Georgia Fishing – Southern Fishing Report, 1-16-15

“The Southern Fishing Report” by Ken Sturdivant

106 Hickory Ridge Drive

770 889 2654

Cumming, Georgia 30040

www.southernfishing.com

January 16, 2015

LAKE LANIER IS 1.1 FEET BELOW FULL POOL, THE MAIN LAKE AND CREEKS ARE CLEAR & 49 DEGREES.

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

Bass fishing is fair. Focus on two types of areas this week. Inside timber lines in 30 to 40 feet of water have produced some big bites for us recently. Typically, a jig or worm has been our best offerings. Our most consistent fish have still been coming off of rock or rock and clay mix and have been fairly shallow. Most of our bites will come from between 10 and 20 feet, with some big bites still coming in less than 10 feet of water. Our best offerings on the rock and clay have been a jig, a shaky head, a crank bait, and a Fish Head Spin. The main key to getting bit right now is SLOW presentations. When you think you are going slowly enough, slow down. This is a great time to come out and learn winter fishing in cold water, both deep and shallow. If you don’t know these techniques, they are certainly valuable tools to add to your winter fishing arsenal.

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 has been good and should continue through the winter as the lake water temperature stabilizes in the high to mid 40’s. In addition, the rain we have had over the past couple of weeks has raised the water level several feet. The Lake is currently one foot below full pool. Lake Lanier is healthy with a large population of bait fish. All of this should equal a good winter bite throughout January and February. The key tools for winter time fishing are the Double B’s (birds and bait). Check out the creeks for bait and keep your eyes on the water in search of actively feeding Sea Gulls and Loons. Keep in mind that the shallow water flats on the sunny side of the creeks will heat up during the day and attract bait fish. Pulling baits on these “sunny” flats can be very productive. The “go to” technique during the winter months is pulling live bait on free lines and planner boards. Herring, Gizzard Shad and small Trout are all good baits but do not hesitate to downsize to medium shiners if you see signs the fish are feeding on small Thread Fin Shad. Set your trolling motor speed between .3 to 1.0 miles per hour. Vary the distance of your baits behind the boat/boards and the weight on your free lines to cover a variety of water depths. We use split shots to weight some of our free lines. When you find the best distance, weight and speed replicate those settings to the majority of your lines. Also, try to keep someone on the front deck casting a Captain Mack’s 1/2 ounce buck tail jig with a fluke tied on. The umbrella rig is still working when pulled across points and flats. However this bite will slow as the lake water temperature continues to cool and the shallow water bite gets stronger.

This Lake Lanier Crappie report is from Dan Saknini, Member of the Lanier Crappie Angler’s Club. See our club’s website, www. laniercrappieanglers.com

Water temperature is about forty seven degrees, just right for this time of year. With all the rain that we’ve had, avoid the backs of creeks, as the water is too stained. The stain is moving south slowly. You will notice that when you catch fish in stained water, the fish are lighter in color than fish in clearer water. Even though they are lighter, they are still in the Black Crappie family, which is the predominant crappie in Lake Lanier. In the spring as they move to the bank, the color will darken to become purplish or almost black; hence the name. Right now, finding fish is all about the bait. If you follow the bait, you will find the Crappie. We are targeting docks off the creek channels, using our dock shooting technique. Early in the morning, the fish are suspended between five to eight feet below the surface when bottom depths are twenty to thirty feet. As the day goes by and the bait goes deeper, obviously the fish are following the bait. When you shoot your jig in the dock, immediately close your bail and start reeling slowly, especially if you are using the heavier jig head. To maximize your catch, don’t spend too much time on one dock when the bite slows down. Keep moving. High visibility four pound test line is very important. Use a one twenty fourth ounce or one sixteenth ounce jig head tied directly to the line. Bobby Garland’s soft body jig tails in darker colors are working well.

