Georgia Fishing Report: May 15, 2026

As another great week of fishing gets underway across Georgia, it’s also a perfect time to celebrate the outdoors and everything that makes our state wild. If you’re looking for a family-friendly outdoor event, be sure to check out the Keeping GA Wild Family Festival on Saturday, May 16, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center in Mansfield. This free event offers something for everyone, including kids fishing opportunities, archery, shooting sports, wildlife demonstrations, live animals, crafts, and conservation education that highlights the importance of protecting Georgia’s natural resources and fisheries for future generations. Whether you’re introducing young anglers to the outdoors or simply looking for a fun day outside, this is a great opportunity to celebrate Georgia’s outdoor heritage. Learn more here: Keeping GA Wild Family Festival.

NEWS TO KNOW:

• • New Black Bass Conservation License Plate Available: Georgia anglers can now purchase a specialty license plate featuring a largemouth bass, with proceeds supporting fisheries conservation, habitat improvements, research, stocking programs, and education efforts across the state. Learn more: GeorgiaWildlife.com/licenseplates.
  • Summer Plans: Get Your 2026 Georgia Bass Slam – Looking for a fishing challenge this summer? Earn your 2026 Georgia Bass Slam by catching at least five of Georgia’s ten black bass species in a calendar year. Successful anglers receive a certificate, decals, Go Fish Education Center passes, and are entered for a grand prize drawing. Get the rules, species list, and submission details at BassSlam.com.
  • Summer is the perfect time to get your family outdoors and on the water together. Georgia offers kid-friendly fishing events, clinics, and family fishing opportunities across the state where young anglers can learn, compete, and make lifelong memories. You can find upcoming kid and family fishing events here: https://license.gooutdoorsgeorgia.com/Event/EventsHome.aspx

This week, we have fishing reports from Southeast, Southwest, and North Georgia, Central will be back next week! With summer fishing and outdoor fun in full swing, make plans to enjoy the Keeping GA Wild Family Festival on Saturday, May 16, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center — a great opportunity to celebrate Georgia’s outdoor traditions and conservation efforts with the whole family. Go Fish Georgia!

(Fishing report courtesy of Joshua Barber with help from Region Staff and Local Experts)

Hot weather is now approaching and fish will probably start to move into deeper water. Thank the Lord that we received some rain that helped knock the fires down and helped our rivers and lakes.

River Gages as of May 14th:

• Doctortown on the Altamaha – 6.7 feet and rising
• Lumber City on the Ocmulgee – 3.3 feet and rising
• Clyo on the Savannah – 3.6 feet and falling
• Statenville on the Alapaha – 1.4 feet and rising
• Alapaha on the Alapaha – 3.8 feet and steady
• Waycross on the Satilla – 4.5 feet and falling
• Atkinson on the Satilla – 2.8 feet and rising
• Quitman on the Withlacoochee – 2.0 feet and falling
• Macclenny on the Saint Marys – 2.1 feet and rising
• Fargo on the Suwannee – 0.8 feet and steady

New Moon is on May 16th. To monitor all the Georgia river levels, visit the USGS website (waterdata.usgs.gov/ga/nwis/rt). For the latest marine forecast, check out www.weather.gov/jax/.

ALTAMAHA RIVER

Hunter Lee and Timothy Griffin caught some nice bass on the river with Silverback buzzbaits. They had a few that weighed around 4-lbs. Altamaha River Rats Bass Trail will be hosting an open tournament out of Williamsburg landing this Saturday (May 16th) from safelight-3 P.M. Entry fee is $80 dollars.

SATILLA RIVER

Justin Harrison caught a 7-lb. monster bass this week while using a black Zoom Trick Worm. Two local anglers went on a full day trip last week and reported catching at least 50 bass. They had 5 bass that weighed around 5-lbs. Buzzbaits were the ticket. Before your next trip to the river, stop by Satilla Feed and Outdoors located at 2270 US-84 in Blackshear. They have a variety of rods, reels, and fishing tackle. For hours, call 912-449-3001.

WITHLACOOCHEE RIVER

Jim O’Conner and his wife spent Mother’s Day out on the river. The river was low and the current was pretty slow. They caught 12 Suwannee bass and a 5.2-lb. largemouth bass. The Suwannee bass ate a small chatterbait fished around structure.

