by Shane Goebel, Big Ol’ Fish Guiding Service
October in the North Georgia Mountains is a fantastic time to hit the water. With the beautiful views of the changing leaves and the cool comfortable temps, a day on the water seems like a dream come true after a hot summer. Not to mention the fishing is also great. This is the perfect time to hit the lake and experience some extreme striper fishing.
Currently, Lake Nottely is 5 feet below full pool. Water clarity is clear and water temps are in the mid to upper 70s.
Striper fishing has been decent. After early September’s fish kill and horrible water quality problems, we are starting to catch some nice fish again and in some good numbers. Most of our stripers have been in the 15 to 20 pound range. The early-morning and evening bites are your best times to see action. We’ve also had some heavy bites in the mid-day hours. With the cooling water temps, continue to target creek mouths and points off the main lake channel but also look for schools to move back into the creeks. The majority of our fish have been caught from Point 8 to the dam. In the early morning hours, freelines and planer boards have been working well. As soon as the sun peeks through, we are going right back to downlines. The topwater bite has picked up a lot, so keep a Spook or a Red Fin at the ready to snag surface-busting fish. The fish will start to spread out here soon and move in to the creeks. We will then move to all planer boards and freelines. We will also start pulling bigger baits.
October is a fantastic month for catching some great trophy stripers in the North Georgia mountains. Give Big Ol’ Fish Guiding Service a call and let the area’s #1 rated guide service put you on some of Lake Nottely’s most explosive striped bass. We are Blairsville, GA’s only full-time guide service, specializing in striped and hybrid bass. We also serve Lake Hiwassee, Chatuge and Blue Ridge. And for all your live blueback herring and tackle needs, check out Hughes General Store in Blairsville, GA. They carry everything you need for a successful day of fishing. So, come fish with the pros for the opportunity to be featured in Angler Magazine, and let us help you get your fish on!