South Georgia River Bass Fishing

Greg Johnson with a nice Oconee River largemouth. When conditions are right, Greg says the area from the dam all the way to the Greenway Boat Ramp offers up some great bass fishing.

Another spring has come to Georgia. Sure, we may have a few cold blasts of air conditioning left from Old Man Winter, but the sunshine beaming through my kitchen window as I begin to type this story assures me that warmer days are just a stone’s throw away. Yes-sir, it’s time to go fishing in the Peach State.

Whether you’re a pond hopper, creek fisherman or the kind of angler who likes to run Lake Seminole like you’re on the backstretch of Talladega, you’re in luck this month because the fish are biting just about anywhere and everywhere you want to go.

What about the river folks, though? You’re in luck, too, because March has to be one of the very best months of the year to fish the current. After running high and cold for much of the winter, our rivers are beginning to creep back into the banks, and the water is heating up quicker than my grandma’s oven the night before Thanksgiving. Right now it’s time to fish south Georgia rivers!

For this story, I reached out to local anglers on several rivers to get their take on what to expect this month. Whether you run a big bass boat, a tiny kayak or something in between, there’s a river or two that should be well suited to your style of fishing. From the mighty Flint to the Altamaha and several in between, here’s a breakdown of where to go and what to throw this month when you’re fishing in the current.

Tyler Bean with a Bartram’s bass caught from the Savannah River last spring.

Savannah River: You can expect the Savannah River action to be red-hot during March and April, and the area below the dam in Augusta is worth a trip, especially if you’re interested in a crack at multiple species of bass and don’t mind a little adventure.

Bartram’s bass, largemouth and even smallmouth bass are abundant here, and for kayak anglers, there is the opportunity to float this stretch of river.

Tyler Bean made a float trip on this section of river with a few friends last summer, and they managed to catch all three species of bass in the process.

“The fishing was really good. We did about a six-hour float trip and managed to catch a bunch of different fish. It’s a beautiful stretch of river,” said Tyler.

To make the trip, Tyler said to put in at the river rapids pavilion in Augusta, and be prepared to wheel your kayak in the process.

“You have to roll your kayak down a long walkway, and then there’s three flights of stairs you have to work your kayak down, but it’s nothing really difficult to do,” said Tyler.

Tyler says that Trick Worms, wacky-rigged Senkos, ChatterBaits and spinnerbaits are all good options to fish on the river. He recommends green pumpkin, bluegill and other subtle natural colors to have the best chance at success.

Keep in mind the water is normally pretty clear, and Tyler recommended using 12-lb. fluorocarbon line or leader, depending on the lure you’re fishing.

“It’s fast-moving water through there, so the key is to find those little areas of slack water just outside of the current, and there you should find the fish,” said Tyler.

Tyler says this trip should take anywhere from six to eight hours from Augusta to the take-out point at the Riverview Park boat ramp in South Carolina.

Malakhi Smith says to get away from the ramps for bigger bites on the Alapaha River this month.

Alapaha River: Way down in the middle of nowhere, just outside the town of Nashville, you’ll find the Alapaha River flowing through south Georgia. It has to be one of the most underrated bass fishing rivers in the entire state. Both quantity and quality fish can be caught here, and days of 20-plus fish are the norm on the river.

Malakhi Smith has spent the last four or five years fishing the river every chance he gets, and he’s become quite familiar with it in the process.

“It’s a fun river to fish, and there are some real giants in here. The key is to get away from the crowd and to go find them,” said Malakhi.

Malakhi recommended three boat ramps for effectively fishing the river, and he gave a quick breakdown of each during our interview.

At the Nashville Highway Bridge, known by locals as Berrien Beach, Malakhi likes to put in his 14-foot jonboat and make a long run upriver using his 8-hp outboard.

“There’s some low, tight places here and there where you might have to do some dragging, depending on how the river is running, so you don’t want to bring too big of a boat down here,” said Malakhi.

After making his way upriver an hour or so, Malakhi will slowly fish his way back downriver.

The boat ramp outside of Lakeland is another good option for anglers looking to get on a good bass bite.

“When I put in at Lakeland, I like to go downriver an hour or so and then fish my way back up. I don’t know why but the fishing just seems to be way better downriver here,” Malakhi added.

Another put-in option, especially for kayak anglers, is the bridge just outside of Stockton on Highway 84.

It runs low here, especially during the summer, and is littered with rocky shoals that can prove difficult to get a boat across. Malakhi says kayak anglers should work their way upstream a couple of miles and says you’ll find deeper water as you get away from the bridge.

“Any bottom lure will catch them, and you won’t go wrong with any soft plastic bait that’s junebug or black,” said Malakhi

He prefers to Texas rig his soft plastics and usually uses a 1/16- to 1/8-oz. weight, depending on the current. He also added that he will occasionally throw a buzzbait or other noisy topwater lure on the river, but bottom fishing is his day in and day out approach to get bit.

