Georgia fishing reports
352 reports for Georgia — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Savannah yields river-record bluegill as Georgia lakes deliver strong bass bags
A 1-lb., 10.1-oz. bluegill pulled from the Savannah River on June 6 set a new river record, per GA Sportsman / Georgia Outdoor News — Seth Seckinger of Springfield landed it on a white Beetle Spin tipped with a cricket, certified at Richmond Fish Hatchery. That record signals panfish are in peak early-summer form across Georgia's freshwater systems. Lake Hartwell backed it up this past weekend: after a stretch of heavy rain, clearing skies drew 93 teams to the Skeeter Bass Challenge, where the winning bag reached 23 lbs. 8 oz. with a 5-lb., 12-oz. kicker. The Georgia Wildlife Blog notes the full open-water season is in swing, with Bass Slam and Trout Slam challenges drawing anglers statewide. Captain Travis Harper has been putting clients on trout in the upper river systems, per the June 13 Southern Waters Fishing Report in GA Sportsman. River levels are falling across Georgia gauges post-rain, with the Savannah at Clyo steady at 3.9 feet as of June 11.
Hartwell bass bite is on as Savannah chain enters summer pattern
A 93-team Skeeter Bass Challenge at Lake Hartwell produced a winning five-fish limit of 23 pounds, 8 ounces — anchored by a 5-pound, 12-ounce kicker — confirming largemouth are actively feeding as the Savannah chain moves into early summer, per GA Sportsman/Georgia Outdoor News. A break from recent Georgia rains cleared skies and settled water conditions ahead of the tournament weekend. Joshua Barber's June 13 Southern Waters report (GA Sportsman) pegs the Savannah River at Clyo running 3.9 feet and steady, with lakes and ponds now generating the strongest fishing reports of the week. Panfish are also producing across the drainage: a new Savannah River record bluegill — 1 pound, 10.1 ounces — fell June 6 to a white Beetle Spin tipped with a cricket. With the new moon today, topwater windows are narrowed to first-light and final-hour sessions before the sun drives fish off the shallows.
Georgia Highland Reservoirs Firing as Spotted Bass Key on Herring in Mid-June
GA Sportsman's Joshua Barber put out a June 13 Southern Waters report noting that 'lakes and ponds have produced some of the best reports' of the past week across Georgia, a trend consistent with what mid-June typically delivers on Lake Lanier and Lake Allatoona. No direct buoy or gauge readings are available for either reservoir this cycle, but the sharpest Lanier-specific intel comes from MLF News: Jack Story's Phoenix BFL All-American championship at Lake Murray was won on 'herring eater' techniques on offshore points, skills he credited to patterns honed at Lake Lanier. The Georgia Wildlife Blog confirmed June 13 as a Free Fishing Day statewide, drawing added pressure to both lakes during National Fishing and Boating Week. With today's new moon, first-light and dusk feeding windows tend to sharpen. Spotted bass and striped bass suspended over main-lake humps following shad and herring schools represent the primary target on both reservoirs.
Seatrout Running Well Along the Georgia Coast as June Heat Sets In
Captain Travis Harper has been consistently putting clients on quality spotted seatrout along the Georgia coast, per Joshua Barber's Southern Waters Fishing Report in GA Sportsman / Georgia Outdoor News (June 13). River gauge readings from the same report show the Savannah River at Clyo holding steady at 3.9 feet while the Altamaha at Doctortown has fallen to 7.2 feet and continues dropping; receding river levels typically improve estuary water clarity as runoff retreats, a favorable trend for inshore sight-fishing. No NOAA buoy temperature data is available this cycle, so anglers should verify current conditions locally. The Georgia Wildlife Blog notes National Fishing and Boating Week concluded June 14, a period that traditionally draws heavy angler traffic to Georgia's coastal waterways. A New Moon on June 15 sets up strong tidal exchanges through the week, which should push baitfish deep into marsh creeks on the flood and concentrate predators on oyster bar edges and creek-mouth drop-offs on the ebb, an ideal inshore setup for both seatrout and redfish.
