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Latest Fishing Articles

B.A.S.S. Announces Technology Standardization For Elite Series, Classic

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Bassmaster Elite Series and the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Jockey Outdoors are the pinnacles of competitive bass fishing. B.A.S.S. has created unwavering standards of excellence and expectations for the anglers who fish under these banners. This week the organization announces the creation of equipment standards related to new…

Coming Home

From where I live in southwest Georgia, it’s close enough to the Gulf of Mexico to occasionally catch a whiff of salt in the air. The Gulf is where my friends and I bottomed fished for grouper and snapper, and it’s where chased redfish and trout on the flats. It’s our playground and sanctuary. In…

Clarks Hill Offshore Bass In September

Get offshore on points and humps to catch Clarks Hill largemouth and spotted bass right now. They are feeding and holding in 15 to 20 feet of water waiting on cooling water next month to move up and get more active. Clarks Hill is a big lake, and it can be hard to pattern bass…

Alapaha River Redbreast Record Broken Again

On Aug. 24, Jacob Crews decided to make a trip to the Alapaha River after finishing his morning shift at the CSX Rice Yard in Waycross. “I had made a trip over there a week or so before, and that was actually my first time fishing the river. I fished out of my kayak and…

Lanier Blue Catfish Sets The Record Bar A Little Higher

For Buford’s Tyler Kesselring, it was a fishing tournament outcome that he wasn’t necessarily expecting. Fishing in the Lake Lanier Catfish Challenge, he went to the scales at 2 a.m. with a winning weight of 40 pounds. In his catch was a new Lake Lanier record blue catfish that tipped the scales at 19-lbs., 5.5-ozs.…

Bass Fishing

A.H. Stephens State Park Lake Buncombe Topwater Bass

Back in the day, before internet search engines were around to give anglers instant information, we relied on word of mouth—or we hoped GON might send a writer—when looking for information on small lakes open to public fishing. It’s surprising how many small public lakes there still are where there’s simply no information about the…

Lake Russell November Bass Hotspots

November can be a spot-fest at Lake Russell as spotted bass move into coves and ditches feeding on shad. You can load the boat with spots—and a few largemouth, too—by fishing ledges in ditches and coves. Typically in November, the bass will be from the mouths of coves to halfway back. As the days shorten…

Lake Hartwell Topwater Collision

If you’ve ever come out of the canal in Mexico Beach, Fla. and run 3 miles south into the Gulf of Mexico along the buoy line and experienced fish busting on top as far as you could see, that’s what it reminded me of—even if I was hundreds of miles from the salt. The scene…

Hybrid Fishing

Juliette Stripers & Hybrids Go Deep In Summertime

With a hint of excitement in his voice, Lake Juliette fishing guide Jeff Mooney said, “Watch that pole, it’s going down!” He pointed at the rod next to Bob Turner and, as Jeff predicted, a slight bend in the rod became a deep arc toward the water as the striper pulled out line and the…

Clarks Hill Lake Live-Bait Linesides In December

Live-bait fishing for hybrids and stripers can be crazy good this time of year on Clarks Hill, with limits in minutes when the fish are bunched on points and humps feeding on herring—if you’re there at the right time. If you’d like to see proof, take a look at fishing guide Eddie Mason’s Facebook page…

Ocmulgee River Hybrid Record Established

Josh McDonald, of Americus, caught a hybrid bass on April 4 that weighed 7-lbs., 11.84-ozs. that sets a benchmark for a brand-new river record on GON’s Georgia Lake and River Records list. He was spending the day with his older brother Jason and his twin brother Justin. “We are all baseball coaches, so we never…

Striper Fishing

West Point Lake Striped Bass Sets New Record At 40 Pounds

The day of striper fishing on West Point for Mike Steele, of Dallas, was pretty-danged boring until it wasn’t. It ended with him landing a 40-lb. striper that’s a new lake record. He has his buddy Mike Bartlett to thank, and Bartlett wasn’t even the net man. “My buddy and I had fished from daylight…

Georgia SCI Hosts Wounded Warriors For Annual Fishing Weekend

The Georgia Chapter of Safari Club International (SCI) hosted 31 Purple Heart recipients during its annual Wounded Veterans Fishing Weekend at Lake Lanier July 7-9.  Georgia SCI has hosted the event for more than a decade, providing a full weekend of fishing and fun on Lake Lanier for wounded veterans and their guests. The three-day event,…

Juliette Stripers & Hybrids Go Deep In Summertime

With a hint of excitement in his voice, Lake Juliette fishing guide Jeff Mooney said, “Watch that pole, it’s going down!” He pointed at the rod next to Bob Turner and, as Jeff predicted, a slight bend in the rod became a deep arc toward the water as the striper pulled out line and the…

Catfish Fishing

Lanier Blue Catfish Sets The Record Bar A Little Higher

For Buford’s Tyler Kesselring, it was a fishing tournament outcome that he wasn’t necessarily expecting. Fishing in the Lake Lanier Catfish Challenge, he went to the scales at 2 a.m. with a winning weight of 40 pounds. In his catch was a new Lake Lanier record blue catfish that tipped the scales at 19-lbs., 5.5-ozs.…

Giant Lake Jackson Flathead Catfish Released

Terry Denman caught his first catfish 61 years ago on a cane pole while fishing with his grandfather. A lot of things have changed over the years for the Vietnam veteran, but nothing ever could erase the excitement of feeling a catfish tugging on his line. The biggest tug he ever felt came recently when…

