How and Where To Catch September Bartletts Ferry Bass

September Bartletts Ferry Bass

 with Bo Talley

    Frustrated with late summer fishing?  Tired of hours of casting in hot waters and not finding fish?  Head to Lake Harding, known in Georgia as Bartlett’s Ferry, if you want some fast action all day long.

    Bartlett’s Ferry is a small Georgia Power Lake on the Chattahoochee River just downstream of West Point Lake.  There is good current flow when water is being released at the dam or when power is generated at West Point.  The lake level changes a foot or so rapidly due to its size but is usually near full pool until the winter draw down in October.

    It is an old lake, full of docks, grass beds and best of all, spotted and largemouth bass.  You can catch large numbers of keeper size bass there right now, with a chance for much bigger fish.

    Bo Talley grew up in Bibb City, within the city of Columbus, and has fished Bartlett’s Ferry for many years. He works on motors in Phenix City for Randall Marine, which he says has the best selection of bass fishing tackle in the area.  They specialize in working on bass boats and cater to the fisherman.

    His job puts him in contact with a lot of area fishermen and Bo fishes many tournaments, including the Bulldog BFL trail and most pot tournaments on Bartlett’s Ferry and other area lakes. He plans on fishing the Everstart Series next year and has acquired some sponsors, including Quantum Rods and Reels and JJ’s Magic.  His boat is being wrapped by John Allen at Pestey John’s Pest Control.

    Bartletts Ferry is one of Bo’s favorite lakes and he does well there.  In one tournament he caught two six pound spots and his biggest largemouth from the lake is a 6.9 pounder.  His best five-fish limit weighed 26 pounds.

    “In September bass are in a transition, holding a little more shallow and feeding in the shallows longer,” Bo said.  He targets shallow grass beds for both spots and largemouth this time of year, and also catches bass on bluff walls.

    A wide variety of baits work right now, including a Strike Zone Grinder Buzzbait in white or white and chartreuse.  Bo likes a smaller bait this time of year and a quarter ounce is standard.  Bass will also hit a Spook and a Spro Frog on top, Bo’s favorite way to catch fish.

    A KVD Sexy Shad crankbait is also one of his favorites now. It works well for bass holding off the shallow grass beds, waiting to move in and feed.  He says you can fish faster now than you have the past few months and catch fish.

    For slower fishing a Zoom green pumpkin Swamp Crawler with its tail dipped in JJ’s chartreuse on a three sixteenths ounce Buckeye Spot Remover is his go-to bait. He will also cast and flip a Tommy Gunn half ounce Jawbreaker jig in the blue/green color trailed with a green pumpkin chunk.  

    We fished Bartletts in early August and caught a lot of keeper size bass. The bigger bass just did not hit that day but they will be hitting better now on these spots. Fish them and you will catch a lot of bass and have a good chance of catching some quality bass as the water starts to cool a little.

    1.  N 32 44.660 – W 85 08.069 – If you put in at the free Georgia Power ramp at Idlehour or at Blanton Creek Park, you can stay in the river and catch fish all day without running around a lot, an important factor with the price of gas.  Run up the river from either ramp to where the river makes a bend back to the right upstream of Blanton Creek. Just before the bend there are houses and docks on your left and they end right at the bend.

    On your left you will see two openings into a shallow lake area behind an island running parallel to the river.  The second opening is where Bo usually starts first thing in the morning.  Stop out in front of it and fish a buzzbait and Spook around both sides and in the middle of the ditch. Work from the bank and opening out to a long cast from the bank.

    Bass will hold along this ditch and opening before moving into the shallow grass to feed. Fish the grass at the ditch with a frog or buzzbait then work into the lake area, fishing the grass on both sides.  It is very shallow in there so you can’t always fish very far into the lake area on either side, but work the edges and the bank at the back straight in where you can reach it.

    Fish back out to the opening and fish the mouth of the ditch on both sides with a crankbait.  Fan cast the whole area before leaving. Bo says this is often a good way to pick up a quality fish holding here this time of year.

    2.  N 32 44.570 – W 85 07.939 – Fish downstream, casting to the bank with topwater and crankbaits, to the next opening.  The mouth of it is full of grass under the water that looks like hydrilla and along the edges above the water.  There were a lot of baitfish here when we fished and that is the norm that draws in the bass.

    Fish into the lake area working your bait over the submerged grass and through the grass sticking out of the water.  Fish your buzzbait, Spook or frog all the way to the boat. We got several hits near the boat from bass holding in the grass that goes all the way across the mouth.

    Fish into the pocket as far as you can go.  Watch for any activity and cast to it with a topwater bait.  It is so shallow in here bass will often give themselves away when they move.  Fish back to the seawall with lot numbers on it on your left, then fish back out to the river.

    3.  N 32 44.517 – W 85 07.737 – You can fish the shoreline all the way downstream from this pocket, hitting shallow wood and grass, to the point of the next small creek downstream, or idle down to the dock with a deck on top.  When you get near the dock the water gets a little deeper.

    Fish topwater around the grass then try a jig head worm from the grass edge out to the boat.  Bo says this is a good area for spots and he caught a good keeper on his jighead here.  Cast to the edge of the grass and work your bait back to the boat since you may get a hit anywhere out from the grass from bass holding well off it. You can also fish a shallow running crankbait through the area, too.

    Fish to the mouth of the small creek and work both sides of it and back into it about 100 feet.  The docks on the upstream side are worth skipping your jig head under, especially if the sun is on the water.

    4.  N 32 46.005 – W 85 08.242 – Run on up the river to where the channel swings back to the right.  You will see an island in the main channel and several cuts on your right. One of them is the “false river” that runs around and joins back with the main channel well upstream.

    Look to your left before you get to the island and you will see the mouth of a double pocket, with a big shallow lake to the right and a more narrow opening straight ahead.  It opens up in the back and there is big new house behind it.

    Stop out from the upstream point of this opening. A good ledge runs across it parallel to the river.  Keep your boat out in deep water and fish across the top of the ledge with topwater, fishing from the bank down past the mouth of the opening.

    After fishing it on top go back over it with a crankbait.  Start by casting from the river side across the top, then work to the end of it and into the cut, fishing from the river side into the ditch mouth. Also cast a jig head worm on this ledge.  Fish school up on this ledge so it is worth a lot of casts.

    After fishing the ledge fish the grass in the mouth of the right hand pocket and the shallow wood around the mouth of the left side with a buzzbait before leaving this spot.

    5.  N 32 46.027 – W 85 07.947 – Run across the river and upstream. You will see three openings on your right going upstream. Bo goes to the third one, a cut that runs back a short distance into Johnson Island.  Starting on the upstream point, fish the grass and wood on both sides with topwater.

    Fish on down the bank downstream of the cut. Bo says there is a good ledge here so keep your boat well off the bank. Cast a topwater bait, crankbait and jig head worm under the overhanging brush and work back out across the ledge. Bo got a keeper spot here on a Spook when we fished.

    The second opening you will come to is an opening into the false river and current comes out of it, making good eddies when it hits the river. The same thing happens at the next opening, the main mouth of the false river.

    The ledges off the upstream points of both openings are good so cover them carefully. Then work into the openings, flipping a jig and pig to the bank and fishing the wood cover along it. The downstream bank and point of the last opening going downstream, the main opening, is deep and a very good place to flip a jig and pig.

    6. N 32 44.541 – W 85 07.153 – Head back down the river to where the houses are on your right going downstream.  On your left is a long island running parallel to the river. Where it ends a very shallow ledge runs downstream so be careful, but idle in to the upstream point of the second pocket downstream of the end of the island.

    Fish the grass on both sides of this opening down to the next small cut. The water is very shallow here but it holds a lot of bass. The wind was blowing into this grass when we fished and Bo says that usually makes for a better bite. We got several bass along this grass on top and on a jig along the edge of it.

    7.  N 32 44.514 – W 85 07.036 – The upstream point of Blanton Creek is not far downstream. Start on it and fish the grass here back into the creek all the way to even with the no wake buoys.  A buzzbait and frog are both good here but also work a jig head worm or jig and pig along the edge of the grass, too.

    8.  N 32 44.174 – 85 06.662 – Go across the mouth of Blanton Creek to the grass bed between it and the next small creek on your left going downstream. Start fishing the grass about 100 yards upstream of the small creek and fish to it.  The water is a little deeper here since it is the beginning of an outside river bend and Bo says he catches a good many good fish here.

    Keep your boat out in about nine feet of water and cast back into the grass with a buzzbait or frog.  Current will hit this grass and make it better, too.  Work anything unusual in the grass like cuts, points and holes in it.

    Bo will fish a buzzbait all day long. Sometimes sunny days seem better and others cloudy days are better, but fish all day either way. It was cloudy the day we fished and we caught several bass on top right in the middle of the day.

      9.  N 32 44.037 – W 85 06.656 – For a change of pace stop on the downstream point of the small creek just downstream of Blanton Creek. It is a bluff wall dropping almost straight off into the river.   Keep your boat out in about 23 feet of water and flip or pitch a jig and pig to the bank. Work it slowly down the drop.

    Bo likes a half-ounce jig and pig for this fishing. He moves it very slowly so it hits every small outcropping on the bluff on the way down. When your bait falls a foot or so and stops, shake your rod tip without pulling the bait off the small ledge or rock.

    Try to show your bait to a fish holding in any crack or hole in the rocks.  Fish slowly, making a pitch every few feet.  Bo says he catches some pretty decent fish doing this here and on other bluff walls. This is how he got the two six pound spots.

    10.  N 32 43.254 – W 85 07.289 – Run down to where the river opens up and the channel splits. Right where it opens up there is a small creek on your right going downstream. A narrow grass covered point runs across them mouth of this creek from the downstream bank and Bo says it is called the “Hog Pen” since there was a hog pen here. You can still see some of the posts on the point and there are cypress trees on it.

    Bo likes to start on the outside end where it comes off the bank and fish upstream.  He fishes a buzzbait in the grass along it and flips a jig and pig or pitches a jig head worm to the edge of the grass. Fish all the way around the end of the point and into the creek, working that side to you get to the bank opposite of where you started.

    These ten spots all held bass in August and will be even better now. There are many bluff walls on the lake and a lot of grass beds in other areas to fish, too. Head to Bartlett’s Ferry this month and you will have a lot of fun catching bass.

Jeff Nail’s Lake Lanier Bass Fishing Report

Also See:

Lake Hartwell Fishing Report from Captain Mack

Lake Lanier Fishing Report from Captain Mack

Lake Guntersville Weekly Fishing Report from Captain Mike Gerry

Lake Country Fishing – fishing reports on Lakes Sinclair and Oconee, and more. (subscription required)

Texas Parks and Wildlife Weekly Freshwater Fishing Reports

Texas Parks and Wildlife Weekly Saltwater Reports

Jeff Nail’s Lake Lanier Bass Fishing Report

Lake Lanier Weekly Report

Lake Lanier Weekly Fishing Report

September 22, 2023 

Water Level: 4.98 feet BELOW full pool and falling. 

Water Temp: Water Temps are topping out around 81 on Lowrance in the afternoons.  AM temps have been in the upper 70s. 

Water Clarity: The clearest water is still on the main lake and in the mouths of the main lake creeks.  

I spent the past 5 of the last 7 days on Lanier. Lanier is fishing very well right now with the opportunity for both numbers and size of fish. The fish have started their fall transitions and they are on the move.  Locations varied from day to day and even from hour to hour.  Forward facing sonar can help eliminate water if you have it.  If you don’t have it, make a few casts at a spot and if you do not see fish come up or get bit, move to the next spot.  

It is difficult to narrow down the best two baits for this week.  That being said, top water ruled the roost.  A ~4in walking topwater bait in chrome was a great producer this week.  The Ima Skimmer, Vixen, Gunfish all produced well this week.  Vary your retrieve speed from medium to fast to see what the fish want on a particular day.  Some days they wanted it slower than others.  

The Lanier Baits Jerk shad also produce a lot of bites and fish this week.  I am still rigging this bait with a small nail weight in the nose and keeping it just below the surface.  A constant retrieve with small twitches of the rod tip has generated most of the strikes.  This is a bait that should continue to produce well into October and is great for anglers who may not have mastered the coordination needed for a walking bait.  

I am focusing on primary/secondary points and humps in the first 1/2 of the major creeks. Additionally, if I have a lot of confidence in a location, I may hit it two or three times over the course of the day.  Several times this past week, a spot would be vacant the first time and loaded the second time.

With October right around the corner, it is time to start preparing for, and stocking up for the winter bite while there is still a good selection of those key baits in stock.  CAST Prodigy, Keitech, Spotchoker Underspin, guppy heads, damaki baits, and jigging spoons will soon be in short supply at local tackle shops.  Now is the time to conduct an inventory and stock up before the rush. 

In celebration of the start of my 3rd year guiding, I am giving each client that takes a trip between 14 September 2023 and 25 October 2023 a spool of CAST braid.  

If you are looking for more detailed information on my trips over the past week, I publish a daily video covering the conditions, the where, the what, and how I caught fish each day I am on the water. You can sign up at https://jeffnail.uscreen.io 

I am booking for October so reach out if you are interested in getting in on the top water action or learning the fall swim bait fishing. I am open Oct. 2-4, 6, 8, 9, 11-14. 

