Georgia Fishing Report: September 18, 2025

As fall settles in, Georgia's trout stocking program begins to wind down, marking the close of another exciting season on the water. Streams across North Georgia that have been brimming with fresh catches all summer will soon see their final stockings of the year, giving anglers one last chance to enjoy the action before winter. Whether you're chasing rainbows in the mountain creeks or casting for browns in larger rivers, now is the perfect time to plan your outings. To see which streams are getting stocked and when, check out the full schedule here: 2025 Trout Stocking Frequencies.

NEWS TO KNOW:

• Fish and Learn at Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center: This is a beginner-level program for children ages 8-15 (and their guardians) to experience a weekend of learning about fishing through our Fish-n-Learn education program. This program will focus on the basics of fishing and cleaning your catch. Other topics will include casting technique, equipment, fish biology, habitat and more. But don't worry, there will be plenty of time set aside for fishing! This event is held October 3 - 5, 2025 and costs $130 per participant. The deadline to register is September 18. For more information or to register, visit https://georgiawildlife.com/FishAndLearn.

• National Hunting and Fishing Day: Georgia is hosting not just one, but 11, special free events to celebrate the 2025 National Hunting and Fishing Day on Sept. 27, 2025. Events scheduled include family/kid fishing events and Outdoor Adventure Days which offer multiple activities like archery, fishing, shooting and more. Events are spread out across the whole state - meaning that one is probably near you! Visit com/get-involved/nhfday.
• Lake Burton Fish Hatchery recently received 250,000 rainbow trout eggs from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Erwin National Fish Hatchery. These eggs will hatch in about 10 days, but it will take nearly two years of care and feeding before the fish reach the 10-inch size goal. The first of these trout will be ready for stocking in 2027-highlighting the long-term investment required to produce stocked trout.

This week, we have fishing reports from Southeast, Southwest, and North Georgia, Central Georgia will be back next week. From cool streams to rushing rivers, trout fishing is calling, so pack your tackle and Go Fish Georgia!

SOUTHEAST GEORGIA

(Fishing report courtesy of Capt. Bert Deener, Retired Georgia WRD Fisheries Supervisor, with help from Region Staff and Local Experts)

The fall bite is breaking wide open in most places - saltwater and freshwater. Even the rivers are picking up right now as they drop out. Take your pick this weekend.

River gages on September 18th were:

• Clyo on the Savannah River - 6.2 feet and rising
• Abbeville on the Ocmulgee - 1.8 feet and falling
• Doctortown on the Altamaha - 5.0 feet and falling
• Waycross on the Satilla - 5.4 feet and falling
• Atkinson on the Satilla - 5.4 feet and falling
• Statenville on the Alapaha - 3.3 feet and falling
• Macclenny on the St Marys - 2.7 feet and falling
• Fargo on the Suwannee - 3.9 feet and falling

New Moon is September 21st. To monitor all the Georgia river levels, visit the USGS website. For the latest marine forecast, check out weather.gov/jax/.

ALTAMAHA/OCMULGEE RIVER

Miles Zachary has been catching bass in both rivers. The bass are still in the current, and he has been catching them on 1/4-oz. BDD buzzbaits, crankbaits, and green pumpkin Trick Worms (Texas-rigged). He said that the water is dropping and clearing up well, especially in the Ocmulgee. Most of the bass have been on the small side, but I did hear about a 5-fish limit that weighed in the upper teens this past weekend.

ALAPAHA RIVER

Stan Rhodes and David McGlamry fished the middle Alapaha River on Sunday and had a good catch of panfish. They had crappie, bluegills, redbreasts, crappie, and catfish. The crappie were the most impressive at 1.82, 1.35 and 1.17 pounds apiece. Those are slabs! They caught their fish on crawfish and chartreuse bruiser Satilla Spins, minnows, and crickets.

ST MARYS RIVER

Matt Rouse and his grandson (Noah) walked the bank of the upper St. Marys on Friday and caught panfish (stumpknocker, warmouth, and bluegill), pickerel, catfish, and bowfin. The biggest bowfin was 6.8 pounds. Noah caught panfish by flinging a white curly-tail grub under a float, while Matt fished live bait.