New Savannah River bluegill record highlights Georgia's summer freshwater bite
A record Savannah River bluegill is the headline this week: Seth Seckinger of Springfield landed a 1-lb., 10.1-oz. fish on June 6 using a white Beetle Spin tipped with a cricket, per GA Sportsman / Georgia Outdoor News. Captain Travis Harper is also putting clients on nice trout, according to the same source's June 13 Southern Waters report, with anglers on high rivers finding solid action. Lakes and ponds are drawing the strongest freshwater bite statewide — GA Sportsman notes those produced the best reports of the week. The Savannah at Clyo was holding at 3.9 feet and steady as of June 11, offering fishable wading conditions on that system. The Georgia Wildlife Blog confirms fishing has been great across the state throughout National Fishing and Boating Week, which concluded Sunday, June 14. With today's new moon, low-light and nighttime windows for catfish and bass across the Chattahoochee and Savannah systems deserve attention this weekend.
Bream lights up Savannah chain as summer bass push to deeper structure
Lakes and ponds across Georgia are producing some of the best fishing of the season, according to the June 13 Southern Waters Fishing Report in GA Sportsman / Georgia Outdoor News. On the Hartwell and Russell system, USGS gauge 02192000 recorded 588 cfs Sunday evening, reflecting controlled releases typical for June. The most notable recent catch from the Savannah chain came June 6, when Springfield angler Seth Seckinger landed a 1-lb., 10.1-oz. bluegill on the Savannah River using a white Beetle Spin tipped with a cricket, a new Savannah River record per GA Sportsman / Georgia Outdoor News. With the new moon coinciding with mid-June heat, largemouth and striped bass are completing their post-spawn transition to offshore structure. Crankbaits, wobble head jigs, and Carolina rigs on channel transitions and submerged timber are the reliable summer playbook per Wired 2 Fish and Tactical Bassin. Georgia Wildlife Blog notes National Fishing and Boating Week ran through June 14, with a Free Fishing Day on June 13.
Lanier tailwater cold and productive as lakes shift into summer bass patterns
The Chattahoochee tailwater below Buford Dam logged 49°F at 652 cfs as of Sunday evening (USGS gauge 02334430), keeping trout conditions in prime shape below Lake Lanier. On the impoundments themselves, GA Sportsman / Georgia Outdoor News noted in their June 13 report that "lakes and ponds have produced some of the best reports" received all week. Bass on both Lanier and Allatoona are settling into early-summer patterns: active topwater during the first hour of light, then retreating to deeper structure as temperatures climb. The new moon (June 15) favors strong dawn-and-dusk feeding windows through the weekend. Georgia's National Fishing and Boating Week concluded June 14, and June 13 was a statewide Free Fishing Day — Georgia Wildlife Blog — Fishing noted the event brought many new anglers to the water. Shad-imitating swimbaits and deep-diving crankbaits are the carry-over techniques as bass transition away from shallow post-spawn haunts.
Georgia Coast Seatrout Running Well as New Moon Tides Build
Captain Travis Harper was putting clients on nice trout this past week, per the GA Sportsman / Georgia Outdoor News June 13 Southern Waters report — the clearest coastal indicator in a fishing week that coincided with National Fishing and Boating Week and Georgia's Free Fishing Day on June 13. No NOAA buoy data is available for this cycle, but falling river levels on the Altamaha (7.2 ft and falling), Savannah (3.9 ft and steady), and Ocmulgee (1.9 ft and falling), per GA Sportsman / Georgia Outdoor News, suggest easing freshwater discharge into coastal estuaries — a condition that typically strengthens salinity in tidal marshes and concentrates bait in creek mouths and drains. With a new moon on June 15 generating the month's strongest tidal swings, the moving-water windows that Georgia's inshore gamefish depend on are setting up well. Salt Strong's summer-edition southeastern surf guide notes coastal surf action builds steadily as water temperatures rise through early June.