Jeff 

770-715-9933

jeffnailfishing@gmail.com

Jeffnail.uscreen.io

Jeffnailfishing.net 

#TritonBoats #advantageboatcenter #hammondsfishingcenter #LanierBaits #trixstercustombaits #stcroixrods #castfishingco #gillfishing #Spotchokerimage0.jpeg

Jeff

Captain Macks’ Lake Lanier Fishing Report

Also See:

Jeff Nail’s Lake Lanier Bass Fishing Report

Lake Hartwell Fishing Report from Captain Mack

Lake Lanier Fishing Report from Captain Mack

Lake Guntersville Weekly Fishing Report from Captain Mike Gerry

Lake Country Fishing – fishing reports on Lakes Sinclair and Oconee, and more. (subscription required)

Texas Parks and Wildlife Weekly Freshwater Fishing Reports

Texas Parks and Wildlife Weekly Saltwater Reports

Lake Lanier Fishing Report from Captain Mack

Need a great reason to go fishing or hunting? I got you covered! Sept 23rd is
National Hunting and Fishing Day! Sept 23rd is also the Autumnal Equinox, the
first day of Fall, beginning at 2:50 AM. That should be more than enough
incentive/excuse to go fish or hunt. Add in a really nice weather forecast, maybe
a little rain mid week, but that may be an enhancement to the bite.

Ironically, I will
not be on the water to celebrate National Hunting and Fishing Day? I’ll have a
minor medical procedure and the doctor says fishing will be prohibited? Seems to
me that spending some time on the lake would be the best recovery available,
right? I’ll plead my case again with the doc to see if we can get a change order
put in place, lol. Keep an eye on the lake level, it is continuing to drop and some
of your shortcuts may be close to being a land bridge. The lake level as of Friday
mid day was 1066.05 , down .42 from the last report, and 4.95 feet below full
pool. Like the lake level, the surface temps also dropped, 79 degrees was the
reading Friday AM.


Striper Fishing


If you opt for fishing, particularly Striper fishing, the bite remains strong. Last
week’s info will be applicable, although there are still some inconsistencies in the
“summer patterns” of recent weeks. One addition to the list of top techniques is
targeting the schooling fish. This activity has been very good and is no longer a
secondary pattern. As is usually the case, the surfacing fish may show up
anywhere, any time. Be diligent about watching for them as you move around the
lake. Swim baits, The Lanier Baits Hard Swimmers, Spro Sashimmy Shad’s and
Magic Swimmers are a few of the favorites. Top water popper baits, such as the
Spro E Pops, and Chug Bugs, along with Walking Haints, and OG Stickbaits are
also good choices. In addition to casting to the schoolers, you can catch a few
Stripers just blind casting a bait to humps and points. There are plenty of Bass to
keep you entertained on this pattern while you are looking for the Striper bites.
Run and gun is the pattern on the high spots, the same above mentioned top
water or swim baits will apply.


Trolling is still a good pattern, and while there is an open water bite, Lead core,
down riggers, and In line planers, however, that bite is very inconsistent. Trolling
over the humps is the better option on most days. Either the Mini Macks or the
full size umbrella rigs will be effective. Target humps that top out around 30 feet,
and watch for secondary crest and points that are part of the high spot. Generally
the first pull over the high spot will get the bite, with other fish on the hill spooking
after you hook up. The fish will normally return to that place, give it a rest and
come back to it in 30 to 45 minutes and the fish will probably be back there
waiting on you. To make this pattern work think run and gun, and clipping points
in the same depth range will also be productive.


Bass Fishing


Bass fishing is also good if that is your target, and as is the case with the
Stripers, the techniques from last weeks report remain valid with little change.
One pattern we need to add in is casting under spins to the suspended fish that
are shadowing the open water bait schools. This pattern is pretty strong, but is
largely dependent on Forward Facing Sonar. The Fat Hawg Spoons and Flutter
Spoons are also be viable baits on this pattern.


There are plenty of fish in the brush, and starting out on a pile by casting the drop
shot is a good option. Follow that up with a top water, spoon, or under spin. If you
really want to maximize your opportunities, finish up with a vertical presentation
of the drop shot rig. Appling a scent to the plastic may also be a big plus right
now. Keep the Sebiles, Sashimi Shad, or Hard Swimmers nearby to cast to the
frequent schoolers that will running out of the brush to push bait to the top. Get
the bait to them quickly enough and it has generally been an easy bite.


The crank bait bite is out there, probably no where near peak but improving with
cooler weather. Rock Crawlers have been the ticket, and the usual structures are
target. Rocks, either on the banks or submerged rocks are holding fish. Add in
secondary points, shallow brush and blowdowns as other likely targets. This bite
is probably best in mid and upper lake areas, and will have some application on
the lower end. If you stay down lake venture into the creek backs to look for the
same above mentioned structures to get the bite!


Good Fishing!
Capt. Mack

TEXAS WEEKLY FRESHWATER FISHING REPORT

from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Also See:

Jeff Nail’s Lake Lanier Bass Fishing Report

Lake Hartwell Fishing Report from Captain Mack

Lake Lanier Fishing Report from Captain Mack

Lake Guntersville Weekly Fishing Report from Captain Mike Gerry

Lake Country Fishing – fishing reports on Lakes Sinclair and Oconee, and more. (subscription required)

Texas Parks and Wildlife Weekly Freshwater Fishing Reports

Texas Parks and Wildlife Weekly Saltwater Fishing Reports


Freshwater Weekly Fishing Report Week of September 20, 2023

Alan Henry

GOOD. Water clear; 81 degrees; 4.06 feet below pool. Crappie are good in 20-30 feet of water using minnows and jigs suspended over trees. Catfish are good up river using fresh cut bait and prepared baits. Report by The Bait Shop, Post, Texas.

Amistad

GOOD. Water stained; 82-89 degrees; 50.45 feet below pool. Black bass are slow on crankbaits, Texas rigged worms, frogs, and jigs on main lake and secondary points in 5-20 feet of water. White bass and stripers are fair in the main river channels in 20-50 feet of water using Lil George’s, sahd patterned rattletraps, and blade baits. Tight lines. Report by Captain Raul Cordero, Far West Guide Service. Catfish are good in 15-20 feet of water close to grass. The lake level is continuing to drop, so navigate with caution. Report by Captain Kent Terrill, 3 T’S Guide Service. Bass are slow and a big bite is hard to come by. Punching grass with creature baits as the sun gets high is producing some bites. Topwater baits in shad pattern for the morning and evening bite. Tight lines and pray for some rain! Report by Olin Jensen, Jensen’s Guide Service.

Arlington

FAIR. Water lightly stained; 85-90 degrees; 5.13 feet below pool. Areas with current are holding bait balls attracting the white bass, catfish and bass. Bass are good on crankbaits and moving baits over rocky areas with current no deeper than six feet of water. Crappie are good on brush piles in 20 feet of water. Report by Chris Rivery, local angler.

Arrowhead

GOOD. Water lightly stained; 80 degrees; 8.08 feet below pool. Fishing patterns will remain similar until the water temperature starts to decline. Catfish continue to be good on the main lake drifting with fresh cut shad. Report by Brandon Brown, Brown’s Guide Service.

Athens

FAIR. Water clear; 85-87 degrees; 1.87 feet below pool. Fishing patterns are holding steady and bass are schooling all over the lake. Cooler weather and rain in the forecast should improve the bite. Throw small swimbaits in shad patterns and burn them to get the fish to react. Throw jigs and Carolina rigged worms on brush piles as well, down to 25 feet. The bite should get better with the cooler nights and less boat traffic. Crappie should be on deep brush piles with minnows and small jigs. Report by Jim Brack, Athens Guide Service.

Austin

SLOW. Water slightly stained; 82 degrees; 1.87 feet below pool. Recreational traffic is starting to decrease so the bass fishing is improving. Bass are shallow fishing a Texas rigged worm around docks and bulkheads. Shaky head worms and dropshots are getting plenty of bites as well. Catching quite a few small to medium size bass with an occasional big fish. A lot of bait balls off shore with schooling fish around them. Small ball head swimbaits, jerkbaits, and slab spoons are doing good. Overall the lake is fishing well and there is quite a bit of vegetation coming back. Report by Carson Conklin, ATX Fishing.

B.A. Steinhagen

SLOW. Water normal stain; 84 degrees; 0.28 feet below pool. The river is fishing great for bass using small crankbaits and Texas rigged soft plastics.

Bastrop

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 95 degrees. Water visibility is about 2-4 feet. The grass near the drills has completely died off. Square bill crankbaits have been good focusing on transitions around 8-10 feet. Swimbaits and flukes have been good up close to the reeds. Dropshot and Texas rigs are fair. Report Jason Hernandez, Bass Institute of Bastrop. Lake Bastrop is fishing well for bass. Lake Bastrop is fishing well. Frogs or wake baits early over grass is a great presentation right now. Working fast moving baits like shallow and medium crankbaits and spinnerbaits along grass edges is getting some quality bites. Later in the day, work a fluke or Texas rigged soft plastics to finish out the day. Report by Bryan Cotter, Texas Hawgs.

Belton

GOOD. Water lightly stained; 84 degrees; 17.96 feet below pool. Surface temperature 84 and falling and the level rising after the recent rain. Until turnover occurs, fishing will rise and fall with local weather. Wind and cloud cover enhance fishing, while bright, calm conditions hinder. With the thermocline still firmly in place and topwater action greatly diminished, downrigging for scattered, suspended fish was the best card to play once again this week. With shad continuing to grow, the #13 Pet Spoon downrigger with a multi-lure setup was my go-to presentation this week. For those without downriggers, using the Pet Spoon behind a Jet Diver, Dipsey Diver, or Hellbender is an option. There has been a noticeable uptick in the number of legal hybrids as part of my catch for the first time in a long time over the past two weeks. Report by Bob Maindelle, Holding the Line Guide Service. Catfish are excellent in 5-15 feet of water. Slowly drifting with suspended baits around points and river channels has worked best for blue catfish. Flatheads have been caught near structure and rock piles with live perch or shad. Channel catfish have been great in shallow water around timber using punch bait. Report by Brian Worley, B&S Catfishing.

Benbrook

SLOW. Water stained; 87 degrees; 12.40 feet below pool. All ramps are closed due to low water levels.

Bob Sandlin

GOOD. Water stained; 81-83 degrees; 1.37 feet below pool. Crappie are good on brush piles in 15-20 feet of water using minnows or jigs. Catfish are good on baited holes in 15-20 feet of water on baited holes using cheese bait. Sand bass are fair on main lake points in 15-20 feet of water using slabs. Report by Marty Thomas, Lake O the Pines Crappie Fishing. Bass are slow while fish transition to shallow water. Catches can be had by throwing chatter weights under boat houses on points. Report by Mike Stroman, R & R Marine. Fly fishing for black bass is slow, try topwater or subsurface patterns early and late in the day in the backs of coves and creeks. Look for small schooling bass. Fish poppers around boat houses and main lake points, deceivers and small jig patterns might work well. Try bead heads and wooly buggers for bream. Report by Guide Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork Guide Service.

Brady

GOOD. Water stained; 83 degrees; 12.59 feet below pool. Check ramp status before heading out. Luckily there is rain in the forecast, but it has to rain in just the right area for the lake to catch it. Bass fishing has picked up slightly due to the somewhat cooler temperatures and it should continue to improve in the next ten days or so. The cooler, longer nights are what really lower the water temperatures and cooler water means more bass activity. Decent bags are still being caught, but they are skinny and harder to find. In the spring it is possible to catch a 20 pound stringer in a couple of hours but now this can take all day. Flip and pitch the few salt cedars left in the water and do not come out here with monofilament unless you want your heart broken. Yellow catfish are slow on trotlines baited with live perch. Channel catfish and blue catfish are fair on trotlines with cut shad or live perch. White bass are fair schooling mid lake early on crankbaits. Crappie are slow around docks under the lights at night or in the marina.

Braunig

GOOD. Water slightly stained, 90 degrees. Redfish are good on the northeast side of the lake to the dam area on dark color soft plastics and gold spoons. Boaters and recreational shoreline fishermen doing good on live bait and frozen Gulf shrimp. Weather patterns and light rains will have a cooling trend that will continue as we start the week. Largemouth bass around the reeds have been hitting some topwaters early in the morning around the reedbeds switching to dark worm or jigs as the sun gets higher and the temperature starts rising.

Bridgeport

GOOD. Water clear; 81 degrees; 14.03 feet below pool. Check ramp status before heading out. Crappie have been quite good around docks and the bridge. Minnows and jigs have been productive. Sand bass and hybrids have been actively schooling early and late. Keep your baits small as they are chasing very small shad. Largemouth bass have been active at sunrise and sunset. Try a large, noisy topwater bait! Catfish have been good on cut bait and prepared baits, drifting the flats. Look out for low water hazards. Main lake points should be given a lot of room when passing by them. Report by Keith Bunch, Lake Bridgeport Guide Service.

Brownwood

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 82-83 degrees; 7.67 feet below pool. Black bass to 7.21 pounds are fair on jigs and shaky heads. Black bass to 6.84 pounds on crankbaits and frogs in 2-15 feet. Crappie are slow in brush piles and around the docks on minnows in 8-12 feet of water. White bass are fair to 1.00 pounds schooling everywhere on jigs and small moving baits and under the lights on crankbaits and small jigs. Catfish are slow to 8 pounds using prepared or cut bait on jug lines, or rod and reels.

Bryan

GOOD. Water stained; 85 degrees. Bass are fair in shallow water structure biting soft plastics, and shallow crankbaits. Report by Aggie Anglers.