OKEFENOKEE SWAMP

Bill Stewart fished with me Friday on the east side, and we did a lot of running around checking spots for my guide trip the next day. We connected with a couple of really big bowfin (7-lb., 8-oz. and 8-lb., 9-oz). One ate a Dura-Spin while casting and the other while trolling. Lemon-lime was the color for both big fish. We had a total of 36 fish, including an 18-inch pickerel and a big flier (the rest were bowfin). The best color Dura-Spins were lemon-lime, crawfish-brass blade, and fire tiger-chartreuse blade. I was able to fool a few bowfin with a bladed fly (jackfish and electric chicken colors), as well. Brian Berry came down on vacation from Kentucky and fished with me Saturday on the east side. He ended up catching 17 fish during the trip and added 4 new species (bowfin, pickerel, flier, and Florida gar) to his catch list. The fish were finicky that day early in the trip, but we got on a good area of about 100 yards where we caught most of the fish by casting jackfish Dura-Spins. We also caught fish on lemon-lime Dura-Spins and a couple fish on a prototype lure. The most recent water level on the Folkston side was 120.95 feet.

HUGH M. GILLIS PUBLIC FISHING AREA (near Dublin)

• Hugh Gillis PFA Information
• Hugh Gillis PFA Fishing Guide

DODGE COUNTY PUBLIC FISHING AREA (near Eastman)

• Dodge County PFA Information
• Dodge County Fishing Guide

Ken Burke fished the lake on Thursday morning for about 4 1/2 hours. He caught 7 bass that weighed a total of 13 1/2 pounds. His biggest were 3.5, 2.75, and 2.5 pounds. The water surface temperature in the middle of the day was 84 degrees.

OCMULGEE PUBLIC FISHING AREA (near Hawkinsville)

• Ocmulgee PFA Info
• Ocmulgee PFA Fishing Guide

LOCAL PONDS

Jimmy Zinker and Joshua Barber fished a pond on a very windy day and worked hard for their fish. They each caught one bass. Jimmy fished a Worth County pond Tuesday night and fooled them with Jitterbugs and buzzbaits. He's had some good fish this week, but nothing over 6 pounds. His daytime fish have been eating walking baits, and nighttime fish have been chewing Jitterbugs and buzzbaits. Chad Lee healed from last week's yellow jacket attack and went fishing this weekend. He caught 5 bass on Saturday by flinging spinnerbaits and stick worms. The biggest he landed was 3 pounds, but he had one jump off that he estimated was around 5 pounds.

SATILLA RIVER

Silas Harris had the biggest bass I heard of this week from the Satilla. It looked to be between 6 and 7 pounds from the photo. He caught the big one and others by pitching a dark colored baby brush hog to current breaks. He was using heavy line and big, strong hooks to get them out of the cover.

SALTWATER (GEORGIA COAST)

The winds were bad over the weekend but layed down to fishable levels around the middle of this week. Brian Berry fished with me in the Brunswick area on Wednesday and we whacked the redfish. We fished the creek mouths around low tide and put live shrimp on the bottom with 3/16-oz. Redfish Wrecker Jigheads and 1/8-oz. Shrimp Hooks for our fish. Brian caught his first redfish, black drum, sheepshead, and a couple smaller species during the trip. We ended up catching 21 redfish up to 29 inches (kept 6 and tagged and released 15). Black drum up to 16 inches and sheepshead up to 15 inches were mixed in with them. Capt. Duane Harris fished with Tom Pollihan and Rick Murphy on Saturday in the Brunswick area, and they caught a total of 26 fish including redfish, trout, black drum, ladyfish, etc. On Monday he fished the same areas with Kellen Pollihan, and they caught 11 redfish. All of their fish both trips were on dead shrimp. Capt. Chris Ruff (rccaga.com) got on redfish well this week with the dropping water temperatures. He caught a few trout here and there, but they were slow. A few flounder, black drum, and sheepshead were also eating his live shrimp under Ichthys floats. He fooled a few fish with artificials (DOA shrimp and Vudu Shrimp). Check out his website for information about his "Fishers of Men" guide trips. Don Harrison fished with his friends Lee and Ed in the Crooked River area over the weekend and had a tough time in the extreme winds. They caught about a half-dozen trout each day, and Lee's 25-inch redfish was the biggest catch. Electric chicken Assassin Sea Shads worked best for them. After your next trip to the Georgia coast, drop off your fish carcasses in the freezer at the Waycross Fisheries Office at 108 Darling Avenue. The Coastal Resources Division collects most inshore saltwater species so that they can determine age and growth for each species. All the supplies and information cards are in the freezer. Filet your fish then drop off the carcasses in the freezer. Wat-a-melon Bait and Tackle in Brunswick is open Friday through Tuesday each week (closed Wednesday and Thursday). They have plenty of lively shrimp and have live worms and crickets for freshwater. For the latest information and their hours, contact them at 912-223-1379.

