Ron Sinfelt

For many, Southwest Georgia bass angling stubbornly adds up only to river reservoirs like Walter F. George, Seminole and Blackshear. The word-of-mouth grapevine and printed publicity generated by these popular and regionally legendary impoundments is copious. Few bass fishermen in this corner of the state haven’t heard of these waterways and few haven’t targeted them for largemouths on at least an occasional basis.

However, those “Big 3” bass-fishing destinations are not the only waters in the state’s southwestern portion that prove themselves worthy of angler consideration. There are definitely others out there worth more than just the perfunctory glance. Some of them, due to the big-lake mindset of many bass fishermen, could even be termed well-kept secrets.

Paradise Public Fishing Area, George W. Andrews Lake and Banks Lake are three prime examples of Southwest Georgia’s “other” largemouth haunts that offer anglers very good opportunities to catch quality fish during the late spring and early summer months. And you may even have little in the way of competition from others.

Each is unique in its own way, offering a variety of water types, fishing conditions, and more than generous helpings of their own brand of charm. Here’s a brief look at each of the three.

GEORGE W. ANDREWS LAKE
Where well-kept fishing secrets are concerned, Andrews Lake is among the best. Not only are most Georgia anglers unaware of its location and bass-fishing potential, more than a few don’t even know it exists.

Largely overshadowed by lakes Seminole and Walter F. George, this small impoundment lies sandwiched between the Walter F. George Dam at Fort Gaines and the George W. Andrews Lock and Dam near Columbia, Ala. It is a tiny lake by Chattahoochee River standards, but is a largemouth “factory” of high caliber.

Andrews has few lake-like characteristics when compared with most impoundments. In fact, the lake is officially described as being more like a large river than a lake, and as a result, the bass population and fishery are riverine in nature.

Likewise, one is hard-pressed to find a fisherman who calls it a lake at all. Anglers who fish it regularly instead say they are going “behind the dam,” “below the dam,” “to the backwaters,” or just “to the river.”

Where bass fishing on the lake is concerned, most anglers cite it for quality rather than quantity. According to angler surveys, the reservoir does not produce big numbers of largemouths, but does give up quite a few 6- to 10-pound individuals. Most also say the downstream areas immediately adjacent to the dams are the best lake locations to target.

As Andrews moves between Fort Gaines and Columbia, it hides beneath its surface rock-and-stump-lined ledges of the old river channel. There are also ample sandbars and points marking good bass habitat all along the reservoir’s 29 miles and 1,540 acres. One also finds a number of feeder streams, where largemouths can be caught near traditional structure such as brush, blown-down trees, and root banks. In short, while the fishing is good near the dams, it can be productive along other stretches as well.