Hays Pond Fishing near Social Circle, Georgia

• Overview

  Set in Newton County, Hays Pond is a Georgia water. The surroundings are open plain. It runs to roughly 31 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. Shoreline comes to about 1.0 miles, small enough to learn in a day. 8.7 miles away sits Social Circle, the nearest town. Then Covington, 9.1 miles, and Porterdale, 10 miles. This one sits near enough to a boundary to be worth checking.

• Where to Fish on Hays Pond

  Depth figures are not published for this one. The arms fish better than the open middle whenever the water is up. Standing timber shows when the level drops, and fish sit against it. Species logged nearby in open biodiversity records include bluegill, largemouth bass, redbreast sunfish and black crappie. It is a record of sightings and surveys, so use it as a guide. Treat Hays Pond as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 43°F in January up to 80°F in July. The surface stays open the year round. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer squeezes it into the edges of the day. November and March are the quiet, comfortable months to be out. On Hays Pond that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Parking sits half a mile out, which makes for a walk with tackle. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. For a change of water, Stokes Lake is 0.9 miles distant. Rules at Hays Pond are worth checking on the day.