Oconee River Blue Cat Record Broken By 7 Pounds

It would probably go down as one of the worst days of Eli Carey’s life if not for one thing. That one thing made it all worthwhile. “I had a rough day,” the Lyons resident said. “I had the day off and decided to go fishing on Oconee River, which is about an hour and…

Crappie Fishing

Lake Oconee Crappie Head Shallow in April

Ever thought about why crappie gravitate to the shallows in the springtime? To spawn, you say? Well, yeah… but why do they do that? Let that swim around for a bit… Let’s get you in those shallows— specifically on Lake Oconee—and looking for crappie in April as they do their thing around brush and rocks…

Lake Russell Black Crappie Sets New Record

Aaron Jenkins calls Canton, N.C. home now, but his heart will forever be in east Georgia. He makes the three-hour trip home to crappie fish with his dad, Keith, whenever he can. As far as Aaron is concerned, there’s only one Georgia lake in which to fish for crappie. The 31-year-old grew up fishing on…

Satilla Gets Another New Black Crappie Record

Just days after releasing the annual edition of the Georgia Lake and River Records, another river record has already fallen. On Feb. 6, Steven Todd, of Saint George, managed to reel in a 2-lb., 1-oz. black crappie that raised the river-record bar for the species for the second time in the past 13 months. “I…

Bream Fishing

St. Marys River Offers Last Chance For Rooster Reds

You could sum up my priorities in life in a few short words. God, family, work and big rooster redbreasts! I’ll add that work wouldn’t even make the list, but let’s face it, you’ve got to keep the lights on and gas in the pickup truck.   When it comes to those big rooster redbreast,…

Alapaha River Redbreast Record Broken Again

On Aug. 24, Jacob Crews decided to make a trip to the Alapaha River after finishing his morning shift at the CSX Rice Yard in Waycross. “I had made a trip over there a week or so before, and that was actually my first time fishing the river. I fished out of my kayak and…

Suwannee River Stumpknocker Just Misses State Record

On June 22, 15-year-old Kaden Forsythe, of Homerville, reeled in the spotted sunfish of a lifetime while fishing the Suwannee River near the tiny town of Fargo. The day started out like any other fishing trip, and the 10th grader admits that setting a record was the last thing on his mind. “I was fishing…

Saltwater Fishing

When Barracudas Attack

You never know what you’re going to catch when you head out into the magical waters of the Georgia coast… and apparently you never know how you’re going to catch it either. You’ve heard of fish jumping in the boat, right? Now a big, tasty red snapper would be welcomed, but there are some fish…

St. Simons Island Man Sets New Almaco Jack Record

A St. Simons Island man is the new state record holder for almaco jack (Seriola rivoliana). James W. Thompson, 21, landed a remarkable 27-lb., 8-oz. almaco jack while fishing offshore near Navy Tower R4 on Sunday, July 28. This impressive catch surpasses the previous record of 23-lbs., 15.04-ozs, established in May 2024 by Jason H.…

St. Marys Woman Breaks 43-year Jack Crevalle Record

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is proud to announce a new women’s state saltwater fish record for jack crevalle (Caranx hippos). Lauren E. Harden, 21, of St. Marys, broke the previous record by landing a 33-lb., 10.72-oz, jack crevalle on May 24, 2024, while fishing on Cumberland Island. The previous record of 30-lbs.,…

Trout Fishing

Georgia Delayed Harvest Trout Season Begins November 1

Starting Nov. 1, five Georgia trout streams begin delayed-harvest regulations that provide chances for anglers to catch some impressive trout. “Trout fishing is available year-round in Georgia, but there are five special streams that follow Delayed Harvest (DH) regulations to enhance angler success,” said John Lee Thompson, WRD Trout Stocking Coordinator. “From Nov. 1 to…

Rabun County… Georgia’s Special Corner

Wading downstream to see how Austin Carpenter and Zac Chapman were faring on their home waters of the Chattooga River, camera in hand, I rounded a bend to see Austin fly casting to the far bank of the river with the expertise of someone far beyond his 20-something age would typically command. Just downriver of…

Rainbow Trout On Lake Blue Ridge

It was hours—three or more—and the trout fishing was slow from the git-go. Early March can be that way on the upper Toccoa River, where and when the water temperature is still in the mid-40s under continued-cold nighttime skies that leave frost behind at daylight. It can be downright cold—oftentimes, in the low 20s—in the…

Other Georgia Fishing

High School Senior Breaks Lanier Carp Record

One of the keys to being a good fisherman is being observant. North Hall High School senior Charlie White was fishing for bass off his grandparent’s dock on Lake Lanier when he noticed a change. “My grandparents have one of those green lights in the water off their pier, and I noticed that the bass…

Lake Burton Yellow Perch Ties Georgia State Record

Emerson Mulhall, of Cumming, caught a yellow perch that has tied the state record. He was fishing Lake Burton on Feb. 18 when caught the 2-lb., 9-oz. fish. “I was not pursuing perch when I caught her,” said Emerson. “I am mainly a spotted bass and largemouth fisherman, and my friend Jake Maddux and I…

Lady Angler Establishes West Point Gar Record On Video

Now that April Waldrop has been bitten by the record fish bug, the Hogansville woman has set her sights on something even bigger. April was fishing for gar with her husband, Larry, and her two sons on West Point Lake recently when she landed a lake-record longnose gar that weighed 23 pounds. The 52 1/2-inch…