Located on a gently rolling 372-acre tract in Evans County, this PFA offers 3 lakes which vary in size from 8 to 84 acres for your fishing enjoyment. |
All lakes can be fished from the bank or by boat. 2 of the lakes are fertilized and intensively managed to maximize fishing success. Crappie, largemouth bass and catfish are available to anglers.
Public fishing areas are perfect family areas, so visit Evans County PFA for a peaceful fishing or picnicking experience with friends and family. It features 3 ponds encompassing 122 acres (8, 30, and 84 acres).
Facilities Include:
 Concrete boat ramps Fishing piers Restrooms Picnic tables Primitive camping Some facilities handicap accessible |
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| Major Fish Species and Fishing Tips |
Largemouth bass Crappie Bluegill • Redear sunfish (shellcracker) Channel catfish and Brown Bullhead
Bidd Sands Lake, the largest lake (84 acres), is over 12 ft. deep near the dam and has extensive shallow water areas for spawning fishes.
The upper end of the lake is shallow and heavily vegetated, offering great opportunities for bass in the warmer months. Flooded timber offers plentiful structure in the shallows.
The shoreline opposite the fishing pier has blown down trees and piled up limbs that hold fish year-round. Presentations along the shoreline vegetation and trees can produce bites. |
In warmer months, lily pads will cover this area and other edges of the lake offering different fishing tactics. Remember, use heavier gear to pitch weedless baits. Bass will move out to the edge of these pads after spawning, and working flukes, rattletraps, crank and spinner baits along these edges will produce bites. Rattletraps offer reactionstrikes when the lake blooms due to limited site distance underwater. Fish deeper water and ledges slowly for bass in the winter and move to the shallows as weather warms.
Hybrid bass exist in the 84-acre lake and are occasionally landed using minnows. Deep diving crankbaits and rattletraps over deep water ledges can produce hybrid strikes. |
Crappie fishing is popular on the area. Fishing is best mid- November through March. Lake Longleaf (8 acres) produces large numbers of crappie, but Bidd Sands Lake offers chances ofcatching slabs over two pounds. Live minnows are allowed and are the preferred bait for most anglers targeting crappie. Minnows andjigs suspended under floats and drifted behind the boat in open water land many crappie. Slowly pulling jigs through shallows is effective when crappie are on the banks.
Bluegill and shellcracker (bream) fishing on the area can be outstanding in both lakes. In Bidd Sands, work lily pad fields andshallows until beds are located. Red wigglers and pink worms suspended under floats generate many shellcracker, while crickets and small beetlespins produce numerous bluegill. Mid-spring through June are the best times to target bream.
Hours: Open year-round, 7 days/week, sunrise to sunset. |
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| Boat Ramps |
| Bid Sands Lake
Water Body in Evans County Ogeechee River Basin Contact: 912-285-6094 -81.7936 Longitude & 32.1286 Latitude No Fee 1 Boat Dock LaneHandicap Accessible Courtesy Dock Handicap Accessible Flush BathroomPrimitive Camping Handicap Accessible 50-Car Unpaved Parking Capacity |
| Bid Sands Lake
Water Body in Jasper County Ogeechee River Basin Contact: 912-285-6094 -81.7936 Longitude & 32.1286 Latitude No Fee 1 Boat Dock LaneHandicap Accessible Courtesy Dock Handicap Accessible Flush BathroomPrimitive Camping Handicap Accessible 50-Car Unpaved Parking Capacity |
| Regulations |
Public fishing areas have special regulations that are posted on site as well as published in the Georgia Sport Fishing Regulations.
Anglers 16 years of age and older, except honorary license holders, must possess a current fishing license and a wildlife management area (WMA)
license to fish. An angler possessing a one-day
fishing, sportsman's or lifetime license is not required to possess a WMA license. For more information, see Georgia PFA Info and Regulations page.
Licensing
To help cover the costs of maintaining these great resources, visitors (ages 16-64) must have one of the following to access Public Fishing Areas except for Rocky Mountain PFA:
3-day hunting/fishing license Wildlife Management Area license
Sportsman's, Honorary or Lifetime license or Georgia Outdoor Recreational Pass (GORP)
To purchase a GORP pass, click HERE |
| Contact and Directions |
| Telephone: 912-739-1139 or 912-685-6424 - Directions from Claxton: East on US Highway 280 for 8.5 miles; right on Old Reidsville-Savannah Road for 1 mile; left on Old Sunbury Road (dirt), PFA 0.3 miles on right marked by Wildlife Resources sign. |
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