John Pethel of Danielsville is hoisting the kind of bass that can take the rod out of your hand on Clarks Hill. Photo by Ronell Smith.

When it comes to bass fishing, Georgia can hold its own with any state in the country. Whether it is size or numbers of fish anglers want, Georgia has them.

In fact, no matter where you live in the state, it’s a good bet that great bass fishing is less than an hour away. For example, anglers in the northwest can catch lots of medium-sized smallmouths from Blue Ridge Lake, a small mountain reservoir nestled in the historic Blue Ridge Mountains. Anglers in the extreme southwest portion of the state can just as easily access Steve Bell Lake, a 104-acre reservoir that is part of the Dodge County Public Fishing Area.

The state is ripe with opportunities, and March is the ideal month to begin taking advantage of them. Typically, this month brings about the pre-spawn period, a time when large females begin their move to spawn. But before they do storm the shoreline, these fish are aggressive and hungry. Put a jerkbait, crankbait, spinnerbait or Texas-rigged lizard in their faces, and hold on.

“They’ll take the rod out of your hand,” said John Pethel, a Daniels-ville angler who uses crankbaits this month for largemouths on Clarks Hill Lake.

Though there are great lakes found throughout the state, several stand out when it comes to catching both size and numbers of bass. Those lakes are Blue Ridge, Clarks Hill, Varner, Walter F. George and Steve Bell.

Whether you are able to visit one or all of them, the fishing should be dynamite.

LAKE BLUE RIDGE

Though only 3,290 acres in size, Blue Ridge Lake is as picturesque as they come. The reservoir, ensconced in the northwest portion of the state among the Blue Ridge Mountains, is surrounded by rolling hills, which provide an awesome backdrop to the lake’s deep, crystal clear water.

But for anglers, it is the smallmouth bass they want more than the scenery. The fish are plentiful here.

In our deep, clear mountain reservoirs, finding the fish is often the biggest problem, and Blue Ridge is no different. There are, in some cases, hundreds of feet of water, and even the water against the shoreline can be 8 to 10 feet in depth. You do not have to go far, or deep for that matter, to catch smallmouths on the lake, according to Ed Howard. A resident of Mineral Bluff, Howard knows the lake about as well as anyone, fishing it often and with great success. He said the key to catching fish on the lake is actually as simple as getting to the point.

The Blue Ridge is lined with myriad rocky points, and those are where you should concentrate your efforts. Beginning this month, Howard looks for the fish to be along the shorelines, where they feed in advance of the spawn. He targets the fish along the points by throwing small, flat crankbaits right up against the shoreline and then reeling back in a slow, constant fashion. He said a good day on this lake yields 10 to 15 smallies, with weights up to more than 3 pounds.

To increase the likelihood of a good catch, Howard added, anglers should stick to fishing in the late evening or on days when there is lots of cloud cover.

“Smallmouth don’t like bright, sunny days,” Howard explained. “But late in the evening on cloudy days, you can work on them.”

Look for the fish to remain near the points as spring wears on. These fish typically spawn on the rocks and then back off to deeper water for the late-spring and summer months. Therefore, later in year, just back the boat farther from the shore and fish deeper. The exact depth varies, but look for the fish in 12 to 30 feet of water, where they can be tempted with plastic worms on a drop-shot or Texas rig. Small jigs worked slowly over the bottom can also be effective.

CLARKS HILL LAKE

If it is big fish you are after, Clarks Hill, also known as J. Strom Thurmond Reservoir, is the place to be. Even before the water warms this month, big bass can easily be found in many of the shallow pockets that dot the 71,000-acre lake’s shoreline.