Savannah River Bite Heats Up for Panfish, Stripers, and Cats

Artificial Lure here with your Savannah River fishing report for Sunday, June 22nd, 2025. Let’s get right into it! The sun rose at 6:20 a.m. and will set tonight at 8:33 p.m., giving anglers a full day of prime fishing light. Tides are moderate and on the rise most of the morning, with a high tide expected around 1:04 p.m.—those incoming tides should keep the bite lively, especially in the backwater oxbows and creek mouths near the Intracoastal Waterway. Weather’s shaping up nicely, with highs in the upper 80s, light breezes, and just enough cloud cover for comfort. After a run of hot, stable weather, the river’s in good shape—flows near Clyo are around 11 feet and falling, so clarity is improving and the banks are accessible. Summer’s heating up the fish activity, too. According to Georgia Wildlife and local biologists, panfish are on fire lately. Redear sunfish (shellcracker) and bluegill are being caught consistently around woody cover, especially if you’re using crickets or worms, but don’t overlook small poppers and mini crankbaits for those aggressive bluegills. A recent headline catch was a slab redear out of Clarks Hill, but plenty of quality fish are coming from the Savannah itself. Striped bass are still showing below the New Savannah Bluff Lock & Dam. Last week’s surveys turned up stripers pushing 25 pounds. These big fish are hitting live herring or shad drifted through the current, and they’ll also smash bucktails, swimbaits, and big jerkbaits if you’re working moving water. Early morning and late evening are best for these linesides. Catfish action is steady with channel and blue cats biting well from the dam downstream. Chicken liver and cut shad on the bottom are top producers. There have been reports of channel cats up to 12 pounds, and if you land one over 10 pounds, let the DNR know—they’re tracking big catches for the river records. Nighttime or just after dusk is prime time for the biggest cats. Bass anglers are finding fish up shallow early on topwater, then moving out to deeper brush and points by late morning. Plastic worms, spinnerbaits, and jigs are all putting a few in the boat. If you’re after crappie, check deeper brush piles and fish vertically with minnows or small jigs. Two of today’s hot spots: - The mouths of Abercorn Creek and the backwater sloughs between Clyo and Hardeeville—excellent for bream and the odd keeper bass. - Below the New Savannah Bluff Lock & Dam for your shot at big stripers and cats. That’s it for today’s report. Thanks for tuning in—be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss these daily updates. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.