Jimbo Mathley will be hosting two Bass fishing classes one on Saturday, January 17, 2015 and second on Saturday, January 31, 2015. The classes will be from 9 AM until 12:30 PM and will be held at the Dekalb Office Conference Room, which is located off of Exit 12 on GA 400, 1320 Ridgeland Parkway in Alpharetta. These trainings will be intensive Lanier focused sessions to include detailed information on some of the following popular topics: Winter fishing to include ditch and timber fishing. How to find the best areas and how to fish them. How to identify and fish productive ledges. Tournament fishing pointers to include developing a game plan as well as managing the mental side of fishing. Matching tackle to techniques. Reading and understanding electronics and processing the information you see to make better fishing decisions. Establishing seasonal patterns and much more. There will be a generous time slot allowed for an open forum and question answer period, as well as time for one on one questions after the training ends. The first session will be more winter focused. The second session will address prepping for the winter and spring transition which will start in February. Each class will have a short morning break as well to include refreshments. Call or e mail Jimbo Mathley. Register and pay in advance, prior to January 14, 2015, the price structure will be as follows: $69 for one training, $99 for both training sessions. Day of/at the door price will be $85 for either session. Space is limited so I highly recommend making your reservations in advance ASAP. There has already been a great deal of interest expressed from many people, so spots will go fast. Call 770 542 7764 or email me at jim@laniermapped.com. Payment forms accepted include: cash, check, credit card, and Pay Pal. Please note that all electronic transactions will have a $7 processing fee added.

The Forsyth County Parks and Recreation department will host an “Outdoor Fun Festival 2015” on April 25, 2015. The location will be the Caney Road Park in south Forsyth County off Highway 141. See the web site at www.outdoorfunfestival2015.com. Call 770 887 2217 2217 Carrie Toth or cmtoth@forsythco.com for all the details and vendor options.

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

January 16, 2015

WEST POINT LAKE IS DOWN 6.5 FEET, STAINED & LOW 50’S

Bass fishing has been slow and the cold windy weather has made it difficult to fish. Mid lake has been the best area to start this as the water is muddy up lake. Use a Netbait Finesse worm and a ¾ ounce Strike King football head jig has been the baits of choice. Some fish are being caught in the shallows but most fish are in 10 to 15 feet around deep brush pile or rock piles. Suspending jerk baits are still working but your retrieve speed has to be super slow. Use the Lucky Craft Staysee 90 in the chartreuse shad color. Up lake the water is muddy and fishing has slowed way down from last week. The key this week was to find deep structure and clear water.

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

The 2015 Atlanta Boat Show is this weekend at The Georgia World Congress Center. Meet these anglers in the “Let’s Go Fishing Center”: Ken Sturdivant, Dan Saknini, Mark Smith, Jimbo Mathley, Al Bassett, Matt Henry, Matt Henry, Tom Branch, Jr., Rick Burns, Rene Hess CCI, Captain Mark Smith, Randy Hancock, Matt Driver, and Chris Scalley.

Call 770 887 2217 2217 Carrie Toth or cmtoth@forsythco.com for all the details and vendor options.

January 16, 2015

LAKE ALLATOONA IS DOWN 12.54 FEET, STAINED & LOW 49 DEGREES

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

Bass fishing is fair and most of the lake is stained. Fish the midsection of the lake with a Series 3 Strike King Crank bait in Chartreuse Sexy Shad or a Norman Middle N in Sour Grape. Concentrate on the main lake flats and the mouths of the creeks. Be sure to fish the crank bait slowly with a stop and go retrieve to attract bites. The Shaky Head is a great way to catch fish right now. Throw a 1/8 Davis Head tipped with a Kudzu Shaky Worm on main lake points or steep rock banks. These are also great places to cast a 3/8 or ½ ounce Bass Patrol Football Jig. I like to throw black and blue or brown and purple colors. I’ve had several reports of customers catching fish on Jigging Spoons in the mid section of the lake around baitfish. When you find baitfish, you can also use the drop shot rig. Use any Shad shaped baits on your drop shot. Examples of good drop shot baits include Zoom Tiny Flukes, Robo Worms, and Berkeley Power Minnows. The best way to catch quality fish right now is with a jerk bait. Cover water with a Spro McStick in Table Rock Shad Color or Old Glory if the sun is shining. Cast this bait on points and steep rock banks. If you think you are fishing the baits slowly, make yourself slow down even more. Be sure to let the bait sit for long periods between jerks.

