Keep praying for rain. The rivers are very low, but anglers have still been able to catch some fish. The flounder bite is starting to fire up.
River gauages as of Friday, May 1:
• Doctortown on the Altamaha – 3.2 feet and falling
• Lumber City on the Ocmulgee – 1.1 feet and steady
• Clyo on the Savannah – 3.3 feet and rising
• Statenville on the Alapaha – 1.3 feet and falling
• Alapaha on the Alapaha – 0.9 feet and falling
• Waycross on the Satilla – 4.2 feet and falling
• Atkinson on the Satilla – 2.8 feet steady
• Quitman on the Withlacoochee – 1.6 feet and steady
• Macclenny on the St. Marys – 1.7 feet and falling
• Fargo on the Suwannee – 0.7 feet and falling Altamaha River – Alvin Thrift caught a 5-lb. bass while fishing on the lower river.
Two anglers caught around 15 bass on the Altamaha this week.
Satilla River – Seth Carter fished the Satilla River and caught around 40 panfish (redbreast, crappie and bluegill) and eight bass. He used Satilla Spins and Silverback buzzbaits.
Docker Deal has been catching some nice panfish in local creeks.
Lakes and Ponds – Jimmy caught a 6-lb., 11-oz. bass at Lake Miccosukee while using a topwater lure.
Ken Burke fished at Ocmulgee Public Fishing Area and caught four bass up to 7-lbs. The other three bass weighed around 3-4 lbs.
Quinn Brown caught a really nice bass at a pond one evening.
Okefenokee Swamp – Floridians Will and his niece, Maya, fished with Captain Bert Deener on the east side catching 62 fish.
Maya caught the Okefenokee Swamp record Florida gar weighing 3-lbs., 4-oz. She also caught the biggest bowfin of the trip weighing right at 7-lbs. They used sallies for their panfish and Dura-Spins for their bigger fish.
The boat ramp on the west side (Stephen C. Foster State Park) is currently closed. Anglers can still launch kayaks and canoes though.
Captain Bert Deener offers guided fishing trips in the Okefenokee. To book a trip with him, visit his website bertsjigsandthings.com. Latest Swamp level on the east side was 119.34 feet. Be careful driving your boat with the very low water conditions.
Saltwater (Ga. Coast) – The flounder bite, which has included some big ones, has been picking up.
The whiting have been biting well in the sounds. The redfish and trout bite has been hit or miss.
Before your next fishing trip, stop by Winge’s Bait and Tackle located at 440 Memorial Drive in Waycross. They have all the tackle you need for a successful trip. For their hours, call 912-283-9400.
Full Moon was Friday, May 1. To monitor all the Georgia river levels, visit the USGS website (waterdata. usgs.gov/ga/nwis/rt). For the latest marine forecast, check out www. weather.gov/jax/.
If you have any fishing reports or fish pictures that you would like to be included in this report, email them to me [email protected] or send them through Messenger on Southern Waters Fishing Report’s Facebook Page.
