“The Southern Fishing Report” by Ken Sturdivant
770 889 2654
Cumming, Georgia 30040
February 13, 2015
LAKE LANIER IS 1.1 FEET BELOW FULL POOL, THE MAIN LAKE AND CREEKS ARE STAINED & MID 40’S
This Lake Lanier Bass report is from Jimbo Mathley. www.jimboonlanier.com 770 642 7764
Water is 46.5 degrees, and is .71 feet below full pool.
Bass fishing on Lanier has been fair over the past week. There have still been fish shallow as well as in mid depth and deep ranges. The ditches with standing timber in 45 feet to 60 feet should still be your first check. They are not everywhere, but when you find them they are schooled up nicely, especially on sunny days. Check for bait in these likely areas. If there is no bait, move to the next ditch. In the early mornings, start shallower in 15 feet or less in pockets or the back of productive creek ditches with a Spro McStick or a 1/4 ounce SuperSpin. A spoon, a Chattahoochee Jig, a Shaky Head worm, and a drop shot are all good potentials out deep and have remained consistent producers for us. Focus on timber edges and work your baits SLOWLY! The cold weather this weekend should push the fish back a bit in their prespawn progress. This is still a great time to learn how to fish the deep timber on Lanier. How and where to find the most productive timber, how to fish it, and with what lures. This is also a great time to learn the art of fishing the winter to spring transition on Lanier. Here is what I have open the remainder of February: 19, 23, 24, 26, and 27. Give me a call and let’s go bust some fish! The DVD’s from my January 17th Seminar are now available. They are $39 each. Give me a call if you are interested in purchasing one: 770 542 7764.
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 is good. There is a shallow water early morning bite using Herring, Threadfin or Gizzard shad on free lines and planner boards. Once the sun gets up, weight your lines with several split shots, deploy your down rods in addition to your free lines and move to deeper water. Make sure you are fishing over bait fish or there is bait close by. The bait has been moving to a depth of 25 to 40 feet over 40 to 80 foot bottom. If you are not marking any bait; move until you do! There are fish in every creek with high concentrations of bait. However, Flat Creek, Balus Creek and Four Mile Creek are hard to beat this time of year. One of the questions we get asked is how long are the leaders on your free lines and down rods? As a general rule, in the winter we use five foot of 12 or15 pound test Seagar fluorocarbon line, depending on bait size and water clarity, as leaders on both our free lines and down rods. In fact the only difference in the set up of our down rods and free lines is the two ounce slip weight we use on our down rods. We always use a plastic red bead on the main line side of our swivel and tie our swivel and hooks to our leader using a Palomar knot. The red bead protects the swivel knot from the pounding it can get from a two ounce weight and serves as a stop for planner boards. We use Gamakatsu Octopus hooks from size #6 to 8/0 depending on the size of the bait. Typically we use a #1 hook for a small and medium Herring and a 1/0 for larger Herring. Over the years we have tried various line types, lengths, size and knots. The key is confidence in your terminal tackle. Use quality hooks, line, swivels and tie a knot you know will hold and you won’t have to talk about the big fish that got away because of equipment failure. The lake temperature is in the mid to high 40’s and the water is lightly stained on the main lake with heavy stain in the backs of the creeks. The lake is less than one foot below full pool.
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 still about forty five degrees. We are targeting docks on river channels and on creek channels. Locate the bait, and you will find the fish. We are starting to catch numbers, but not the larger fish. If you are wondering where the bigger fish are located, they are on the move, chasing bait and fattening up for the spawn. Trolling could put bigger fish in the boat, however our favorite method right now is still shooting docks using soft body jigs. Crappie Assassin, Mr. Crappie and Bobby Garland jigs, all with straight tails are working well. Our favorite jig head is one twenty fourth ounce, with one sixteenth ounce on a windy day. Every time we are out on the water, we are keeping an eye on our brush piles, but are not yet finding large numbers of fish on them. They should begin moving to the brush piles in the next few weeks, pending the rise of the water temperature. Expect the fish to begin moving to more shallow docks ranging from fifteen to twenty foot depth or less. Always target the darkest part of the dock. If you are fishing with crappie minnows, your bait should be suspended five to ten feet below the surface. If you find a school of fish and you catch a few, you will notice that the entire school will rise in the water column, so make adjustments to the depth of your bait. Be safe on the water and wear your life jacket, it can save your life!