Blog Contributor Capt. Bert Deener guides fishing trips in southeast Georgia and makes a variety of both fresh and saltwater fishing lures. Check his lures out at Bert's Jigs and Things on Facebook. For a copy of his latest catalog, call or text him at 912-288-3022 or e-mail him ([email protected]).

SOUTHWEST GEORGIA

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

LAKE SEMINOLE

According to Ken Sturdivant at southernfishing.com, bass fishing is good. Top water will be good early in the morning or during the day when clouds are present. Fish a big top water plug like the larger Zara Spooks. Also try the Stanford turbo shad. Any color with a chartreuse or yellow belly will be good. With plenty of current on the lake and rivers look for points and cuts on main lake grass beds. Fish the current breaks in these areas. Try the Stanley Dual Threat Swimbait. Try the all-black Whopper Plopper and an all-black buzz bait. Another good option in these areas is a Strike King Spinnerbait or a shallow running crank bait such as a Spro Fat John in black/chartreuse. Flipping 1-ounce jigs or 1-ounce Flipping Jigs and a larger Zoom frog style trailer and the Big Bite baits fighting frogs is also working in 4-to-7-foot grass beds with current. Use at least 60-pound test Sunline braid with this technique to get the fish out of the heavy cover.

LAKE WALTER F. GEORGE

According to Ken Sturdivant at Southernfishing.com. Bass fishing is fair. Some fish are being caught shallow around river grass and lily pads on frog type baits. The shallow guys have also been punching mats. The most reliable bite is on the ledges and structure offshore. This bite is even better during the hours they generate power to give anglers a good current. Anglers are catching fish on several different baits. Crankbaits, jigs, flutter spoons, magnum shaky heads, big swim baits, Texas rigs and deer hair jigs seem to be doing the trick. Fishing will be reliable in the next few weeks. Any afternoon rain can keep the water a little cooler. The early morning top water bite near cover is holding true. Frogs and blade baits in tight are getting action. The deep cover bite is good on Carolina rigs with big plastics. Punching tight grass and reeds with creature baits is also working. Work an area slowly and thoroughly, bass are holding tight in the cover and need to be finessed. Dead stick it and let it lay still and then move it slow and stop again. Watch the line they are not hitting hard. The catfish and bream bite is still going strong and there is an excellent chance of getting a good catch of both.

LAKE BLACKSHEAR

Fishing has been reasonably productive this week with average of good bites, given a few slower days. This could be due to the weather taking a nice dip into some cooler nights or some recent good mayfly hatches which have caught the bream's attention. If you are looking to get your hands on some crappie, the bites have still been consistent but they have moved to 10-20 ft on brush piles. Folks are reporting luck using a few different options: 1/64 Litewire Hooks paired with ATX Lure Company nightlight wicked shad, Crappie Carnivore, and Bobby garland mayfly with a 1/64 or 1/90 jig head with a small split shot.

FLINT AND CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVERS

Water levels are way down right now since we haven't had much rain. This may make putting a boat in difficult in some locations. Some cooler evening temperatures might make an evening fishing session more enjoyable. Low water can also concentrate fish in smaller areas because they have fewer places to hide. Try you luck with a cricket for a pretty fall bluegill or try a shad colored lure for black bass!

NORTH GEORGIA

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

RESERVOIR REPORT

LAKE ALLATOONA

Allatoona Bass (courtesy of Ken Sturdivant, Southern Fishing) - Lake Allatoona is down 3.1 feet, and in the 70s. Bass fishing is fair. Fish the slower techniques like the drop shot and a small swim bait targeting suspended fish of long points continues to be best. Use small baits to baits likes the tiny fluke and big bite 3.75 jerk minnow fished on 5 pound test Sunline fluorocarbon with a Gamakatsu drop shot hook. Use the Lowrance Sonar and sit over the fish with the High CHIRP frequency and anglers can spot the fish dead on the bottom. Drop baits like the small Keitech swim bait on a Picasso round ball swimbait head. Try also making long casts and counting it down to the depth the fish are holding and since there is little structure on the lake bottom just fish slowly. Sometimes he fish will hit at the bait several times before getting it. Be patient the south end of the lake is fishing the best.

