Best Times & Seasons to Fish in Georgia (Complete Guide)

The state of Georgia offers some of the best freshwater and saltwater fishing in the Southeastern United States. Knowing the best times & months to fish in this rich state can lead to huge success for anglers.

Great fishing can be found year-round in the state of Georgia but the best fishing for striped bass, largemouth bass, mahi-mahi, crappie, redfish, and tarpon is from April through September.

Fish Species	Best Months to Fish in Georgia
Largemouth Bass	March-May & September-December
Striped Bass	Good fishing year-round.
Crappie	March & April are the best months.
Trout	March through October is the best timeframe.
Walleye	January through March offers the best fishing.
Redfish	October through March offers the best redfish angling.
Flounder	January-April & September-December
Cobia	The best fishing is from April through October.
King Mackerel	April through September is the best timeframe.
Sheepshead	January-April & October-December

Georgia is growing in popularity for its incredible fishing. There are more than 100 miles of the Atlantic coastline and islands in the state. Anglers can experience fishing in both inshore and offshore Atlantic waters.

Best Time to Fish in Georgia

Anglers can enjoy fishing in Georgia year-round. It’s possible to enjoy fishing in the region at any time of the year. The fishing season in Georgia starts in the early spring and ends in the late fall. 

The weather is getting warmer and water temperatures increase in April. So, more species are active and that’s why fishing is becoming more productive during these months.

When choosing the best time to fish Georgia, you should keep in mind the fish species that you are targeting. Go fishing when your favorite species are the most active.   

In spring, it’s possible to target such fish species as largemouth bass, crappie, flounder as well as tripletail. 

Water temperatures continue to rise in summer. That’s why fishing in Georgia is becoming more productive during the summer months. Fishermen can target such fish species as bream, catfish, carp, tarpon, sharks, and shad in summer.

Fall is a great time of the year to fish for such species as bull redfish, flounder, tarpon, bass, catfish, and crappies. Trout fishing is good during the fall months.

Anglers can target spotted seatrout, brown trout as well as rainbow trout. A chance to catch a trophy fish is high in the fall.  

For a complete breakdown of the best times to fish along the Georgia coastline, check out this helpful guide.

Recommended Fishing Charters in Georgia

These Georgia-based charters have earned great reviews from anglers and will offer you a tremendous service. The captains are knowledgeable, friendly, and are sure to put you on fish. By clicking the links below, you will be taken to the charter’s respective profile on Fishing Booker where you can read reviews, learn more about the charter, view photos, and book online at the best rate.

Recommended Fishing Charters	Location
Island Angler Charters – Island Angler I	Jekyll Island, GA
Big Fish Charters	Tybee Island, GA
Southern Saltwater Adventures	Tybee Island, GA
Captain Andy’s Fishing Charters	Savannah, GA
North Georgia Trout Fishing	Mineral Bluff, GA
Spartina Fishing Adventures	Jekyll Island, GA
Captain Ken’s Fishing Expeditions	St. Marys, GA
Extreme Stripers Guide Service	Cartersville, GA
Chatham Inshore Charters	Savannah, GA
Fish Slayer Fishing – Lake Blue Ridge	Morganton, GA
Mad Gillz Fishing	Cumming, GA
Fish Slayer Fishing Guide	Ellijay, GA
Liberty Inshore Charters Llc	Midway, GA

Georgia Species Breakdown: Best Time 

Striped bass

Fishing for striped bass is best year-round. Anglers get bites of striped bass from dawn until 2 hours after sunrise and from 2 hours before sunset until dusk. Lake Seminole is a great place to target striped bass in Georgia. 

Redfish

Fishing for redfish is good during the winter, spring, and fall months. Redfish is active in the morning. Redfish can be found in the waters near Savannah. 

Flounder

Fishing for flounder in Georgia is good between January and April and between September and December. Flounder bites well in the early morning and late afternoon. Savannah is one of the best places to fish for flounder in the region. 

Crappie

The best months to catch crappie in Georgia are March and April. The evening and early morning is the best time of day to catch crappie. It makes sense to target crappie near Okefenokee Swamp. 

Cobia

Georgia cobia fishing season starts in April and finishes in October. Georgia’s Atlantic coastline offers great cobia fishing opportunities.

King Mackerel

The season to catch king mackerel in Georgia starts in March and ends in October. The best months to target king mackerel are April – September. It’s a great idea to fish for king mackerel near Jekyll Island. 

Black seabass

Fishing for black seabass in Georgia is good between January and April and between October and December. It’s possible to target black seabass near Savannah. 

Sheepshead

Fishing for sheepshead in Georgia is best between January and April and between October and December. Jekyll Island is an ideal place to fish for sheepshead in the region.

Trout

Trout fishing in Georgia is the most productive between March and October. Lake Lanier is the perfect place to fish for trout in Georgia. 

Walleye

Early spring is the best time of the year to target walleye in Georgia. Walleye bites well around dawn and dusk. Visit Lake Lanier if you would like to catch walleye during your Georgia fishing adventures.  

Georgia Regions: Best Fishing Times

Savannah

The best time of the year to fish in Savannah is between May and September. 

Brunswick

Fishing in Brunswick is best between the late summer and the late fall. 

St. Marys

The best time of the year to fish in St. Marys’s is between May and October. 

Jekyll Island

It’s possible to enjoy fishing in the waters near Jekyll Island year-round. However, the best season to fish on Jekyll Island is between August and October. 

Best Time of Day to Fish Georgia

What time of the year are you planning to visit Georgia? Go fishing in the morning during the hot summer months. Go fishing in the afternoon if you are planning Georgia fishing adventures during the cold months. 