Savannah River record bluegill headlines a hot mid-June Georgia bite
Seth Seckinger of Springfield landed a new Savannah River record bluegill on June 6 — 1 lb., 10.1 oz., taken on a white Beetle Spin tipped with a cricket, per GA Sportsman / Georgia Outdoor News. That catch reflects what anglers across Georgia are experiencing this week: bluegill and panfish in full summer mode, with lakes and ponds drawing the strongest statewide reports. Captain Travis Harper has also been putting clients on nice trout, per the same source. The Savannah River is running 3.9 feet and steady at Clyo (June 11 gauge reading), with USGS gauge 02197000 upstream reporting 4,870 cfs — a manageable level for wading and bank access. Today closes National Fishing and Boating Week, and the Georgia Wildlife Blog notes that yesterday's Free Fishing Day brought new anglers to public waters statewide. Tonight's new moon should extend low-light feeding windows into early Saturday morning — a prime window for bass and panfish alike.
Summer Bass Patterns Setting Up on Hartwell and Russell as Lakes Produce
GA Sportsman / Georgia Outdoor News' June 13 Southern Waters report notes that lakes and ponds have produced the best fishing reports across Georgia this week, a strong signal for reservoir anglers on the Savannah chain. USGS gauge 02192000 records the Savannah River below Russell Dam at 596 cfs, a stable and moderate release keeping lake levels steady for the weekend. No automated water-temperature readings are available today, though mid-June in the Georgia Piedmont typically pushes surface water into the upper 70s to low 80s°F. The New Moon falls today, concentrating feeding activity into low-light windows at dawn and dusk. A record bluegill weighing 1 lb., 10.1 oz. was caught on the Savannah River on June 6, per GA Sportsman, a benchmark suggesting panfish are actively feeding across the system. Bass are transitioning toward deeper summer haunts; early-morning topwater and offshore crankbaits are the patterns to lean on as heat pushes fish off the shallows.
Lanier & Allatoona bass hitting summer stride as Georgia lakes fire up
Lakes across north Georgia are fishing well right now: GA Sportsman's June 13 Southern Waters report notes that 'lakes and ponds have produced some of the best reports' of the week, a positive signal heading into peak summer on both Lake Lanier and Allatoona. USGS gauge 02334430 recorded 50°F water at 660 cfs on the Chattahoochee tailwater below Buford Dam — frigid cold-water discharge that sustains a productive trout fishery below the dam while reservoir surface temps run considerably warmer. Bass on both lakes are in a classic post-spawn transition, pushing shallow to feed at first light before sliding offshore to deep structure as the sun climbs, per Wired 2 Fish's summer bass breakdown. The New Moon today can sharpen feeding windows at dawn and dusk on both reservoirs. The Georgia Wildlife Blog notes National Fishing and Boating Week wraps up today (June 14), with yesterday a Free Fishing Day — expect boat traffic to ease as the holiday push winds down.
Seatrout Active in Tidal Marshes as Georgia's Summer Inshore Season Builds
Captain Travis Harper has been putting clients on solid trout along Georgia's coastal zone, per the June 13 GA Sportsman / Georgia Outdoor News Southern Waters report — the clearest on-water signal available this week. No NOAA buoy readings or USGS gauge data were returned for this update period, leaving water temperature figures unavailable; pull current tide tables before launching. The Georgia Wildlife Blog confirms National Fishing and Boating Week runs through June 14, with a license-free Free Fishing Day on June 13 drawing additional anglers to Georgia's public waters. Inshore tidal creeks, oyster bars, and grass flats are classic mid-June staging habitat for spotted seatrout along the Georgia coast. Salt marsh edges from the Gulf to the Carolinas are holding red drum this time of year, per Sport Fishing Mag's inshore marsh guide. The new moon on June 14 will drive stronger tidal exchanges over the next 48–72 hours, typically one of the most productive windows for inshore predators.