Of course, the bigger stripers congregate in the tailrace. But if the water is high enough, there will be a lot of fish between the riprap bank and the dam's wing wall. They won't use the really calm water directly adjacent to the wall itself, but will bite well in spots where current flow is sufficient. Downstream toward the boat ramp, bank-side anglers sitting in folding chairs or on upturned 5-gallon buckets catch large numbers of stripers and hybrids near the sandbars.

Anglers using boats prefer anchoring downstream from the end of the wing wall or in the tailrace itself downstream from the buoy line that marks the end of tailwater access for boaters. Caution is advised here. These waters can be dangerous at times.

Unlike fishermen at Chehaw and Blackshear, anglers are more likely to use live bait at the Andrews site. The shad run here is larger, and the baitfish are usually more readily accessible and easier to catch. Besides shad, many bank anglers like to use small, live crayfish fished on the bottom on a fish-finder rig. These smaller baits produce scores of fish, though most of them are hybrids. Stripers prefer the larger live shad. Artificial baits are effective, but are not as frequently used.

Again, use fishing tackle befitting the heft and aggressiveness of the fish you are seeking.

Upstream from Andrews, the Walter F. George Lock and Dam near Fort Gaines may also harbor some striped bass, though not in the great numbers as in those places already described. This Chattahoochee River tailrace is best known for its hybrid fishery.

STRIPED BASS EXPECTATIONS

The Flint River and its tributaries from the Georgia Power Company dams at Albany to the U.S. Highway 84 bridge; the Chattahoochee River and its tributaries from the Columbia Lock and Dam to the Georgia Highway 91 bridge; and Spring Creek and its tributaries downstream to Georgia Highway 253 are closed to striped bass fishing and spear fishing from May 1 through Oct. 31. Lakes Seminole and Blackshear: all fishing, including spear fishing, for any species in the marked areas around five fish refuges in Lake Seminole and in three fish refuges in Lake Blackshear is prohibited from May 1 through Oct. 31. Georgia 2005-2006 Sport Fishing Regulations

"When most people talk about Walter F. George, they think of hybrids," Weller said, "but we do stock Gulf stripers in the lake above the dam. It's likely that adequate numbers of stripers are moving into the tailwaters. They could easily access them whenever the lock is opened. There also might be the occasional big fish moving upstream after coming through an open lock at the Andrews dam. Just don't expect to find these big ones here in great numbers."

As a rule, striped bass taken from the Walter F. George tailrace are appreciably smaller because of the lake's decided lack of those all-important cool-water refuges.

As at Andrews, bank-fishermen and boaters find ample access to the George tailwaters. Shore-bound anglers may catch fish from the Alabama side, which features access to some good sandbars and riprap areas near the tailrace itself; or the Georgia side, where they often find productive fishing from the moderately high bluff just below the dam. Those with boats should anchor downstream and fish in the current between the Alabama shore and the wing wall.

Live shad and crayfish are both productive baits. There is very little artificial-bait fishing in this area, though there's no reason it should not produce.

If you've not experienced the cool-water spring striper fishing up the Flint and Chattahoochee in southwest Georgia, this year might be a good time to give it a try. Whether you opt for the mixed-bag striper/hybrid stringers at the Blackshear and Walter F. George dams or a chance at a trophy striper from Albany or Andrews, chances are you won't be disappointed.