Daniel Hamilton says big swimbaits work for big shoalies on the Flint River.

Flint River: The Flint River is definitely worth a visit this spring or summer, and the fishing should be phenomenal. The only catch is you’ll need to leave the big boat at home, according to local fishermen Daniel Hamilton.

“March can be really wild on the river. Big shoalies start getting ready to move up and spawn, and if you catch it right, it can be insane,” said Daniel.

Daniel kayaks the river several times a week during the spring and summer months, and he says the area of the river up around Big Lazer Creek PFA is a great place to start your search for hungry shoal bass.

“There’s a ramp located in Big Lazer where you can put in and you can literally start catching fish as soon as you get in the water. It’s crazy good fishing,” said Daniel.

Daniel forgoes the tried-and-true typical offerings for shoalies, opting instead for big swimbaits to get the job done. One of his favorite lures during the spring is a Megabass Magdraft swimbait, and he says white and other natural patterns are his favorites to throw on the river.

For those who aren’t fans of big swimbaits, Daniel recommends a Zoom Super Fluke rigged weightless fished around eddies and other areas of slack water around the shoals. He also recommends fishing small soft plastics, both weighted and unweighted, in natural colors around the eddies in the shoals.

To get more of an idea of how Daniel fishes the river, check out his YouTube channel Mullet_Angler. He regularly uploads videos from the Flint and his adventures on it.

Ben Carter Jr., a junior on the Brantley County High School Fishing Team, with a nice Altamaha River bass.

Altamaha River: If Carter Steed looks a little familiar, flip back to the cover of this month’s issue and check out that giant bass! Carter, who’s currently am 11th grader on the Brantley County High School Fishing Team, spends a good majority of his fishing time on the Altamaha River when he isn’t fishing high-school tournaments

“The Altamaha is really good in March and April, and the key to getting bit is to fish the lakes, and fish them hard,” said Carter.

Carter fishes up and down the Altamaha during the springtime but says the Altamaha Regional Park and the Jaycees Landing boat ramp are two of his favorite places to focus his efforts. To maximize his time on the water, Carter relies on moving quickly to locate and catch fish.

“You want to cover as much water as possible, but be sure to cover it good,” said Carter.

Carter relies on a variety of lures to locate fish in the Altamaha lakes and oxbows. He likes crankbaits and spinnerbaits in white and chartreuse patterns and says the more stained the water, the brighter hues he will throw. He also relies heavily on a buzzbait. Normally black gets the nod, especially early in the morning and late in the afternoon.

“They’ll be in different stages of the spawn during the springtime, and these lures let you find out where they are holding and what they’re doing. Then you can come back through, fish slowly and really clean them up,” said Carter.

Carter likes junebug-colored soft plastics Texas rigged to come back through and clean up a productive area. He added that this is a great way to catch fish that are actively spawning.

“Pocket Lake is a great place to check out on the river, especially if you don’t want to go far from the ramp,” said Carter.

You can find Pocket Lake on the map if you look a short distance downriver from the Altamaha Regional Park. Carter says it has the perfect mixture of habitat that bass are looking for during springtime on the river.

“There is an island, lily pads and plenty of structure to fish in there. The bass really stack up in there in springtime,” said Carter.

Oconee River: The Oconee River, specifically the area between the Sinclair Dam and the Greenway Boat Ramp is definitely worth an honorable mention in this story. Kayak fishing can be red-hot through this rocky stretch of river, and Greg Johnson says success all comes down to the water being generated at the dam.

“When they don’t generate water as much, the river really clears up and settles down for some great fishing. On the flip side, when they’re moving water, it can be downright dangerous to be out there,” said Greg.

Greg, who is a member of Veterans Kayak Fishing, spends a bunch of time on the river during the summer with his friends in the organization. He says to kayak safely below the dam, a simple phone call is all it takes to be sure conditions will be safe to fish.

“Before I even load my kayak up, I call the Wallace Dam Control Room and find out what time they plan on generating. I want to stress that you don’t need to be on the river in a kayak when they’re pulling water,” said Greg.

When conditions are right, Greg says the area from the dam all the way to the Greenway Boat Ramp offers up some great bass fishing.

“The water gets really clear, and you can see 8 feet deep easy. You can’t go wrong fishing soft plastics when the river is right,” said Greg.

Watermelon and green pumpkin get the nod, as do black and junebug if the water is more stained. Greg says a wacky-rigged Senko is hard to beat, but Texas-rigged soft plastics fished on the bottom also work well.

The only hard thing about river fishing this month is trying to pick just one! Whether you kayak the Flint or Oconee, take on the Altamaha, Savannah, Alapaha or anywhere in between, the fishing is gonna be great. God bless, be safe, get out and have some fun on the river!