LAKES AND PONDS

Billy Lee and I fished at a Tift County area pond today (May 14th ) for a couple hours. We caught around a dozen bass up to 4-1/2-lbs. Jimmy Zinker fished at Lake Miccosukee on Sunday night and caught a 6-lb. 15-oz. bass while using a topwater lure. He also went back on Wednesday night and caught 3 bass up to 5-1/2-lbs. Cooper and Jackson Winn fished with their dad at a Bacon County pond last week and they caught over two dozen fish (crappie, bass, bluegill, and warmouth) while using Swamp Spiders. An angler reported that she caught a 9-1/2-lb. bass this week at Paradise Public Fishing Area. The bream and catfish bite has been good at Paradise. Captain Bert Deener and Bill Stewart fished at the Everglades last week for two days. They caught over 100 bass, and the biggest weighed 5-1/2-lbs. Trick Worms, Game Changer flies, buzzbaits, and small Mirage and Specktacular jigs were the best lures of the trip.

OKEFENOKEE SWAMP

Bill and Trey Evans went on a guided fishing trip with Captain Bert Deener on Wednesday on the east side of the Swamp. They landed 33 fish on the half-day trip. They started off the day by pitching jigs and Super Sallies for panfish, and the crawfish Warmouth Whacker jig under a float was the ticket. They trolled Dura-Spins to catch the pickerel, bowfin, and a Florida gar. Their biggest bowfin was caught on the last cast! It weighed right at 5-lbs. The boat ramp on the west side (Stephen C. Foster State Park) is currently closed due to some renovations that are taking place around the boat basin. They estimate that it will probably be at least early May before it is reopened. Anglers can still launch kayaks and canoes though. Captain Bert Deener offers guided fishing trips in the Okefenokee. To book a trip with him, visit his website bertsjigsandthings.com. Latest Swamp level on the east side was 119.46 feet. Be careful driving your boat with the very low water conditions.

SALTWATER (Georgia Coast)

Scott Smith and a friend fished last week and caught 10 trout, 3 flounder, and 1 bull redfish. Scott said they caught tons of throwbacks too. Jeremy Robertson fished at the Jekyll Island Pier on Monday and managed to catch some nice flounder (biggest measured 19 inches long). They bit mud minnows on a Carolina rig. Charlie Carter fished with some friends in the Saint Simons area on Monday. They landed 24 fish (croaker and whiting) while using cut shrimp on bottom. The trippletail bite has been good. Captain Tim Cutting (fishthegeorgiacoast.com) and Buddy Johnson fished the Saint Simons area on Monday. They landed 15 fish (4 redfish, 5 flounder, and 6 trout) by floating soft plastics rigged on jigheads. David McMaster and Captain Tim fished on Thursday and caught several oversized redfish, 5 trout, and three flounder. Their fish bit soft plastics rigged on jigheads and live shrimp.

Before your next fishing trip, stop by Winge’s Bait and Tackle located at 440 Memorial Drive in Waycross. They have all the tackle you need for a successful trip! For their hours, call 912-283-9400.

OCMULGEE PUBLIC FISHING AREA (near Hawkinsville)

HUGH M. GILLIS PUBLIC FISHING AREA (NEAR DUBLIN)

DODGE COUNTY PUBLIC FISHING AREA (NEAR EASTMAN)

PARADISE PUBLIC FISHING AREA

If you have any fishing reports or fish pictures that you would like to be included in this report, email them to me joshuabfishhunter@gmail.com or send them through Messenger on Southern Waters Fishing Report’s Facebook Page.

(Fishing report courtesy of Laura Wenk, Fisheries Technician, with help from Region Staff and Local Experts)

LAKE WALTER F GEORGE

According to Ken Sturdivant at Southern Fishing, bass fishing is good. The bass are shallow and they are biting live and artificial baits in the backs of the major creeks and silver spinner baits and Rat L Traps in bright chrome and baby bass colors are working. Watch for a lot of muddy water flowing into the lake and go to the creeks. Bass are moving super shallow in the creeks as well as on the rip rap on bridges and culverts. Grass and a Texas rigged lizard is hard to beat. Work the rocks on the bridges by slow rolling a Stanley 1/2-ounce spinner baits with willow leaf blades. Bright fire tiger Bomber crank baits can catch these fish. The river bass are on ledges and Bomber Model A crank baits in crawfish and fire tigers are catching these fish. There are plenty of bass shallow in the creeks and these fish are easy to catch. Up the river fish the heavy brush for over the old structure on main lake points. The fish are 4 to 6 feet deep. Add a rattle in any plastic lure and add some Dr. Juice scent. Later in the day use a larger Poe’s 400 bright crank bait on light line.

