Ohoopee River Bream

Chris Edenfield with a nice Ohoopee River redbreast. Expect to catch plenty of fish like this if you make a trip to the river this month. Chris has 40 years of experience fishing the Ohoopee and also runs Tiger Creek Bait & Tackle in Vidalia.

If you’ve ever run across one of my Satilla River stories in the pages of GON, then you know I’m more than a little partial to my home river, and I’ve always been convinced that other fisheries just couldn’t compare, especially when it comes to redbreast fishing.

Then last summer I decided to test the waters around south Georgia to determine if in fact the Satilla was the best fishery in the southern part of the Peach State. I worked on GON stories for both the Ogeechee and Canoochee and was impressed to say the very least.

I quickly realized that outside of my tunnel vision love for the Satilla, there are other rivers that offer some phenomenal panfishing in southeastern Georgia. I decided to continue my search for top-notch rivers this summer, and this led me to the Ohoopee River.

Somehow or another, the Ohoopee hides in the shadows and gets very little press when it comes to southeast Georgia rivers. At a little more than a hundred miles long, it quietly cuts and winds its way through southeast Georgia, eventually merging into the mighty Altamaha.

This is where Chris Edenfield comes into the picture. Chris has spent the past 40 years or so fishing the river as often as he can, and he’s learned a lot of things along the way.

I managed to snag a seat in Chris’ boat so he could show me first-hand and give GON readers some insight to just how good the fishing can be on the river. Due to scheduling, we had to fish the river under less-than-optimal, high-water conditions, but we still managed to catch some really good fish in the process, including some really nice rooster redbreasts.

The good news is by the time you’re reading this, the river should be falling out and setting up right for some great summertime fishing. Here’s a breakdown of where Chris likes to go, and what he likes to throw on the river this month.

Location

There are three main ramps that Chris likes to use on the river. Here’s a quick breakdown on each.

James Toler Road: This ramp is the farthest upriver, and it’s also where you’ll find the Ohoopee running smaller. Chris says the river fishes pretty good here if the level is reading between 5 and 6 feet on the Reidsville gauge.

“I take a look online before I head to any of these ramps, and for me that 5- to 6-foot range is the magic number for good fishing on the river. Some of the local folks like it a touch lower, but the lower it gets, the harder it is to get around,” said Chris.

Chris fishes out of a 1442 jonboat powered by a 25-hp Tohatsu outboard, and he says that even though it gets a little tight in this section of the river, you can still get around pretty good.

“You’ll have some trees down here and there, and it’ll get real skinny in some places, but you can work your way through. It doesn’t get pressured as much as some of the larger sections, and there are definitely some good fish in this part of the river,” said Chris.

Prison Landing/State Patrol Landing: This landing is located just down the road from Rogers State Prison. The river sets up a little different here, according to Chris.

“The river gets bigger here, and it doesn’t twist and turn as much. It runs straighter and stays pretty flat. The fishing is good through here, but the scenery is definitely a little different,” said Chris.

Tattnall Landing: This ramp is less than a half mile from where the Ohoopee feeds into the Altamaha, and according to Chris, you can find a little bit of everything to fish in this section of the river.

“Good current, willows, bluff walls, giant sandbars, you name it, and this section has it. There’s plenty of good areas to target, especially upriver from the ramp. Right through this stretch the Ohoopee really resembles the Satilla, and the fishing is really good, especially during June and the early part of July,” said Chris.

Chris methodically works a topwater bug along the bank of the Ohoopee River.

Lures/Equipment

With a few good locations to drop in the boat, the next question is what’s gonna get you bit during the summer months. Chris doesn’t keep a big tackle box in the boat, but the lures he brings, he believes in.

Topwater Bug: Chris says he starts every trip fishing a bream bug, and admits it’s his favorite way to catch big panfish on the river.

“There’s just something special about watching them hit it on top. There’s just nothing like watching a big rooster redbreast come up and blow a hole in the water,” said Chris.

Chris says he has tried a bunch of bugs on the river and says that for the past few years his favorite has been a GA Boy Lures Swamp Spider.

“The spider has got some really long legs, and that gives it a bunch of action even when you’re not moving it. It’s also super durable, and it’ll hold up even after catching 50 to 75 fish or more,” said Chris.

Chris fishes the Swamp Spider on a Zebco ZD2 or ZD3 spincast combo, depending on the conditions and how much cover he’s fishing around.

“I used to only fish the ZD2, but lately I’ve realized the ZD3 can cast just as far, and due to its larger size, you can get by with heavier line. That heavier line really gives you an advantage when a big rooster bites around heavy wood cover,” Chris added.

