“The Southern Fishing Report “

By Ken Sturdivant

106 Hickory Ridge

770 889 2654

Cumming, Georgia 30040

www.havefunfishing.com



August 11, 2011



LAKE LANIER IS DOWN 5.9 FEET, THE CREEKS ARE SLIGHTLY STAINED AND THE MAIN LAKE IS CLEAR & 87 DEGREES.



Spotted bass fishing is fair. Some nice spotted bass are being caught man made brush piles on drop shot rigs with small baits lake wide. Concentrate on deep structure as the fish are relating to the cooler water. There can be some limited top water action so keep a small bone top water bait ready in case they pop up. These are not schools but 2 to 4 fish pop up at a time. Be sure to hit the swirl. Also try a ¼ ounce all white buck tail and cut the baits to look like the smaller baits the bass are chasing. Zoom green finesse worms are getting some bites but the small bodied drop shot worms and shad bodied baits are working best. The black and brown Strike King Bitsey Bugs along with the Uncle Josh 101 pork trailer in the matching colors is fair. Zoom’s Limeaide and sand worms are also fair and the best technique will be to work these baits in tight deep cover. The Texas rig is the best choice and slow presentations will be necessary. Fish Head Spins with the smaller Zoom Fluke trailer in pearl can also work but this is best early and late. Drag this bait across points and over humps and stick to 20 feet of water out to 35 feet deep.



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



Striper fishing is very good. The fish are biting all day but the early morning bite has been best this week. The challenge continues to be finding the fish. They are scattered and it may take you a while to find them. There are still fish moving in and out of Two Mile Creek, Four Mile Creek and Six Mile Creek so you should consider checking them several times during the Day. There are also fish just off the river channel from Browns Bridge to the dam in 80 to 100 feet of water in the morning. When the sun gets bright they will move out over the channel. The same is true for the mouths of the south end creek channels. The summer time pattern is in full force and all of the summer time techniques are working. Down line herring at 35 to 80 feet is working but the fish are easily spooked and it can be difficult staying on them. Power reeling has been the ticket this week for those for those fish that will just not bite. Drop your bait well below the fish and reel your bait up through the fish. This approach will often trigger a reaction bite and can serve to "fire up" the rest of the fish in the school. Shorten your leader to about three foot when power reeling. You will have a lot less trouble with tangles and knots than with the long leaders. You can also use a 2 ounce Captain Mack's bucktail jig tipped with a herring. Downriggers and lead core are both working with Captain Mack's 1ounce bucktail jig with a chartreuse or white 4 inch shad body. Lead core at 7 to 9 colors has worked best this week. Both white and chartreuse shad bodies have worked equally well this week. The umbrella rigs also worked this week. Finding fish in trees is a much simpler with the new Lowrance structure scan. Meet Captain Ken West and Captain Mike Maddalena at the Chamber of Commerce Expo in Cumming on September 8, 2011 from 2pm until 7pm.



August 11, 2011



WEST POINT LAKE IS DOWN 5.2 FEET, STAINED & 91 DEGREES BY CHRIS BELL



Bass fishing has been tough. Fishing has been slow with the extremely high temperatures. I look for little change with all species until we begin seeing some temperature changes leading into Fall. Best fishing right now can be at night using large soft plastics and jigs. With night time temperatures fish will often move up to feed. Day time temperatures have really slowed fishing down. If water generation is present you can catch a few fish on deep diving crankbaits and most times these will be your better fish. If there is no generation you will need to slow way down with your soft plastics. The best soft plastics have been Texas and Shaky head worms. Despite the slower bites fish have related to larger baits so use your magnum trick worms and ten inch worms. The best colors have been green pumpkin and watermelon. Work these baits slowly in and around cover located on humps and road bed’s lake wide.



Hybrid and striper fishing is fair. Fish are schooling lake wide over the tops of humps and road beds following shad on the surface. The action will be fast so use fast moving shad imitating baits. Use ¼ ounce Rat L Trap and Pop R’s. Work baits quickly to resemble fleeing shad. Once top water action slows use live bait over the same humps and road beds that produced with top water earlier in the morning. The best locations are on the southern end of the lake.