The bluegill and red ear fishing has been very good. They are being caught with crickets and worms and are congregated in spawning bed locations.

LAKE BLACKSHEAR

Crappie are being found in schools in deeper water, near 20ft, around structures. They are still biting well and have been reported biting heavily on shad combo lures. Bass bites are starting to pick up some but aren’t fully in summer bite mode yet. Those that are biting are hunting spawning shad, so try surface baits ideally at first hour of sunrise. But that will likely change soon as the mayflies start up here near the end of May. There have been some sightings of a few Mayflies, but no reports of large hatchouts yet. Temperatures may need to increase into the 90s before the big hatchouts occur. Bream are still being found on beds, so shallow water catch rates for those without boats are still good.

(Fishing report courtesy of John Damer, Fisheries Biologist with Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division, with help from Region Staff and Local Experts)

RESERVOIR REPORT 

CARTERS LAKE

Walleye and Stripers (This report courtesy of Eric Crowley, Lake and Stream Guide Service):

Temp 71. Clarity 6ft. Level +/- 6ft from full.

Walleye: What an absolutely incredible spring we had on Carters. With walleye and stripers being the target species, we had some great success.  The walleye were on a heavy night bite the last few weeks with the spawning baitfish but hung around long enough in the mornings to end up as dinner. We had lots of big post-spawn females that were slap full of alewives. This month, they will move to the points, humps, and structures in the 25 to 45ft zone and are typically tight to the bottom. Any number of presentations can be used at these depths, and some days it takes all of them from crank baits to live bait. June is the start to our summer pattern for walleye so the bite’s only getting better. Look for the walleyes to move out deeper by the last week in June.

Stripers: April and May both were off the charts for striped bass with lots of really healthy big fish coming aboard for a quick pic or 2. As we move into June, the fish that were shallow since earlier this year will start to migrate off the shoreline to the humps and deeper points of the same creeks they spent spring in. Typically, 30 to 50ft is where I’m looking. Make sure to give the big fish time to commit as it’s typically not an instant bite in this clear water. Big fresh alewives on small hooks and light line is always the recipe here and will outfish the bigger gear. This is also the start of striper trolling season. Umbrella rigs, bucktails, any number of baits can be used to catch stripers on the move. Use your electronics to locate open water fish and pull the u-rigs around them in idle. Typically start about 100ft back and adjust from there.

BLUE RIDGE LAKE (This report courtesy of Eric Crowley, Lake and Stream Guide Service):

Temp 73. Clarity 10ft. Level full.

Walleye: Walleye, walleye, everywhere a walleye! We have seen some great walleye action recently with some really nice fish coming in the boat on everything from live bluebacks to Rapalas. There’s fish scattered everywhere due to the bluebacks being basically everywhere right now.  There’s fish up in 3 ft of water and some fish out in 50ft at the same time, so you can kinda fish how you want right now. Trolling, jigging, and live bait will all put some tasty eyes in the boat this month. Mainly points of interest are rocky shorelines with tree cover, shoreline changes from clay to rock, and fish attractors along the banks. Lure color will change day to day so have a variety of options ready to go. Start early and avoid the boat traffic .

Trout: Trout are showing up a few at a time. Most are being caught on small bass lures and live minnows. Hopefully, the action improves this month as the water temp increase will get them schooling.

Yellow Perch: Perch are in the grass early.  Use small baits in 15 to 25ft of water. They are hard to stay on top of but worth the struggle. Keep the bigger ones toss the little guys back.

