Georgia fishing reports
480 reports for Georgia — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Bass moving offshore on Lanier and Allatoona as post-spawn transition peaks
The USGS gauge on the Chattahoochee below Buford Dam (site 02334430) recorded 644 cfs at 48°F in the predawn hours of June 17 — cold hypolimnetic releases keeping the tailwater stretch viable for trout even as Lanier's surface warms into summer. GA Sportsman's June 13 Southern Waters Fishing Report notes that "lakes and ponds have produced some of the best reports" of the week across Georgia. Bass are the primary story on both impoundments right now. Post-spawn largemouth and spotted bass have largely vacated the spawning flats and are settling onto deeper offshore structure and channel edges — the transitional window On The Water identifies as one of summer's trickiest but most rewarding patterns to dial in. Catfish fishing typically strengthens through June as water warms, a pattern Wired 2 Fish highlights in current catfish spawn coverage. Tonight's waxing crescent moon favors low-light feeding windows at dawn and dusk.
Hartwell Bass Running Hot as Savannah River Holds Steady
The Skeeter Team Tournament Trail at Lake Hartwell this past weekend produced a winning five-fish bag of 23 lbs 8 oz — headlined by a 5 lb 12 oz kicker — across a field of 93 teams, pointing to strong largemouth action on the upper Savannah system (GA Sportsman / Georgia Outdoor News). The Savannah River at Clyo is running 4,390 cfs and steady as of June 16 (USGS gauge 02197000), corroborating the GA Sportsman June 13 Southern Waters report that placed the Clyo gauge at 3.9 feet and holding. Captain Travis Harper has been putting clients on trout on the high rivers, and that same report notes lakes and ponds have delivered the most consistent results of the week statewide. Rivers remain fishable after a recent stretch of Georgia rain, and the New Moon (June 17) should concentrate feeding activity into low-light windows at dawn and dusk. Early-summer patterns are locking in across both the Chattahoochee and Savannah drainages.
Post-spawn bass fire at Hartwell as Skeeter field pulls 23-lb winning bag
The 2026 Skeeter Team Tournament Trail at Lake Hartwell wrapped last weekend with a field of 93 teams, and the results signal quality largemouth on the move. Jason Burroughs and Alan Bennett topped the board with a five-fish limit weighing 23 lbs 8 oz — anchored by a 5 lb 12 oz kicker — earning a perfect 300 points toward season standings, per GA Sportsman/Georgia Outdoor News. Organizers noted a welcome break from the rain that had been hammering Georgia, with skies clearing for competition day. Joshua Barber's Southern Waters Fishing Report (via GA Sportsman/Georgia Outdoor News) logged the Savannah River at Clyo at 3.9 feet and steady as of June 11, suggesting stable inflows into the Hartwell/Russell chain. With the New Moon falling June 17, low-light dawn and dusk windows should keep bass active along shallower structure a bit longer before the summer thermocline fully locks in. No live surface temperature data was available this cycle; check current readings before heading out.
Georgia inshore lights up for seatrout as new moon tides arrive
Captain Travis Harper has been putting clients on solid spotted seatrout along Georgia's inshore coast, according to Joshua Barber's Southern Waters Fishing Report (June 13, GA Sportsman / Georgia Outdoor News) — the clearest saltwater signal available this week. No NOAA buoy readings are in this cycle, so exact sea surface temperatures are unconfirmed, but mid-June in Georgia's tidal marsh system typically sees water in the low-to-mid 80s. The same report lists river gauges as of June 11: the Altamaha at 7.2 feet and falling, the Savannah at 3.9 feet and steady — declining freshwater input generally translates to improving salinity and clarity in the estuaries. Today's New Moon sets up some of the month's strongest tidal exchanges over the next several days, creating prime windows on creek mouths, oyster bars, and grass flats across the Golden Isles corridor and the coastal marsh system.