Crappie fishing has been fair. Fish have not moved much over the last few weeks and do not look for other major movements until temperatures begin entering a fall pattern. Fish have fully committed to deeper water. Look for deep brush piles near main lake during day time hours. Best fishing has come from bridge pilings at night. Down line live bait twelve to fifteen feet deep.



August 11, 2011



LAKE ALLATOONA IS DOWN 5.2 FEET, 88 DEGREES AND CLEAR



This Lake Allatoona striper and hybrid fishing guides report has been brought to you exclusively by Robert Eidson of First Bite Guide Service, 770 827 6282. www.firstbiteguideservice.com Lake Allatoona, Georgia email: eidson6260@comcast.net



Line side fishing is good. The live bait bite is starting to fall off some because it’s hard to keep your shad alive, and the trolling bite is starting to pick up. We are catching 10 to 30 stripers and hybrids on a morning trip right now. Because dissolved oxygen is so low in the lake right now, all of the fish seem to be within eyesight of the dam. Concentrate your efforts on either arm within a mile of the dam. Anywhere from the mouth of Stamp Creek to Bethany Bridge should hold fish. Good places to look are Coopers Branch, Iron Hill and the Red Top Campground cove. Once you find the fish, start the morning fishing live shad down lined to 24 feet. This can be a good bite if you’re on feeding fish, but fresh baits every three or four minutes are necessary to keep lively shad on the line. Once this dies switch to trolling umbrella rigs. We have been having most of my success pulling nine ½ ounce white bucktails with chartreuse trailers about 110 feet behind the boat, which puts his rigs about 24 feet deep. Also keep your top water baits ready in case any schooling fish come up. They’ll hit a popping cork, fluke or Sammy, but we recommend the biggest white Rooster Tail you have. The secret to getting bit is to fish with light line 6 pound test NanoFil line and to retrieve your bait as fast as you can crank it in. In these conditions it’s important to get your fish back in the water quickly if you want to release it. Keep your camera ready because a quick release can mean the difference between a dead fish and one that swims away. We also suggested riding back over the area you just fished and keeping any floaters.



August 11, 2011



LAKE HARTWELL IS DOWN 5.6 FEET, CLEAR & 88 DEGREES



Bass fishing is slow and day time fishing is slow after lunch. Fish the long main lake points as last week and run the Norman DD22 shad crank bait on 10 pound Sufix line to get some extra depth. Largemouth bass fishing is going to be pretty slow at 84 degree water temperature. Bass will start moving much slower and feeding less aggressively until the water temperature starts to get back down to comfortable levels. When the water temperature is up this high, it's time to get out fishing early and late in the day when the sun is not on the water. Early the fish are on deep water docks. Both patterns are producing some smaller fish with a few keepers thrown in. As the sun beams down, water temperatures are climbing to 85 to 86 degrees by late afternoon. Both of the main rivers there has been a little more rain during the week and this is the best area to spend the day. The cooler water with the help of the rain and this will trigger the spots into biting. The spots aren't really large, but there are plenty to go around. Late in the day the spots along with a few largemouth are getting very aggressive and a #5 Jointed Shad Rap or a DT6 in the Shad pattern will catch you a quick limit along the rocks. Keep a Strike King spinner bait ready with dual willow silver and blue willow leaf blades.



