Lake Blackshear Dependable December Bass Bite

Scott Nichols with an 8.7-lb. bass that anchored a tournament sack of five that weighed 25.7 pounds. This is Scott’s personal best, and it was caught on hole 1 on his map that helps set a December pattern for catching Lake Blackshear bass.

Except for the die-hards, bass fishing might not be on the top of the outdoors to-do list in December. But Lake Blackshear might change that focus back to the water.

Due to low water levels, shad migrations and cooler water temperatures, Lake Blackshear bass are stacking up on predictable structure and cover. You can catch them most days in December with your favorite baits if you go to the right types of places.

Lake Blackshear is an 8,500-acre reservoir on the Flint River between Cordele and Americus. Dammed and filled between 1925 and 1930, this old Crisp County Power Company Lake may be the prettiest in our state. Cypress trees and grassbeds line the often swampy shoreline.

There are many houses and boat docks on the lower lake downstream of the Highway 280 bridge. Upstream, the entire lake is filled with old standing timber, and there are hundreds of acres of cypress swamps.

Veterans State Park is a hub for Lake Blackshear fishing and activities. Veterans is a modern facility with a golf course, cabins and a convention center. There are two boat ramps within the park, an old one with limited parking and a modern tournament-type facility with four ramps, docks and a huge parking lot.

Scott Nichols lives in Leesburg about 20 minutes from the lake. He grew up fishing with his dad and granddad, but they did not concentrate on bass. As a teenager, Scott got with a group of friends who had access to bass boats, and he fell in love with big lakes and bass-boat fishing.

When he was a teenager, Scott bought a bass boat as soon as he could save up enough money to do so. He fished a variety of local tournaments until five years ago when he and Ron Bradley came up with the idea for the Georgia Bass Trail and got it started.

They were lucky enough to find Mike Tarrer to run the trail and have since developed it into one of the best trails in Georgia, with both north and south divisions. Scott fishes the south division, as well as local tournaments.

In September, Scott set his personal best in a couple of categories on Lake Blackshear. He had his biggest largemouth, an 8.7-pounder that anchored a five-bass stringer of 25.7 pounds. The best three bass that day totaled just over 19 pounds.

Things slowed down after that with the fall turnover and changing conditions on Blackshear. In October, bass fishing was much tougher, with 12 pounds winning most tournaments. The week we went to mark a map and log GPS coordinates for this article, Scott won a local tournament with 11.6 pounds.

The good news is things have settled down now that we’re rolling into December. The water has been pulled down about 5 feet below full pool, and that concentrates the bass. The water has finished turning over and has cooled down, and bass have settled on their late fall structure and cover.

“After a dry fall and the annual drawdown, bass are setting up near the mouths of creeks on cover,” Scott said.

Bass are holding where they can ambush shad moving into and out of the creeks and coves, and they take advantage of cover like points and brushpiles.

Grass usually plays an important part in fishing at Blackshear, but it will be dry most of December without unusual rains. However, fishing cover out from the dry grassbeds can be productive.

Scott keeps several baits ready for a variety of cover. He always has an A-rig, a rattlebait, a squarebill crankbait and a bladed jig on the deck of his boat ready to cast. If he is forced to use a slow-moving bait, he will have a shaky head available.

The following 10 locations will show you the types of cove and types of locations where Scott expects to find Lake Blackshear bass in December.

No. 1: N 31º 57.018 – W 83º 55.096 ­— Boy Scout Slough is the creek on the downstream side of Veterans Park. The park hotel and docks sit in this slough. Go back until the deepest water is about 8 feet deep, and work out, fishing back toward the mouth.

That is Scott’s method of attack in most coves and creeks, since the bass usually will not stack up unless the water is at least 8 feet deep. With a 6-foot drawdown, that is usually not very far back in the creeks and coves. As the water level comes up, go farther back.

There is brush in this slough, and this is where Scott had his personal best catch. Although there is not much channel left in most creeks since it has been silted in over the years, the old channel is where the deepest water can be found.

When we fished, bass were chasing shad all over this creek out from the marina docks. They may not be that far back by now. Anytime you see schooling fish, cast any of your baits to them. Scott says bass are feeding on small shad this time of year, so he keeps his baits small to mimic their size.

Work around the depth line, casting to any cover you see. Watch carefully for brush showing in the low water. Crappie and bass fishermen have put out a lot of brush, some of it on flats, and that is a key cover for bass with the low water. And you can usually see the brush if you look closely.

No. 2: N 31º 53.813 – W 83º 55.59 — Run down the lake past Cedar Creek, and watch for some small islands close to the left bank. The last one is on the upstream point of Wolf Slough. There are some docks back in the slough. Stop out from the grass on the island on the upstream side.

Work down to the mouth of the slough, watching for any cover still in the water. There is something of a ledge across the mouth of the slough and bass use it to hem up shad and feast on them. Stay out in at least 6 feet of water, and cast across the drop as you move downstream. Go into the slough as much as you can in the low water.

Scott usually starts with a squarebill and he likes the Strike King KVD 1.5 in shad colors. It is small enough to imitate the size of bait the bass are feeding on. Try to bump the bottom and tick the top of any brush you see or run it beside the brush if it is all the way to the surface.

No. 3: N 31º 54.166 – W 83º 55.496 — Go back upstream to the small cove just downstream of Cedar Creek. It has houses and docks in it and splits into three short arms. There is a deep ditch running into this cove that gives bass good access even with the low water.

