HOW THEY’RE BITIN’: Southwest Georgia fishing – January 21, 2017 weekend

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

LAKE SEMINOLE ( * ) – Bass have been biting well near the edges of grass flats. Reports say the fish are holding close to the migration “ditches.” Lip-less crankbaits are recommended bait offerings. Also try drop-shot rigs up the creeks in the deepest water available. Use a 4-inch worm on the drop-shot and fish it directly in large concentrations of suspended baitfish. Crappies are doing well on live minnows for some anglers. They are still deep, but have shown signs of shallowing up a bit. Target the shad schools to locate the crappies. Bream and catfish are still showing few signs of activity. (half fish)

LAKE WALTER F. GEORGE ( * * ) – Bass are very slow at present. Fish are deep and sluggish on deep structure at depths of 20-plus feet. Many are suspended. Spoons are the best bet for these fish, but don’t expect a lot of activity. It is important to monitor baitfish schools closely and stay on top of the bass. They will not move very far right now. Crappies are slow to. Most are suspended deep and reluctant to get active. Minnows drop-fished in deep brush may produce some minimal catches. On a positive note, individual fish sizes are good. All other species are extremely slow. (one-quarter fish)

FLINT RIVER ( * * ) — Overall conditions have not been favorable of late. Weather patterns have kept the hybrids and stripers from full-tilt activity and lack of clarity has made large catches of almost any species hard to come by. For bass, fish the steeper banks with Texas-rig worms or maybe a crankbait and expect largemouths, if anything. Shoal bass have been very slow. The few crappies that may show up might be of pretty good size, but numbers should be down until conditions stabilize. Catfish are slow and bream need a shot of warm weather to get active. (one-quarter fish)

LAKE BLACKSHEAR ( * ) — Bass are slow overall. Crankbaits and Carolina-rig lizards and worms might catch a few bass off the ledges or near docks on the lower end of the lake, but don’t expect any frenzied action for awhile. Bass fishing has been extremely tough lately. Crappies should return to their “good” status soon. Look for small numbers of larger fish near creek mouths and along the channels. Fish minnows and jigs near brush at depths down to 20 feet. Stripers and hybrids are slow, as are the bream and catfish. (one-quarter fish)