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
February 13, 2015
WEST POINT LAKE IS DOWN 5.4 FEET, STAINED & HIGH 40’S
Bass fishing is fair. Secondary points are the best pattern and shallow to medium diving crank baits will work. There are plenty of these good secondary points all over the lake and the better ones to fish will be the ones with rock and grass on them. Number five Shad Raps along with a DT6 are good choices. As a reminder, there are lots of spotted bass in the lake and they like a little smaller profile in all their baits. A Fat Albert all white or root beer pepper green by Zoom on a ½ ounce lead head jig on the new Berkley Fire Line Crystal will work especially well on rocks anywhere on the lake. The bigger bass last week seemed to want the small cranks and some good fish are starting to show up on the rip rap. The sun should shine this weekend and the rip rap at the bridges just might be worth checking out with the RS Shad Raps and the DT10’s. Also use a weightless Senko in June bug on the new Fire Line Crystal line on a spinning reel and concentrate on wood on the banks in the back of the mid lake creeks.
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 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.
February 13, 2015
LAKE ALLATOONA IS DOWN 10.7 FEET, STAINED & LOW HIGH 40’S DEGREES
Bass fishing is fair. The fish are hungry but catching has become a challenge due to a large shad die off. If you can find any warmer water use a ¼ ounce Rat L Trap in Fire Tiger or Crawdad colors. Second choice, keep throwing the jigs. Green pumpkin jigs with a Zoom Super Chunk trailer in Root beer green pepper. Pitch it to shallow cover with a Stanley jig in ¼ or 3/16 ounce and use 10 pound test Sufix line on a spinning rod. Concentrate on whatever brush you can find from 2 to 10 feet. The hot colors have been the watermelon, watermelon gold and green pumpkin. Use a Jr. sized trailer on the mini jigs. The spots are after shad schools and that means Shad Raps. Best bet is to fish the NW side of the flats as they tend to warm up first. Rip raps are also producing some fish as well with small cranks like small Rat L Traps and Bandits in any color as long as it is pearl white. Start at the mouths of creeks and pockets and work to the back. Use the same ¼ ounce mini jig with a matching Zoom trailer and be sure it looks a lot like green pumpkin.
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@gmail.comatt
Line side fishing is good. The south end of the lake is still the place to be right now. All of our stripers are coming on trout and shad fish on planner boards and free lines out over open water. And all of our Hybrids are coming on trout and shad fish on down lines 20 to 30 feet deep on humps and points. The umbrella rig bite has slowed down, but I look for it to pick back up as the lake clears. Over all I am pleased with what I am seeing out there right now. The lake is fishing well, and hopefully it will stay somewhat productive throughout the winter.
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
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.
February 13, 2015
LAKE HARTWELL IS DOWN 3.7 FEET & HIGH 40’S
Bass fishing is slow as the surface temperatures continue to hold around the same temperature as last week. Bass have moved into deeper water due to the cold fronts that have continued to pass through. High winds are passing through at least once during the week which makes fishing a little more difficult on the windy days. Deep water cranking with a DT16 continues to work at times, but many anglers are using jigging spoons and Carolina rigs on the deeper water stumps. A drop shot rig is another good method to use but be sure to downsize both your line and baits. Most of the Bass that were caught last weekend were small in size and some had a good showing of fat in their bellies. An occasional shallow water bass will be found in around seven to ten feet of water. DT Flats, Shad Raps and jigs are all working in the shallower water. Don’t expect to catch as many Bass, but larger Bass continue to be caught up close while they are looking for and feeding on the crawfish.
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.