Buchanan

GREAT. Water lightly stained; 79-82 degrees; 24.67 feet below pool. The lake is showing signs of possible turnover. Striper fishing has been hit-and-miss due to the unsettled weather pattern. If you hit them at the right time it has been good vertically jigging or trolling in 15-45 feet of water. Live bait is still working, but the bite can be slow until the fish turn on. White bass are showing up more regularly with some early morning surface activity. Best catches vertically jigging �½ ounce spoons. Report by Travis Holland, TH Fishing.

Caddo

GOOD. Water stained; 83 degrees; 0.19 feet below pool. The water levels continue to be low, navigate with caution and do not let the beauty of the lake distract you as some anglers are hitting stumps in the boat runs. Lily pads are everywhere so keep a frog handy to throw over the pads. Still some schooling action with fish being caught on rattletraps, flukes and Texas rigged worms. The heat and low water levels can make days seem long if bites are slow, but the views of this majestic lake that God spoke into existence are still incredible. Report provided by Vince Richards, Caddo Lake Fishing & Fellowship.

Calaveras

GOOD. Water slightly stained, 90 degrees. Redfish are fair for boaters trolling dark soft plastics and gold spoons. Recreational shoreline anglers and boaters alike catching reds on frozen Gulf shrimp and live baits around the boat ramps and Jet Ski Cove. Channel and blue catfish have been good in the coves throughout the lake on cut bait, live baits and worms.

Canyon Lake

GOOD. Water clear to slightly stained; 80 degrees; 17.64 feet below pool. With water temperature dropping, fish are starting to feed first thing in the morning. Catch these bass with a topwater or crankbait around shallow rock, or shallow grass on a swimbait. Report by Evan Coleman, Big Bassin Fishing.

Cedar Creek

GOOD. Water normal stain; 85 degrees; 3.51 feet below pool. Crappie are good using minnows around main lake brush piles in 16-23 feet of water near docks and bridge pylons. Largemouth bass are good in 14-18 feet of water using Carolina rigs or Texas rigs with green pumpkin and California 420 colors. White bass and hybrids are excellent, trolling using hellbenders and pet spoons in 11-14 feet of water on flats and hump will give you plenty of fish. Report by Kyle Miers, Lake Country Outfitters.

Choke Canyon

SLOW. Water stained; 85 degrees; 26.41 feet below pool. Bass are slow with a few catches the first hour of sunlight in 4 feet of water with topwaters in the grass. Then fish brush piles or timber or the edge points in 8-15 feet of water with plastic worms and Carolina rigs. No report for white bass. Catfish are slow with few anglers on the water. Crappie are slow on deep, 20-25 feet of water, brush piles in the main lake using minnows or small grubs. Check ramp status before heading out. Report by Scott Springer, Fish Choke Canyon Lake.

Cisco

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 85 degrees; 10.64 feet below pool. Catfish and crappie are good on worms and minnows in 15 feet of water. Report by Lake Cisco Rentals.

Coleman

SLOW. Slightly stained; 82-86 degrees; 8.00 feet below pool. Bass are fair to five pounds on Hags soft plastics and jigs tipped with a Hags Undertaker Jr. White and hybrids are fair under the lights on fast moving baits. Crappie are excellent mid lake to the river mouth in the trees along the channel on minnows and jigs.

Conroe

SLOW. Water stained; 85 degrees; 2.04 feet below pool. Catfish are good on midlake humps and ledges, as well as, wind blown points on Catfish Bubblegum, liver, worms, and punch bait. Report by Brad Doyle, Bradley’s Guide Service. The bass bite is fair, fishing deeper water patterns while the heat persists. A crankbait worked across a ledge or through a brush pile is a good producer now. Most larger bass will be caught in deeper waters up to 21 feet deep using Carolina Rigs, crankbaits and heavier Texas rigged worms or lizards. Before sunrise, trick worms, lighter Texas rigged worms and jerk baits are working in relation to bulkheads , docks and rocks near deeper water and brush piles. Report by Bryan Brawner, Lake Conroe Charters. Hybrids are scattered in 17-25 feet of water, with some fish in small schools, and seeing many juveniles. Target points and flats Trolling with a pet spoon and a diver, or jigging with MTPockets slabs. Crappie continue to be slow, frequently moving locations to get the hotties. Thumps continue to be lighter using a longer rod with Lone Star Crappie Jigs, Stunna jigs, smaller jigs or pitching. Minnows are hit-or-miss in 14-27 feet of water on or close to structures. Finding a thermocline in 31 feet of water. Always wear your life jacket. Report by Mike Cason, Fishical Therapy Lake Conroe Guide.

Cooper

SLOW. Water lightly stained; 83 degrees: 1.00 feet below pool. Few reports and anglers on the water due to heat. Catfish continue to be good on shad. White bass can be caught with slabs in deeper water. This is the time of year birds start working the lake, so they can lead you to schooling fish.

Corpus Christi Lake

GOOD. 85 degrees; 6.44 feet below pool. Catfish are good in 10-15 feet of water with cut carp. Largemouth bass are slow. Crappie are good in 10-15 feet of water on minnows. Alligator gar are great in the river channel on cut carp. Conditions look great for fishing this week. Report provided by Captain Damian Hubbs, Top Gun Outfitters.

Cypress Springs

GOOD: Water stained; 90 degrees; 1.25 feet below pool. Crappie are good on brush piles in 15-20 feet of water using minnows or jigs. Catfish are good on baited holes in 15-20 feet of water on baited holes using cheese bait. Sand bass are fair on main lake points in 15-20 feet of water using slabs. Report by Marty Thomas, Lake O the Pines Crappie Fishing. Bass are slow while fish transition to shallow water. Catches can be had throwing chatter weights under boat houses on points. Report by Mike Stroman, R & R Marine.

Eagle Mountain

GOOD. Water normal stain; 79 degrees; 7.94 feet below pool. White bass are good on main lake structure using slabs, or in mid depths using cocahoe minnows. Crappie are fair to good on brush piles and main lake structure on jigs. Blue catfish are good on cut bait and punch bait on structure. Report provided by Chad Ferguson of North Texas Catfish Guide Service.

Fairfield

Closed to the public.

Falcon

GOOD. Water stained; 84-88 degrees; 43.61 feet below pool. Trophy catfish are good with cut or live bait 10-30 feet of water. Gar fishing is good with a rod and reel on cut carp or tilapia in the middle or back of creeks. Bow fishing mouth of the creek of midlake. Crappie are slow and scattered on isolated brush and timber in 30 plus feet of water along the river channel. Black bass are fair on crankbaits or soft plastics in 8-20 feet of water. Report by Ram Reyes, Ram Outdoors.

Fayette

SLOW. Water stained; 88 degrees. The water temperature will slowly decline with the cooler evenings improving the bite. Reports that bass are slow.

Fork

GOOD. Water Stained; 83 degrees; 2.29 feet below pool. Bass are good early on topwaters and spinnerbaits in the back of the pockets and windy points on the main lake. Points and humps are good with Texas rigs and Carolina Rigs in 4-8 feet. Shad patterned squarebill crankbaits are good in front of flooded weeds in 2-5 feet of water. Report by Marc Mitchell, Lake Fork Guide Service. Fly fishing for black bass is slow, targeting shallow water near brush and timber, or windy banks. Bream are shallow, try bead heads with spinners. Report by Guide Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork Guide Service. The Lake Fork crappie fishing continues to be excellent. We are beginning to see eggs starting to grow and the fat building up in the females. Brush piles and the bottom of trees in 14-18 feet is the best bite. A few crappie are suspended in deeper trees at 26-32 feet. Minnows continue to be the best bait, but a few can still be caught using soft plastics and hand tied jigs. The jig bite should heat up as water temperatures begin to decrease. The catfish bite is excellent on holes baited in advance with cattle cubes. Trees along creek channels in 18-25 feet have been excellent areas to find the catfish and get them grouping up. Any prepared catfish baits like punch bait or dough bait will work and help you load the boat. Report by Jacky Wiggins, Jacky Wiggins Guide Service.

Ft. Phantom Hill

SLOW. Water stained; 85 degrees; 5.86 feet below pool. Hybrids are good vertically jigging. White bass are schooling windswept areas biting a rooster tail. Bass can be caught on the rocks early in the morning with topwaters. Blue catfish can be caught drifting with live bait or shad.

Graham

FAIR. Water stained; 85 degrees; 5.26 feet below pool. Catfish are good with cut bait and cheese bait. Bass are slow around brush piles in deeper water on jigs and deep diving crankbaits. Sand bass are schooling biting slabs.

Granbury

FAIR. Water lightly stained; 78-81 degrees; 1.27 feet below pool. Granbury water temperatures are in the low 80s and falling slowly. The fall feeding frenzy is starting and many are reporting surface action. Striped bass continues to be fair to good to 10 pounds on the lower ends on live bait and downriggers, or trolling baits. Sandbass action is improving near Decordova subdivision and near Indian Harbor. Big blue catfish are being caught mainly on the upper ends near Hunter Park on cut bait. Largemouth bass are good in numbers with an occasional bigger fish. Largemouth are good near points and creek entrances on spinners and crankbaits early and soft plastics later in the morning. Crappie limits are being caught midlake near submerged timber on small minnows and jigs. Report by Michael Acosta, Unfair Advantage Charters. Water clarity is improving as the water temperatures start to decline. Crappie are good for bank anglers using minnows around bridges and docks. Largemouth are slow with some sizable catches. Stripers are fair on minnows from the bank. Catfish are hitting on large minnows or cut bait. It is best when the bait has an odor. Perch and bluegill are hitting around the shore. Report by Terry Hodges, local angler. Striped bass can be caught on the south end from Decordova to the dam on live shad, swimbaits, umbrella-rigs and deep diving crankbaits along ledges and points. Report provided by Kraig Sexton, Sexton’s Guide Service LLC, Fishing Charter, Marine Electronics & Whitney. Catfish are slow in the evening on cut bait. Report by Jeffery Sojourner, Sojourner Fishing.

Granger

SLOW. Water lightly stained; 88 degrees; 3.16 feet below pool. Black bass are good to six pounds on spinnerbaits and crankbaits fished around timber or hydrilla. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows fished over structure in 4-6 feet of water. White bass are fair on crankbaits and spoons fished along shallow road beds. Blue catfish are good on cut bait and shad fished on jug lines. Yellow catfish are fair in live perch fished up river on trotlines. Report by Tommy Tidwell, Tommy Tidwell’s Granger Lake Guide Service.

Grapevine

GOOD. Water clear; 83 degrees; 4.51 feet below pool. White bass catches on the mainlake on isolated hills with mostly undersized catches with a few keepers using white or chartreuse slabs with a stinger hook or an assist hook. The bite is very light, so pay attention. Look for birds working the surface to lead the way to fish. Bass are transitioning to shallow water. Check ramp status before heading out. Report by Omar Cotter, Luck O’the Irish Fishing Guide Service.

Greenbelt

GOOD. Water normal stain; 80 degrees; 45.60 feet below pool. Few anglers on the lake but fishing conditions will only improve as the cooler weather settles in. Catfish and bass are biting on minnows. Check ramp status before heading out. Report by Greenbelt Lakeside Marina.

Hawkins

SLOW. Water slightly stained. 84 degrees. Fly fishing is slow for black bass, try small poppers and streamers fished above grass or near lily pads in the backs of creeks. Bream can be caught with small poppers and bead heads. Report by Guide Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork Guide Service.

Houston County

FAIR. Water clear; 85 degrees; 2.15 feet below pool. Crappie are good in 6-14 feet of water on standing timber and brush using minnows. Largemouth are good in 4-14 feet of water on squarebill crankbaits or shaky heads. Report by Colan Gonzales, DFW Fishing Guide Booking.com.

Hubbard Creek

FAIR. Water Stained; 85-88 degrees; 10.88 feet below pool. White bass should be schooling in coves. When the water is calm, scan the lake to find them. There are some hydrilla near the boat ramps so use a senko or topwater for bass, or fish in deeper water with Carolina rigs or deep diving crankbaits.

Jacksonville

SLOW. Water clear; 85 degrees; 2.10 feet below pool. Bass are moving shallow to the bank biting on squarebill crankbaits and swim jigs. Bass can still be caught on brush piles using soft plastics and jerkbaits.

Joe Pool

FAIR. Water clear; 85 degrees; 1.92 feet below pool. Fishing is steady, with some bass found up shallow on squarebills. Crappie on the bridge pillars. Water is beginning to cool slightly but expect it to decrease more in the weeks to come then we will experience the lake turnover. Report by Gilbert Miller, GTB Outdoors.

Lake O’ the Pines

GOOD. Water stained; 83 degrees; 0.35 feet below pool. Crappie are slow on standing timber in 25 feet of water using minnows or jigs. Catfish are fair on baited holes in 15-20 feet of water on baited holes using cheese bait. Report by Marty Thomas, Lake O the Pines Crappie Fishing. Bass are slow biting above the 155 Bridge in the lily pads and grass, and on the south end brush piles off points 15 feet of water using chatterbaits, buzz baits, frogs, worms and jigs. Report by Mike Stroman, R & R Marine.