This Lake Allatoona fishing Guides Report for striper and hybrids is brought to you exclusively by Robert Eidson of First Bite Guide Service, 770 827 to 6282. www.firstbiteguideservice.com Lake Allatoona, Georgia email eidson6260@att.net

Line side fishing is fair. The trash is still out there. The live bait bite has been our better bite early. Small Trout as well as small gizzard shad fished on free lines and planner boards from Galt’s Ferry to the Blockhouse has been the ticket. Once the sun gets up, we have been changing over to umbrella and have been catching some decent fish out over the river channel. Color really doesn’t matter. Our best bite has been coming a 100 feet behind the boat at speeds of 2.6 to 3.1 miles per hour.

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

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

Call 770 887 2217 2217 Carrie Toth or cmtoth@forsythco.com for all the details and vendor options.

January 16, 2015

LAKE HARTWELL IS DOWN 4.2 FEET & LOW 50’S

Bass fishing is a little slow right now due to the extreme cold front that passed through dropping the nighttime temperatures down into the teens. Rain is in the forecast for Saturday afternoon until Sunday morning or mid day. The good news is that the daytime highs are predicted to climb back into the high 50’s or maybe low 60’s. Carolina rigged plastics using six inch Finesse worms with a little dye on the tail seems to be the best choice for catching numbers of bass. Hopefully, the warm front moving through will stimulate a good crank bait bite along the hard red clay banks or rocks. Bass love to feed on crawfish this time of the year. If you are going to put fish in your live well for later release, be sure to add two teaspoons of Catch and Release formula before adding water.

Our Bass Fishing Lake Hartwell book has over 100 key bass fishing holes. Ask for a sample at ken@southernfishing.com for a sample. See our web site for Rods Reels and Lures for Bass DVD on sale.

Call 770 887 2217 Carrie Toth or cmtoth@forsythco.com for all the details and vendor options.

January 16, 2015

CLARKS HILL IS DOWN 3.2 FEET, LOW 50’S DEGREES & STAINED

Bass fishing is fair and the cold front that passed through slowed fishing down a bit, but warmer days will arrive soon. They aren’t turning much water out of the Clarks Hill Dam, so anglers are still heading up the Savannah River towards the Russell Dam for the better current. Find the water up here has some color to it. The 1/2 to 3/4 ounce jigs seem to be the big bite bait is fair. Structure on or around the main river points and the larger or isolated rock piles in at least ten foot of water is bound to put some good fish in the boat. Finesse worms in the four and six inch size or a Shaky Head, not more than 1/4 ounce will catch you numbers of bass on the rip rap or rocky points on the main lake. Don’t forget to put two teaspoons of Catch and Release in your live well before adding water. Just think for the next few week, slow and deep. It’s hard to beat a jig and a spoon in the winter but the Lowrance sonar is the key.

The book, BASS FISHING CLARKS HILL LAKE is on sale. Get 52 weeks of bass fishing and over 40 bass fishing locations for this popular lake. Ask for a free sample of the BASS FISHING LAKE CLARKS HILL book. For a sample: ken@southernfishing.com

The Forsyth County Parks and Recreation department will host an “Outdoor Fun Festival 2015” on April 25, 2015. The location will be the Caney Road Park in south Forsyth County off Highway 141. See the web site at www.outdoorfunfestival2015.com. Call 770 887 2217 Carrie Toth or cmtoth@forsythco.com for all the details and vendor options.

January 16, 2015

LAKE RUSSELL IS FULL, CLEAR & LOW 50’S

Bass fishing is fair and the cold weather shocked the bass some. But expect them to rebound with a warming trend. The biggest factor will be to check the feeding tables on this page before you head out. Fish the upper Savannah River and all the wood with jigs and finesse worms. Back off the banks and use those deep diving Fat Free shad crank baits with a steady retrieve. Number eight and nine Shad Raps, Rapala DT10’s and Rapala DT16’s also will work. Use a 1/2 ounce Fish Head Spin with a Super Fluke attached to catch the deep water fish. If the sun is out, bounce a DT7 Flat off of the rocks and rip rap. Wait about 45 minutes after the sun hits the rock before fishing it.