February 13, 2015
CLARKS HILL IS DOWN 3.7 FEET, HIGH 40’S DEGREES & STAINED
Bass fishing is slow. Small schools of bait fish can be seen throughout the Lake and especially on the warmer and sunnier days. The afternoon bite has been the best as the water tends to warm up a degree to two by that time. The river bass are still hitting crank baits, worms and jigs. Feeding times are sort the past couple of days and the bass are scattered about the lake. A slow presentation along with downsizing baits and line is always a must during the cold winter months. A drop shot rig with small baits is a good choice to use this week. Medium diving crank baits and a lighter than normal Carolina Rig is fair on the edge of the ledges. Work crank baits later in the day with a slow retrieve and work rocks.
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
February 13, 2015
LAKE RUSSELL IS FULL, CLEAR & LOW 50’S
Bass fishing is slow. Water temperatures are holding steady and cold fronts continue to move through one after the other. Finding the best time to head out fishing will depend on the wind, so be sure to check those feeding tables before heading out. The Spotted Bass are still biting those finesse worms and crank baits. Fish the wind blown rocky points and up in the Rocky River. Stay with the wind when fishing for the best results. Also fish the 3/8 ounce jig in the deeper water through the stumps and over the rocks in fifteen to twenty feet of water. Some of the bass being caught had been feeding on crawfish and most of them had fat bellies that were full of bait fish. The weather is changing and warmer days are on their way. The fish want to eat and they are searching for small schools of bait fish in any size. Don’t miss the small cuts and very small flat areas while fishing. Isolated bass in the three to four pound range are being caught in seven to eight feet of water.
Sample of the BASS FISHING LAKE RUSSELL e mail ken@southernfishing.com
February 13, 2015
LAKE SEMINOLE IS FULL, STAINED AND LOW 50’S
Bass fishing is fair. The fish are starting to head to sand flats and gravel areas as well as on some wood. There are still some fish on deep grass lines all day. Small #5 Shad Raps and 7 inch Bang A Lures both in silver and black back on banks and wood has been fair. Cast to the steep banks in the creeks with a Rattlin’ Rouge in the shad or bream color. Spinner baits with willow leaf blades in silver and gold’s on the banks can draw strikes. Zoom u tail worms on a Texas or a short Carolina rig are fair in greens or smoke colors are fair but fish slowly in and around brush. The down lake fish are biting blue back Shad Raps crank baits on the points and humps. Try the white skirts and silver blades on a 1/2 ounce spinner baits up the rivers in coves and hit wood on the banks.
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.
February 13, 2015
LAKE GEORGE IS FULL, LOW 50’S
Bass fishing is fair. Grab the chartreuse Rat L Trap and started chunking. There are not a lot of big concentrations of fish but keep casting and watch for any signs of shallow shad in the grass. Some fish are up on sandy flats cruising around. The warming trend can extend on this week so the fish will get up into the shallows. Crank baits worked along the secondary points and creeks ledges near the spawning flats will work as the water warms. Try slow rolling a 1/4 or 3/8 ounce Strike king spinner bait with a double willow leaf blade, work it SLOWLY with a stop and go retrieve to imitate a dying shad, bouncing it down the rock ledge. A small 1/4 ounce jig in brown with a Zoom pumpkin seed chunk trailer worked slowly down the rock ledge is always a good winter time bait.
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.
February 13, 2015
LAKE OCONEE IS FULL, LOW 50’S
Bass fishing is poor. The lake is full, Stained up the rivers, creeks are light stain to clear, water temperature is 48 to 53. This report is before the weekend cold front. Small crank baits with rattles fished on sea walls and around docks. Jigs fished around docks in the Richland creek arm of the lake have produce a few fish over the past week. Dark Jigs with a rattle, brown, blue and black have been the best colors. Spinner baits fished along any rock bank will also draw a strike. There is also a spoon bite on the south end of the lake where Richland Creek and the Oconee come together. Find the schools on your Lowrance and drop a spoon down to the school.