Lavon

GOOD. Water lightly stained; 84-86 degrees; 5.01 feet below pool. Crappie are stacked up on submerged trees in 8-12 feet of water, with a few deeper, but brush piles in 7-11 feet of water are gold. 1/16 ounce jigs are outproducing minnows. Bushy top submerged trees are fishing great, single branch trees will hold 1-7 fish. Condo and bushy trees hold up to 100 or more fish. White Bass are in 7-15 feet of water on flats and ledges, and main lake points and the very end of boat ramps. Some sporadic topwater action can be found. At the boat ramps 7 feet or deeper, look for white bass hunting the shad that are using the ramp as structure. Some days your thumper will end up spooking the fish. Try taking a broken rod and slapping the water over and over like the fish popping and feeding on the surface. Sometimes that triggers them to come in and feed. Use a 1 ounce white or chartreuse slab. If fish surface or you see a bird along the bank on points or flats out 10 feet throw 3-4 inch paddle tails, or swimbaits. If you do not get a bite after 10 casts, move to the next bird. Black bass are good in 10-15 feet of water using diving crankbaits Series 5 KVD sexy Shad 12 foot diver, zoom motor, oil worm, BeaverTails in watermelon-red, and watermelon Green. Bass are near ramps, rock piles, brush piles, on standing timber, underwater points, tire reefs and submerged boat ramps. Catfish are in 10-20 feet on ledges and slopes or flats in 15-18 feet of water using cut shad or cut bluegill. Report by Carey Thorn, White Bass Fishing Texas.

LBJ

GOOD. Water stained; 83 degrees; 0.19 feet below pool. Fishing patterns will hold steady until the winter months. Catfish are good in 30 feet of water with punch bait. Crappie continue to be good with minnows and chartreuse jigs in 16-22 feet of water over brush piles. Report by Jess Rotherham, Texas Crappie Fishing Service.

Lewisville

FAIR. Water lightly stained; 81-83 degrees; 4.44 feet below pool. Water temperatures are now in the lower 80s. White bass are fair on the bottom near humps, points, and drop off ledges in 10-26 feet of water and shallow in 2-8 feet of water. Fish off the bottom with slabs, jigs, and live bait. Keeper sized hybrid stripers are fair in similar depths as the white bass, and there can be topwater action on large flats and points. If you are keeping fish, please be aware that there are a lot of undersized hybrid stripers in the lake that look very similar to a white bass. Catfish are fair drifting in 12-26 feet with cut shad or chicken breasts. Check near wind blown points, humps, and flats near creek channels if drifting. Crappie are fair in 8-32 feet of water on standing timber, rock piles, stumps, laydowns, and bridge columns using minnows and jigs. Report by Wes Campbell, BendaRod Fishing.

Limestone

GOOD. Water clear; 83-85 degrees; 3.40 feet below pool. Largemouth bass are good in 2-12 feet of water using Carolina rigs, Texas rigs, spinnerbait, chatterbaits. White bass are good in 8-14 feet of water using silver slabs, or at night near docks with lights using white beetle spins. Crappie are on offshore brush of standing timber suspended in 6-13 feet with minnows. Still 100 fish days on crappie trips. Catfish are good on points, humps and creek channels in 10-20 feet. Report by Colan Gonzales, DFW Fishing Guide Booking.com.

Livingston

GOOD. Stained; 85 degrees; 3.56 feet below pool. Navigate with caution as water level is low with many exposed obstacles or just below the surface. Check ramp status before heading out. White bass are fair to good in 10-15 feet of water jigging off the bottom of main lake humps with �¾- 1 ounce slabs. Striped bass are slow. Catfish are fair to good off the edges of the river. Crappie are slow. Largemouth bass are slow. Report by Jeff Friederick, Fishin’ Addiction Guide Service.

Martin Creek

FAIR. Water slightly stained; 86 degrees; 3.29 feet below pool. The lake level is low revealing exposed obstacles, with many just below the surface so navigate with caution. Bass fishing is improving with the cooler weather. Swimbaits and rattletraps over the hydrilla work well. Plum and watermelon red worms do well along the outer edge of the grass. Crappie are good with many limits caught suspended over brush using Bobby Garland jigs and minnows. Catfish remain good fishing on bottom in 15-20 feet of water using punch bait, nightcrawlers and minnows.

Medina

SLOW. Water lightly stained; 86 degrees; 86.43 feet below pool. Few reports and anglers on the water due to the limited access and low water level.

Meredith

GOOD. Water stained; 77 degrees; 44.21 feet below pool. Bass are fair on minnows and artificials. Catfish are good on crawlers, minnows, chicken liver and frozen shad. Crappie are fair on artificial baits and minnows. White bass are excellent on minnows, slabs, or any vertical presentations. Trout are slow on powerbaits, minnows, worms, small spinners and flies. Walleye are good with lots of small fish being caught using minnows, grubs, crankbaits and other artificial baits. Reports that the night bite is good. Please be safe out there, watch weather reports. Life vests save lives. Report by Kenneth Wysong, SharKens Honey Hole.

Millers Creek

FAIR. Water stained; 80 degrees; 8.62 feet below pool. Fishing patterns will remain similar until the water temperature starts to decline. Bass are slow on topwaters early in the morning, then on soft plastics off drop-offs. White bass are fair trolling with slabs. Blue and channel catfish are fair on cut bait. Crappie are on submerged structures with minnows and jigs.

Nacogdoches

FAIR. Water clear; 84-88 degrees; 2.92 feet below pool. Largemouth bass are good, and the bite should only improve as we enter into fall fishing patterns. Late September and October is a great time to be on the water. Crappie are good with brush piles holding good numbers of crappie and bream. Report by Blake Oestreich, Brushbuster Guide Service.

Naconiche

FAIR. Water lightly stained; 83 degrees; 2.00 feet below pool. The bass bite has tightened up a bit which is somewhat typical for September. As the water temperatures begin to cool fish will start to transition into the fall pattern. Topwaters are getting bit very early in 3-8 feet of water. Fish continue to be in the 8-12 foot zone, so use bottom contact baits or square bill crankbaits. Crappie population is good. Catfish are slow. Report by Eric Wolfe, NacoTack Fishing Services.

Nasworthy

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 85 degrees. 0.51 feet below pool. Fishing patterns are holding steady. Bass are fair on white chatterbaits or flipping soft plastics in the reeds in 1-3 feet of water. Crappie are good around boat docks on chartreuse jigs. Catfish are good on cut bait and stink bait around the dam. Report provided by the Angelo State Fishing Team.

Navarro Mills

SLOW. Water clear; 87-92 degrees; 1.91 feet below pool. White bass are good on chartreuse slabs in the main lake. Crappie are fair on dead minnows in deep water adjacent to sharp depth changes. Catfish are good on cut bait and Danny Kings stink bait near timber. Largemouth bass are fair on crankbaits along the dam and main lake points. Report by Clay Major, Major Guide Service.

O.C. Fisher

SLOW. Water stained; 87 degrees; 50.26 feet below pool. Few reports and anglers fishing due to low lake levels.

O.H. Ivie

GOOD. Water stained; 85 degrees; 28.29 feet below pool. White bass are fair on live or plastic baits. Crappie are fair on live bait or jigs. Largemouth bass are fair. Catfish are fair. Navigate with caution as the lake level drops, watching for exposed trees along the channel. Report by Concho Park and Marina.

Oak Creek

SLOW. Water lightly stained; 87 degrees; 14.78 feet below pool. Bass are slow with most catches on crankbaits and soft plastics. White bass are good, 14-15 inch catches, schooling early in the morning rattletraps and smaller hard baits, then deeper midday. Channel and blue catfish are good, 2-4 pound fish, from punch baits, chicken liver to cut shad. Report by Randall Pate, Sportsman’s Lodge.

Palestine

GOOD. Water clear; 83-88 degrees; 2.18 feet below pool. Fishing patterns are holding steady. Crappie are good using minnows and jigs on brush piles in 10-20 feet of water, standing timber and bridge pillars in 18-25 feet of water. Crappie will be suspended between 10-18 feet down. Thermocline is at 20-22 feet, so very few fish will be deeper than that. Sand bass and hybrids are good during the early daylight hours on Hwy 155 bridge and main lake humps. Largemouth bass are good offshore in 8-18 feet of water. Catfish are good in 15-20 feet of water with cut bait. Baiting areas helps. Channel catfish are best with stink bait. Report by Sam Parker, Freshwater Fishing Adventures.

Palo Pinto

FAIR. Water lightly stained; 82 degrees; 10.39 feet below pool. Few reports and angler activity while the lake level is low and ramps are closed. Check ramp status before heading out.

Possum Kingdom

FAIR. Water clear; 81-84 degrees; 2.80 feet below pool. Striper are good on live bait in 20-30 feet of water. The fish are moving fast and not staying still very long so be prepared to stay on the move. Sand bass are fair using small live bait and small slabs in 15-30 feet of water. Catfish are good fishing small cut or live shad on the bottom in 3-20 feet of water. Water clarity is staying steady at 5-15 feet of visibility. Report by TJ Ranft, Ranft Guide Service. Striped bass action is excellent on live bait and downrigger jigs on the lower ends. Some good topwater reported near Hogs Bend. Report by Michael Acosta, Unfair Advantage Charters.

Proctor

FAIR. Water stained; 80 degrees; 13.12 feet below pool. Catfish are good in the shallows on cut bait. Crappie are good in 8 feet of water on structure using a minnow. White bass are biting blade baits and hybrids a pencil popper with fish schooling on the surface in the mornings. Boat ramps are closed, but it is possible to launch a kayak. Report by Richard Wade, Richard Wade’s Guide Service.

Raven

GOOD. Water clear; 87 degrees; 2.00 feet low. Fishing patterns will remain similar until the water temperature starts to decline. Anglers are trying topwaters on bass by the grass. Minnows and artificial worms on crappie near the piers. Hot dogs will land catches of bluegill under the piers. Morning and evening might bring better chances. Lake level is down almost 2 feet. Hydrilla is slowly receding, but in need of rain to flush it out.

Ray Hubbard

GOOD. Water lightly stained; 79-81 degrees; 4.00 feet below pool. White bass are fair scattered along the edges of flats in 13-16 feet of water. Later in the morning fish can be caught on humps in 16-27 feet of water. Crappie are on bridge pylons, and brush piles in deep water keeping jigs or minnows in 17-24 feet. Catfish are roaming on points in 13-21 feet of water. Report by John Varner, John Varner’s Guide Service.

Ray Roberts

GOOD. Water is clear; 79 degrees; 1.93 feet below pool. Bass are good with topwater bite for an hour at sunrise, then dropshots rigged with a flat worm in 10-20 feet of water. Sand bass are fair in 30 feet of water with slabs. The schooling action has concluded for the year and should resume in the spring. Crappie are fair in standing timber 15-30 feet of water using minnows, brush piles are holding smaller fish. Report by Jim Walling, Ucatchem Guide Service.

Richland Chambers

FAIR. Water clear; 83-88 degrees; 2.40 feet below pool. Some much needed rain dropped nearly two inches of rain. The air temperatures were in the 70s and 80s and this lowered the water temperature to the mid to low 80s. Water clarity is good. The most consistent bite continues to be hybrid stripers and eater size blue and channel catfish. Hybrid striper guides are using live gizzard shad to catch fish off humps near the 309 flats. Water depths vary but most fish are coming from 25 feet of water. Eater size blue and channel catfish are very good and can be caught on shad or Danny King’s Punch Bait in the timber off the Richland Creek Channel in 25-30 feet of water. The early morning bite has been good and the fish are often suspended at various depths. No reports from the white bass, crappie or largemouth bass anglers. Report by Royce Simmons, Gone Fishin’ Guide Service.

Sam Rayburn

GOOD. Water slightly stained; 81 degrees; 4.69 feet below pool. The lake should turn over as the water temperature reaches the mid 70s. Bass are good in the lily pads with frogs, along the edges of the pads with senkos and wacky worms, in the drains and points with Texas rigs and crankbaits. Crappie and a few bluegill are stacking up on brush in 16-22 feet of water biting on minnows or jigs. Catfish are good around brush piles and creek channels points in 12-24 feet of water. White bass are good schooling on the flats and points on jigs and crankbaits. The lake level is low so navigate with caution watching for obstacles. Report by Captain Lynn Atkinson, Reel Um N Guide Service.

Somerville

FAIR. Water clear; 85 degrees; 5.01 feet below pool. The heat dome finally broke after the recent rains and the dam gates have closed. Water temperatures are now in the mid 80s. Catfish, bluegill, and crappie are fair on minnows and worms at Somerville Marina early morning. Black bass are fair hitting slow moving plastics and spinnerbaits on drop offs and brush in 8-14 feet of water. Crappie are fair on main lake brush piles and pilings using minnows and various jigs. Catfish are fair early in the morning in 8-14 feet of water. Larger catfish are slow in deep water drifting or using jug lines baited with shad or cut bait. White bass are slow trolling Pet spoons on points or using shad and ghost minnows on humps in 6-10 feet of water. Hybrids are slow using cut bait and 2 ounce jigs. Report by Weldon Kirk, Fish Tales Guide Service.

Spence

FAIR. Water stained; 86 degrees. 46.72 feet below pool. Bass are slow on topwaters and reaction baits in shallow water. A few bites are possible in deep water using plastics. Wear your life jacket and stay safe. Report by Bill Brasher, Bronte Fishing Guide Service.

Squaw Creek

GREAT. Water stained. 83 degrees; 0.29 feet below pool. Closed for the season. Scheduled to reopen October 1, 2023.