LAKE TUGALO

Sampling Report (From Fisheries Biologist Kyle Rempe):

We recently completed our annual spring boat electrofishing sampling of Lake Tugalo. It stayed pretty cloudy the whole time but luckily didn’t rain us out. Tugalo always has a good mix of big bass and sunfish, and this year was no different.  We captured a 6-pound Largemouth Bass during our first station, right across from the SC ramp. Large sunfish (Bluegill, Redbreast Sunfish, and Redear Sunfish) were netted all throughout the lake, posted up on the various submerged structures and points. This reservoir also boasts a great Channel Catfish population if bottom fishing is more your speed. The views at Lake Tugalo make for a great day on the water no matter what fish species you’re targeting, so go check it out!

LAKE ALLATOONA 

Bass (courtesy of Southern Fishing) — LAKE ALLATOONA IS DOWN 4 FEET, 70’S. Bass fishing is good. The bass are in mid-depth ranges of 9 to 21 feet deep, even though there are some fish shallow. First thing in the morning, there are still some shad spawning and the top water bite is good. Use the Sprog Dawg and a Zara Spook. Look for fish activity and schooling around rock and hard banks. A quarter ounce Shakey head worm with a watermelon red or green pumpkin trick worm or a Wacky rig will produce bass on the docks and rocky points in less than fifteen feet of water. Some shad will even spawn on floating docks. Once the sun gets up look for brush or blowdowns. A good Lowrance Structure Scan machine with Fish Reveal with GPS is key this time of year. The main lake docks and shallow points are producing the best. The jig by Kacy’s Kustom in bluegill fire or brown and a Spro Little John are hard to beat.

Allatoona Fish Attractors: Find locations of DNR fish attractors and much more information for a variety of water bodies, including Allatoona, at GeorgiaWildlife.com/fishing-forecasts.

LAKE HARTWELL 

Bass (courtesy of Southern Fishing) — LAKE HARTWELL IS DOWN 7.1 FEET, 70’S. Bass fishing is good. This week the bass are up early and late and a Stanley buzz baits with silver blades and a white skirt up and down lake will work. On river points, use a bright Mann’s Deep crank bait in shad colors down lake on points. The Alabama rig with small Zoom fluke pear trailers is working also. Up the rivers, go to the Bomber 7A in all white or fire tiger on the banks. Small spinner baits with willow leaf blades have been fair early and late. Cast the floating worms halfway in the creeks and the off-river coves. Zoom u-tail worms in gourd green or natural blue on a Texas rig is fair, but fish them very slowly. Night fishing is slow, but a big red worm on a Texas rig can draw a few strikes. The Whopper Ploppers are great lures for any level angler. But it’s a good idea to have both the large one and the small one. And color is not important as the fish just see the belly. And try both a fast retrieve and a slow one.es on bridges and docks around lights.

LAKE LANIER 

Bass: (Via Phil Johnson, Pjohnson15@hotmail.com (770) 366 8845 via The Southern Fishing Report)- LAKE LANIER IS DOWN 5.3 FEET, 70’S. Bass fishing is good. The lake is currently about five and a half feet below full pool and the water temperature is running near seventy degrees. Overall, the lake is clear. Over the last week the bite slowed some due to the post spawn time of year, but it is moving quickly to the great top water activity. The Ima Skimmer, Slick Stick, and Gunfish are all producing some solid bass now in the twenty to thirty feet of water range. Look for these bass to be working up on the points and over humps with brush on them. Chrome has been the go-to color on the sunny days and bone or white have been the best choices for the overcast days. A Fluke in white or chartreuse worked over the same structure will also produce good numbers and size. Some days they want the fluke jerked quickly on the retrieve and other days they are hitting it on a long pause so be sure to vary your retrieve to see what’s working for the day. On many of the top water areas you will see breaking fish but often you FFS will be the key to finding the schools of bass chasing shad below the surface. The FFS will also help eliminate areas that aren’t holding fish. + The night bite has started with a half-ounce black, red, and chartreuse spinnerbait with a silver Colorado blade producing some solid bass. Trim the spinnerbait with a twin tail chartreuse or red trailer and slowly work it on the rocky points and humps for some great strikes. Night or day they are biting so Go Catch ‘Em!