Sample of the BASS FISHING LAKE RUSSELL e mail ken@southernfishing.com

Call 770 887 2217 Carrie Toth or cmtoth@forsythco.com for all the details and vendor options.

January 16, 2015

LAKE SEMINOLE IS DOWN .50 FEET, CLEAR, MID 50’S BY MATT BATY

Bass fishing has been relatively tough with the falling water temperatures. Some fish are being caught on main lake flats and the mouth of coves of the Chattahoochee River with spinnerbaits and Rat L Traps. The most productive method is finesse fishing in the Spring Creek area. Drop shotting has been the ticket. Target the bigger stumps in 20 foot of water or deeper in any area of Spring Creek and use 8 pound fluorocarbon line. Rig up the drop shot with a Gamakatsu Weedless finesse hook in size #2. Use a 3/8 ounce drop shot weight and rig the hook about 18 inches above the lead. Use a Big Bite Bait in the 4″ or 6″ finesse worm in green pumpkin purple or green pumpkin and June bug. Fish your bait slowly and fish it vertical beside the stumps using a shaking method. The bite will be very soft. Just lift your rod to set the hook.

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

The Forsyth County Parks and Recreation department will host an “Outdoor Fun Festival 2015” on April 25, 2015. The location will be the Caney Road Park in south Forsyth County off Highway 141. See the web site at www.outdoorfunfestival2015.com. Call 770 887 2217 Carrie Toth or cmtoth@forsythco.com for all the details and vendor options.

January 16, 2015

LAKE GEORGE IS FULL, HIGH 50’S

Bass fishing is slow. The fishing is about as cold as the temperatures and with no warming trends in the forecast, it looks to stay that way. The 48 degree water temperatures make fishing tough. Try flipping large dark jigs up the river. The deeper fish are being caught with spoons and heavy jigs, in the 25 28 foot range toward the south end near Sandy Creek. All in all it’s a slow go no matter what. The weather looks tough over the next week, so If you are headed out remember it’s going to be COLD, the bite will be slow, so you’ve got to work the baits even S L O W E R.

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

Call 770 887 2217 Carrie Toth or cmtoth@forsythco.com for all the details and vendor options.

JANUARY 16, 2015

LAKE OCONEE IS FULL, LOW 50’S

Bass fishing fair. The lake is full, heavy stain over most of the lake, some clearing on the south end of the lake. Water temperature is 41 to 48. Jigs worked around docks from the middle of the coves to the back of the coves. Shaky heads fished under docks will also draw strikes. You can also uses spinner baits with a large Colorado blade fished around rip rap. This will work best when Georgia Power is pulling water. There has also been some large mouth mixed in with the hybrids under the birds.

Striper/hybrid report by Mark Smith of Reel Time Guide Service. Phone 404 803 0741 or reeltime@bellsouth.net

Striper fishing is fair. Striper fishing can be great if you can find the birds diving on bait. If you cannot find the birds, the fishing will be fair at best. When you find the birds think small bait. A 1/4 ounce jig head with a small supper fluke, a small Rooster Tail will work. Keep a spoon ready for when the fish go down. Use your Lowrance to locate the school and drop the spoon down to the school.

Crappie fishing is good to fair. The fish are moving into the coves and major creeks. The major creeks are muddy so make sure you are using a dark jig and tip it with a minnow. Spider rigging is the best option. Start in the middle of the creeks and work to the back. The mud has the fish scattered so keep moving until you find them.

Call 770 887 2217 Carrie Toth or cmtoth@forsythco.com for all the details and vendor options.

January 16, 2015

WEISS LAKE IS AT 5.4 FEET BELOW FULL POOL AND MUDDY AND 44 46 DEGREES BY MARK COLLINS GUIDE SERVICE

Bass fishingis fair and the some good spotted bass are being caught in Little River on the rocky ledges of the old river channel. The 4 or 5 inch Senko worms and ring worms in June bug or pumpkin seed Texas rigged are working best.

Striper fishing is poor and a few fish are being caught in Little River at the junction of the Chattooga River trolling a 3 inch sassy shad on a 1/4 ounce jig head.

