Georgia Fishing – Southern Fishing Report 7-4-14

“The Southern Fishing Report” By Ken Sturdivant
106 Hickory Ridge Drive
770 889 2654
Cumming Georgia 30040
www.southernfishing.com

July 4, 2014

LAKE LANIER IS FULL POOL, THE MAIN LAKE AND CREEKS ARE CLEAR & 85 DEGREES

This Lake Lanier Bass report is from Jimbo Mathley. www.jimboonlanier.com 770 642 7764

Bass fishing is good. There are lots of fish getting in and around the brush in 20 to 25 feet, and they will eat. You can get them to come up for top water and swim baits very well, and that is what we have been doing. A Chug Bug and a Bite Sized Herring have been our go to baits. Every day is a process of figuring out how aggressive the fish are and how far they will come up. If the answer is not at all, then the jig or the Fish Head Spin around the brush is a good choice. I have the following dates open next week: July 8, 9, 10. July is traditionally a good drop shot month and a great time to go spot tail minnow fishing which is great for kids and adults alike!

This Striper report is from Captain Ken West and Captain Mike Maddalena of Big Fish On Service 404 561 2564. www.bigfishonguide.com

Striper fishing remains very good. The fish are locked into their summer time pattern and most have moved into Creek mouths and bays off the river channel. Your Lowrance fish finding sonar, structure scan and GPS electronics are critical tools for locating summer time stripers. Focus on trees in pockets and off the river and creek channels. If you see a couple of fish stop and drop your down rids to targeted depth. Most of the fish are being caught with down rods set at 30 to 50 feet. We changed the leaders on my down rods this week to 12 pound test Seaguar fluorocarbon and number 1 Gamakatsu Octopus hooks for those small herring. Trolling lead core is working and will only get better as the summer progresses. Set your lines at 7 to 8 colors with a one ounce buck tail jig with one white and one chartreuse shad body trailer. Pull your lead core line at 3 to 3.7 MPH. The umbrella rig is also working. We use a 3 ounce jigs on the 4 arm umbrella rig with 9, 1 ounce buck tail jigs with white and chartreuse 4 inch shad bodies. Set your rigs at 80 to 100 feet back and pull between 2.7 to 3.5 MPH. Don’t forget your “Crazy Ivan’s” when pulling umbrella rigs. The term “Crazy Ivan” came from the movie Red October. It referred to a random change in course used by the Russian submarines to avoid detection. If you incorporate this “zig zag” approach versus a straight line troll, your rigs will change depth and speed as you turn back and forth. Try it and we believe you will increase your productivity with an umbrella rig. Bald Ridge Creek, Two Mile Creek, Flowery Branch Creek, Flat Creek and the Browns Bridge area are all good places to start. The lake temperature is in the mid 80’s. The water is lightly stained in the back of the creeks and clear on the main lake both north and south.

This Lake Lanier Crappie report is from Dan Saknini, President of the Lanier Crappie Angler’s Club. 404 425 4059

Crappie fishing is fair. Water temperatures are in the low to mid eighties. The avid crappie fishermen know that fish have to eat. The bite is typically early in the morning during the coolest part of the day. Hit the lake early. When you hear the jet skis coming your way, you may as well head to the ramp. The fish are still seeking docks in deeper water, close to the creek channels, with submerged brush piles. Some are headed to the submerged natural timber. That group of fish are the most difficult to catch. Soft body or hair jigs remain the best choice. Night fishing is still an option. Bridges are the easiest target, especially those within sight of a boat ramp. For night fishing, use a Hydra Glow type fishing light and either crappie minnows or jigs for bait. This pattern will typically remain for the next several weeks. Stay safe on the water, wear your life jacket. Dan Saknini is an avid fisherman and President of the Lanier Crappie Anglers Club. See our club’s website, www. laniercrappieanglers.com

Meet Lowrance Pro Staffer, Ken Sturdivant at the new Cabela’s in Acworth, Georgia, August 21 though 24, 2014. Ken will be hosting these FREE! Seminar: FRIDAY August 22, 2014 at 3 pm and 7 pm: Fishing Georgia Lakes for bass. SATURDAY August 23, 2014 at 3 pm and 7 pm: Finding Fish with Lowrance technology. SUNDAY August 24, 2014 at 3 pm and 5 pm: The Bass Anglers Tackle Box. Located at the Cherokee Village at I 75 and Highway 92, Kennesaw Georgia

Anglers have a new Bait Shop on Buford Dam Road at the Buford Dam Quick Stop at 2595 Buford Dam Road. Manager is Mark Kenney. Open daily from 6 to 6 they have Herring and other baits like shiners ready to go to the lake. 706 867 5102

