Fishing at Leitner Pond, Columbia County, Georgia

• Overview

  Leitner Pond sits within Columbia County in Georgia. It lies 354 feet above sea level. Roughly 35 acres: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. Size puts it in the front rank of our Columbia County list. Harlem lies 4.5 miles from the water. For a city, Athens is 76 miles off. Two sets of local rules meet not far from this water.

• Where to Fish on Leitner Pond

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Look for where the old bank line still shows under the surface. Inflow corners move water, and moving water gathers fish. Records collected within a few miles name redfin pickerel. Treat it as evidence of what swims in the area. The shape of Leitner Pond rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 44°F to 80°F. The awkward stretch is midsummer, not midwinter. The first and last hours carry the summer; the middle is slow. Autumn steadies things again once the heat lets go. The season on Leitner Pond rarely departs from it. The first warm days of the year bring fish shallow quickly.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. For the pike, wire up and throw larger lures along the weed edges. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Should this one be busy, Howard Lake is 1 mile off. Where Leitner Pond is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.