Over its 40-year

history, bass fishing on this grand lake has seen many ups and downs and

the good news is that big bass are starting to show up again.

"In 1997

the bass population on Lake Walter F. George suffered a direct and immediate

impact from an outbreak of Largemouth Bass Virus which greatly reduced

the number of bass larger than 16 inches," said WRD Fisheries Biologist

David Partridge. "However, since then the population has been in

recovery and the excellent largemouth bass spawn of 1998 continues to

improve fishing on this legendary bass lake this year."

Reports from

recent bass fishing tournaments confirm that Lake Walter F. George is

coming back ­ winning weights for the average five-bass limit tournaments

are now in the low twenty-pound range and it took a minimum of 17 pounds

just to make it into the top 10 at one event.

Well-known

Walter F. George guide Jackie Thompson predicts that the best is yet to

come and as lake levels become more stable, bass will move into the shallow

water to take advantage of available food. He recommends using finesse

baits, spinner baits, lipless crankbaits and shallow running crankbaits

during this time. WRD Fisheries Biologists also confirm that during electro-shocking

studies they are seeing big bass in numbers that have not appeared in

several years and even saw one that pushed the ten-pound mark.

"If lake

levels stabilize, nights get warmer and the southern breezes return this

spring, this lake is going to explode," said Thompson. "It is

getting right for the top-water bite to turn-on and it is certainly a

prime time to catch that wall-hanger we all dream about catching,"

The minimum

size limit for bass on Lake Walter F. George was lowered to 14 inches

in November 2000, so catch rates of keeper-sized bass should be excellent.

Some of the best places to find bass on the lake are the back end of creeks

and coves, the Highway 82 causeway, areas of heavy vegetation, near Lake

Point Resort and near the dam. Anglers on Lake Walter F. George must have

a current fishing license.

For more information

on fishing at Lake Walter F. George, visit www.sam.usace.army.mil/op/rec/wfg/,

contact the WRD Fisheries Management Office at (229) 995-4486 or visit

www.gofishgeorgia.com.

Back

to the Top of the Page Back

to the Sports Home Page