Call Ken Sturdivant about the ON THE WATER SCHOOLS for Sonar or the Rods, Reels and Lures for Bass or a full day STRIPERS School. Call 770 889 2654 for details. Send an e mail to ken@southernfishing.com

July 4, 2014

WEST POINT LAKE IS FULL, STAINED & MID 80’S

Bass fishing is slow and finesse fishing is the way to go. Focus on fishing mid to down lake in 15 to 25 feet of water. Use a drop shot rig with a hand poured Robo worm in the Aaron’s Magic color. The best areas are around deep rock and brush piles. Other good area’s to try are around the bridges and roadbeds with deep water near by. A Carolina Rigged 10″ Yum worm is also working but bites are few and far between. This week the best worm colors are green pumpkin, watermelon candy, red bug and blueberry candy. Also if you have the patience use a Norman DD22 but make sure to use it as the water is generating for best results.

Anglers have GPS Bass fishing locations and a “BASS FISHING WEST POINT LAKE” book IS for sale. Ask ken for a sample. This book is $39.00. Sample just e mail ken@southernfishing.com

July 4, 2014

LAKE ALLATOONA IS FULL, STAINED & LOW 80’S

This bass fishing report is by Matt Driver, www.proanglerradio.com 404 456 6094

Bass fishing is fair. The bass are finally getting settled into a full summertime and the brush bite is picking up. Most fish can be found in mid depth brush and some are showing up in deeper brush 20+. A Texas rigged Yo Mama and a jig are working in the brush. Right at dark there has been good. Watch for schooling on the main lake and sometimes there are some pretty big schools. A spoon a soft jerk bait like the Big Bite 5 inch jerk minnow and a popper type bait like the Spro Hydro pop in a bream pattern has been producing. Fish can also be found on the ends of points new the river channel. The medium to deep crank bait like the Spro big papa, the little john DD and Little john tiny DD are good search bait. The 3/8 or 3/16 ounce green pumpkin jig and jig head are a pretty solid plan to put fish in the boat. The drop shot with a sunrise colored big bite shaky squirrel has been productive as well.

Anglers, we have a book on BASS FISHING LAKE ALLATOONA that has GPS 50 coordinates also. Ask for samples of the book and the coordinates from ken@southernfishing.com Try these two N 34 10 846 W 84 43 128 Good spawning pockets in McCaskey Creek. Use Sammy 100 and Big swim baits around the schooling fish. N 34 10 294 W 84 43 092 Good spawning area around Bartow County ramp with a Sammy 100 and big swim bait area.

This Lake Allatoona fishing guides report is bought to you by Robert Eidson of First Bite Guide Service. www.firstbiteguideservice.com 770 827 6282. eidson6260@att.net

Line sides fishing is great. 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, and the fish have all moved south to between Bartow Carver and the dam. Check Clear, Stamp, McKaskey creeks and Cooper Branch on up to the Bethany Bridge area and into the Allatoona Creek Arm. The thermocline is starting to set up at about 28 feet, and we are catching all of our fish either down lining or trolling u 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 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. Our top water bite is gone. We rode from one end of the lake to the other this week and the top water is gone.

Call Ken about the Southern Fishing Schools exclusive ON THE WATER SCHOOLS for SONAR or Rods Reels and Lures for Bass. Call for 770 889 2654 or ken@southernfishing.com for more info

July 4, 2014

LAKE HARTWELL IS AT FULL POOL & MID 80’S

Bass fishing is still holding steady with the night tournaments showing up with good numbers of fish. The majority of the bass are being caught before dark. The top water bite is still alive and even crank baits are still catching some keeper Bass. After a trip out on the water, I saw a good many fishermen hitting the main lake points, especially those that are dropping off to deeper water. The weather has been a key factor on the lake this past week. Several areas on both the Georgia and South Carolina side have been hit hard with rain, hail and high winds on several occasions. More of the isolated and scattered storms are in the forecast through the weekend, so if you are planning a trip, be sure to keep a close eye on the sky or even take a portable weather radio along. Skitter Props, Chug Bugs and DT16’s along with Carolina rigs and drop shot rigs are my choices for baits this week. Anglers, we have opened this lake up to avid bass anglers with over 100 key bass fishing holes. ken@southernfishing.com for a sample. See our web site for Rods Reels and Lures for Bass DVD on sale.