Stripers (This report courtesy of Jack Becker, a.k.a. “Georgia Water Dog”  Aquadog45@gmail.com , https://www.minithumper.com/ ):

Back on Lake Lanier this week. I found bait relating to the creek channel where it swings close to the bank in Balus Creek and also marked a few big fish on 2D sonar. I put out bluebacks on free lines 75 & 100′ behind the boat and a 10″ gizzard shad on a planer board with a short leader and pulled it close to the bank at .3 to .5 mph. I stayed in the area where I was marking bait. On the 3^rd  pass, we watched our bait get chased out of the water several times before the drag started screaming and the planer board took off across the top of the water. My partner had trouble getting the rod out of the rod holder and when he got the fish in it was 34 inches. His personal best but 2 inches short to qualify for the George Angler Award. A goal he has is set for himself and we keep chasing it. My motto is, don’t leave bait to find bait.  If I mark fish I stay in that area, and we’ll make at least a half dozen passes before I leave. Good luck and be safe out there. 

Lake Lanier Striper Report (This report courtesy of Buck Cannon, Buck Tails Guide Service 404-510-1778 via www.southernfishing.com):

Lanier stripers are putting on the weight and will put up a good fight. This rain should help with the heat and humidity and move the pollen down. Pulling planer boards and flat lines are still the best options using bluebacks and gizzard shad. I’ve had some good luck putting the bait behind the boards 40 to 50 feet back and the flatlines 60 to 80 feet behind the boat @.5-1. Mph. I have changed my leader from 10 to 15-pound test using a #2 octopus circle hook. You should have a topwater lure just in case and be ready because any day they could come up. Remember to wear your life jacket.

Lanier Fish Attractors: Find locations of DNR fish attractors and much more information for a variety of water bodies, including Lanier, at GeorgiaWildlife.com/fishing-forecasts.

WEISS LAKE

Bass (Courtesy of Ken Sturdivant, The Southern Fishing Report) — WEISS LAKE IS FULL, 70’S.

Bass: Bass fishing is fair. The Texas-rigged worms and lizards are catching fish, look for the fish to move to the weed beds as they move up shallow. The Whopper Ploppers are great lures for any level angler. But it’s a good idea to have both the large one and the small one. And color is not important as the fish just see the belly. And try both a fast retrieve and a slow one.

Crappie: Crappie fishing is fair and a few fish are being caught long line trolling with 1/24-ounce Jiffy Jigs in colors JJ01, JJ06, JJ13, JJ17 JJ20, JJ37 and Marks Special Blue. Shooting docks is producing a few crappie also. Spider-rigging with live minnows is producing some fish on the creek channel ledges.

WEST POINT LAKE 

Bass (Courtesy of Ken Sturdivant, The Southern Fishing Report) — WEST POINT LAKE IS DOWN 2.5 FEET, 70’S. Bass fishing is good. The pattern of fishing will change all during the day and everything from top water baits like Chug Bugs, Whopper Ploppers and Pop R’s to suspending baits like the Ito Vision 110 jerk baits are catching bass. Grass lines are still producing quality bass using the Husky Jerks and plastic worms rigged with no weight. The early morning bite is good until about 9:30 a.m. The Whopper Ploppers are great lures for any level angler. But it’s a good idea to have both the large one and the small one. And color is not important as the fish just see the belly. And try both a fast retrieve and a slow one. The winds have been picking up after lunchtime and the Rapala DT6 in the crawdad color is a good bass catching bait to use on wind-blown points. Try changing the standard black nickel VMC hooks with the same size red VMC hooks. This little trick of changing the hooks seems to be getting a few extra bites on roaming bass. The lighter ten- and twelve-pound test line is catching the majority of the fish. The lighter line is allowing the baits to move freely and have better action. Main lake points, grass lines, and wood are the keys this week to catching a limit of quality bass.

West Point Fish Attractors: Find locations of DNR fish attractors and much more information for a variety of water bodies, including West Point, at GeorgiaWildlife.com/fishing-forecasts.