August 11, 2011



LAKE RUSSELL IS DOWN 3.3 FEET, CLEAR & 87 DEGREES



Bas fishing is barely fair and the weather is still the issue all day. The best time to fish is from safe light until about noon and then again after 5:00 p.m. The Rapala DT10 in shad and hot mustard are still working out on the rocky sharper points where the channel runs close. Use the Rapala DT baits for at least the first couple of hours in the morning and the last couple of hours before dark in the evening. After mid morning it will be best to drag the lizard and on the Carolina rig and work it slow. Be sure to use a full one ounce plain egg sinker. Downsizing is the key during the hot summer to getting a few extra bites. When you can get out for the entire day, it's a great time to fish some deeper water. Many large bass are taken this time of year since bass fishermen typically gets out deeper and fish slower with larger baits. Like any other time of year, the slower you fish with bigger baits on the deep drops and river channels, the better chance you have at a lunker. This is a great time to catch a trophy. Scattered showers are predicted daily, so keep a close watch on the sky. The Lowrance Sirius Weather module can keep anglers safe all day with the weather warning system. During the summer lightening can occur without notice and this is again why the Lowrance weather system to keep you safe all day and night.



August 11, 2011



CLARK HILL IS DOWN 5.8 FEET, STAINED & 88 DEGREES



Bass fishing is tough and the temperatures climbed into the upper 80's. Both the anglers and the bass head for cooler areas to spend the day. Some of the smaller bass along with a variety of other fish are still roaming the banks and flats. The quality bass have moved to deeper and cooler water. Fishing in depths of twenty five feet or more is not uncommon under these hot conditions. Use the Lowrance Structure Scan and Down Scan technology to help take the water out of the lake to help find the stump rows and schools of bait and bass. Using a variety of plastics on a Carolina rig in different sizes would be your best bet while dragging a Carolina rig in deeper water. Up in the creeks and rivers pick apart the lay downs and brush piles with small jigs and Texas rigged Zoom soft plastics. Keep a Zoom Super Fluke in pearl and be sure to use a 3/0 Mustad offset worm hook on the Sufix Elite 10 pound test line.



August 11, 2011



LAKE SEMINOLE IS DOWN ONE FOOT, CLEAR AND 92 DEGREES BY MATT BATY



Bass fishing is fair and there are fish in the shallows. With the surface temperatures running from 87 to 94 degrees, the majority of the fish are offshore. When there is current, the offshore bite can be absolutely fantastic both for numbers and quality and the crank bait is tough to beat. When the current is present, ledges that top out from 8 to 12 feet have worked the best. If you have an opportunity to visit the lake, the best fishing times are from about 5:00 pm until dark when the current is moving the water. When there is no current the fishing can be tough. Use a Carolina rig and Texas rig on river ledges in about 16 to 25 feet. Green pumpkin and watermelon seed plastics are tough to beat. Remember if the ledge has standing timber work the timber thoroughly as the fish will suspend in the trees. At this time of year, use of your electronics to find the fish is of paramount importance if you are going to fish structure. If you find the shad, you will find the bass. In the early mornings, shallow grass early in areas with deep water access can produce quality fish as well.



August 11, 2011



LAKE GEORGE IS FULL, 89 DEGREES & CLEAR BY CLAYTON BATTS



Bass fishing is fair. As the water temperature has risen, bass have continued to move slightly deeper in their summertime locations. Fish during the week if possible as there is a lot less pleasure boat activity and the Corps of Engineers has settled into a predictable generation schedule. This makes the fishing much better and more predictable on weekdays. Concentrate your efforts right now in the 15 to 20 foot range and look for main lake bottom irregularities that cause current breaks such as humps, points and indentions. Stumps or brush are real fish magnets on these type places, especially if shad are present. Once you find an area with the right ingredients, start out with a crank bait. Use the Spro Little John DD when the fish are deep like they are now. You will be fishing for actively feeding fish with the crank bait, and once you get the first bite, the whole school will often go on a feeding frenzy resulting in hook-ups on cast after cast. With the current water clarity use either the citrus shad or spooky shad color. Once a school stops biting the crank bait, you can often pick up another fish or two by slowing down and fishing with a Carolina rig or Texas rig. On the Carolina rig use a Big Bite 6 inch finesse worm in green pumpkin. On the Texas rig, try a Big Bite Kreit tail worm in green pumpkin using a 3/8 ounce weight. With both of these rigs, fish them fairly rapidly until you get into some type of cover. Then, really work them slowly and thoroughly to coax those last few bites.