It’s crucial for anglers to go fishing at the right time. It all depends on the fish species that you are targeting.

That’s why anglers need to decide what species they want to catch in advance. And of course, anglers need to go fishing when fishing for these species is the most productive.

It’s necessary to take into consideration the angler’s preferences as well. Are you an early riser? If so, you should go fishing in the morning. Or, maybe, you don’t like to wake up early? In this case, you should go fishing in the afternoon or in the evening.      

Is Winter Fishing Bad in Georgia? 

It’s getting colder in Georgia in winter. And of course, cold winter weather has an impact on the activity of fish. Many fish species are inactive due to the cold weather. 

Nevertheless, winter fishing is good in Georgia. Some fish species are active year-round, so anglers can target them during the winter months. Also, it’s possible to catch fish species that are active in winter. 

December is a great time of the year to target such fish species as bass and baitfish in Georgia. Redfish and bass are active in January. Crappies, as well as striped bass, are the main targets in Georgia in winter.  

Top 7 Fishing Spots in Georgia

Savannah

Savannah is a city that’s located on the Atlantic coastline in Georgia. Here, anglers can enjoy inshore and offshore fishing in the area.

The city is famous for its artificial reef system that attracts different fish species. Savannah is home to such fish species as billfish, flounder, trout, and redfish. 

Blue Ridge

Blue Ridge is an ideal place for anglers who would like to target trout during their fishing adventures. Such fishing techniques as spinning and fly fishing have become very popular in this place. 

Okefenokee Swamp

Okefenokee Swamp is the perfect place for those anglers, who want to fish in freshwater. It’s a large freshwater ecosystem. The area has a square of 400,000 acres.

Okefenokee Swamp impresses anglers with its fish abundance. Among fish species that you can target in this place are bluegill, crappie, largemouth bass, and many others.

Jekyll Island

Many anglers choose to fish in the waters near Jekyll Island in the fall. Here, anglers can fish inshore and try to fish in deep waters. Bull redfish is the main target during the fall months.

A lot of other fish species can be found in the area. Besides bull redfish, anglers can target many other fish species such as flounder, kingfish, seatrout, red snapper, and sharks.

Lake Seminole

Lake Seminole is a reservoir that’s located in the southwestern part of Georgia. The Flint and Chattahoochee Rivers merge into the lake. The lake has lush aquatic vegetation that creates the ideal conditions for largemouth bass fishing.

Lake Seminole attracts so many anglers who are interested in targeting largemouth bass. Here, anglers can catch big largemouth bass. Anglers can also fish for bluegill, crappie, striped bass, and other species.  

Lake Lanier

Lake Lanier is another popular bass and crappie fishing spot in Georgia. It’s a man-made lake in the south-eastern part of Georgia. The lake has more than 600 miles of shoreline. So, there are many good places to fish on the lake.

There are many other fish species that anglers can target in the lake. These include bluegill, carp, catfish, trout, and walleye. Oftentimes, anglers target a trophy-sized fish in the lake in April. 

The Chattahoochee River

Those anglers, who want to enjoy river fishing, should visit the Chattahoochee River. The river is known for its cool water. The waters in the river are cool year-round. The main targets here are catfish, rainbow trout, and striped bass.           

Booking Guides & Charters in Georgia

– Best season to go 

As we’ve already said, fishing in Georgia is good each season. The fishing season in the region starts in April and finishes in November. However, a lot of tourists choose to visit the region during the summer months.

That’s why the demand for fishing in the region is high and booking a charter can be hard in summer. So, go fishing in Georgia between April and May or between September and November if you would like to avoid crowds. Also, the demand is lower and it’s cheaper to fish during these months. As a result, fishing provides the best value for money.    

– Morning vs. afternoon 

Many anglers prefer to fish Georgia in the morning. Morning fishing is very productive during the summer months. Water cools down in the morning. As a result, fish feel better and start feeding actively.

Also, it’s comfortable to fish in the morning because anglers can avoid the summer heat. However, you have to wake up early to enjoy fishing in the morning. It’s also important to note that morning fishing maybe not be successful in spring, fall, and winter. 

It would be better to go fishing in the afternoon during the cold months. If you go fishing in the afternoon in summer, you’ll have to deal with the heat.

So, you will experience discomfort during your Georgia fishing adventures. Fish go too deep water and don’t bite in the afternoon during hot summer months.

Anglers don’t need to wake up early in order to enjoy fishing in the afternoon. However, afternoon fishing trips are short. That’s the reason why anglers don’t have enough time to enjoy fishing in the afternoon.        

– 1/2 day, full-day, multi-day charters 

Let’s say that you don’t have too much time to spend fishing in Georgia. In this case, 1/2 fishing trips are worth considering.

Half-day fishing trips are a good choice for beginners, who are mastering the art of fishing. Half-day fishing trips last 4 – 8 hours only. However, such trips give anglers enough time to develop basic fishing skills. 

However, it would be better to book a full-day trip if you want to spend more time fishing. Such a trip gives anglers an opportunity to spend a full day on the water.

Also, fishermen have a better chance to catch trophy fish during a full-day trip. However, a full-day trip is more expensive than a 1/2 day trip. 

Multi-day charters are a good choice for avid anglers. Multi-day fishing trips last several days. Fishermen are provided with meals and drinks during their trips.

So, anglers can catch more fish and have a better chance to land trophy fish during their trips. Book a multi-day charter if you want to get the most out of fishing in Georgia.