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

Hartwell Bass (Courtesy of Ken Sturdivant, Southern Fishing)- Lake Hartwell is down 2.6 feet, and in the 70s. Bass fishing is fair. The lower lake fish are shallow to mid depth and are starting to school in the creek mouths, as smaller pods of bait are starting to form. We have been catching fish on pearl white flukes worked fast over brush early. Use the deep running crank bait like the Strike King 6XD in chartreuse herring. When the bite slows, switch to a drop shot finesse worm in morning dawn red, a green pumpkin craw jig or the under spin in albino color. Focus on bridge pilings, the rocks on the bridges and points on the side the drops the sharpest. Back in the creeks use a Whopper Plopper next to shoreline cover in backs of pockets that offer a little deeper water and a good concentration of submerged grass. Make a few casts with the all-black buzz bait. The C Map mapping can be used to highlight depth ranges anglers might otherwise miss.

LAKE LANIER

Lanier Bass (Report courtesy of Phil Johnson through Ken Sturdivant via https://www.southernfishing.com, [email protected] 770 366 8845) -

Lake Lanier is down 2 feet, and in the 70s. Bass fishing is good. The lake is currently slightly over two feet below full pool and dropping. The water temperature is running in the mid to upper seventies and overall the lake is clear. The bass are somewhat scattered right now with some still be suspended over the deeper structure and others located in the twenty-five to thirty-five foot range. The humps and ends of long points with structure have been the key areas to concentrate on to locate the bass. The top water activity has picked up especially when there is some wind on the lake. Several baits have been productive for the top water bite including the Skimmer, Riser, Gunfish and Chug Bug with Chrome being the key color. A Slick Stick has produced some fish but that bite seems to just be starting. When working these baits vary your presentation to see what they want that day and don't be too quick on the hookset as often it takes them several strikes to get the bait. The largemouth bite back in the creeks and pockets has picked up so a frog or a top water swimbait will work to catch them. For the suspended fish you see over the structure FFS and a Spot Choker with a three inch bait is the choice. Work the bait at the depth of the bass and once you see them react speed up the retrieve to imitate a fleeing shad. There are more fish showing up on the docks so start at the deeper docks and move toward the shallower ones to get the correct depth to target. A three sixteenths shakey head and a green pumpkin red trick worm will draw the bites. It's typical September weather moving from cool to hot so watch for the bass to react to the temperature change and the depth they are. The heavy boat traffic is gone so Go Catch 'Em!

Striped Bass (report courtesy of Buck Cannon (404-510-1778), via Ken Sturdivant, Southern Fishing):

Lake Lanier stripers are on the move again and moving up the river channels will be the best bet. Downlines with blue backs fishing 30 to 50 feet deep near humps and ditches have proven to be working. Always have a flat line out the back for that extra bite. Drumming seems to work well to bring in some extra bites. Another option is pulling umbrella rigs and lead core at 2.5 to 3.5 mph and run this back 8 to 9 colors (250 to 300 feet rigs 120 to 150 feet at same speed. Always have a top water reel ready they will surprise you at any moment.

Lanier Fly Fishing Report (This report courtesy of Joseph Clark of Joseph Clark Flyfishing and Unicoi Outfitters): Bass fishing on Lanier has been good over the past week. With cooler temps I've seen multiple schools and wolf packs of spots schooling over and around structure. Fishing flukes, walking baits, and serpentine swimbaits has been most productive for the fish on top. For flies, Clousers, kinky muddlers, and Game changers have been the ticket. Fall season is almost here and our stripers will be up high and happy soon.

Lake 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.

WEST POINT LAKE

West Point Bass (Courtesy of Ken Sturdivant https://www.southernfishing.com) - West point Lake is down 7.5 feet, and in the 80s. Bass fishing is fair. Expect to move a lot each day. There are some fish out deeper on the humps and main lake points around brush and timber but it's a tough bite. The bass are scattered and scanning with the Lowrance Structure Scan technology can locate the fish fast. A few fish on are on top water lures like a Whopper Plopper and Zoom Super Flukes. Work the mid lake in the creeks and pockets and if the bait fish are close by the bass will be too. These spotted bass in the lake seem to be roaming more than usual. The fish are starting to school a little bit better, but a good bite is to look for the wolf pack fish up shallow on the flats. Throw walking baits or flukes when they come up. The road bed bite has been up and down. Keep the Pop R and small Zara Spooks ready on the locations as the fish can come up at any time. Find the bait and the fish are going to be close by. The better bite is down toward the dam that is where the bait is headed.