Striper report by Mark Smith of Reel Time guide service. Call 404 803 0741 or reeltime@bellsouth.net
Striper fishing is fair. Early in the mornings there have been some birds working on the south end of the lake. 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 Capt. Mack spoon ready for when the fish go down. Use your Lowrance to locate the school and drop the spoon down to the school. Shiners fished on flat lines and down lines have also produced over the past week.
Crappie fishing is good. The fish are moving into the coves and major creeks. The major creeks use a 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. Some good schools of fish have shown up in the upper Richland creek arm of the lake.
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 Guide Service at 404 803 0741 or reeltime@bellsouth.net
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 Guide Service at 404 803 0741 or reeltime@bellsouth.net
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.
February 13, 2015
WEISS LAKE IS AT 3 feet 8 inches BELOW FULL POOL AND LIGHT STAINED TO CLEAR AND 45 48 DEGREE’S
From: Mark Collins Guide Service www.markcollinsguideservice.com 256 779 3387
Bass fishing is fair and a lot are on the old creek and river channel ledges and deeper humps and road beds, Carolina rigged plastics, Texas rigged Senko worms and Jigs are producing well right now. The Alabama Rig is catching fish also. The ledges in Little River and the Chattooga River are producing a lot of good Bass. Some Bass are being caught shallow on deeper banks with rocks. Spotted Bass are starting to show up on some secondary points also. The Rat L Trap bite should turn on over the next few weeks.
Striper fishing is poor and most of the fish have left the main lake making their spring run up the Coosa River, I have not had any reports on the upper Coosa River
Crappie fishing is great and they are being caught in Cowan Creek, the Coosa River, Little River and the Chattooga River and Little Spring Creek. The bays off the Coosa River near Riverside Campground are starting to produce some Crappie, The log jams on the main Coosa channel near Riverside are producing some Crappie. Long line trolling with Jiffy Jigs in 1/16 ounce and 1/24 ounce in colors JJ08, JJ13,JJ17, JJ24, and Marks, Ice Blue color, is the way to catch these winter fish, They can also be caught on a float and fly technique, live minnows under a slip float is also producing some fish.
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
February 13, 2015
LAKE SINCLAIR IS FULL, 48/53 DEGREES, STAINED
Bass fishing is fair. The central lake area continues to be the best overall, mainly because of having warmer water than the rest of the lake. But some of the larger fish have come from the colder areas, although the bite is extremely slow. Small crank baits and Rat L Traps have accounted for most good catches. Try a #5 Shad Rap or #4 Shad Rap RS in fire tiger, shad, and chrome blue. Also use the #200 Bandit, Rat L Traps in ¼ and ½ ounce sizes, and Suddeth Little Earl. Most catches are coming from main lake banks and points, and a short distance inside the mouth of coves. Docks, blow downs, stumps, and brush piles on these banks are holding fish, but the primary key seems to be rocky and clay bottoms.
FEBRUARY 13, 2015
JACKSON LAKE IS DOWN .70 FEET, STAINED & HIGH 40’S
Bass fishing is slow. Many of the bass are holding around 10 feet and deeper. The bass can be slow to move up and bite. It may be worth your while to search shallow rocky areas with crank baits if the sun is shining. Use a relatively slow retrieve. Cranking rocky features is a classic winter pattern for catching the chunky Jackson largemouth’s that have moved up to hold near sun warmed rocks. A craw colored Shad Rap will be hard to beat. Pound the rocky areas and try to cover water when looking for active fish. Search all over rocky points and try quartering steeper rocky banks with your cast. Make sure you work the bait well up shallow and into deeper water. Quartering the bank with your cast will help you keep the crank bait in contact with the bottom throughout more of your retrieve. Bottom contact is key. Don’t forget to pause your retrieve frequently, especially after you have bumped a rock or cover with the bait. Fire tiger can also be a good color.
We teach On the Water Schools for Sonar and Rods, Reels and Lures for Bass. Call for Ken details at 770 889 2654 for details.
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.
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.