The Southern Fishing Report” by Ken Sturdivant 9-14

By Ken Sturdivant

106 Hickory Ridge

770 889 2654

Cumming, Georgia 30040

www.havefunfishing.com

September 16, 2011

LAKE LANIER IS DOWN 7.4 FEET, THE CREEKS ARE SLIGHTLY STAINED AND THE MAIN LAKE IS CLEAR AND 78 DEGREES

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

There remain several different patterns working to catch spotted bass, which is normal for this time of year. "Junk Fishing" which is throwing a number of different baits in a number of different types of areas, can actually be a good pattern. The spotted bass have started to school around some creek mouths throughout the lake. Top water baits will work on these fish, but they are hard to catch. There are allot of single fish pushing blue backs to the surface, but they don’t stay up long. Make a perfect cast right in the middle of the action to get strikes. The reward is that there are some very big fish in the mix currently. If you have the patience to wait on them, you can catch them. We have been able to draw them up with top water baits when the sun is high, but in low light conditions, you are better to wait for the blow ups before casting if you hope to catch a larger spotted bass. Alternate between poppers and walking baits to find out which the fish will respond to best. A jerk bait or a Fish Head Spin will work on these fish too but you have to remain patient. This is the best big fish pattern working on the lake this week. When the fish are not as active and relating closer to the bottom use a jig with a twin tail trailer or a Carolina rigged worm will produce strikes. There are also some smaller fish around docks and back in cuts close to the main lake, particularly in rocky areas. These fish can be taken on a jig or worm, but the quality is not as good in most cases. The bridge pilings of all the major bridges are holding bait and fish as well. Work these areas with a fluke, jerk bait or drop shot minnow imitation to draw strikes. 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. The full moon coupled with a cold front has had a negative effect on the striper bite. The south end of the lake has been spotty, requiring a considerable amount of searching. The best bite is from 12:00pm to 5:00pm.The exception continues to be the north end of the lake. We have reports of large schools of smaller fish from the mouth of the Chestatee River to Gainesville Creek. Young Deer Creek, Bald Ridge Creek and Shoal Creek are your best bets on the south end. Down rods with live herring is your best technique. Umbrella rigs will also work but be prepared to catch a lot of trees as the lake level drops and most of the fish are holding under the tree top level. Our Lowrance Structure Scan technology has been a huge advantage in seeing the fish in the trees.

September 16, 2011

WEST POINT LAKE IS DOWN 10.2 FEET, STAINED & 86 DEGREES BY CHRIS BELL

Bass fishing has been better this week. We are finally experiencing some cooler temperatures which has caused some fish to pull up. The majority of the larger fish are positioned on humps and road beds lake wide, but there are a few fish showing up on shallow points and pockets. For the offshore bite use mid depth crankbaits in a shad pattern as fish begin to reposition on the tops of humps with cooler water temperatures. Crankbaits that are producing are Strike King 5XD, Bomber Fat Free Shad, and Spro Deep Little John in the cell mate color. These same baits can be used on the ends of shallow points to produce fish. When the sun comes up use small finesse worms Texas rigged with a 1/8 ounce weight in green pumpkin. See our web site for the Rods, Reels and Lures for Bass DVD on sale.

Hybrid and striper fishing is good. Fish are schooling on humps first thing in the morning. Use ¼ ounce rattle traps in chrome black back and popping corks with fly. Once the sun is up down line fresh lively shad on these same areas on schools of fish.

Crappie fishing has been poor. Crappie have not pulled up yet but should make a move over the coming weeks. For now continue to focus on bridge columns with live bait and standing timber.

September 16, 2011

LAKE ALLATOONA IS DOWN 7.4 FEET, 78 DEGREES AND CLEAR

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

Fishing is good. The fish are moving shallow and are getting easier to catch. The top water bite is still good in the morning with the buzz bait and Spro Hydra Pop is still great choices. In the mornings some fish are very shallow so target wood and shallow rock. Something else that is working good is lipless crankbaits like the Spro Aruku shad. Cover lots of water, and mix your retrieves up, but faster is working best. 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 fair. We are still fishing early and late and we use sonar to find our fish. There is still a decent top water bite lasting about 30 minutes at sun up and then again at sun down. Find the fish schooling on top from Kellogg’s Creek up to Bethany Bridge, and use something small to catch them. Use the Rooster Tail, a Fluke Jr. or a Zara Puppy. After the top water bite shuts down you may be able to catch a few down lining to 24 feet over fish you see on your graph and these fish are still very finicky. Top water bite will keep getting better as September is always a good month for top water fish on Allatoona.

