Okefenokee Swamp Fishing Reports: April 24, 2025

Caleb Williams with a nice warmouth caught on the east side of the swamp.

The Okefenokee Swamp has been producing some really nice catches for anglers the past couple of weeks, and whether you’re looking to catch warmouth, catfish or jackfish, the time to go is now. Several weeks of wet weather had pushed the fish out in the prairies, and now that the water is receding, the fish are stacking back up in the main run of the swamp. And they are fat and sassy.

Catfish: Josh Forsythe, a local swamp angler, said, “We fished downriver from Lem Griffis Fish Camp a few days ago, and we managed to catch about 60 catfish in a few hours of fishing. They were all brown bullheads, and in my opinion, they are the best-eating fish in the Swamp when you serve them with some cheese grits.”

Josh said that raw shrimp seasoned with garlic salt fished on the bottom around trashpiles and on deep bends will get you bit nearly every cast and keep you cleaning fish longer than you want to.

Warmouth: The warmouth are all the buzz this time of year amongst local anglers, and it’s just about time for them to really fire off, and according to Josh, that could be any day now.

“My uncle went a few days ago and only caught 15 on the Folkston side, but this weekend you might go and catch 200. When the big wave of spawners pull up, they will be everywhere.”

Josh says that both the Folkston and Fargo sides should produce this weekend, but typically the Folkston side will have more fish pull up early. Crawfish, crickets and crappie jigs fished under corks are all good bets.

Jackfish: Jackfish are another fish fun to target this time of year, and they are willing to bite just about anything you throw in front of them. One key to remember is that if you think you’re fishing too fast, go faster! You can’t outrun these swamp missiles, and they are willing to chew on anything from inline spinners, topwater plugs, crankbaits and small spinnerbaits. If you’d prefer to kick back and relax, trolling a couple of lures behind the boat is also a good bet.

Bowfin: They might not be a favorite among many anglers, but these toothy jokers know how to strip drag, and they are willing to bite all day long. Mudfish can be caught on just about anything they can fit in their mouth. Try hopping Texas-rigged soft plastics on the bottom during the midday heat. Slow-rolling inline spinners is also a sure way to get bit.

For more information on Swamp fishing, check out Josh’s YouTube channel, Fishin with Forsythe. He has several videos on the Okefenokee he uploaded last year.