July 4, 2014

CLARKS HILL IS FULL, MID 80’S DEGREES & STAINED

Bass fishing is fair. Bass are being caught on those top water baits right before dark. Use the Carolina rigs in and around the grass beds along with trick worms and Flukes. Main lake points and humps are still producing. The Zara Spook walk the dog style top water bait is working. Both four and six inch worms are working on the Carolina rig. Be patient and work the baits really slow. If they don’t hit the larger baits, don’t be afraid to down size to a four inch worm. Another good technique to use is the drop shot rig. This is another excellent method to entice the fish out of those grass mats. Use no more than a two foot leader and nothing larger than a four inch worm or fluke. The book, BASS FISHING CLARKS HILL LAKE is on sale. Get 52 weeks of bass fishing reports and over 40 bass fishing locations for this popular lake. Ask for a free sample of the BASS FISHING LAKE CLARKS HILL book. Ask for a sample: ken@southernfishing.com

July 4, 2014

LAKE RUSSELL IS FULL, CLEAR & MID 80’S

Bass fishing is fair and the fish moving to the points and creek bends all over the lake. They are roaming on any wood all day and a crank bait cast through the wood will draw a strike. Use a bright color. The Mann’s Baby Minus One crank bait and spinner baits cast on the bank cover and slowly worked will get strikes. The Zoom water melon seed lizards on a Carolina rig, has been fair later each day. Be sure to fish baits very slowly. Also on creeks on old channels, use a Culprit red shad worm on a Texas rig with the brass and glass combination. Work baits right on the bank around any cover. Mid day spinner baits down lake in the creeks are fair on cover using Stanley spinner baits with bright blades. Late look for shallow strikes as the bass move to the creek banks and points during the day. Using the Lowrance Structure Scan and Down Scan technology while fishing the bridge pylons. For a sample of the BASS FISHING LAKE RUSSELL book e mail ken@southernfishing.com

July 4, 2014

LAKE SEMINOLE IS FULL, STAINED & MID 80’S

Bass fishing is fair. There is a good top water bite in the early morning daylight hours on grass lines that are near the river channel. Fish a Stanford Turbo Shad in Summer Color. The Turbo Shad is double prop bait that resembles an injured shad on the surface of the water. After the morning bite is over with you can fish the same areas with a Texas Rigged 6″ Big Bite Baits Kreit Tail Worm in Tilapia color. Use a 5/16 ounce tungsten sinker, 16 pound Sunline FC Sniper fluorocarbon, and a 4/0 Gamakatsu Offset shank worm hook. This technique is somewhat slow, but can generate some more strikes throughout the day. If cloudy, rainy weather is present, you can pretty much stick with top water all day on grass lines near deeper water. A buzzbait is your best bet to cover a lot of water and find more aggressive fish. Learn how to use the Lowrance Structure Scan and Down Scan technology with Southern Fishing on the Water fishing schools. ken@southernfishing.com

July 4, 2014

LAKE GEORGE IS FULL, HIGH 80’S

Bass fishing is fair and the Carolina rig and main lake ledges are best. The fish have moved out to the river channel ledges or to deep docks. Crank baits are slow lake wide. Almost all the fish are taking plastics but try a white buzz bait any time of the day. Jigs are also fair up the rivers in all brown. Plastic or pork trailer will work and match the trailers to the bait. Soft plastics in the green pumpkin, green shad or red bug are working mid day till dark. A grass rat on the edges will work almost all day and especially when the sun is straight up. Work the bait just like a Zara Spook and walk the baits on the edges with an extra rattle in the bait.

Learn how to use the Lowrance Structure Scan and Down Scan technology with Southern Fishing on the Water fishing schools. ken@southernfishing.com

July 4, 2014

WEISS LAKE IS AT 0.22 FEET BELOW FULL POOL AND CLEAR TO LIGHT STAINED AND 85 to 87 DEGREE’S

Bass fishing is good and most of our bass have moved to deeper water, on brush, around and under deeper docks in 10 to 15 feet of water. The river and creek channel ledges, submerged, road beds, points and humps are producing fish also. Pitching a pig and Jig, under and around, deeper dock with brush, is producing some quality Bass, Casting a medium to deep running Crank Bait in front of deeper docks with brush is producing some quality fish also. Some smaller Bass are still being caught shallow, under and around docks and weed beds.

Striper fishing is good and they are being caught in the lower Chattooga River, the Cave Hole and Little Spring Creek on live Shad down lined about 8 to 10 feet deep and flat lined live on shad. A lot of quality fish have been caught this past week.

Crappie fishing is fair and most have moved back to deeper water. Spider rigging with live minnows on the creek and river channel ledges and deep brush in the flats is the way to catch these post spawn Crappie. Shooting docks is producing a few Crappies also.

Now available for sale 50 of my proven GPS waypoints for off shore structure for Bass and Crappie fishing on Lake Weiss Alabama contact Ken Sturdivant at ken@havefunfishing.com.