September 16, 2011

LAKE HARTWELL IS DOWN 7.5 FEET, CLEAR & 78 DEGREES

Bass fishing is fair to good and the fish are ready to feed. Be sure to find bait schools on the Lowrance as these fish are feeding on the largest schools they can find. The Rattlin Rap in either the natural shad or the black and chrome are working on the spots up in the Tugaloo river. On the river bridges, be sure to work the rip rap early in the morning with both the Rattlin Rap and a #7 silver and black back Shad Rap. Also check out the mouths of any and all major creeks working them well with buzz baits and crankbaits alike. Bass are holding in small pockets right at the mouth of these creeks. See our web site for the Rods, Reels and Lures for Bass DVD on sale. Any lay down timber is a must for a pig and jig in any dark color. Any remaining docks that might still be in the water deserve a look with a jig or Texas rig work.

September 16, 2011

LAKE RUSSELL IS DOWN 2.7 FEET, CLEAR & 77 DEGREES

Bass fishing is fair and now is a good time to start using the early fall baits. Start the mornings off with a white buzz bait up the rivers on long run out points. Try to locate the widest and biggest one you can find. Make long casts to the shallow water and work the bait all the way back looking for any bass that might follow it. Be sure to work the points using all angles and this will include throwing to deeper water and working it back to shallow water. On the same point, switch to a four inch Husky jerk bait in either a blue and chrome or green and chrome and work the same areas that you just worked with the buzz bait. By mid day the Carolina rig with a Zoom finesse worm in green pumpkin seems to be working best when thrown to the sides of sharp points near deep water. Down size your weight as much as possible and use no more than 12 pound Sufix Elite line. The late afternoon is the best time for throwing those crankbaits. Start after mid afternoon with the #5 or #7 Shad Rap in either fire tiger or natural. Try both colors fish the points and sides of points lake wide.

September 16, 2011

CLARK HILL IS DOWN 7.1 FEET, STAINED & 78 DEGREES

Bass fishing is good Largemouth and the spots are staging up and going into their fall feeding frenzy real soon. Look for the ass to relate heavily to shad schools all day. Most of the fish you will see on the Lowrance will be suspending and they are just looking for an excuse to go on a feeding tear. A great bait to use while fishing the points and surrounding areas for these suspending bass is a Ito Vision 110. This suspending can work all day and use a stop and go action. See our web site for the Rods, Reels and Lures for Bass DVD on sale. In the clear water use the gizzard shad and threadfin shad colors. Try the seven inch Rattle Lightnin’ Worm in the pearl color on the edges of the grass mats that are located on the inside of the points. Work the shallower water with these worms. Use little or no weight at all and a 3/0 or 4/0 Mustad hook for the best results. With this rig watch the line as most of the bites will occur on the fall.

September 16, 2011

LAKE SEMINOLE IS DOWN ONE FOOT, CLEAR AND 85 DEGREES BY MATT BATY

Bass fishing is slow. The bass are still not biting very well, but there has been some good frog action up the flint. Look for matted hydrilla and scattered grass anywhere close to fairly deep water. Fish a Spro Popper in Natural Green or a 3.5" Big Bite Baits Top Toad in Green Pumpkin Pearl. Either bait works well you just need to try both to see what type of mood the fish are in. Another technique that works well right now is to flip main lake grass beds in 7 to 10 feet of water. When flipping use 25 pound Sunline FC Sniper Fluorocarbon because the fish are really line wary this time of year. As for bait selection, well there really is only one lure you need to flip on Seminole, and that is a Big Bite Fighting Frog in black and blue.

