Largemouth bass are shallow around daybreak and then they move into the structure around the banks. There is some colored water up lake and the fish are roaming around until mid afternoon. Some bass are in less than 10 feet of water and DT10 Rapala in hot mustard and a #7 Shad Rap in perch colors has been working.

Early in the day Zoom green pumpkin lizard or the same color u tail worms on a Texas rig is fair. Just work the heavy bank structure. Bass are inside some docks and pick the larger ones, and with a little stained water in these areas will allow the fish to site. Use the 1/2 ounce Stanley jig and a dark color with a matching or contrasting #11 Uncle Josh pork trailer.

After a couple of warm days look for the shad in the month of coves and pockets. Fish small crank bait in a shad pattern or a Bandit 200 in root beer in the areas you find shad flicking on the surface. The shad are looking for the warmest waters and stained waters hold the heat better than clear water. The backs of the creeks took a beating with the heavy runoff and some are just plain muddy. Fish any natural brush and use the slower baits. Lures should be worms, jigs and spoons. Larger jigs in the 3/4 ounce size are good winter lures. Black and brown combinations are fair and fish them slowly. Try flipping and pitching these baits around any dock in and behind the marinas. Make your lures look alive with small hops along the bottom. Add some Jack Juice in the crawfish scent to fool them. Lake wide, use jigs and worms on the secondary points right inside the creeks. Look in the mouths of any creeks close to the river channels down lake. Fish close to deep water and rocky points and old stump rows. By the end of the week on the bridges use a #7 Shad Rap on light line in the silver black back colors. In Johnson Creek find the old road bed and use a Texas rigged dark worm and a jig and pig combination.

Spotted bass are biting and if there is any wind, use an all-white Mini Me ½ ounce spinner bait on every point on the lake. The DT10 Rapalas in the hot mustard are fair and be sure to fish these baits right up on the larger rock point’s lake wide. Use finesse worms and small jigs down lake in the clearer waters. Texas rigged worms and a 3/16 ounce weight and a 1/0 Mustad wide gap hook will be the best way to get lures deep to the fish. Depths for these deeper fish are from 20 to 40 feet. Green finesse worms always catch spots and use a small Zoom green or black mini lizard with red flakes on a lead head jig. An all white or pearl curly tail grub in the 2 1/2 inch size on a jig head will work on and around deep docks. Fish the first point with the old concrete ramp just inside Young Deer Creek. This ramp is in the cove right behind the Tidwell ramp and you will see this point. The secret is to get 70 feet off the end of this long point at 30 feet deep and there is an old log jam where big spots live. Also look to the right off this point at the first old double boat dock. There are spots off the dock about 10 to 20 feet out in some old brush. There are a few old trees out in front and that is where the bigger spots are. There are no fish under the dock so fish in front of it. Inside H dock at Holiday, fish the first 10 slips on both sides of the dock. The drop sot rig with a Basstrix minnow will work and use a 3/16 ounce sinker to get the bait deep faster and stay on the bottom. This bait floats so you can let a little slack in the line and not worry about the bait sinking to the bottom. Some really big spots are feeding and you will find smaller fish mixed in with the better fish. Get right over the brush piles and drop baits right to the structure. If they strike short on worms or jigs, add some scent and work the same location for several casts. Pull out the drop shot rigs on these fish too. The up lake spots are shallow and a few casts to rocky points will tell you if they are there feeding. Pull small worms and jigs from 4 to 16 feet then make another cast. With the stained water up the rivers, use the Zoom finesse worms and a Texas rig. Shades of green, June bug and sand colors are good baits.

Striper fishing has been fair especially mid to up lake. There are fish feeding in the big bay just inside of Little River and in Wahoo Creek. The mornings seem to be the key times this week. There has been little activity after 3pm. When the fish feed in the coves and pockets in the up river creeks live bait is hard to beat. Live blue backs, trout and large shiners and buck tail jigs are catching stripers when they chase the shad into the pockets. Watch for only a few signs the fish are there and get baits right to the feeding fish. There are only one or two fish feeding on the surface at a time and you will not see huge feeding binges on the surface. Loons and sea gulls are helping anglers get into areas that hold the bait schools. The Boling Bridge area has been producing a few stripers for bank fisherman. Use a float and set it at 5 feet deep and cast live bait right in the river. The best action has been up the both rivers and the best depths have been from 23 feet to 35 feet. Look off markers #42 and #43 on the main Chattahoochee River for some stripers to be roaming around. This area is the deeper bend in the river and you can see it by the depths on 70 feet and more. Be sure to look in the coves and pockets close by. White buck tail and chartreuse trailers on the Mack Farr umbrella rigs at 3.0 miles per hour 90 feet back will get some fish also. But be sure to pull flat line too. Humps in the mid Chestatee River are fair with big buck tail jigs. Be sure there are schools of shad in the area and work the same locations several times during the day. Troll the 4 arm umbrella rigs and if the fish come up, go to the 3 arm umbrella rig and pull it 50 to 80 feet back. Bank fishing can be productive using cut bait around the lakes parks and ramps. But it’s always works best to us fresh cut bait. Look on long points that are close to the river and place the baits on the bottom at 30 feet. See www.stripersurvey.com

Crappie have schooled up under major marina docks mid lake. There are lots of fish down 25 feet on the Aqua Vu camera and they are all about a ¾ of a pound. Small tubes on a 1/32 ounce lead head and doodle the baits on 4 pound Sufix Elite line to get the bites.

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