Middle Georgia · Shoal bass
Flint River fishing guide
Home of Georgia’s native shoal bass, in rocky shoals best reached by kayak or canoe.
- Where
- Upper Flint River, middle Georgia
- Fish
- Shoal bass
- Best
- May–June and Sept.–Nov.
- Rule
- 15-inch minimum for shoal bass
About the water
The shoal bass is Georgia’s official native riverine sportfish, and the upper Flint River is one of the best places to catch one. Rocky shoals such as Sprewell Bluff hold fish in fast, oxygen-rich water.
It’s a river you float or wade. A kayak or canoe lets you work shoal after shoal, and shoal bass must be 15 inches to keep.
What’s biting, season by season
May and June are prime, as shoal bass feed hard in the current.
Fish early and late, and wet-wade the shoals.
September through November is the other peak.
Slower fishing; work the deeper pools below the shoals.
Tips from the guides
- Work the seams where fast water meets slower water below a shoal.
- Small crankbaits, soft plastics and streamers all catch shoal bass.
- Check river levels first; high, muddy water makes wading unsafe and fishing tough.
- Handle and release fish quickly in summer heat.
Access & rules
Public launches and access points serve paddlers along the upper Flint.
A Georgia fishing license is required for anglers 16 and older.
Ask Chris
Headed to the Flint River? Ask Chris.
Chris Scalley has fished just about every water in Georgia and the Southeast, and he has guided since 1994. Ask him where to go, what’s biting, or who to fish with. He reads every question himself.
- Where and when to fish the Flint River
- Which local guide or charter is worth booking
- A trout trip on the Hooch with River Through Atlanta
From the guides at River Through Atlanta
Shoal bass on the Flint are a blast. For trout, Atlanta’s own river is calling.
Below Buford Dam, cold water from the bottom of Lake Lanier keeps 48 miles of the Chattahoochee cool enough for trout all year. It’s western-style fly fishing from a drift boat, for rainbows and wild browns, right through Atlanta. Our Orvis-endorsed guides have fished it since 1994, and beginners are welcome.
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