September 16, 2011

LAKE GEORGE IS FULL, 81 DEGREES & CLEAR

Bass fishing is fair. Try the deep diving crank bait like a Spro Little John DD and watch for the school to feed. 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. For the top water activity use a frog or a popping bait around the grass early in the morning. Late in September, the fish may begin to move up some. See our web site for Rods, Reels and Lures for Bass DVD on sale. 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 sue a Pop R or Rat L Trap will work.

September 16, 2011

LAKE WEISS IS DOWN .68 FEET, LIGHT STAIN & 78 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 good and a lot of bass have moved shallow in the coves and bays as the water cools and the Shad migrate shallow. Shallow running crank baits, spinner baits and Rat L Traps in shad patterns are working well. Look for the bite to really get hot when the water gets below 70 degrees.

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 feet deep and trolled slowly are producing some fair striper fishing.

Crappie fishing is good and the crappie are mainly under the docks that have at least 8 feet of water under them, look for larger, older docks that create a lot of shade. Use a 1/24 ounce Jiffy Jig in colors JJ13 and JJ17. There are some fish out deep on channel ledges and more will be moving to them as the water level and the water temperature drops over the next few weeks.

September 16, 2011

LAKE OCONEE IS DOWN 3 FEET LOW, 80 DEGREES AND A LIGHT STAIN UP RIVER

Bass fishing is fair. The Bass are still under the docks. You can now add the jig bite to the list of worms that are catching fish. The Texas rigged u-tail Zoom worm in a dark green or blue has been the best over the past few days. The Shakey Head is a close second to the Texas rig. Some fish are also coming on the Booyah pigskin Jig. You will need to fish these rigs as far under the docks as possible. Fish are starting to move into shallower water as it cools down. As always the bite is better when Georgia Power is moving water. See our web site for Rods, Reels and Lures for Bass DVD on sale.

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. As the water cools down start looking for the fish to show up in the river bend area of the lake. Use your Lowrance to locate the schools of bait and look under them for the schools of stripers. When you see the striper under the bait drop a live shad down to them and hang on. This pattern will hold into December. When the birds start showing up. As always keep an eye out for breaking fish and have a popping cork ready to through to them. Any day the u-rig bite at the dam should start back up. I always go check out the dam area at this time of year to see if it is time to pull the rigs. 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 demonstrations at 404-803-0741.

Crappie fishing is fair. As the water cools down these fish will start to move up in the water column. Some fish are showing up in brush piles from 5 to 10 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 16, 2011

LAKE SINCLAIR IS DOWN 1.3 FEET, 84 DEGREES, MOSTLY STAINED.

Bass fishing is fair to good as the weather cools off. Top water lures and buzz baits are working on sea walls and docks. Also use the Pop R and a large Chug Bug. If the fish miss the bait then use a fluke, a jig or a spinner bait. Try the Mann’s Baby One Minus reeled fast, caught 5 of 6 missed surface strikes. Docks and boat houses are still holding fish that are hitting jigs, soft plastics, and some on crank baits. Primary points and flats along the creek runs and secondary points in coves are beginning to hold fish that are slowly headed farther in. Crank baits or Carolina rigs will catch these structure holding groups of fish out on the river. Depths of these fish are varying from about 6 to 12 feet deep up the lake to 10 to 20 feet deep down the lake. Rip rap continues to hold a few fish, also. Crank baits, lightweight Texas rigs, and jig head and worm rigs are the primary choices to try.

September 16, 2011

JACKSON LAKE IS DOWN 3.9 FEET, STAINED & 79 DEGREES

Bass fishing is good and the spots are starting to feed on bait schools mid lake south. Use the Pop R and the Rico in shad and bream colors. Also use the 3/8 ounce Redemption spinnerbait. A white 1/4 to 3/8 ounce spinnerbait thrown right up at the bank and worked just below the surface will get strikes. Look for wood and rock in the lower lake creek. These areas will hold the largest fish. Shallow points with rock will also hold bass. Work as much water as possible and keep the spinnerbait in the water. Also look at the areas near the dam. The points are famous for putting good quality bass in the well during recent days and use the spinnerbait in white. 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