Stamford

SLOW. Water normal stain; 85 degrees; 2.64 feet below pool. Fishing should start to improve with the cooler temperatures. Crappie are fair at the crappie house. Blue catfish are biting stink bait. White bass bite has improved with the cooler temperatures and fish are schooling hitting minnows. Report by Anchor Marina.

Stillhouse

GOOD. Water lightly stained; 84 degrees; 18.51 feet below pool. Until turnover occurs, fishing will rise and fall with local weather. Wind and cloud cover enhance fishing, while bright, calm conditions hinder. With the thermocline still firmly in place, downrigging for scattered, suspended fish was the best card to play this week. With shad continuing to grow, the #13 Pet Spoon downrigger with a multi-lure setup was my go-to presentation this week. For those without downriggers, using the Pet Spoon behind a Jet Diver, Dipsey Diver, or Hellbender is an option. Quality largemouth bass fishing continues with dark, naturally colored soft plastics fished on the outside edge of the hydrilla now standing in 20 feet of water both early morning and just before and after sunset. Report by Bob Maindelle, Holding the Line Guide Service.

Tawakoni

GOOD. Water lightly stained; 90 degrees; 1.63 feet below pool. Tawakoni continues to fish good as we begin to come out of our summer pattern. A series of cool fronts has cooled water temperatures to the lower 80s and we are seeing active fish feeding in many areas of the lake. The hybrid striper and white bass are herded up in big schools on many different lake points in 8-15 feet. Best lures have been slabs and small swimbaits. The eating size catfish have been very good over baited holes in 20 feet. Prepared baits, such as punch baits and dough baits are working best. We are starting to see Trophy Catfish caught up to 30 pounds using fresh cut gizzard shad in water 15-25 feet. The crappie bite is not bad in 10-20 feet using minnows near bridge pilings and brush piles. The largemouth bass bite has improved in the last 10 days. Early morning frogs and flukes are the ticket then follow it up with a square bill on the rip rap. Captain Michael Littlejohn, Lake Tawakoni Guide Service Report by Captain Michael Littlejohn, Lake Tawakoni Guide Service.

Texana

GOOD. Water stained; 85 degrees; 4.90 feet below pool. Few reports and anglers on the water due to low lake levels.

Texoma

GOOD. Water stained; 86-88 degrees; 3.10 feet below pool. Fish are more active with the cooler weather. Striped bass are good with a majority of catches on shallow flats using topwaters early in the morning, but some catches on slabs in deep water. Report by John Blasingame, Adventure Texoma Outdoors. Striped bass fishing is good using topwaters early in the morning along shallow flats on the west end of the lake. Swimbaits can catch fish in 10-15 feet of water on humps near creeks. Live bait fishing is still producing numbers in 35-40 feet of water in creek channels. Crappie fishing is slow on brush in the little mineral arm using electronics to find active fish using jigs with a slow presentation. Bass fishing is slow on topwaters early in the morning off the boulders, or with live shad along the island bluffs in 5-10 feet of water. Seeing a lot of short smallmouth and skinny largemouth. Catfishing is good on shad or prepared baits in 35-45 feet of water. Seeing a lot of keeper fish with the occasional bigger fish. Large blues will be staging along flats near creeks and the river mouths. Report by Jacob Orr, Lake Texoma Guaranteed Guide Service.

Toledo Bend

FAIR. Water clear; 90 degrees; 3.81 feet below pool. Weather is finally cooling and there is rain in the forecast so this will improve the bite. Bass fishing has picked up some with a few more bass schooling on top. Best baits for this are chrome topwater and chrome lipless baits. A few fish are showing up in the creeks on light Texas rigs, squarebill crankbaits, and 1.5 or 2.5 size crankbaits. Report by Stephen Johnston, Johnston Fishing.

Travis

FAIR. Water slight stain; 83-85 degrees; 51.29 feet below pool. Lake Travis is fishing great for bass. The topwater bite has been good using walking style baits along the shores as the bass are chasing bait up tight. You can move out to deep water ledges, points and humps to catch some good ones as well. Report by Bryan Cotter, Texas Hawgs.

Twin Buttes

GOOD. Water stained. 83 degrees; 30.02 feet below pool. All species will start transitioning to fall patterns as the water temperature declines. Channel catfish are fair in 12-15 feet of water on prepared baits. White bass are in open water drop-offs in 15 feet of water using slabs or live bait. Crappie are on the edge of creeks and rivers on brush and trees biting jigs. Yellow catfish will start to become active. Report by Captain Michael Peterson, 4 Reel Fun Guide Service.

Tyler

FAIR. Water stained; 83 degrees; 2.38 feet below pool. Catfish are good all over the lake on nightcrawlers and stinkbait. Bass are good on crankbaits in 8 feet of water. Crappie are fair in 10-30 feet of water on minnows. Bluegill are fair on red worms all over the lake. Report by Paul Taylor, The Boulders at Lake Tyler.

Waco

GREAT. Water stained; 85 degrees; 11.12 feet below pool. The crappie bite has gone from good to great due to the cooler weather. Water temperatures have dropped about 4-5 degrees sending the fish into a frenzy! Lake Waco and Aquilla Lake are fishing with similar results working brush piles on main lake points and drops in 8-18 feet of water. Starting to move away from minnows to straight jigs with the Snacky Lures fs200 in snacky flash on a Crappie Magnet eye hole jig head in 1/16th ounce and a small Crappie Magnet “pop eye” jig. Lake levels are still dropping but still navigable. Report by Robert Stover, Workingman Crappie Guide.

Walter E. Long

GOOD. Water stained; 1.00 above pool; 87 degrees. Bass are good in shallow water early in the morning, with some schooling action until a few hours after sunrise. Bass can be caught on worms, crankbaits and frogs. Bream and panfish are good. Report by David Townsend, Austin Fishing Guide. Bass are good with Texas rigged 4 and 5 inch worms in the grass. Always have some small swimbaits or jerkbaits ready to catch some big fish when the bass begin schooling later in the day. Report by Bryan Cotter, Texas Hawgs. Crappie are good in 12-18 feet of water using chartreuse and black jigs. Report by Jess Rotherham, Texas Crappie Fishing Service.

Weatherford

SLOW. Water stained; 80 degrees; 8.81 feet below pool. Crappie are fair in 15 feet of water on rocks and brush piles with minnows or jigs. Catfish are fair with a few catches on the rocks near the dam on cut bait or shrimp. Bass are slow still in deeper water on crankbaits and Texas rigged worms.

White River

FAIR. Water stained; 87 degrees; 20.52 feet below pool. Catfish are good on worms and cut shad. Crappie are good on minnows.

Whitney

GREAT. Water lightly stained; 85 degrees; 7.82 feet below pool. Striped bass topwater action is good near the Mccown flats. Report by Michael Acosta, Unfair Advantage Charters. Striped bass are excellent from Bear Creek to the dam in 25-45 feet of water on live bait, flutter spoons, umbrella-rigs or swim baits. Report provided by Kraig Sexton, Sexton’s Guide Service LLC, Fishing Charter, Marine Electronics & Whitney.

Worth

FAIR. Water normally stained; 79 degrees; 2.68 feet below pool. White bass are good on main lake structure using slabs, or in mid depths on cocahoe minnows. Crappie are fair to good on brush piles and main lake structure on jigs. Blue catfish are good on cut bait and punch bait on structure. Report provided by Chad Ferguson of North Texas Catfish Guide Service.

Wright Patman

GOOD. Water stained; 82 degrees; 0.01 feet above pool. Fishing patterns remain similar. Crappie are good in the spillway on minnows or jigs. Catfish are good on cut bait off the rocks and in the spillway.

Houston

FAIR. Water slightly stained; 85 degrees; 0.16 feet above pool. Fishing patterns are similar. Blue catfish are good on shad in the mouths of rivers. Crappie are fair on submerged structures in 10-20 feet of water with jigs tipped with minnows. Bass are fair with an early morning topwater bite, transitioning to deeper structure with crankbaits and Texas or Carolina rigged worms.

« Fishing Report Search

Zebra Mussel AlertTo prevent the spread of zebra mussels, the law requires draining of water from boats and onboard receptacles when leaving or approaching public fresh waters. Get details.

Fishing reports are produced with support from Toyota and the federal Sport Fish Restoration program.

Texas Weekly Saltwater Fishing Report

Also See:

Jeff Nail’s Lake Lanier Bass Fishing Report

Lake Hartwell Fishing Report from Captain Mack

Lake Lanier Fishing Report from Captain Mack

Lake Guntersville Weekly Fishing Report from Captain Mike Gerry

Lake Country Fishing – fishing reports on Lakes Sinclair and Oconee, and more. (subscription required)

Texas Parks and Wildlife Weekly Freshwater Fishing Reports

Texas Parks and Wildlife Weekly Saltwater Reports

Saltwater Weekly Fishing Report Week of September 20, 2023

Sabine Lake

GOOD. 90 degrees. Sharks and limits of speckled trout near the rigs. Ling are showing up. Jetties to the channel are good for redfish, trout and flounder along the rocks with shrimp on a popping cork. South Levy and the first and second pike at the North Levy are good for trout with topwaters in the morning, then crankbaits. Beautiful catches of trout at Pleasure Island using 5 inch glo chartreuse plastics with a 1/16th ounce jighead. Neches River to the I-10 Bridge holding slot redfish and some undersized speckled trout on points, drops, and shell or oyster in 4-20 feet of water using a popping cork with shrimp or live mullet. Report by Captain Randy Foreman, Captain Randy’s Guide Service Sabine Lake.

Bolivar

GOOD. 87 degrees. The surf is holding lots of black drum, shark, and some big redfish on cut bait or live bait on the bottom. The gulf side of the North Jetty is holding limits of trout, redfish, sheepshead, jack crevalle against the rocks with live bait and artificials. Jack crevalle are running in the surf biting big spoons or big deer hair jigs. The cuts leading in the bay from ICW holding fish against the shorelines. Lots of black drum around Goat Island. Report provided by Captain Raymond Wheatley, Tail Spotter Guide Service LLC.

Trinity Bay

GOOD. 84 degrees. Gas wells are holding a good number of speckled trout, but you have to cull through them in order to land a few keepers. Increasing number of birds working open schools of speckled trout. Rocks along the upper Houston ship channel holding black drum and redfish. Best bite on live shrimp under corks. Report by Captain David Dillman, Galveston Bay Charter Fishing.

East Galveston Bay

FAIR. 86 degrees. Birds are beginning to work over schools of speckled trout. Anglers are finding better numbers of speckled trout, redfish, and flounder fishing near marsh drains. Still some fish over shell reefs in open water. Report by Captain David Dillman, Galveston Bay Charter. Surface water temperature 84 degrees, water clarity very good. Fishing continues to improve in East Galveston Bay with shorter days, cooler weather, and some good tide movement. Off the shore reefs have worked well again resulting in good catches of trout and redfish, with a few black drum, when you are able to find active bait in the area. We have found a few birds working as well and the trout have been actively eating shrimp underneath them. The redfish bite continued to improve this week when we were targeting them, resulting in solid slots, as well as some large bulls stretching our line on most outings. Shrimp imitation lures under popping corks with 12-18 inch leaders have still been producing the most bites for our anglers, and the Deadly Dudley, Slammin Sammy Chartreuse Tail Bay Chovey has worked well with �¼ oz jig heads fished with & without a popping cork at various depths. Until next time. Report by Captain Jeff Brandon, Get the Net Guide Services, LLC. The cuts that come through the Intracoastal waterway, Siever’s and Stingarees, are holding fish against the shorelines coming into the bay, using live shrimp with a popping cork on a 12-16 inch leader. Hanna’s Reef, Potluck Reef, Fat Pat’s all holding fish early. Keep a watch on the birds and the restless bait. The big Poppa Pure Pearl DSL working earlyReport provided by Captain Raymond Wheatley, Tail Spotter Guide Service LLC.

Galveston Bay

FAIR. 85 degrees. Lots of undersized speckled trout in the gas wells. Rock piles along the ship channel holding good numbers of black drum and a few keeper reds. Shorelines holding a few trout, and the occasional redfish and some flounder. Best action on live shrimp, followed by soft plastics. Report by Captain David Dillman, Galveston Bay Charter Fishing. Redfish Island holding some nice trout drifting the inside with croaker or strawberry with white artificials. The A-1 gas wells off the ship channel near Brothel Island are holding some nice trout with a chatterweight and croaker. Redfish at rocks by Brothel Island on popping cork with shrimp or gulp shrimp. The speckled trout are on croaker and artificial. The end of the South Jetty is holding big redfish with a few nice slots, and nice sharks. The gulf side of the jetty is on fire for catches of speckled trout, sheepshead, pompano and redfish close to rocks using live shrimp under a popping cork or freelined, Carolina rigged float with shrimp, or chatterweight and croaker. The surf is also on fire again for speckled trout, and redfish. Report provided by Captain Raymond Wheatley, Tail Spotter Guide Service LLC.

West Galveston Bay

GOOD. 87 degrees. Redfish catches are improving in the open bay. best bite on live shrimp and soft plastics. Still some good trout being caught by those wading with live croaker. Anglers are beginning to see more flounder. Report by Captain David Dillman, Galveston Bay Charter Fishing. The south shore is holding a lot of speckled trout and redfish for wade anglers, or drift fishing around the coves and grass lines from Waterman’s to Bay Harbor using a chatterweight with a 12 inch fluorocarbon leader 3/0 k hook. Both sides of Bird Island are holding fish, and the flats continue to hold good numbers of speckled trout and redfish for wade anglers. North shorelines between Carancahua Reef and Confederate Reef holding good trout and redfish with an occasional flounder drifting. Drift the four poles between Carancahua and Confederate Reef’s start at the poles, and drift toward the island or from the island and drift towards the poles with chatterweight and croaker or popping cork with shrimp. Report provided by Captain Raymond Wheatley, Tail Spotter Guide Service LLC.

