HOW THEY’RE BITIN’: Southwest Georgia fishing – April 1, 2017 weekend

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

LAKE SEMINOLE ( * ) – Bass are good. Sandbar areas near the dam are good places to target for late-bedding fish. Post-spawn fish are hitting topwater baits early and late. The crankbait bite is also picking up. The key now is locating shad which are spawning in patches of hydrilla and lily pads. Bass feeding on the shad are very active. Crappies are fair to good on live minnows. Numbers are down a bit, but individual fish size is excellent as a rule. Bream, especially shellcrackers, are still active. Red wigglers are good bait offerings. Catfishing is slow. (half fish)

LAKE WALTER F. GEORGE ( * * ) – Bass are good with bigger fish still in deeper water. Try spinnerbaits along the banks followed by jigs and spoons on channel breaks. Spinnerbaits and Rat-L-Traps should pay off soon. Stay shallow on the southern end and deep on the northern end until the spawn begins in earnest. Bream fishing is good and should remain so for a time. Fish are in three to eight feet of water near wood structure. Crappies are fair and most fish are deep. The best catches will come from ledges in 15 to 25 feet of water. Small jigging spoons are good bait choices. Hybrids are slow. Catfish are fair in isolated spots. (half fish)

FLINT RIVER ( * * ) — Largemouth bass have improved and shoal bass are cooperating with some anglers. Some pretty good shoalies may show up near the dams and the downstream fishing is steadily improving as the weather warms. Crappie sizes continue to be good, though stringers are not showing many fish. Bream are still reported as slow overall with few large concentrations located. White bass and hybrids continue to improve as schools increase near the dams. Catfish are fair. (half fish)

LAKE BLACKSHEAR ( * ) — Bream are slow, but catfish have picked up and are fair to good in places. Crappies are very good in quality and fair in quantity. Seek out the shallower creek ledges and use minnows or jigs. Stripers are improving and schooling action is on the increase. Bass fishermen should keep a rigged spoon or Rat-L-Trap handy for surfacing fish. Largemouths seem a little more concentrated lately and a few larger fish have shown up for some anglers. Catfish are fair. (half fish)