August 11, 2011



LAKE WEISS IS DOWN .47 FEET, LIGHT STAIN & 87 DEGREES BY COLLINS GUIDE SERVICE



Now available for sale 50 of my proven GPS waypoints for off shore structure for Bass and Crappie fishing on Weiss Lake, Alabama. E mail ken@havefunfishing.com


Bass fishing is poor but a few bass are being caught very early and very late. A few good fish are being caught in the upper Chattooga river and the upper Coosa river, where there is more current and higher oxygen levels. Carolina rigged plastics are working right now, green pumpkin and pumpkin seed, seem to be the dominant colors. Medium to deep running crank baits and 1/2 ounce spinner baits slow rolled are also catching some bass. Top water baits are working fair, early and late, around deeper sea walls. Look for this pattern to hold for the next month or so, unless we get a lot of rain and really put some oxygen back in the water. Weiss Lake always gets a big algae bloom in late summer and this depletes oxygen from the water and make's the fish very lethargic, so the dog days of late summer can be some of the toughest of the year.


Crappie fishing is poor and the crappie are mainly under the docks and out deep 8-14 feet, on the channel ledges, Night fishing with live minnows with lights on the edges of the old Little River channel is producing some fair crappie. Shooting Jiffy Jigs in 1/24 ounce, under docks is still producing some decent crappie fishing. A few fish are being caught on minnows from under lights at night off docks.


Striper fishing is fair and they are in fair numbers in Little River and the upper Chattooga River. Little Spring creek is also producing some fish. The canal and the powerhouse lake are also producing some Stripers. Live Shad is the key to catching these fish, flat lines and down lines fished 8 to 10 feet deep and trolled slowly are producing some great striper fishing.



August 11, 2011



LAKE OCONEE IS FULL, 91 DEGREES AND A LIGHT STAIN UP RIVER



Bass fishing is fair. The rivers have a light stain and the main Lake is clear. Look for the deep docks on the main lake. Use a Texas rigged Zoom green pumpkin u tail worm. Fish this worm as far back under the dock as you can. Look for the hard to reach places no one else fishes under these docks. You can also pick up some fish on the deep ledges off of the main river channel, with a deep diving crank bait. A dd22 in the shad pattern has been working best over the past few weeks. Another location to work the Norma DD22 is any where the river channel cuts close to the bank. As always if Georgia Power is moving water the fishing is much better.



Lake Oconee Line Side report brought to you by Mark Smith at Reel Time Guide Service. 404-803-0741. wwwreeltimeguideservice.com



Line Side fishing is fair. The afternoon schooling was a little better this week. Some large schools have been showing up in Sugar Creek, late in the day as well as down the lake past river bend. These schools do not stay up long and are very spooky so be ready to throw to them when you see them. A popping cork with a white jig has been the best bait. If you see schools of stripers on your Lowrance you can drop a live bait down to them, some days they will eat and some days they will not. The water is just too hot for a strong bite. It will get better in the fall. Sugar Creek has the Capt. Mac umbrella rigs in stock along with Okuma line counter reels and Okuma striper rods. If you like to see the Lowrance HDS units in action give me a call and I can show you how it works. You can have an on the water demo. 404-803-0741



Crappie fishing is fair. Some fish are showing up in brush piles from 10 to15 feet. The night bite in the timber is still the best producer. Look for the fish to show up on your Lowrance and drop you live shiners down the depth they are holding at.



August 11, 2011



LAKE SINCLAIR IS DOWN 1.3 FEET, 91 DEGREES, MOSTLY STAINED.