Crappie fishing is fair and some fish are starting to be caught trolling in the bays of the upper Coosa River on 1/24 ounce Jiffy Jigs in colors JJ08, JJ20, JJ24, JJ25. Little Spring Creek is also producing some fair trolling also.

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

The Forsyth County Parks and Recreation department will host an “Outdoor Fun Festival 2015” on April 25, 2015. The location will be the Caney Road Park in south Forsyth County off Highway 141. See the web site at www.outdoorfunfestival2015.com. Call 770 887 2217 Carrie Toth or cmtoth@forsythco.com for all the details and vendor options.

JANUARY 16, 2015

LAKE SINCLAIR IS FULL, 49 DEGREES, STAINED ACROSS MUCH OF THE LAKE, BY MATT HENRY, CALL 478 451 0167 ext. 1215 (SINCLAIR MARINA)

WWW.SINCLAIRMARINA.COM MATT@SINCLAIRMARINA.COM

Bass fishing is fair. Our fish both shallow and deep with the deep bite being most consistent. For the shallow bite, target steeper banks that contain darker colored rocks as they will generally hold more heat. As far as bait selection goes, any crawfish imitating crank bait or jig should work well due to the full moon we had this week. A Spro Little John MD 50 in the fire craw and fire tiger colors have been working well on these steeper banks near the mouth of creeks and on the main river banks. A ¼ to 3/8 ounce Buckeye Mop jig has also been producing a lot of quality bites around docks near the mouth of creeks. Generally the lighter weight jigs work best this time of year as they fall slower and stay in the strike zone longer. Black and blue has worked best on the upper half of the lake in the stained water, while brown has worked best in the clearer water down the lake. There are quite a few deep fish to be had right now as well and they will be more consistent throughout this colder weather. Look for these schools of fish to be holding in 30 40ft where the creek channels intersect the main river channel. If you find the pods of baitfish, you should be able to catch these fish by dropping a Buckeye Jiggin’ Blade or a flex it spoon below the baitfish. Gold works best on cloudy days and in dirty water while nickel works best on sunny days.

Matt has some guide trips available towards the end of the month and I also have gift certificates available as well. Give me a call to reserve your trip today! Make sure to stop by our new boat showroom and see our 2014 and 2015 inventory of new Tracker, Sun Tracker, Nitro, Tahoe, Regency and Mako boats. For more information, swing by the marina, check out our sales page or call 478 451 0167.

Call 770 887 2217 Carrie Toth or cmtoth@forsythco.com for all the details and vendor options.

JANUARY 16, 2015

JACKSON LAKE IS DOWN .89 FEET, STAINED & LOW 50’S

Bass fishing is fair and after a spell of stained water, the lake has cleared back up for the most part. Our recent pot tournament, during a very cold spell, brought some very good fish to the scales. Most of our fish were in 6 to 16 foot of water. Crank baits will get a relatively shallow bite when working rock and warm pockets. Also work points, humps, and bluff banks on the main river channel or appropriately deep water. Locations with deep, hard, and rocky bottom, will be more likely to hold concentrations of fish. The key to finding deep active fish is to find a group holding together or stay with the bait. Sun on rocks, wood, docks, and stained water will draw fish shallow when located adjacent to deep water, or in a pocket. On a warm afternoon, compact diving cranks like a Bandit or Shad Rap, should be fished shallow in stained water (if available) and on any rocks. A Fire Tiger or Craw DT 10, depending on water clarity, can also be worked on a chunky 6 to 10 foot bottom. With the weather fluctuations, you really need to get out there and fish the moment. Bites may be had both very shallow and out to 20 or deeper. Spinnerbaits have produced on shallow rock along with the crank baits. Fish a slower falling ¼ ounce Net Boy jig on docks with some depth and bluffs. Also fish 1/2 to 3/4 ounce Net Boy football jigs slowly through the deep water holding areas. Use a brown jig in clear water and a black/blue jig in stained water. Go with a brown or green pumpkin Zoom Super Chunk Jr. on the natural color jig and a green pumpkin or black Super Chunk Jr on the black/blue jig.

Call 770 887 2217 Carrie Toth or cmtoth@forsythco.com for all the details and vendor options.

Anglers 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.