HOW THEY’RE BITIN’: Southwest Georgia fishing – July 18, 2015 weekend

THE FISHING LINE: ( * ) – poor; ( * * ) – fair; ( * * * ) – good; ( * * * * ) – excellent.

LAKE SEMINOLE ( * * ): Bass may be taken on buzzbaits early and late around grass beds. Also try Zara Spooks and Tiny Torpedoes in the same areas. Fish the edges with plastic worms in the middle of the day and try Carolina-rigs and deep crankbaits on the main ledges. Crappies remain slow and catfish have slowed down some as well. Bream fishing is fair. Hybrids are good of late and several good catches are reported. The fish are schooling regularly late in the afternoon. (half fish)

LAKE WALTER F. GEORGE ( * * ): Bass are biting well, but the fish are on the small side. Fish the river ledges at 15 to 20 feet. Expect fast action, but few keeper-size fish. Fish Carolina-rigs, crankbaits, and large spinnerbaits slow-rolled along the ledges. Buzzbaits worked over shallow grassy areas may pay off early in the day. Crappies are slow at present while catfishing is fair, especially at night. Hybrids are slow. Bream fishing is fair if small individual fish are to your liking. (half fish)

FLINT RIVER ( * ): Overall improvement in the fishing is noted. Bass fishing is not as hot as it should be this time of year, when the shoal bass should turn on and begin to maul topwater baits fished in the rocky shallows. Largemouths are slow at present. Bream fishing is fair in some spots. Fish the banks and bends with crickets and red wigglers. Catfish are slow overall, but there are reports that the flatheads have picked back up over the past few days. Channel cats continue to bite sparingly. (half fish)

LAKE BLACKSHEAR ( * ): Some fair bass catches are possible along the ledges. Look for the best bite around 12 to 15 feet and expect the best results on Carolina-rigs and slow-rolled spinnerbaits. Stay with the largest spinnerbaits when slow-rolling along the ledges. Catfishing remains pretty good in the afternoon around the cypress trees and also around docks. Crappies are still slow, but the individual fish taken lately are fairly large. Bream are slow and the few fish being taken are small. A few stripers are surfacing late. (half fish)