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Flint River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Georgia’s shoal bass river: the Flint runs 340 miles from Atlanta’s edge to Lake Seminole.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Flow
213 cfs
Air / High
91 / 92 F
Wind
ESE 4 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 02347500, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Flint River stays in its summer rhythm: early magic, midday siesta, evening reprieve. The river is running 213 cfs, dropping and clearing. Today brings clear skies, wind ESE around 4 mph, rising pressure near 1014 hPa and a high of 92. Water sits around 84 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: plan around them and beat the heat.

The plan, species by species

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

Largemouth bassFair

Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

White bassFair

Early schooling action over humps; slabs and small spinners under the birds.

CrappieSlow

Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Tomorrow: Similar at 94 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from Flint River near Carsonville.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 02347500.

4157921,168213 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp91 F
High / Low92 / 72 F
WindESE 4-9 mph
Pressure1013.7 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain6% cloud, 12%
Sunrise / Sunset07:13 / 19:58
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~84 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Overcast, 92/72 F, wind 5 mph, rain 12%

Fair or better. Calm and stable: plan around the solunar majors at dawn and dusk.

Species guide

The species that matter on Flint River: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: spring and fall

The headline act on most American reservoirs. Relates to cover: docks, brush, grass edges and points. Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: Nov-Mar

Brush piles, bridge pilings and standing timber. The fish fry favorite. Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Good year-round

The most reliable bite on most southern waters. Blues run big; channels fill the cooler. Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: Mar-May run

River-run spawners and open-water schoolers. Fast limits when you find them. Early schooling action over humps; slabs and small spinners under the birds.

When to come: the Flint River calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Largemouth bass
Crappie
Catfish (blue, channel)
White bass
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 84 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~84 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Flint River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 93 F, wind to 8 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 92 F, wind to 4 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 91 F, wind to 5 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Georgia requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Georgia license. Shoal bass and black bass regulations vary by reach: check current DNR rules, which include specific shoal bass protections.

Access

Public landings through the corridor, Sprewell Bluff area, and outfitters serving the shoal reaches.

About this water

A 340-mile river from metro Atlanta to Lake Seminole across southwest Georgia.

Fishing Flint River: the full guide

A long Georgia river

The Flint River rises near the Atlanta airport and flows about 340 miles south to Lake Seminole, one of only a handful of rivers in the country that runs more than 200 miles unimpounded. It is the premier river for shoal bass, a species native to the Apalachicola basin, and it holds largemouth, striped bass, catfish and bream through its length.

Shoal bass

Shoal bass hold the rock shoals and current seams that give the fish their name, taken on crankbaits, tubes, jigs and topwater in the warm months. They fight hard for their size and are a genuine specialty species: the Flint and its neighbors are effectively the only place to target them. Handle and release them carefully.

The middle and lower river

The middle Flint through the Fall Line region holds the best shoal water, floated by kayak and jet boat. The lower river below Albany widens and slows, holding largemouth, catfish and striped bass toward Lake Seminole. Spring and fall fish best; summer heat pushes activity to the shoals and low light.

Southwest Georgia logistics

Access is via public landings through the corridor, with outfitters serving the shoal reaches and Sprewell Bluff a well-known access point. Thomaston, Albany and Bainbridge are the base towns. Flows respond to rain and vary widely: check the gauge before planning a float on the shoals.

Common questions

What is a shoal bass?

A black bass native to the Apalachicola basin that holds rocky shoals: the Flint is its premier river.

Where is the best water?

The middle Flint through the Fall Line region holds the best shoal habitat, floated by kayak or jet boat.

Is it unimpounded?

Largely: it runs more than 200 miles free-flowing, unusual for a river of its length in the Southeast.

Is fishing good at Flint River right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Lake Tobesofkee29 miLake Harding49 miWest Point Lake53 miLake Blackshear65 miLake Sinclair67 miTallapoosa River77 mi
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