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Savannah River Fall Fishing Forecast - Spinnerbaits, Topwaters, and Trophy Cats on the Bite
Published 7 months ago
Description
Artificial Lure checking in with your September 27, 2025 Savannah River fishing report, serving up fresh info from both the Georgia and South Carolina banks.
We kicked off today with sunrise at 7:08 am and can expect sunset at 7:31 pm, giving us a solid 12-plus hours of daylight for casting lines. Morning temps are a pleasant 73 to 76°F, cloud cover is light at 18%, and the water is hovering at 81°F—absolutely prime for fall fishing. Winds are steady SSW at 15 mph, so keep an eye on those wind-blown points, especially as the tide swings.
Tidal movement at the Savannah River Entrance is strong today, setting the pace for both inshore and upriver action. We’ll hit low tide at 8:05 am (0.56 ft) and see the high roll in around 2:26 pm with a robust 7.87 ft—it’s a textbook day for taking advantage of both the incoming and outgoing water, especially around the flats and channel edges according to TidesChart.
This week’s bite has shown out in a big way. Local guides and Georgia DNR staff have noted that bass are holding strong from the Savannah River proper up to the Little River, keying on points, rocks, and wind-whipped banks. Best bet has been throwing a 3/8-ounce white or chartreuse spinnerbait, but keep a shad-pattern topwater like a Zara Spook or Skitter Walk rigged for that pre-sunset surface burst. The rain and falling overnight temps have the crawfish scooting, so craw-color crankbaits and jigs are getting attention, especially near rocky stretches and hard-bottom points—look for those classic granite outcrops or old bridge pilings around Augusta and between Port Wentworth and the Hwy 17 bridge. On the South Carolina side, fish have also moved a bit shallower late in the day, according to SCDNR dispatches.
Crappie action is heating up as schools slide from deep brush toward newly-shallowed cover. Minnows and small jigs in 12–15 feet of water are money near submerged timber and dock pilings. With a rising river at Clyo—recent gauge reads 5.7 feet and climbing—the backwater sloughs fill with bait, and that’s drawing in some nice keeper slabs.
If you’ve got catfish on the mind, this is your time. Both blue and channel cats are cruising from the deeper river bends out to the mouths of feeder creeks. Cut shad, chicken livers, or even the trusty nightcrawler fished on the bottom in 10–20 feet is excellent, with some trophy blues reported near the I-95 bridge and Oxbow Lake cut-throughs. As reported by Georgia WRD and Captain Bert Deener, the scattered fish are more aggressive now with cooler evenings.
Striped bass and hybrids are busting bait schools below the lock and dam and down toward Thunderbolt on the incoming tide. Live herring or blueback shad on down-lines have been putting fish in the boat. Throwing big spoons or a white swimbait across active schools will do damage, especially when they start pushing bait toward the surface on those incoming surges.
Saltwater fans should know the lower river and marshes are turning on for flounder, reds, and trout. Live finger mullet and Gulp shrimp are top picks, worked over grassy points and creek mouths as water pushes in. Georgia Outdoor News confirms solid catches this week with flounder in the deeper holes as the tide drops.
Hot spots to check today:
- The rocks below the Talmadge Bridge—prime at both high slack and outgoing tide for bass and stripers.
- The shallow flats at Rifle Cut and Turnbridge Creek off Hutchinson Island, especially for redfish, crappie, and schoolie bass.
- Oxbow Lake back outflows—excellent for catfish and largemouth on cut bait or spinnerbaits.
Quick lure rundown: chartreuse or white spinnerbaits, topwater baits in shad or chrome, craw pattern crankbaits, Pearl Zoom Super Fluke Jr. for clear stretches, and Rattlin’ Raps in fire craw or blue shad for versatility.
Thanks for tuning in to Artificial Lure’s Savannah River report—may you
We kicked off today with sunrise at 7:08 am and can expect sunset at 7:31 pm, giving us a solid 12-plus hours of daylight for casting lines. Morning temps are a pleasant 73 to 76°F, cloud cover is light at 18%, and the water is hovering at 81°F—absolutely prime for fall fishing. Winds are steady SSW at 15 mph, so keep an eye on those wind-blown points, especially as the tide swings.
Tidal movement at the Savannah River Entrance is strong today, setting the pace for both inshore and upriver action. We’ll hit low tide at 8:05 am (0.56 ft) and see the high roll in around 2:26 pm with a robust 7.87 ft—it’s a textbook day for taking advantage of both the incoming and outgoing water, especially around the flats and channel edges according to TidesChart.
This week’s bite has shown out in a big way. Local guides and Georgia DNR staff have noted that bass are holding strong from the Savannah River proper up to the Little River, keying on points, rocks, and wind-whipped banks. Best bet has been throwing a 3/8-ounce white or chartreuse spinnerbait, but keep a shad-pattern topwater like a Zara Spook or Skitter Walk rigged for that pre-sunset surface burst. The rain and falling overnight temps have the crawfish scooting, so craw-color crankbaits and jigs are getting attention, especially near rocky stretches and hard-bottom points—look for those classic granite outcrops or old bridge pilings around Augusta and between Port Wentworth and the Hwy 17 bridge. On the South Carolina side, fish have also moved a bit shallower late in the day, according to SCDNR dispatches.
Crappie action is heating up as schools slide from deep brush toward newly-shallowed cover. Minnows and small jigs in 12–15 feet of water are money near submerged timber and dock pilings. With a rising river at Clyo—recent gauge reads 5.7 feet and climbing—the backwater sloughs fill with bait, and that’s drawing in some nice keeper slabs.
If you’ve got catfish on the mind, this is your time. Both blue and channel cats are cruising from the deeper river bends out to the mouths of feeder creeks. Cut shad, chicken livers, or even the trusty nightcrawler fished on the bottom in 10–20 feet is excellent, with some trophy blues reported near the I-95 bridge and Oxbow Lake cut-throughs. As reported by Georgia WRD and Captain Bert Deener, the scattered fish are more aggressive now with cooler evenings.
Striped bass and hybrids are busting bait schools below the lock and dam and down toward Thunderbolt on the incoming tide. Live herring or blueback shad on down-lines have been putting fish in the boat. Throwing big spoons or a white swimbait across active schools will do damage, especially when they start pushing bait toward the surface on those incoming surges.
Saltwater fans should know the lower river and marshes are turning on for flounder, reds, and trout. Live finger mullet and Gulp shrimp are top picks, worked over grassy points and creek mouths as water pushes in. Georgia Outdoor News confirms solid catches this week with flounder in the deeper holes as the tide drops.
Hot spots to check today:
- The rocks below the Talmadge Bridge—prime at both high slack and outgoing tide for bass and stripers.
- The shallow flats at Rifle Cut and Turnbridge Creek off Hutchinson Island, especially for redfish, crappie, and schoolie bass.
- Oxbow Lake back outflows—excellent for catfish and largemouth on cut bait or spinnerbaits.
Quick lure rundown: chartreuse or white spinnerbaits, topwater baits in shad or chrome, craw pattern crankbaits, Pearl Zoom Super Fluke Jr. for clear stretches, and Rattlin’ Raps in fire craw or blue shad for versatility.
Thanks for tuning in to Artificial Lure’s Savannah River report—may you