Lake Blue Ridge Fishing Report – December 2023

Blue Ridge: Level: 10.5 feet below 1681. Temp: 59-61 degrees. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Eric Welch, of Welch’s Guide Service reports, “Fishing has been good. We are almost at normal winter pool. There has been some topwater action throughout the day. I like throwing a Whooper Plooper and a Strike King Sexy Dawg Jr. I will use a drop shot with a 6.5-inch Roboworm, a 3.5-inch tube and a Strike King 3.25-inch Rage Swimmer swimbait. I will rig the Rage Swimmer on a 1/4-oz. swimbait head and cast it out and let it sink. Then I will slowly roll it back. As the water temp continues to drop, you will see the fish start bunching up around deep points and bank lines that a creek or river runs close to. You can use some of the baits that I have mentioned, but it’s hard to beat a Flex-it spoon in the winter on these deep, north Georgia lakes. Once the water temps get in the mid 50s, I will start throwing a Float-n-Fly, and there are a couple of different ways we fish it. One is with a small, hand-tied 1/32-oz. hair fly with a 10- to 15-foot leader. We’ll fish it on rocky banks and points. The other way is with a 20- to 35-foot leader with a line through the float with a 1/32-oz. weight hook and a small Tiny Fluke. We’ll fish this from the mouths of pockets and fish our way in. A jerkbait and an A-rig catch good fish this time of year. Good luck.”

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Walleye: Eric Crowley with Lake And Stream Guide Service reports, “The walleye bite continues to be consistent as the temps and lake levels fall. We are in the sweet spot now. Cool water and steady weather make for good morning feeding patterns. We have seen some really nice fish in the 23- to 24-inch range in the last few weeks as we get more and more cold front/low pressure systems. Fish the pre-frontal and frontal days for the best success. Clouds, rain and overcast days are your friends this month. Everything we are having success on is vertical, bringing the bait to the fish versus making them chase it. Smaller baits are getting bit by some really big fish, so make sure and mix up your presentation. Color selection seems to be standard for walleye anywhere. Reds, greens, purple, black or gold are the usual choices, but make sure and mix in some other choices as some days it can make all the difference.”

Multiple Species: Eric Crowley with Lake And Stream Guide Service reports, “The perch bite was on and off last month with all the warm weather but should be more consistent this month as the big females show up. Small spoons, minnows, even worms are good options. I’ve been catching a lot of bass dropping spoons in 35 feet of water. The 3/4-oz. Krocodile spoon and a Blue Fox Pixie Spoon are my go-to spoons for spotted bass. One has a longer profile, while the other is shorter and falls a bit slower. Blue, yellow or straight chrome has been getting the job done.”