Bass fishing is slow with very few anglers on the water. Top water baits have just about stopped producing, but it’s probably still worth trying for the first hour after daybreak. The best locations should be along main lake banks and a short distance inside the mouth of coves. Seawalls and blow downs have been best, but grass can also produce, especially if the lake is less than one foot below full pool. Baits like Pop R’s, Chug Bug’s, and Torpedo’s have produced most of the summer. If the water is calm, also try a Spook Jr. or similar bait. Rip rap along the bridges in Little River are still holding fish, but the angler will have to fish slow and thorough to catch a few. Try a lightweight Texas rig and a jig head and worm. Fish the underwater rocks from shallow to where they end in deep water. Dock fishing is slow, but it’s still possible to catch a few fish from around or under them. Dead sticking a Texas rig worm is probably the best chance for success. Carolina rigs and crank baits are producing a few fish around humps, points, and ledges at 10 to over 20 feet deep. If fish are located on or near the top of said structure, a crank bait may be the ticket. Try the Norman DD14, the DD22 and also use the Rapala DT10 and DT16 all in the chartreuse and shad patterns. A Carolina rig is usually best when the fish are holding slightly deeper along the sides of the structures. Try a Zoom Finesse worm on a 1/0 Mustad hook with a 3 foot leader and ½ to ¾ ounce weight.



August 11, 2011



JACKSON LAKE IS DOWN .9 FEET, STAINED & 88 DEGREES



Bass fishing is slow and there are more pleasure boats and jet skis on the lake than anglers all day. But after dark, this all changes and the fish are easier to find and catch. During the day, go to backs of the creeks early and work out toward the main lake. Spots are after small top water baits like the Spittin Image and the Zara Spook Jr. in shad patterns. The best pattern on catching numbers of bass early and late is to stay up in the rivers. The Alcoy River or the Yellow Jacket is producing some bass if you concentrate your efforts on the docks. Docks with any structure are easy to find on Jackson with them Lowrance Structure Scan Down Scan technology. Just ride and look under every dock until the best brush pile show up. Use a Zoom u tail worm on a Texas rig and use a light 3/16 ounce Tungsten sinker for the smaller profile. Flip, pitch or cast the red shad color up under the dock starting with the areas nearest the bank. Work the entire dock, both sides and the front, then move to the next one. The brush piles between the docks as well as the lay down trees needs to be checked out as well. The red shad color can be seen better in the stained water and lighter colors need not be considered. The Texas rig will prevent hang ups in the brush piles and allow the built in rattle to work at peak performance. The rivers will have current from the constant moving water so go no further than mid way up for best results.



Ken Sturdivant, Lowrance Professional Fishing Staff will be conducting FREE! Sonar Seminars at Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World in Lawrenceville Georgia. The BASICS OF SONAR seminars are held on the last Saturday of each month at 2pm. All seminars are subject to change without notice.



If you would like to have a free set up sheet for your sonar, send me an e mail to kensturdivant@earthlink.net and ask for the Sonar Setup Quick List.



We have these BASS FISHING books for sale: BASS FISHING LAKE LANIER, BASS FISHING LAKE ALLATOONA, BASS FISHING WEST POINT LAKE, BASS FISHING LAKE RUSSELL, BASS FISHING WEST POINT LAKE and BASS FISHING LAKE HARTWELL. These books are written exclusively for Bass and each book covers every week of the year. Each book $39.00. If you would like a sample of any book, send us an e mail to kensturdivant@earthlink.net. Our mailing address is: Southern Fishing Schools Inc. 106 Hickory Ridge, Cumming Georgia 30040.



Copyright 2011, Southern Fishing Schools Inc. calls us to set up a school, Maps and Depth Finders or Rods, Reels and Lures for Bass. www.havefunfishing.com 770 889 2654



On Thursday, September 8, 2011, the Southern Fishing Schools Inc. and Big Fish On! Guide Service will be at the Small Business Expo to be held at the new Forsyth Conference Center. This venue will allow for more room, bigger booth space, and space to host a speaker series that will bring value to all businesses and the community as a whole. This year’s expo will be open from 2pm until 7pm. Make plans to attend and we’ll see you there.



Lowrance announces the new StructureScan and HDS10 and HDS8 Plus StructureScan bundle. These new HDS offering pairs award winning HDS fish finder/GPS combination units with the Lowrance exclusive Structure Sonar Imaging which provides users with the most complete structure and fish finding technology available. Both the StructureScan transducer and 83/200 kHz transducer are included in this bundle. Contact your retailer for current availability.