July 4, 2014

LAKE SINCLAIR IS FULL, 89 DEGREES, STAINED UP RIVER, MAIN LAKE CLEAR, BY MATT HENRY, CALL 478 451 0167 ext 1215 (SINCLAIR MARINA)

WWW.SINCLAIRMARINA.COM MATT@SINCLAIRMARINA.COM

Bass fishing is fair. There has been a decent top water bite early in the morning and late in the evening each day. We have not seen any mayflies over the past week, but there should be another good hatch any day now. If you see may flies that is an indicator that you should be fishing shallow with bream imitating baits. Good baits to try around these mayflies are Spro Bronzeye frogs, square bill crank baits, or a Buckeye mop jig. When the morning top water bite is over, move out deep to catch the fish holding on deep structure. Most of the deeper fish are holding in 17 to 21 feet of water on the offshore humps, ledges, and points. A Spro Little John DD in the cell mate color should catch some of these schooling fish when Georgia Power is moving water. If no water is moving or the fish stop biting the crank bait, start throwing a Buckeye football jig or a Carolina rigged Zoom baby brush hog to pick up a few extra bites. Guide trips are booking fast for the holiday week. Give me a call to reserve your trip.

Make sure to stop by our boat showroom and see the 2014 inventory of Nitro, Tracker, Sun Tracker, Tahoe, Regency and Mako boats. For more information, go to www.sinclairmarina.com or call 478 451 0167

July 4, 2014

LAKE OCONEE IS FULL, HIGH 80’S DEGREES

Bass fishing is good. The lake is full, stained up the rivers, clear on the south end. Start the day with a white Old Nelly buzz bait. Fish it around mid lake docks sea walls and bridge rip raps. As the sun get, up switch to deep water docks with a worm. Fish a Zoom U tail worm with some green in it. Fish the worm Texas rigged. Deep running crank baits fished off of the deep water humps and deep water points on the south end of the lake have been producing some larger fish. This bite is best when Georgia Power is pulling water.

Line side fishing report by Mark Smith of Reel Time guide service. reeltime@bellsouth.net phone: 404-803-0741

Line side fishing is fair. Humps in the middle of the lake have been holding schools of line sides. The umbrella rig fish over these humps have been very productive when Georgia Power is pulling water. Because of the water heating up the fish are only feeding when the water is moving. The white bass are schooling on the humps on the north end of the lake from Sugar Creek north. Use your Lowrance to find the schools on the humps and then drop a spoon down to the school.

Crappie fishing is good. The fish are staging in the timber from 10 to 20 feet deep. Find the schools on your Lowrance and drop a live minnow down to the school. You can also use a small black and blue 1/32 jig dropped into the schools

Make sure you stop by Sugar Creek Marina and pick up your spoons and all your tackle needs. You can also book your crappie and striper trips with Reel Time Service at 404 803 0741 or reeltime@bellsouth.net. Learn how to use the Lowrance technology with Ken Sturdivant. Free sonar set up ken@southernfishing.com

July 4, 2014

JACKSON LAKE IS FULL, STAINED & LOW 80’S

Bass fishing is fair and the top water action on shallow fish in the early morning is best. Fish the deeper main lake seawalls. Also look for fish feeding on open water shad during the early morning. Pop R’s on top and any of your other favorite baits can work. Fish shallow on rocky points very early and late in the day. Fish can also be found in the main lake blow downs without fishing particularly deep. Other than that, few quality fish seem to be available in shallow water. While the fishing can be hit and miss, quality fish are being caught out to 15 feet and deeper. When you find them on deep structure, you may have a group of fish. Fishing for reaction strikes with the crank bait can be a good strategy. Use Shad Raps to take fish from 5 to 8 foot of water. Throw 15’+ diving baits to search for deeper fish. Jigs work well for catching fish in all depth ranges, particularly on wood and other structure targets on the main lake. Work the points, humps, blow downs, brush, docks, and rocks. Drop shot rigs are particularly productive this time of year. Use the rig to present finesse worms and trick worms to fish passing directly under your sonar and well above the bottom. Also use the rig on short casts to deep fish holding on bottom. It is worth noting that main lake fishing can be a difficult proposition on summer weekends.

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.

Anglers we have these books for sale “BASS FISHING ON WEST POINT LAKE”, “BASS FISHING LAKE RUSSELL”, “BASS FISHING WEST POINT LAKE” and “BASS FISHING LAKE HARTWELL”. These books are written by Tim White and Ken Sturdivant and each one has over 65 locations exclusively for bass and 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.