HOW THEY’RE BITIN’: Southwest Georgia fishing – January 28, 2017 weekend

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

LAKE SEMINOLE ( * ) – Bass fishing is good. The fish are beginning to stage in prespawn mode. Migration “ditches” running through flats areas are good areas. To locate fish, use a lip-less crankbait as a “search” lure. Use heavy line to “rip” the bait through grassy cover. If the ditches prove unproductive, fish the flats. Good baits there are shallow-running crankbaits. Watch for warm-ups to move fish into spring spawning areas. Crappies are doing well on live minnows for some anglers. As a rule, they are still deep, but have shown signs recently of shallowing up a bit. Target the shad schools to locate the crappies. Warm-water fishes such as bream and catfish are still showing few signs of activity. (half fish)

LAKE WALTER F. GEORGE ( * * ) – Bass fishing is fair. Good bait choices for now are jigs with pork trailers, drop-shot rigs and jigging spoons. Channel bends, submerged roadbeds and any bottom structure providing deviation from level lake bottom are good spots. Also, schooling activity is likely to soon begin and milder temperatures will bring on a round of crankbait action. Where shad are found in shallower water, try a white spinnerbait. Crappies are slow to bite right now. 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. (half 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)