Lake Nottely Fishing Report July 2017

Nottely: Level: 1.6 above full pool. Temp: Low 80s. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Shane Goebel of Big Ol’ Fish Guiding Service reports, “Spotted bass fishing has been outstanding. These fish are finally off the beds and are schooled up. We’ve been wearing out some nice spots every trip lately. Work shallow humps, creek mouths and clay banks. Also, target brushpiles throughout the lake. We are picking up some quality fish on jerkbaits, flukes and Spooks. Look for these bass to continue to school through the rest of next month.”

Stripers: Guide Jeremy Seabolt reports, “Fishing has been good. We have been catching fish from one end lake to other. The fish are schooling up in big groups on the lower end of lake around Point 4 and in the mouth of Gray Cove. We been catching our fish over 60-foot bottoms by downlining herring. The fish have been on the move. When you find the big schools of stripers, you better be ready to stay on top of them. They’re moving fast. We have been doing good in the middle of the day, catching them over the river channel. And there is also a good umbrella-rig bite going on, too. We have been running our rigs back 110 to 130 feet out, trolling them at 2.5 to 3 mph. By mid July, we should be on one of the best downline bites you can ask for. Just remember, don’t stress the fish any more than you got to—snap a pic and get them back in water as fast as you can.” Big Ol’ Fish Guiding Service reports, “July is a great month for fishing in the north Georgia mountains, and there’s no better lake to hook some awesome stripers than Lake Nottely. Striper fishing has been excellent. We have been loading the boat with some big fish in good quantities, averaging 20 to 30 stripers a trip. The early morning and evening bites are your best times to see action. In the early morning hours, we are still pulling some freelines with our downlines. Keep your freelines 100 to 150 feet behind the boat, and as the sun comes up in the late-morning hours, switch to all downlines. Target creek mouths and points off the main lake channel. Also, during the hot, sunny days of summer, search out areas with some good shade. The majority of our fish have been caught from Point 7 to the dam. The topwater bite has slowed a bit, but I still like to keep a Spook or a Red Fin at the ready to snag surface-busting fish. The fish will continue to school up through the next couple months and will move to even deeper water. Just remember to keep an eye on your electronics, and watch for schools of stripers when cruising the lake. Also, remember to try to get the fish back into the water as quickly as possible after they are caught.”