Texas City

FAIR. 85 degrees. Bull redfish action is heating up at night off the Texas City Dike. Galveston jetty anglers are finding their fair share of big redfish along with a few big black drum. Galveston fishing piers seeing a few speckled trout, good numbers of Spanish Mackerel, and bull redfish. Still some sharks to be caught nearshore. Report by Captain David Dillman, Galveston Bay Charter Fishing. The rock shoals in front of Swan Lake are producing some catches of black drum and speckled trout with shrimp under a popping cork. Trout are in the guts between the shoals drifting croaker across Campbell’s Reef. The shoreline on the right side as you get on the dike is holding nice trout for wade anglers using artificial or live bait. Mosquito Inland holding trout with an occasional redfish on artificials, bone color working the best. Report provided by Captain Raymond Wheatley, Tail Spotter Guide Service LLC.

Freeport

GOOD. 86 degrees. Fishing patterns continue to hold steady. The bays in Bastrop, Christmas and the west end of Galveston Bay are good for trout, redfish and some flounder drifting in the morning using live shrimp with popping corks. The surf is good for trout, redfish, bull redfish, and sharks. The Brazos and San Bernard are producing catches of trout, redfish and flounder early in the mornings and late in the evening. Report by Captain Jake Brown, Flattie Daddy Fishing Adventures.

East Matagorda Bay

SLOW. 89 degrees. Fishing is fair but should improve when the equinox tide raises water level. Few catches of trout on artificials. Redfish are best on cut mullet in shallow water. Report by Captain Charlie Paradoski, Captain Charlie Paradoski’s Guide Service.

West Matagorda Bay

SLOW. 89 degrees. Fishing is fair but should improve when the equinox tide raises water level. Few catches of trout on artificials. Redfish are best on cut mullet in shallow water. The Colorado River is clear but the bite is slow. The fish typically move into The Colorado River in October. Report by Captain Charlie Paradoski, Captain Charlie Paradoski’s Guide Service.

Port O’Connor

GOOD. 87 degrees. Black drum are the end of the north jetty on dead shrimp. Slot redfish are the ends of the jetties on Spanish sardines. Spade fish are numerous biting all baits on the outside of both jetties. Very few catches of trout on live croaker outside the jetty. Report by Captain Marty Medford, Captain Marty’s Fish of a Lifetime Guide Service.

Rockport

GREAT. 88 degrees. Speckled trout are good in 2-4 feet of water over grass and sand on live bait, topwaters, and soft plastics. Redfish are great as shallow as one foot around the islands and marsh inlets on gulp and cut bait. Sheepshead are good near structure on live shrimp. Black drum are good in 3-6 feet of water on dead shrimp and Fishbites. Report provided by Captain Damian Hubbs, Top Gun Outfitters.

Port Aransas

GOOD. 89 degrees. Redfish are biting at the jetties on finger mullet, shrimp, and cut ladyfinger. Tarpon are at the jetties. Redfish are biting in Aransas Bay on cut mullet. Flounder are starting to become more abundant. Report by Captain Doug Stanford, Pirates of the Bay Fishing Charters.

Corpus Christi

GOOD. 89 degrees. Nice catches of redfish at Shamrock Island on cut mullet or croaker. Trout continue to bite at the wells on freelined croaker or shrimp. Flounder are starting to become more abundant. Report by Captain Doug Stanford, Pirates of the Bay Fishing Charters.

Baffin Bay

GREAT. 86-95 degrees. The slight change in the weather sparked more activity in Baffin Bay. Schools of baitfish are migrating early in the morning along shorelines, drop-offs and parallel guts. Baitfish, birds flying above and activity on the surface will guide you to where the big fish are and what to throw. Read it all carefully as it changes throughout the morning, it will guide you through your journey on tricking a personal best fish or a nice stringer to take home. Match the hatch and mimic the same patterns of the baitfish around you. Smaller profile plastics with lots of hinge action as well as dark colored topwaters have been a hit all summer long. Switching between the two depending on the baitfish activity. If you notice a lot of action on top of the surface such as “big eats” “blow ups” “tail slaps,” you’re gonna want to throw a top water and walk it across the water, pause every once in a while, this makes it appear as a wounded baitfish. If the topwater activity ceases, switch over to a soft plastic and work the bottom to mid depth. Stay confident in your technique and surely you will persuade a fish of a lifestyle!

Port Mansfield

GREAT. 88-91 degrees. Fishing is improving some with good catches of redfish. Mansfield Knockers have been working great until noon, and if there is cloud cover then topwaters are good most of the day. Still fishing in shallow water and potholes and bait have been key. Offshore is also on fire for Kingfish and snapper. Report by Captain Wayne Davis, Hook Down Charters.

South Padre

GOOD. 88 degrees. It has been windy, so check the wind forecast before heading out. The water is clear in the early mornings. Trout holding in the Intracoastal and in pot holes behind Three Islands and the gas well flats. Black drum are in small schools along the east side grass lines. Flounder are becoming more abundant along the edges of the intracoastal and mouth of Arroyo Colorado. Sheepshead are good near structure and best at the old causeway and jetties. Redfish are very good in deeper water at both jetties. Stay safe out there! Report by Captain Lou Austin, Austin Fishing South Padre.

Port Isabel

GOOD. 88 degrees. It has been windy, so check the wind forecast before heading out. The water is clear in the early mornings. Trout holding in the Intracoastal and in pot holes behind Three Islands and the gas well flats. Black drum are in small schools along the east side grass lines. Flounder are becoming more abundant along the edges of the intracoastal and mouth of Arroyo Colorado. Sheepshead are good near structure and best at the old causeway and jetties. Redfish are very good in deeper water at both jetties. Stay safe out there! Report by Captain Lou Austin, Austin Fishing South Padre.

« Fishing Report Search

Zebra Mussel AlertTo prevent the spread of zebra mussels, the law requires draining of water from boats and onboard receptacles when leaving or approaching public fresh waters. Get details.

Fishing reports are produced with support from Toyota and the federal Sport Fish Restoration program.

How and Where To Catch September Bass at Lake Blue Ridge 

September Bass at Lake Blue Ridge 

with Bob Borgwat

     September bass fishing in Georgia is tough.  The bass are still on summer patterns but the water is as hot as it gets and the oxygen levels are at their lowest point.  And it is still uncomfortable fishing most days.  So it makes sense to head to the cool north Georgia mountains and Blue Ridge Lake to find some cooler air, beautiful scenery – and smallmouth bass.

     One of our TVA lakes, Blue Ridge is the highest lake in Georgia and has 3290 acres of clear mountain water.  Its 100 miles of shoreline stretches almost 12 miles up the Toccoa River and several major creeks feed it. The shoreline is steep wooded mountain sides with some development but many miles of natural rock and trees.

     Big winter drawdowns are the norm at Blue Ridge so the shoreline changes a lot in the fall.  Lake levels 40 feet below summer pool are common and every few years the TVA pulls the lake down about 70 feet to work on the power plant at the dam.  The lake is likely to be low most of September.

     Blue Ridge has one quality that sets it apart from all other Georgia lakes. It is where you have your best bet to catch a Georgia smallmouth bass.  Smallmouth are native to some of the north Georgia lakes but the illegal introduction of spotted bass in most of them have just about wiped out the smallmouth.  Unfortunately, Blue Ridge now has spots in it and there is no way to know how long the smallmouth population will hold up.

     Blueback herring have also been introduced illegally into Blue Ridge and right now, as is usually the case soon after they are introduced, spots are growing fast and fat on them.  Smallmouth also seem to be taking advantage of this new food source.  They are open water feeders like spots and the average size of smallmouth seems to be increasing.  Only time will tell what will happen but spots and bluebacks are now a fact of life at Blue Ridge.

     Bob Borgwat has a house on the river above Blue Ridge and runs Reel Angling Adventures, a guide service in the north Georgia area.  He guides for bass on Blue Ridge and has been fishing the lake since 1991.  He fishes the lake year round and says September is not the best month for bass on it, but there are patterns that should pay off now.  And once you learn the kinds of places that hold bass now they will be good year round.

     All three species of bass in Blue Ridge, smallmouth, spots and largemouth, live deep most of the year.  They are on their deep holes now and will stay there all winter, leaving just long enough to spawn in the spring then returning deep.  And the bass tend to be mixed on these holes, with all three kinds present.   

     During the first of the month bass at Blue Ridge will be near the thermocline, holding as deep as oxygen in the water will allow.  They will feed at that depth but come to the shallows some at night and early in the morning to feed. When the lake turns over they will scatter on the deep structure and be harder to pinpoint. 

     Bob likes fishing the turn over and after it happens.  You can tell when the lake turns over by the change in water color.  It may happen as early as late September and the water will get a cloudy green color on the main lake.  After roaming some the bass will stabilize in schools and be easier to locate the rest of the winter.

     You don’t need a lot of rods rigged and ready for bass at Blue Ridge this month, according to Bob. He likes to throw a top water bait early in the mornings then switch to a Carolina or Texas rigged finesse type four inch worm.  He will also throw a bucktail jig and a jig and pig this time of year.

     “All my lure color choices are organized around blueback colors,” Bob said.  Topwater poppers and walking baits in colors like Tennessee Shad that match blueback herring are good.  Bob likes the BPS or Spro bucktails that have some blue or gray hairs on top and white on the bottom. He will often trim them if they are bulky since he likes a sparse jig to imitate the longer, thinner baitfish. 

     The worm Bob uses is a very soft four inch finesse worm made out west.  He likes green pumpkin with the very tip of the tail chartreuse.  He usually rigs them on fairly light three sixteenths to one quarter ounce leads on both Texas and Carolina rigs.

     A one quarter to three eights brown jig and an Uncle Josh #11 pork rind trailer are his picks for a jig and pig. Although he likes the real pig trailers he admits plastic is much easier to use and will go to it if the bass are not too picky.

     Jigs and worms are thrown on eight pound test line and Bob likes spinning gear for fishing these light baits and light line.  Bob fishes both the worm and jig and pig on the bottom and says it is very important to stay in contact with the bottom.  These baits are fished with a crawling, short hopping motion while the hair jig is fished with a swimming motion but still kept in contact with the bottom.

     Bob and I fished the following spots on a foggy morning a few weeks ago. It was surprisingly cool to me after sweating on middle Georgia lakes.  The fog and cool air made us stick with topwater all morning, probably way too long for the water temperature.  It had not started cooling any and the fishing was tough. These spots will get better and better as the water cools and the fish get more active. Bob says he fishes them year round.

     1. N 34 52.699 – W 84 16.575 – Heading toward the dam the open water narrows down and there are three rocky points in a row on your right.  All three drop into very deep water and have rock and some wood on them.  All are good places to find smallmouth, spots and largemouth right now.

     Start on the first point downstream of the Lakewood Landing ramp cove and work toward the dam. Fish topwater plugs as you work down these points first thing in the morning. Stay way out in the clear water and make long casts near the bank, fishing your bait back to the boat.  Bass will hold deep here but come up for a topwater early in the morning.

     After fishing the three points with topwater early, or when hitting them or later in the day, work them with worms and jigs. Watch your depthfinder for baitfish and make sure you fish out at least as deep as the bait is holding. Concentrate on areas where the balls of herring or shad are holding, the bass will be nearby.

     Swim your hair jig just off the bottom, staying in contact with it.  That is hard to do since the bottom drops so fast.  Light line helps and you must fish slowly to stay in the effective zone.  Do the same with a worm or jig and pig, making slow pulls and short hops to keep the bait right on the bottom.

     2. N 34 52.145 – W 84 16.429 – Going up the lake on your right, across the mouth of the cove with the marina in it, you will see an island with a big square marker with the number one on it. This marks miles from the dam and this point is a good place to start first thing in the morning with topwater then follow up with your other baits. 

     Start on the rocky point on the downstream side of the island and work to your right, going into the cove formed by the island and mainland.  They will be connected when the water is low this time of year.  This point runs out to 30 feet deep at full pool then drops fast into 60 feet of water.  There is good chunk rock on this point to hold bass.

     As you work into the cove a shallow point and flat comes out on the tip of the island toward the cove, then drops off.   This is and excellent place to catch schooling bass so always be ready for them.  They push baitfish back into the pocket formed by the island and mainland.

     There is a dock that usually has a sail boat tied to it on the mainland side of the cove and it is worth a few casts before leaving this spot. Work past it a short distance, hitting any wood that is still in the water, too.

     3. N 34 50.884 – W 84 16.174 – Run up the river past marker number four and the mouth of Charlie Creek where the river makes a sharp bend to your left around an island.  The river side of this island is a good bluff bank to fish.  Start at the downstream tip of the island and work upstream, casting topwater to the bank. Keep an eye on your depthfinder for brush piles, there are several out in deeper water.  There are also a couple of blowdowns to hit.  I got a keeper largemouth on a popper here when Bob and I fished.

     Work to the upstream point of the island and fish it.  Then work back, fishing the bottom with your jig and worm.  Hit any brush piles you saw as you worked up. There are a couple that were out in 20 feet of water near the upstream point the day we fished so they are about 25 feet below full pool level.   