Lanier & Allatoona bass tracking herring schools as summer sets in
Georgia lakes have been producing some of the strongest freshwater reports of the week, per GA Sportsman / Georgia Outdoor News (June 13). For Lake Lanier and Allatoona specifically, the sharpest technique signal this cycle comes from MLF News: 18-year-old Jack Story, who honed his craft on Lake Lanier, secured his Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American victory at Lake Murray by targeting herring-oriented bass on points and supplementing them with fry-guarders in the shallows: a direct window into what's drawing strikes on Lanier's current summer playbook. The new moon on June 16 should tighten low-light feeding windows at first light and dusk, when fish push up to ambush threadfin herring near structure. No buoy or gauge data was available this reporting cycle, so water temperature remains unconfirmed. The Georgia Wildlife Blog — Fishing noted a Free Fishing Day on June 13, which likely added weekend pressure to public-access banks across both reservoirs.
Record bluegill on the Savannah anchors a solid early-summer Georgia run
A new bluegill record on the Savannah River underscores a strong early-summer run across Georgia's freshwater corridor. Seth Seckinger of Springfield pulled a 1-lb., 10.1-oz. bluegill from the Savannah on June 6 using a white Beetle Spin tipped with a cricket — enough to set a river record, per GA Sportsman / Georgia Outdoor News. On the tournament circuit, bass anglers are posting quality bags: William Bates of Alpharetta won the Phoenix Bass Fishing League event at Clarks Hill Lake with 18 lbs, 5 oz (MLF News), while a 23-lb., 8-oz. five-fish limit topped the Skeeter Team Trail at Lake Hartwell among 93 teams after a recent break in the rain (GA Sportsman / Georgia Outdoor News). The June 13 Southern Waters Report notes that inland lakes and ponds are leading the week's best returns, with Captain Travis Harper putting clients on trout in the river system. The Savannah at Clyo was steady at 3.9 feet as of June 11, with other south Georgia gauges trending lower.
Hartwell bass running strong as summer patterns lock in
The Skeeter Team Tournament Trail at Lake Hartwell delivered a competitive showing last weekend, with Jason Burroughs and Alan Bennett claiming top honors on a 23-lb., 8-oz. five-fish limit including a 5-lb., 12-oz. kicker — per GA Sportsman / Georgia Outdoor News, a field of 93 teams found bass willing after recent Georgia rains gave way to clearing skies. Downstream on the Savannah chain, the Phoenix Bass Fishing League at Clarks Hill produced an 18-lb., 5-oz. winning bag for William Bates of Alpharetta, per MLF News, confirming a healthy bass bite across the chain. Joshua Barber's Southern Waters Fishing Report (June 13, via GA Sportsman / Georgia Outdoor News) noted that lakes and ponds are generating the best reports of the week, with the Savannah River at Clyo holding a steady 3.9 feet as of June 11. Rounding out an active week on the system, a new Savannah River record bluegill of 1 lb., 10.1 oz. was landed on June 6 on a white Beetle Spin tipped with a cricket, per GA Sportsman / Georgia Outdoor News.
Georgia Coast Trout Bite Picks Up as New Moon Tides Kick In
Captain Travis Harper has been putting clients on nice trout along the Georgia coast this week, according to the June 13 Southern Waters Fishing Report from GA Sportsman / Georgia Outdoor News, the most current on-water dispatch for this stretch of Atlantic coastline. No NOAA buoy readings were available for Georgia coastal waters at press time, so sea surface temperatures remain unconfirmed; anglers should check local sources before heading out. Today's New Moon (June 15) sets up strong tidal swings through the marsh creeks and sounds that define Georgia's inshore zone, compressing feeding windows into predictable moving-tide events. Sport Fishing Mag's salt marsh guide notes oyster bars and grass edges as the most consistent inshore producers from the Gulf to the Carolinas during warm-weather months. River levels on the Altamaha (7.2 feet, falling) and Savannah (3.9 feet, steady) as of June 11 suggest moderate freshwater influence entering coastal sounds this week.
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.