Discover Georgia's Evans County Public Fishing Area

Discover Georgia's Evans County PFA - 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. Stay and Play in GA!

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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

Some facilities accessible

Primitive camping to persons with disabilities

Boardwalk nature trail

Major Fish Species and Fishing Tips

Largemouth bass

Crappie

Bluegill • Redear sunfish (shellcracker)

Channel catfish and

Hybrid bass

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.

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, call the phone number listed at the bottom of the page.

Contact and Directions

Telephone: 912-739-1139 or 912-685-6424 - Directions from Claxton: Heading East of Claxton on U.S. Hwy. 280, travel 8.5 miles before turning south on Sunbury Rd. Travel for one (1) mile on Sunbury Rd. then left on Area Line Road (dirt). The area is located 0.3 miles on the right (marked by a Wildlife Resources Division sign). or call (912) 285-6094.