RIVER REPORT 

River Bass and Stripers Report: (This report courtesy of Cohutta Fishing Company )

Our rivers have been low with the lack of rain. Stripers have been slowly starting their run. More and more Stripers should make their way up after the recent rains. Right now what you sacrifice in numbers, you’ll make up for in size. On the other hand, the bass have been on fire before they start to spawn. Swim flies are great to produce a visual and aggressive eat. On top of that these fish are the biggest they’ll be all year. Flies like Sluggos, Swinging D’s, and Hollow Flies should all work well on a strip strip pause retrieve. Just remember to let those flies hover. Most fish eat on the pause. Crawfish have also started to emerge, so fishing crawfish patterns in shallower water has been doing great as well. Flies like Nancy P’s fished on an erratic strip can produce well in shallower or faster water. Carp have also begun spawning on some of the lakes around. This brings the fish up shallow and makes for some awesome sight fishing. Carp are one of the spookiest fish but that makes them super rewarding to catch. They are also one of the few freshwater fish to get you into your backing frequently. As summer creeps up, we are transitioning from trout to our other warm water species. As it gets warmer trout fishing will get tougher. But that makes for a good excuse to change it up and try something different. As the fishing for Bass, Striper and Carp on fly heats up, now is the time to give the shop a call and book your warmwater trip.

River Stripers Report: (This report courtesy of Tad Murdock from Georgia Wild Trout)

Striper runs are a bit down on the Chestatee, Upper and Lower Chattahoochee, and Etowah Rivers this year due to the low water levels and rainfall.  A float down any of these will allow anglers to cross a few fish but the numbers of previous years aren’t quite there. Smaller baitfish imitations are best for getting bites, but don’t be afraid to go big if you’re looking for a trophy. Runs on the Coosawatee River and Nottely River, should begin soon as the water temps continue to rise. These runs will pick up as we get closer to June.

Northwest Georgia River Stripers Report: (From Fisheries Biologist John Damer)

As the reports above mention, this year’s extreme drought has kept the rivers in the Coosa Basin (Oostanaula, Etowah, Coosawattee, Conasauga) way below normal flows for the entire Spring.  This has significantly reduced the number of stripers running upstream attempting to spawn, and we have seen fewer fish than normal at nearly all of our striped bass monitoring sites in these rivers.  The exception is that we are now seeing large numbers of stripers heading toward the cool waters of the Etowah from Rome all the way up to Cartersville.  Stripers are sensitive to water temperature, so many will use the cold water exiting from beneath Allatoona Dam as a thermal refuge to survive the hot summer months.  Now is a great time to float/fish the Etowah, as these post-spawn fish are super hungry.  Stripers eat shad almost exclusively, so throwing live shad or shad imitating lures will be key.

Chattooga River Bartram Bass Report: (From Fisheries Biologist James Miles)

Had the opportunity to do some Bartram Bass fishing on the Chattooga River yesterday after church (5/10). Fishing was great. Caught a few slow rolling a 1/8 oz chatterbait around cover and through deeper runs. However, my best lure of the day was a 1/15 oz Ned rig with a green pumpkin worm, bouncing it across the bottom, especially around bedrock ledges. No better time to beat the heat while getting after some of Georgia’s native bass species!

TROUT REPORT

North Georgia Wild Trout Streams Report: (This report courtesy of Tad Murdock from Georgia Wild Trout)

The wild trout activity has picked up considerably in recent weeks. Whether your targeting brown trout, native brook trout, or wild rainbows, the fish have been slower in the mornings and get more active as the day progresses. I have seen several sizable (for Georgia) hatches in recent weeks. Yellow Sallies, golden stoneflies, grannom caddis, Sulphurs, and PMDs have been the bugs I have seen the most in recent weeks. Dry Flies continue to produce well on these streams and should continue until December. However, small patterns have still been outshining the large patterns and its not quite time to put away the nymph boxes on chilly mornings. This should stay the same until later in month or June when the trout will begin favoring the big bugs more. Though we typically don’t promote colors with any of our flies, yellow is a good producer from mid-April through May.

Small Trout Streams Report: (This report courtesy of Cohutta Fishing Company )

This Spring, small streams have stayed pretty low. Some rains have bumped the flows, but they are so infrequent the ground soaks up a lot of that water. After each rain the fishing should be on fire as long as they are not blown out. Rubberlegs and worms have been best on these days, but as the water drops out fishing more natural patterns have been working better. Flies like Hare’s Ears and Holy Grails have been catching the most fish for me. The best thing about a Hare’s Ear this time of year is it mimics both Tan Caddis and March Browns. Dry fly fishing has been pretty good with these low flows. Parachute Adams, Tan Elk Hairs, and various attractor dries have been doing pretty well. Attractor Dries are flies that might not specifically mimic a certain bug but just something that looks buggy, matches a few different bugs, or just a pop of color just to get noticed. Flies like PMX’s or Purple Hazes. Especially on wild trout, these can be killer this time of year.