He spools his ZD3 reel with 10-lb. Silver Thread Copolymer line and says he likes it due to it not seeming to have as bad of memory as traditional monofilament fishing line. He says he really got turned onto it when he started carrying it as his shop, Tiger Creek Bait & Tackle.

“I started carrying it at my store, and to be honest I hadn’t tried it yet. People that were buying it bragged about just how good it was, and I gave it a try myself. Ever since then it’s what I spool up with and believe in. It’s great line, and by today’s standards, it’s super affordable,” said Chris.

To make long, accurate casts with the super light spider, Chris adds a tiny pea-sized piece of plastic worm to the shank of the hook to give it some added weight. Due to the plastic’s semi-buoyancy, the bug is still able to float and fish correctly on top of the water.

“You can try the plastic worm trick on about any topwater bug as long as the hook is big enough. That Swamp Spider has a big hook and there’s extra room where you can push that plastic up out of the way,” said Chris.

Chris fishes a white spider the majority of the time, but he will also fish a green one if fish seem to lack interest in the white. He keys on areas where there are breaks in the current, most often around structure.

“When I see some structure that looks like a fish might be holding on, I like to make a cast about 10 to 15 feet upriver of it and let the bug drift toward it. I usually give it a few wiggles and pauses as it works its way down to the target. If he’s there, he’ll eat it,” said Chris.

Chris went on to say that there are times when, for whatever reason, the topwater bite will shut down, and then it’s a good idea to try something different.

Spinnerbait: When the topwater bite dies, Chris turns to a spinnerbait to finish filling up the cooler. Though a traditional Beetle Spin is a favorite on the river, Chris likes a little more beef to his spinnerbaits.

“I like several different brands of spinnerbaits on the Ohoopee. I like the Satilla Spin and the Colt .45 spinnerbaits the best on the river, and both for different reasons. The Satilla Spin has a smaller profile, and it will help you fill the icebox up in a hurry. The Colt .45 is a little beefier, and it tends to draw some bites from bigger fish,” said Chris.

Chris went on to say that he fishes several other types of spinnerbaits on the Ohoopee, and they all work pretty well. He favors colors like red and white and also likes darker spinnerbaits, like brown and black.

“I think they’ll bite a ton of different colors, so it really comes down to what you’re confident in to get the job done. I do recommend sticking to a 1/8-oz. size, as it seems to work best on the river at getting down in the current,” said Chris.

Chris fishes the spinnerbait around the same structure and with the same rod/reel combo that he fishes the Swamp Spider. When he makes a cast, he likes to let the lure sink a second or so before he begins his retrieve. He brings it back to the boat at a moderate speed and said it’s important to pay attention to how the fish are reacting to the bait.

“If you’re getting a bunch of bumps but not hooking up, try slowing down a little bit. This usually helps your hook-up rate when they aren’t really jumping on it. On the flip side, if they are really eating it, you can get by with a faster retrieve and that will help you cover water quickly and pick up aggressive fish,” said Chris.

Chris’s favorite lures on the river are floating spiders and spinnerbaits. He says a tiny buzzbait is also a good option for bass.

Crickets: It’s hard to beat what the Good Lord made when it comes to catching fish. Chris said that crickets are a favorite amongst locals on the river, and floating a cricket a foot or so under a cork along the bank will definitely put you on a fast track to a fish fry. The only downside is you can expect to catch more small fish than you would fishing with artificial lures.

Though you won’t find redbreast in the Ohoopee growing quite as large as their Satilla cousins, quality fish are present, and there are a pile of them. Fifty- to 75-fish days are still common on the river, and redbreast seem to be in more abundance than on the Satilla, where it continues to face sure destruction from the flathead invasion.

So is the Ohoopee a better river? Well, I can’t say it is, but I can’t say it’s not, either. It’s definitely underrated and definitely worth a trip this month. You can bet the fishing is gonna be hot, and don’t be surprised if you see me. I’m already in the process of lining up another trip to the river with Chris!

To connect with Chris, visit his Facebook page, Tiger Creek Bait & Tackle. He stocks all the gear you need for a trip to the river and says he’s happy to offer advice to anyone who reaches out to him.

Don’t Forget The Bass Gear On The Ohoopee

If you make a trip to the Ohoopee this month, you can bet the bass will be biting, too. Chris says that small, 1⁄8-oz. buzzbaits are his favorite thing to throw, and it’s hard to beat white or black. He says soft plastics also work well, and dark colors, like black or junebug, are good choices on the river. Chris said that though you might not catch as many fish as in other south Georgia rivers, there is a surprising number of bass in the 4- to 6-lb. range swimming in the river.

“The locals don’t talk very much about the bass fishing in the Ohoopee, and that’s why you don’t hear much about it. They like to keep it a secret,” Chris said with a laugh.