     4. N 34 50.926 – W 84 16.100 – When you are on the upstream point of the island you will see a standing dead pine on the bank across the cove behind the island. There are a couple of small rocky and sandy points on that side and you will see one small tree just off the bank. If you idle straight across from the point of the island toward that small tree you will see a ledge that is usually 40 feet deep at full pool.   There are big scattered stumps on this ledge.

     Bob says there are many spots like this on the lake where big stumps are down deep. Those stumps hold bass.  As the water drops they get easier to fish because they are not as deep, probably around 25 feet deep right now.  Work them with a jig or worm, fishing slowly and trying to make contact with the stumps.

     If you idle over this area you will cross stumps and often see fish suspended on top of them or holding around them. We saw several like that the day we fished.  Mark them and back off to fish them.  The stumps are so scattered the only way to hit them if you don’t mark them is to drag your bait along the bottom.

     5. N 34 50.791 – W 84 15.946 – Going upstream there is another island on your left that is really a long point with the water down.  It is on the outside bend of the river and drops off very fast.  You will see limbs over the water if it is at full pool and some dead brush and tree tops on the downstream point of this island. Bob says this is a good spot point.

     Fish around it early with topwater then work it with your other baits.  Fish way out and watch for brush and baitfish.  Sometimes you will find layers of different kinds of bass on places like this, with some largemouth in more shallow water, spots a little deeper and smallmouth out even deeper.  But you may catch any of the three species at any level here, especially if they are under baitfish.

     6. N 34 50.541 – W 84 16.283 – Across the lake going upstream is a point with the marker number five on it on your right.  There is a straight bank upstream of the marker that drops off right into the river, running from that point up to a small pocket.  This bluff bank, from just above the point with the marker up to the pocket, is a good area for smallmouth.

     Start at the point and work up, casting your worms or jigs to the blowdowns along the bank as well as working the bottom with both baits. There is a lot of rock here to hold fish.  Bob hooked a keeper smallmouth on his Carolina rig here the day we fished, the only one we saw.

     7. N 34 50.329 – W 84 16.329 – The river makes a turn to the left going up just before you get to marker number six and there are a series of points along the left bank going up that Bob calls “Ten Points.”  All the points are good places to work topwater early then drag the bottom. I got a small spot here on top the day we fished.

     The first pocket above the point has several blowdowns in it, three big ones and several smaller ones, all mixed up. If they are still in the water bass will hold in them to feed.  You will also see a patch of dead standing trees on the bank on the second point going up. They look like beetle killed pine trees. Start at the point and work upstream, fishing any wood cover and the rocks on the bottom.

     8. N 34 49.089 – W 84 15.980 – On up the river between markers seven and eight is Long Creek on your right. The main lake point on the upstream side of this creek is a perfect example of the kinds of points that hold bass on Blue Ridge.  It drops off fast into deep water and has rocks and brush on it to hold bass. Bob says there also a huge stump on the point that is great when the water is over it.    

     The point has a block rock seawall around it and there is a wooden deck on the upper upriver side of it.  Out on the point are some chairs where the owner sits and enjoys the lake.  Start fishing the bluff wall near the deck and work down to the point, around it and into the cove to the first dock. 

     All along this area the water drops fast and there are rocks and brush, and that stump, to hold bass. Fish all your baits here.  If you catch a bass at a certain depth try making parallel casts to the bank, keeping your bait in that depth water. Others should be holding at that depth.

     9. N 34 48.939 – W 84 16.010 – Idle into Long Creek to the back and you will see a waterfall entering to the left of a house back there. Bob says bass sometimes stack up back here and he always fishes it, no matter what time of year.  There are several docks to fish as well as rocks and wood on the bottom.

     Two of the docks are what Bob calls “hard” docks – docks with posts in the water.   Both are on the left going in. Start fishing at the fourth house from the back on the left, the one with the screen room on posts over the water. Hit all post, many have collars of concrete at the bottom where a bass will hold.  Work the bank, hitting the seawalls, wood in the water and the docks.

     10. N 34 49.137 – W 84 15.814 – Across the lake and upstream you will see a buoy on the upstream point of a cove on your left.  Bob suggested this spot to the rangers as a good place for a brush pile and the buoy marks it.  There is scattered brush at a variety of depths around the marker.

     Fish topwater over it then work around and through the brush with your other baits.  As you fish around the marker watch your depthfinder. There is brush a good ways out from it in all directions so don’t get in too close and get on top of it.

     The water may get muddy this far up the river after a heavy rain, Bob warns. It muddies up quickly when the water is down like it will be this fall and he does not like fishing muddy water. If it is muddy up the river head back down to clearer water on the main lake.

     Bob says the TVA plans to draw down Blue Ridge about 100 feet sometimes between now and 2010 to make repairs at the dam.  That will be an excellent time to find hidden stump beds, rock piles and other features to fish when the lake comes back up. You will need a small boat to put in but it will be worth your time to scout. And the fishing should be great, with the fish restricted basically to the old river channel.

     To get Bob to show you first hand how to catch Blue Ridge smallmouth book a trip with him by visiting his web page at www.ReelAnglingAdventures.com or call him at 866-899-5259.

How and Where To Catch Fall Lunker Largemouth

Fall For Lunker Largemouth

from The Fishing Wire

By Bob Jensen

The fall season is a time for trophy fish.  In fact, fall is a good time for fish in general.  Fish of all sizes go on the bite as the water starts to cool and the days get shorter. They instinctively know that, in many areas, their metabolism is going to slow down and they won’t be chasing food like they have been for the past several months.  They need to put some fat on now to get them through the winter.  Largemouth bass in many regions eat often in the fall.  Here are some ways you can improve your odds of catching a truly big largemouth bass in the next couple of months.

In most bodies of water, the bass are going to be close to deeper water.  They might be in the deep water, or they might be in shallow water that’s close to deep water.  They like to be close to a deep water sanctuary in the fall.  In a river they might be up on grass flats, but the grass flats close to the channel or deeper water will often be the best areas.

In a lake, they might be in the rushes, but the rushes that provide quick access to deep water will be where most of the bass are.

If the bass are in the shallow areas, they will likely be willing to eat your bait.  This time of year, when the fish are shallow, they’re going to be on the bite.  Shallow water fish can be spooky, so make long casts.  It’s tough to beat a Premier Pro-Model spinnerbait.  It has two Colorado spinners that put out flash and vibration.  The vibration put out by the blades will enable bass in stained water to find the bait easier, and, in clear water will attract bass from farther away.

A swim jig like a Tour Grade Swim Jig, tipped with a Rage Grub tail has become the go-to in many areas.  This set-up will often outperform the spinnerbait, especially in clear water.  The swimming jig is much the same as the spinnerbait except it has no blade.  Thunder Crickets will be good also.  When the bass are active, they’ll hit almost whatever you put out there.  It’s when they’re not so active that we need to experiment with different baits to figure out what they want.

When the bass move out of the shallows, pay attention to the areas that drop off from the shallows the quickest.  This is jig or crankbait territory.  Sometimes the bass will be right on the bottom along a weedline, other times they’ll be suspended up a bit.  And there are also times when they’ll move away from the drop-off and relate to suspended baitfish like shad or bluegills.

The best bite is often at mid-day.  I recall days when an overcast sky was good, but I also remember days when the bass were really liking the warmth that a bright sun was providing. The best plan is to go fishing regardless of whether the sky is cloudy or clear.  If you don’t go fishing, you’re not going to catch anything. Put a bait in the water and your chances for fishing success go up significantly.  Fall is a great time to be fishing and catching.  Discover that for yourself sometime soon.

How and Where To Catch March Bass at Bartletts Ferry/ Lake Harding with GPS Coordinates

March Bass at Bartletts Ferry/ Lake Harding

with Nick Roberson

     March is a great month to go fishing just about anywhere in Alabama.  Warming waters turn fish on and they move shallow and feed.  It is hard to pick one place to go but Bartletts Ferry/Lake Harding on the Chattahoochee River just south of Lanette offers a variety of kinds of fishing for both spots and largemouth that is hard to beat right now.

     Lake Harding is a 5,850 acre Georgia Power Lake not far downstream from West Point Lake.  It was filled in 1926 and the waters near the dam are deep and rocky.  Up the river above the Hawalakee Creek junction it is mostly river channel with some big creeks and a good many old oxbow lakes off the channel. Both Alabama and Georgia fishing licenses are good on all the waters.

     Bartlett’s Ferry has been known as a good producer of both spots and largemouth for many years.  Last year there were large numbers of keeper size 12 to 14 inch bass and this year those fish will be in the two pound range. In the 2007 Creel Census Report Bartlett’s Ferry ranked sixth in Bass Weighed-In Per Hour and seventh in Percent of Anglers With Five Or More Bass, and there are more keeper bass now than there were two years ago.

     Nick Roberson lives near Opelika and fishes Harding often.  He started going fishing with his father when he was old enough to walk.  About 14 years ago he got into bass tournament fishing when a group at his work place started having tournaments.  For the past few years he has fished with the West Georgia Bass Club, a team tournament trail that fishes a variety of west Georgia and east Alabama lakes and is Triton Gold certified, and other tournament on area lakes.

      Last year Nick and his partner won the West Georgia Bass Club tournament on Harding with 14 pounds and ended up 5th overall in the point standings for the year out of 170 teams.  Nick has also won both the Diehard and Lazy Days tournaments on Harding and had done well in other tournaments there.  His best Harding bass was an 8 pound, 8 ounce hawg caught in a tournament and his best five fish in a tournament weighted just over 22 pounds.

     “Last year I found fish on the beds in February here,” Nick told me. After a warm winter bass were spawning up the river in oxbow lakes in February and Nick expects to find them there every year from late February to early March.  He says bass in the river spawn a lot earlier than most folks realize.       Nick says bass on the main lake spawn a little later but he normally finds bedding fish there by mid to late March. 

     Nick plans his fishing on Harding around the spawning bass.  He will start in the mornings on the main lake, hitting points and banks near spawning pockets for the prespawners and will always watch for spawners, too.  Then after lunch when the sun has been warming the water all morning he will head up the lake to fish there. In the river he goes into spawning areas and fishes for the bass on the beds and any cruising the spawning areas, too.

     A variety of baits work well on the lake and Nick will have a Jawbreaker jig and pig, a jig head worm, a spinnerbait and a crankbait tied on. He will also throw a topwater bait much earlier than most folks and a jerk bait rounds out his lake arsenal.

     Up the river Nick relies on Senkos and spinnerbaits.  Most of the oxbow lakes are very shallow and full of grass so the Senko works best most of the time. He will pitch and cast his bait to visible beds but will also work the grass, dropping it into holes where a bass might be bedding.  That works best when the water is murky and you can’t see the beds as well. 

     Nick fishes all his baits on baitcasting outfits and his reels are spooled with Suffix line.  He fishes with Tommy Gunn, maker of Jawbreaker jigs, a lot and he likes Tommy’s jigs and jig heads.  For the jig and pig he will use black and blue combinations with a black or green trailer.  His favorite worm for the jig head is a Zoom scuppernong Trick worm.

     Colors for crankbaits and jerk baits depend on water color, with natural colors best in clear water and bright colors used when the water is stained.  Nick uses a pink spinnerbait a lot and says it is his best color.  He likes two gold willowleaf blades on it.

     A Boy Howdy, an old topwater lure with spinners on both ends, is Nick’s favorite. He surprised me by throwing it in early February in water temperatures at 50 degrees, and caught a bass on it the day we fished.  He says bass will hit on top even in the winter if you fish the right bait the right way.

     The following ten holes will produce bass from now through the end of March on Harding.  We fished the lower lake spots the second week of February on a cold, rainy day and fish were already on them and will be on them even better now. We landed about 20 bass that day and our best five would have weighed between 11 and 12 pounds. That shows Harding has a lot of bass in the two pound range for us to catch that many on such a bad day.  The bass had not moved into the spawning areas up the river in early February but they will be there now.

     1. N 32 41.321 – W 85 08.142 – This main lake point and bank is a good place to start. Nick won a weekly tournament here and it holds fish year round. Heading down Halawakee Creek from the bridge the creek bends back to the left. Straight ahead the bank runs out from your right and you will see a point with a seawall around it. Trees on the bank have faces on them and there are post with ropes around them and black metal light poles around it.

     Start on this point and work to your left.  There are three good docks to fish and bass hold on them and on the block seawall.  The first dock has three metal park benches on it.  Fish the seawall then the dock and the pocket behind it.  Be sure to hit the rails coming from the boathouse. Bass often hold on rails like these.

     This pocket runs out to a natural rock point that holds fish, too. Fish it and the next two docks.  Try your jig and pig and jig head worm around the docks, probing for brush, and on the rocks and rails.  Run a crankbait or spinnerbait beside the docks and along the point. And don’t hesitate to work your favorite topwater plug slowly in this area, too.

     2.  N 32 41.486 – W 85 08.347 – Back across the creek and slightly upstream, the last point where the creek opens up has riprap around it and a small dock on the upstream side. There is a yellow cabin on the point and there are palm trees planted near the water.  The point comes up shallow then drops off.  There are some stumps and rocks around this point that hold March bass.

     Start out in front of the small upstream dock and work a jig and pig or jig head worm slowly down the bottom. Cast up near the seawall and make short hops. When you hit a stump pause it there for a few seconds then hop it away from the stump. Sometimes a bass holding by the stump will react as the bait jumps away from it.

