following the shad as they move to the shallow flats and to the back of the coves as the water is cooling and the level is falling, I am seeing a lot of fish chasing shad in 3-6 feet of water, any where there are large schools of shad, mostly in the back of the coves and shallow flats, shallow running crank baits and Rat L Traps in shad patterns are working well. A lot of fish are still deep on a summer pattern, but look for them to start moving in shallow also as the water cools more.

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 fair 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. Spider rigging with live minnows is starting to produce a lot of smaller fish. Look for the larger crappie to get active over the next few weeks as the water cools.

September 2, 2011

LAKE OCONEE IS DOWN ONE FOOT, 88 DEGREES AND A LIGHT STAIN UP RIVER

Bass fishing is fair. The afternoon bite is the best thing going this week. Georgia Power has been moving water in the afternoon and the fishing is better when the water is moving. Target the deep boat docks, work under them in the shade with a worm. The Zoom u-tail in a green pumpkin or watermelon has been the best colors. Work these docks from all angles, and as far under them as you can get. If you do not catch any try another dock and come back and rework the dock. The fish are moving in and out with the water movement.

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 Sugar Creek area of the lake. These fish are working the humps when Georgia Power is moving water. There is still some schooling activity on the south end of the lake. These schooling fish seam to be smaller than the ones in Sugar Creek. Work the humps with a crank bait that will run about 10 feet deep. These fish are on the humps at 10 to 15 feet. Use your Lowrance to locate the fish on the humps and you can cast to the fish or troll over them. 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 we can show you how it works. You can have an on the water demo. 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.

September 2, 2011

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

Bass fishing is fair and the fish are being caught using Texas rigged worms and football jigs on the docks up lake. Bass are keying heavily on schools of shad and a Shad Rap and the DT crank baits will catch these fish. Use the Lowrance to stay on them. Flipping and skipping under docks during the mid day is still a good pattern. Try using shaky head rigs and small finesse jigs to entice these finicky bass. The night bite is fair on black spinnerbaits, jigs and shaky head worms around rip rap and on lighted docks but be ready for some hard strikes as the these bass are feeding well at night. This month look for the boat dock and ledge bites to pick up and the bass move shallow to feed. Run a small white buzz bait on and over any shallow grass even in the heat of the day especially in the backs of the mod lake pockets.

September 2, 2011

JACKSON LAKE IS DOWN 3.3 FEET, STAINED & 88 DEGREES

Bass fishing is fair and early in the morning use a Sammy and a Zara Spook on long points and across flats. Watch your electronics for suspending fish. There are a lot bait fish popping the surface early and the spots are feeding on them. Use a small shiner style bait on a drop shot or a 4 1/2 inch Roboworm in morning dawn. Deep docks and steep banks with brush are producing fish on a Texas rig in redbug and a shaky head with a June bug trick worm. If there is wind use the Shad Raps and the Strike King Series 5 sexy shad crank bait on points.

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