"These fish are ambush feeders," Harris explained. "They sit behind or under rock ledges and slam a bait as it drifts by them. And since the water is so clear you can actually see the bass rush up and clobber the bait. It can be very exciting fishing."

Harris added that while the bass will come up for a surface popper, he has his most consistent fly-fishing success with larger fish on deeper-running streamers. Some of his favorites include Clouser Minnows in size No. 4, Woolly Buggers, and Zonkers.

A 5- or 6-weight fly rod is in order, as are heavy 1X or 2X leader tippets. He also advised that you check the tippet often for frays, as the rocks in the shoals are hard on monofilament.

You won't need a bass boat to fish this water. In fact, your best bet is either to wade or use a shallow running inflatable pontoon boat, like a Water Skeeter. The biggest issue is the availability of access points.

There is access to the river near some good shoals at the State Route 115 bridge to the east of Cleveland at the White and Habersham County line. Downstream at Duncan Bridge on SR 384 there is access in the western edge of Habersham, but no public parking, as lots at the site are owned by Wild Wood Outfitters, which does canoe liveries on the stream; check with them at 1-800-553-2715 before using the lots.

Once on the river you're likely to be rewarded. Harris said that in addition to shoal bass, largemouth and spotted bass and even stripers can be caught along this section by using similar tackle and tactics.

LAKE LANIER
This 38,000-acre reservoir north of Atlanta is a significant element of the North Georgia landscape -- the primary source of drinking water for the more than 4 million residents in the area and a major recreational facility for pleasure boaters and anglers.

While Lanier has a pretty good largemouth population, particularly on the upper end, it chiefly provides a spotted bass fishery. The deep, cool, gin-clear waters of the lake offer ideal spotted bass habitat. These smaller, but feisty cousins of the largemouth have dominated the fishery for a several decades. In recent years, however, with the introduction of blueback herring to the lake, the spotted bass population has improved. Now chunky, football-shaped spots are the norm rather than the exception.

Being deep-water baitfish, the herring have a lifestyle that fits nicely with the spots' feeding habits, and the bass have fed on them with vigor. As a result, Lanier ranks as one of the best spotted bass lakes in the state, with 3- to 4-pound fish plentiful.

Deep structure-fishing is the preferred method for tempting spots on Lanier. The bottom is littered with numerous sunken brushpiles, and the spots like to hole up in them and feed on bait hiding in the branches.