Keep your boat in about 6 feet of water and follow that depth around the cove. Watch for any cover that might hold a bass waiting on shad. A brushpile is obvious, but watch carefully for old stumps, logs and rocks. Cast your squarebill and try to bump them.

On the upstream side is a narrow channel that looks like it was dug across the point. Go into it as far as possible and cast a squarebill or bladed jig to a couple feet of water and fish it back to the boat. The bottom is sandy here, and fish may hold anywhere on the narrow channel.

Work the point between the ditch and the river carefully; it has a hard bottom and is an ideal ambush point. Scott likes a ZMan Jackhammer Chatterbait and will go with shad colors in clear water. If the water is stained, he will try a fire-craw color.

No. 4: N 31º 51.253 – W 83º 56.525 — Run all the way down to the dam and go to the right to the small island in the corner. The river channel swings in right by it, offering a good drop from the shallows to the deepest water in the area.

Stay in the river channel and cast toward the bank with any of your baits. You’re hoping to tempt any bass cruising or holding on the drop. Watch for brush, and there are a lot of stumps on the flat and drop that hold bass, too.

A rattlebait like a Redeye Shad allows you to move quickly and cover water effectively. Scott chooses the red color no matter the water color. For some reason it seems to always work well for him, whether the water is clear or stained. Run this bait quickly, keeping it just off the bottom.

No. 5: N 31º 51.205 – W 83º 56.605 — Go over to the dam rip-rap. It runs a long way from the island all the way to the dam itself. The rocks run out to a couple feet deep, even with low water, and bass hold right on the edge of them.

Scott keeps his boat out from the rocks and casts his Redeye Shad close to the edge. He fishes it back out across the outer edge of the rocks. Expect a bite just as the bait comes over the outer edge of the rip-rap. Fish all the way to the concrete part of the dam. Scott says the rocks closest to the dam are usually best.

No. 6: N 31º 50.798 – W 83º 54.919 — Go up Swift Creek under the Georgia Highway 300 bridge. Straight ahead of you the creek goes slightly to the left. Go to the point on the right where the channel swings to the left.

Scott says this is the only place on the lake where he has found a lot of chunk rock. It is scattered on the point, and it holds bass. Start on the downstream side of the point, keeping your boat in at least 6 feet of water and work around it, casting your baits to cover the entire area.

As on other places, current moving across the rocks really helps the bite. Scott says some wind, as long as it is not so strong that it interferes with boat control, can improve the bite. Always work your baits with the current and wind for a natural presentation.

No. 7: N 31º 54.663 – W 83º 54.188 — Go back into Swift Creek until you get to a danger marker in the middle. It’s out from a small island that is on the left and a red-roofed dock on the right. It is located at about the preferred depth for bass to move and stack up. There are a lot of stumps in the middle of the creek where bass hold.

Cast all your baits from the danger marker upstream. Scott says he has often caught 25 to 30 bass here when they are schooled up. Cast your squarebill, Chatterbait and Redeye Shad here.

Here, and in similar places, an A-rig can be the ideal bait. The key is to put small swimbaits like a Keitech 2.8 on the jig heads. You need a bait shorter than 3 inches to match the size of most December shad on Blackshear. Stick with shad colors such as Tennessee shad.

No. 8: N 31º 54.626 – W 83º 54.657 — Go back up to Cedar Creek and move in until you see a line of cypress trees running off the left side. They are on an old roadbed that runs out to the channel where the old bridge was located. Stop where the trees end.

Fish all the way around the end of the old roadbed, working from the white PVC pole on the upstream side around to the cypress trees out from the line on the downstream side. Stay out where you can cast your baits near the edge of the water, and fish them all the way to the boat.

Try all your baits here and at other places you fish in December. Sometimes the bass may be  very active and chasing shad and will smash a rattlebait, bladed jig or A-rig. Other times they may want something a little slower that is bumping the bottom, like your squarebill crankbait.

Scott with a nice Lake Blackshear largemouth caught on location No. 8.

No. 9: N 31º 55.819 – W 83º 55.250 — Go up to the mouth of Lincoln Pitch, which is the biggest creek between Cedar Creek and Boy Scout Slough. Stop out from the docks on the downstream point. The docks will probably be too shallow to fish, but there are several brushpiles out from them that will hold bass.

Work your baits over and beside the brush. This is the kind of place where Scott will pick up a shaky head if the fishing is slow. He puts a green-pumpkin Trick Worm on a 3/16-oz. head and works it through the brush.

Scott says fishing with a shaky head is usually not needed in December. Instead, he will keep moving and casting—ticking the brush by running his fast-moving baits over and through the brush. When you find the right school of bass, like he did here a couple years ago, he had his best day ever for numbers, catching one on every few casts.

No. 10: N 31º 57.402 – W 83º 55.574 — Run back up the railroad causeway and go to the left side. Just downstream of the causeway, there is a hump that comes up right on the edge of the channel. It has a hard bottom, and bass tend to school on this hump. Current coming under the causeway is concentrated here and makes the bite even better.

Stay downstream of the hump, and cast all your baits upstream. Work them back over the shallows. Bass will chase shad up into shallow water here, so do not hesitate to fish water only a foot or so deep.

These places highlighted by Scott are holding bass right now, and you can find many similar spots all over the lake. Give Blackshear a try in December, and you might just set your personal best.