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.

WEISS LAKE

Lake Weiss Bass (Courtesy of Ken Sturdivant https://www.southernfishing.com) - Weiss Lake is full, and in the 80s. Bass fishing is fair. Most fish are on a deeper, summer pattern on road beds and main lake points, and creek and river channel ledges. Crank baits, spinner baits are catching fish. With the latest heat wave the water has heated back up, and the fishing has got a lot tougher. A good cooling trend in September, should trigger some better fishing. Any time they are generating power, the point at the mouth of the canal is producing some good fishing.

Crappie (Courtesy of Ken Sturdivant, Southern Fishing): Weiss Lake is full, and in the 80s. Bass fishing is fair. Most fish are on a deeper, summer pattern on road beds and main lake points, and creek and river channel ledges. Crank baits, spinner baits are catching fish. With the latest heat wave the water has heated back up, and the fishing has got a lot tougher. A good cooling trend in September, should trigger some better fishing. Any time they are generating power, the point at the mouth of the canal is producing some good fishing.

TROUT REPORT

Trout Streams Report (Courtesy of Tad Murdoch from Georgia Wild Trout)- September has arrived. The bug diversity is rising once again as small hatches have begun to increase. Caddis and midges continue to be the most abundant in the streams I have visited over the past few weeks with the occasional mayfly here and there. We have even seen a handful of the October caddis that can quickly get the trout looking to the surface. The trout have been going back and forth from incredibly active to temperamental at times but can be caught on just about any nymph or junk pattern in the box if it's presented correctly. We have seen most of these swings occur around rain. If you manage to catch the timing right, the dry fly bite can be excellent. Larger dry fly patters (caddis, stimulators, and hoppers) have done well at these times when the fish are looking up for a meal. A dry dropper has become a go to when sight fishing trout in skinny water with a stealthier presentation. The lower water levels on days without rainfall can be difficult as the trout become skittish. If you can get into position without spooking the fish, chances are you can get a good shot at the trout.

Chattahoochee Tailwater Report (Courtesy of Tad Murdoch from Georgia Wild Trout)- Headwaters will remain really low, really clear, and surprising cool for this time of the year, thanks to this string of cooler nights. To see how hot they're getting, I checked several yesterday at 6PM. Upper Smith was 66, Spoilcane was 67, the river on the lower end of the WMA was 68 (with leftover stockers finning in the pool), and a high trib was 66. Trout will eat well at those water temperatures IF you don't spook them. Creep up to those drought refuges (pools and logjams) and toss your favorite fluffy dry in there. Be ready for a real fast strike! Tan caddis, para-Adams, and plenty of High N Dry desiccant are highly recommended for blueline trout stalkers.

The Truth About "Turnover" (courtesy of Fisheries Biologist John Damer)- The timely info given above by Georgia Wild Trout about fishing conditions on the Hooch is very important for anglers fishing the tailwaters below our large dams. This includes the Chattahoochee River below Buford Dam, but also the Toccoa River below Blue Ridge Dam, and many other non-trout waters like the Etowah River below Allatoona Dam. But why is the water off-color and often stinky in these tailwaters during the Fall each year? We have a whole page on our WRD website dedicated to this topic, which you can find HERE . Read that article to find out why this period of "turnover" is very poorly named by anglers, and how soon these tailwaters might return to "normal" when destratification happens.

The Dredger's Weekly Report (This report courtesy of Jeff "Dredger" Durniak at Unicoi Outfitters) - Unicoi Outfitters puts out a full fishing report every Friday. Although this week's report was not yet posted as of this writing, you should be able to find it HERE later today.

Etowah River Headwaters Article (This report courtesy of Jimmy Jacobs from On the Fly South) - The most recent edition of "On the Fly South" online magazine has some great info for fishing the headwaters of the Etowah River near Dahlonega. Click HERE to find the article.

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

Parting Trout Note: 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. Hatcheries and wild trout efforts both benefit from the trout tag.

CENTRAL GEORGIA

The Central Georgia report will be back next week with fresh fishing info. Until then, check out the Fishing Forecasts reports for major reservoirs and rivers to get great intel to make your day on the water successful! GeorgiaWildlife.com/fishing-forecasts