     Work all the way around the point then try your crankbait and jerk bait over it, too. Jerk baits work better when the water is clear and this creek is usually clearer than the river or the main lake.

     3. N 32 40.893 – W 85 06.636 – Run down past the mouth of the river and watch for a rocky point on your right.  It is between two long deep coves and a brown top gazebo sits under a big pine on the downstream side. The upstream side of the point has a big pine and a big hardwood leaning a little over the water.   Start at the small wooden seawall on the upstream side at the leaning pine and work around the point and into the downstream pocket a short distance.

     There are a lot of big rocks under the water on this point and bass stack up on it all during the winter. They will start to move into the coves to spawn but some will be out here all during March.  As you fish past the gazebo there will be riprap on the bank and a house with a screen room on it.

     Fish around the rocks down the steep bank. Keep fishing down this bank, working the riprap and docks.  Some of the docks have brush around them and there is a lot of brush around the dock in front of the big house a short way down the bank. Nick says he has caught some big bass from this brush over the years. Fish all your baits here but your jig and pig is the best bet for bigger bass.

     4. N 32 40.299 – W 85 04.650 – Run into the big creek to your left right at the dam. Toward the back there is an island in the middle with a house on it and it is before you get to the condos in the bank of the creek. Just before you get even with the downstream end of the island you will see a small pocket on your right.  Start fishing at it and work toward the condos.

     The first little pocket will hold bedding bass as will the next one and other bass will hold on the steep bank around rocks, docks and brush.  Nick and I both caught bass in this area in February.  Work all your baits here, running a crankbait beside the docks and off the rocks on the bank.  Hop a jig and pig or jig head worm down the bank.  Fish rails coming out of boathouse and brush around the docks. 

     As you work into pockets here fish slowly and watch for signs of bedding bass.  You may see a light spot marking a bed or just see the black tip of a bass’s tail.  If you spot a bass on the bed throw a jig into it and let it sit.  Fish slowly with a jig for bedding bass here you don’t spot, too. Nick says bass will bed in this pocket even in early March.

     Work all the way to the little peninsular with the picnic stuff on it at the condos.  Nick says you should have a limit of keepers just along this bank in late February and March.

     5. N 32 40.568 – W 85 04.668 – Run across the creek on the upstream side of the island and you will see a big cove on the other bank. On the right going into this cove is a seawall then riprap on the outside of a small cove. Start fishing at the end of the seawall and work around that little point into the cove.

     Fish around the cove, watching for bedding bass and fishing slowly for the ones you don’t see.  If you spot bass on the bed work all the way to the back of the pocket.  Fish on around past the dock with a winch and crane to pull in a fish barrel.  There is some brush around that dock to fish.

     6. N 32 44.477 – W 85 06.688 – Head up the river to Blanton Creek and go to the boat ramp on your right. Bass move in here first as they start moving back to spawn up the river and hold here until everything gets right.  Start fishing where the riprap starts just outside the ramp and work around the pocket past the three docks out to the point in the campground.

     There is some brush here and rocks for the bass to hold on as they move up the creek.  Nick likes to work a jig and pig slowly through the rocks and brush for bigger bass. This is the spot where he caught his 8 pound, 8 ounce fish.  He says there will be “quadruple” the number of bass here than down on the main lake. 

     Nick says he will work this bank and other places several times. If he catches a fish on the first pass he will go back over it with the same bait. If he does not catch one on the first pass he will often go back over it with a different bait like a spinnerbait to offer them a different look.

     7. N 32 44.672 – W 85 08.053 – Come out of Blanton Creek and head up the river.  When the river makes a bend to  your right, straight ahead on the outside bend you will see a house on your left then no houses.  A good oxbow starts here and runs up parallel to the river.

     You can enter near the last house but you are better off going upstream a little and finding the opening not much wider then a couple of boats that goes in.  Be careful in this area, there is a hump off the bank that is under water when the lake is high.  You can idle in if you are careful or put your trolling motor down and work your way in.

     When you get back in the lake or old oxbow there will be lots of shallow water and grassbeds.  This spot and others here are better if the lake is full. The day Nick and I looked at it the lake was almost two feet low and it was hard to get in here. 

     Nick likes to pitch a Senko to visible bedding bass or work holes in the grass with it if he is not seeing beds.  Fish both sides of this oxbow all the way to the upper end.  Nick says he gets most of his hits from the middle opening up to the upper end. Water can run in up there, too, but you can’t get your boat in there.

     8. N 32 45.109 – W 85 08.219 – Across the river and upstream you will see two openings within a few feet of each other.  The downstream one has a tree on the downstream side across the mouth of it so be careful going in. Nick says some folks start fishing here, working the outside edges with crankbaits and jigs,  but he usually goes on back into the backwaters.

     As you work in you will do downstream parallel to the river.  This ditch is not real wide but not far from the opening is a small ditch on your left. Go through it and the oxbow opens up much bigger.  Both sides join together and this oxbow opens up downstream so there is a lot of water to fish in here.  Work both sides and watch for grassbeds and stumps to fish. There are a lot of stumps to your left when you go through the small ditch.

     9. N 32 45.108 – W 85 08.255 – Just upstream of the opening in hole 8 is another opening that is very shallow right at the river opening.  It goes in and this oxbow runs up the river channel.  Get across the shallow flat at the entrance and you will find deeper water to fish on back in it.

     In this one and in others fish until the bass tell you where they are holding.  In this one and the others the river side of the oxbow will be more shallow. It usually has willows and grass on it. The bank side will be deeper and often has wood cover to fish. Work both sides until you find where the bass are holding and bedding and they usually are in similar places in all the oxbows.

     10. N 32 46.000 – W 85 08.275 – Up the river and on the left just as the channel goes slightly to the right is another small opening. As soon as you go in you can go into a lake to your right. The channel also runs straight ahead and the point between the two is covered with stumps.  Go into the right one and work around it hitting the grass and stumps in it.

     If you go straight back you will go a good ways in a ditch then it opens up into a lake to fish.  The Senko is Nick’s best bait up here this time of year but try a spinnerbait, too.  The bass will sometimes be active enough to hit it and sometimes will give their location away by swirling at it without taking it. You can then work a Senko around that spot for them. Also watch for movement in the grass or baitfish jumping to show you where bass are holding.

     These spots give you five to fish on the lake and five up the river.  Nick will be fishing them this month and they are all good places. Check them out and you can then find some more similar spots, especially on the lake, to fish.

     The West Georgia Bass Club is a Triton Gold Certified Team Tournament trail that fishes west Georgia and East Alabama lakes. There is an annual $25 membership fee per team and the entry fee is $50 per team in each tournament. They pay back one in seven boats and have a classic at the end of the year.  For the schedule and rules go to http://www.westgeorgiabassclub.com/

How Good Will the Salmon Run Be This Year On the Salmon River

Full Swing On The Salmon River

from  The Fishing Wire

Every year the anticipation for salmon season is high and as we inch closer to the “big run” we always wonder how good of a year its going to be? In early June I took a charter out of Oswego, NY with our good friend Captain Kevin Keller of Fish Chopper Charters. We had nonstop action from the moment we put the first rod in the water until we called off the trip by late morning with sore arms. Typically, when you have great numbers of salmon that early and throughout July and August it tends to lead to an above average return year in the river. Since then the lake reports from charter captains around the eastern basin of Lake Ontario have been incredible, with large numbers of fish and larger than average fish size. Although there are many tributaries to find salmon throughout September and October we consider our home water to be the world famous Salmon River in Pulaski, NY.

Salmon River

Each year the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation stocks both King and Coho salmon, which will return to spawn 3-4 years later. The wild card on how many fish will return to the river can also depend on the natural spawning that occurs each fall. In my opinion this is one of those years where we had a high rate of successful natural reproduction from 3-4 years ago. There are many factors that lead to great natural spawning years and high returns, many of which are hard to pin point. Typically, higher than average water flows during the spawning timeframe leads to less angling pressure. When you combine less angling pressure and higher than average water flows when the smolt swim back to the lake you have a recipe for success. Predation from other fish and birds play a large factor in this equation, but when everything works out in favor of salmon spawning and smolt survival you have big numbers of returning fish!

9S3B9603

Many people associate salmon fishing with crowded, shoulder to shoulder rivers using barbaric tactics to fight these fish. However, over the last couple decades I’ve seen a great transformation in the way anglers respect the space of each other in addition to their angling methods. There are always a few bad apples in the bunch that ruin the experience for some but you can say that about most anything in life. Having fished the Salmon River in Pulaski, NY for over 30 years I can honestly still say I look forward to the return of these fish in the river and everything that goes along with fishing for them. My advice to you if you are inexperienced or have never done this is to take a walk away from the crowds and carve out your own little piece of salmon fishing paradise. Personally, I would rather fight or land a few fish or nothing at all than be crowded amongst hundreds of other anglers. If you are experienced or a veteran of this fishery take a couple minutes out of each trip to educate and help others be successful.

Continue reading at www.cortlandline.com

Shark Fishing: A Beginner’s Guide

If You Want To Go Shark Fishing here Is A Beginner’s Guide To Get You Started

from The Fishing Wire

With Braided Line And Relatively Small High-Performance Reels That Pack A Punch, Learning How To Shark Fish Is Easier Than Ever Before.

Big fish, big teeth and big gear all conspire to make shark fishing an intimidating pursuit. But you don’t have to be Captain Quint, strapped into a fighting chair with a coffee-can-sized reel and a pool-cue rod, in order catch sharks. In fact, with braided line and relatively small high-performance reels that pack a punch, learning how to shark fish is easier than ever before.

Shark Fishing Tackle

Big game tackle has really evolved over the last few years. The size of the equipment that we used to use for striped bass, we now use for school bluefin tuna, and what we used for school bluefin tuna, we can now use for sharks. This is primarily due to today’s thin-diameter braided lines and the changes tackle manufacturers have made to keep up with the braided line. PowerPro 80-pound-test is the same diameter as 18-pound-test monofilament. We can spool 600-yards of 80-pound test braid onto reels that would only be able to hold 150 yards of 80-pound-test monofilament. This allows us to use smaller reels but have the same amount of line that we had on larger, heavier reels.

Shark fishing

The advancements in fishing lines have pushed reel manufacturers to produce lighter, stronger, smaller and more powerful reels. The tackle manufacturers have beefed up the drags on the smaller reels to accommodate braided lines and powerful fish. On the Insufishent Funds charter boats, we traded in our large 50-wide reels for much smaller Shimano Talica 25s loaded with more than 600 yards of 80-pound-test braided line with a 50- to 100-yard topshot of 80-pound-test monofilament. This is a difference of almost 3 pounds in the weight of the reel alone! This not only cuts the weight of our outfit in half, but it also gives us the ability to set the hook with much more control and a lot less stretch than when we used straight monofilament. Now my anglers are fighting the fish and not the rod and reel.

The rod advancements have changed dramatically, as well. We are now able to use much lighter rods that have the same line ratings as the older, heavier rods. We use Shimano Terez TZCX66XXH rods which are designed specifically for braided line. These rod and reel combos, partnered with a good fighting belt and harness, have drastically reduced our fight times. That is good for the angler and good for the shark, especially if you plan on practicing catch and release.

Our standard shark rig on the Insufishent Funds is fairly simple. We use 15 feet of 480-pound-test American Fishing Wire multi-strand cable connected to a 500-pound-test AFW Mighty Mini Swivel with 10 feet of AFW 240-pound-test single-strand wire connected to the hook. For our weighted rig, we add a 3-ounce weighted swivel in between the multi-strand and single strand. If drift conditions are faster than 3 knots, we add additional weight to the rig with a rubber band. Mustad 7699d hooks work the best in sizes ranging from an 8/0 for small baits, all the way up to the 11/0 for our largest strip baits.

Where To Fish

Finding the right place to set up your chum slick is critical. When we are looking for a good place to set up, I find it to be a lot like hunting. First, we start with areas of structure – ledges, holes, and wrecks.

wheretosharkfish

Once in these areas, we start looking for rip lines or any disturbances or changes in the surface waters. These can even be slick lines from a feeding frenzy that may have happened before we arrived or may be happening under the surface. Sometimes they can be small pockets of baitfish or flocks of birds in an area. We like to see any of these signs coupled with water temperatures between 65 and 68 degrees.

On the Insufishent Funds, we always drift, in order to cover more ground. Once we set our slick, we are constantly looking for sharks to engage. Sometimes you see the birds that are sitting in the water all of a sudden take flight, or you notice that the bluefish that were hanging out in the slick have all of a sudden disappeared. The birds and bluefish both know not to stick around when a shark comes to visit.

Chum Slick

Once we have located a place to fish, we set up two buckets of chum. Typically, we tie one bucket off of the bow and one bucket off the stern. This helps jumpstart the slick and gives us a constant flow of chum. After we go through the first two buckets, we switch over to one bucket set off the midship cleat for the remainder of the day. We use chum bags that are specifically designed for a 5-gallon bucket of chum. In an 8-hour day of fishing, we usually bring six 5-gallon buckets of chum. During tournament time, we bring eight 5-gallon buckets because we chum a little heavier then.

We also bring a 75-quart cooler full of bluefish or bunker to use for chumming. We add in some fresh cut bunker and bluefish chunks to spice up the slick, but are careful not to overdo it. The goal is to attract the sharks, not feed them.