Kevin Dallmier

Peach State anglers are blessed with diversity. Georgia’s aquatic habitats range from high elevation mountain brooks to the roaring surf of the Atlantic Coast and everything in between. With such a blessing by Mother Nature, it’s no wonder that Georgia anglers can find good fishing for almost every major sport fish species somewhere in the state.

Whether your passion is wading a mountain stream for trout, fishing for one of Georgia’s six black-bass species, or offshore saltwater fishing, Georgia has what you need. Let’s take a month-by-month look at the best angling Georgia has to offer.

JANUARY
Striped Bass
Lake Lanier
For landlocked striped bass in Georgia, Lake Lanier is a topnotch destination. Striped bass are a cool water fish, and the winter temperatures are just the trigger they need to feed aggressively. Expect stripers to be feeding heavily as they roam the lake looking for schools of shad and blueback herring made lethargic by the cool conditions.

A good striper angler reads a lake map as easy as a trucker reading a road map. Fish use the channels as major highways, and any nearby point or hump serves as a rest stop for a quick snack.

Among artificials, a bucktail jig is hard to beat. Trolling umbrella rigs trailing several jigs is a consistent producer. Even in the middle of winter, don’t overlook the potential for feeding activity near the surface, especially during low light conditions. It pays to keep a rod with a Redfin or Zara Spook rigged and ready.

For the best chance of success, live bait -- shad or herring downlined or freelined over good structure, for instance -- is the way to go. Hold onto your rod: This time of year produces some huge fish.

Other Options: Amicalola Creek in Dawson County is managed under delayed harvest regulations. Winter trout fishing is catch- and-release only, making for some fast action with plenty of fish available.

Dodge County Public Fishing Area near Eastman is one of Georgia’s best big bass producers. Work deep structure with a jig-and-pig retrieved painfully slow.

FEBRUARY
Spotted Bass
Carters Lake
Carters Lake is known for the magnum spotted bass swimming its depths. Plummeting more than 400 feet at the dam, Carters can be a tough nut to crack, but for those who unlock its secrets, the fishing can be excellent.

The key is to downsize your tackle and lures to be able to detect light strikes from deep fish. Depending on the weather, the fish may be holding on a deep winter pattern or may be staging to move in for the spawn. Main lake points and humps offer a variety of depths, making them good choices during unsettled conditions.

The Georgia Wildlife Resources Division fish attractors are always good choices to pick up a few fish. Try fishing a finesse worm or small jig-and-pig slowly along the bottom. Deep-diving crankbaits can be productive, too.

A call to Bart’s Bait and Tackle at (706) 636-2248 is a good way to learn the latest. A fish attractor map and GPS coordinates are available on-line at www.gofishgeorgia.com.

Other Options: Coastal anglers may catch the biggest striped bass of the year on the Savannah River as the fish begin their spawning run. Fish heavy jigs or big Rat-L-Traps around bridge pilings on a moving tide.

A section of the upper Toccoa River is Georgia’s newest delayed harvest trout stream. Anglers looking for catch-and-release angling for trout under artificials-only regulations should give the Toccoa a try.

MARCH
White Bass
Coosa River
March has one of the hottest tickets of the fishing year in northwest Georgia as white bass make their annual run up the Coosa River. Both boat and bank anglers can get in on the action, with several boat ramps available and good bank access at Mayo’s Bar Lock and Dam.

The action starts early in the month and by mid-March should be hot and heavy. Early in the season more fish are found around the State Route 100 area, moving farther upstream as the migration progresses.

Good places to find fish are creek mouths, around blown-down trees in current and sandy banks. Fish deeper to catch the bigger females.

A 1/4-ounce jig-and-plastic grub combo is ideal. Good colors include pearl, white, and yellow. Small crankbaits that imitate a shad are also very effective. Live bait anglers do well with minnows. Contact Floyd County’s Lock and Dam Park at (706) 234-5001 for more information on fishing Mayo’s Bar.

Other Options: Lake Blackshear is a good choice for largemouth bass. Fish the lake’s abundant shallow cover with spinnerbaits and plastic lizards for fast action.

Walleye anglers find good fishing at Carters Lake. Fish near the shoals and points on the upper end of the lake where walleye congregated during the spring run.