Chattahoochee River Tailwater Report: (This report courtesy of Tad Murdock from Georgia Wild Trout)

The trout fishing below the dam on Lake Lanier has been excellent for the past couple months. There is something for just about everybody. Small midges will always be the best way to attract bites from nearly every trout around. If you’re throwing bigger than a size 20 you can be sure you’re leaving trout behind, especially the wild browns. The river has been crowded on some afternoons during the week and around the clock on weekends. A ten to fifteen minute walk will put plenty of distance between you and 80-90% of other anglers. A great challenge for experienced anglers is the dry fly bite. The midge hatches have been excellent in the mornings and following generation. The wild browns are very selective but can be fooled with a slow approach and good presentation. This video will demonstrate how I approach these fish eating on the surface. The number of trout to hand is far less than what you may see fishing seams with a euro rig or indicator setup, but can be far more exciting. Steer clear of the dry flies on windy days. It’s a brutal process and typically more frustrating than anything else.

Toccoa River Tailwater Report: (This report courtesy of Cohutta Fishing Company )

As we transition into our summer pattern, time of day will make or break your day of fishing. The mornings and late afternoons have been great out on the Toccoa. Fish have been eagerly eating mayfly and caddis nymphs. Lots of small Tan Caddis hatching as well as March Browns. On the right days, lots of fish have been rising to these bugs late in the afternoon. The water has been gin-clear lately, so when the sun is high, downsize your tippet and fish from further away. Delicate casts and long drifts have been the name of the game midday when the sun is high. During this time focus on shady spots. You’ll find pods of fish hiding out from the sun. Dry dropper rigs have been the best. With the low, clear water, bobbers just make too much commotion on the surface. DNR has been stocking a couple of times a month now, so there should be plenty of stockers in the river. Throwing a flashier point fly like a Pink Beaded Hare’s Ear or Duracell to catch some attention has been working pretty well. Behind it, throw something more natural like a smaller Pheasantail or Hare’s Ear. Running these 2-4ft under a Chubby has been working most of the day. This Spring has been a dry one. TVA has been sporadically pulsing water. For floating this should create a good bite window for streamers or bobber rigs. But with some good rain a couple of days ago and more in the forecast, this should help bump our flows up and lead to more generations from the dam. We’ll need it for our cold-water storage because summertime heat is already upon us.

The Dredger’s Weekly Report: (This report courtesy Jeff “Dredger” Durniak at Unicoi Outfitters )

Unicoi Outfitters puts out a full fishing report every Friday.  Last week’s report was chock full of great intel for your North Georgia fishing needs (not just trout!).  Although this week’s report was not yet posted as of this writing, you should be able to find it HERE later today.

Parting Trout Note:  Want to do more to support trout fishing in Georgia?  Consider upgrading to a Trout Unlimited license plate this year (https://georgiawildlife.com/licenseplates).  Aside from being a great looking tag, each purchase or renewal of a Trout Unlimited license plate directly supports Georgia’s trout conservation and management programs. Hatcheries and wild trout efforts both benefit from the trout tag.

Trout Fishing Opportunities for Those With Disabilities: Find sites that are open to the public and offer specific amenities for anglers with disabilities at GeorgiaWildlife.com/fishing/trout.

Supporting Trout Fishing: Want to do more to support trout fishing in Georgia?  Consider upgrading to a Trout Unlimited license plate this year. See more info at GeorgiaWildlife.com/licenseplates.  Aside from being a great looking tag, each purchase or renewal of a Trout Unlimited license plate directly supports Georgia’s trout conservation and management programs which can be found at GeorgiaWildlife.com/fishing/trout. Hatcheries and wild trout efforts both benefit from the trout tag.

Our fisheries folks are out casting a line, the Central Report will be back next week!

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