The Georgia Bass Slam

Challenge & Education

Spring 2026

Article and Photos by Jeff Samsel

At the start of 2025 I set a goal to achieve the Georgia Bass Slam. The idea was to add some direction for my year’s fishing plans and to create a good video theme for my YouTube channel, Fishing on Foot. Because of the channel focus, an added self-challenge was to catch all my qualifying fish while walking the bank or wading.

Chasing the slam indeed provided direction and video opportunities. I had not anticipated the quest providing so much fun and such a high level education about the Georgia’s bass species and their ranges, habitat and behavior.

I met my goal and ended up catching qualifying fish of seven species, all on foot and all from public waters.

About the Georgia Bass Slam

A program of the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division, the Georgia Bass Slam builds awareness about Georgia’s black bass species diversity and conservation of their habitat and rewards anglers who succeed in catching qualifying at least five black bass species from Georgia waters within a calendar year.

Georgia has 12 distinct black bass species, but 10 can count toward the slam. Two pairs of species, largemouth and Florida bass and spotted and Alabama bass are linked for the purposes of the slam because of difficulty of field identification and the amount of hybridization between those species.

Graphic courtesy of the Georgia DNR.

To qualify, a bass must exceed the minimum size for the waters where it is caught. If no minimum length exists, it must be at least eight inches in length. All must be caught from Georgia waters (or border waters where a reciprocal licensing agreement exists) and from waters where an angler has permission to fish.

Documentation requirements are a photo of the fish on a measuring board or tape and a photo of the angler with the fish. Other shots that clearly show the fish’s markings for ID confirmation are also encouraged.

The Georgia Bass Slam page on the WRD website has complete details about rules and prizes, along with excellent information about each of the species to provide anglers direction in this pursuit.

Journey of Discovery

Last year’s success began for me in February when I caught a hefty largemouth from the bank at the Flat Creek Public Fishing Area. I caught my Bartram’s and shoal bass not far into spring from river access points close to home.

The Flat Creek Largemouth.

The Bartram’s and largemouth felt like freebees. Those are species I catch every year from Georgia waters with no thoughts about the Georgia Bass Slam. It was simply a matter of toting a measuring tape or board and being intentional about getting the photos when I caught qualifying fish. The same applies to spotted bass, which ended up being my fourth species tallied.

I don’t necessarily catch shoal bass every year, but some live near me, so I didn’t need to do much studying or planning. The potential challenge with shoal bass for any angler is that a statewide minimum size of 15 inches (except in one area where a slot limit exists) means it takes pretty good quality fish to qualify. Fortunately, I caught a beautiful 18-inch shoalie early in the year and was able to scratch that one off the list.

The shoal bass.

The remainder are less familiar so that’s where the learning kicked into gear. Starting with direction provided on the Georgia Bass Slam webpage and bits I learned from various videos and articles, I began studying Google Maps, working my way up specific watersheds and looking for public access areas and the kind of shoal habitat that the upland bass species prefer. I also paid close attention to rainfall and river gauges, having learned that the same species are largely sight feeders and far easier to catch in clear water.

I thoroughly enjoyed exploring streams and stream sections I had never fished before or even thought about fishing. My Chattahoochee bass, which was species five to complete the slam, and my Coosa redeye bass both came from spots within 45 minutes of my house that I had never tried fishing.

The author’s Chattahoochee bass.

My smallmouth was a hybrid that the biologists determined to have enough smallmouth in it to qualify for the slam. I also managed to catch one Tallapoosa bass, but it wasn’t quite big enough to qualify. I never found an opportunity to get to Altamaha bass waters. I didn’t give much consideration to Suwannee bass, which all live at least five hours from me. Had I gotten the other nine and had time left in the year, that might have changed my thought process, but I didn’t, so who knows?!

 I didn’t officially reset the goal for 2026, but I’ve kept the measuring board handy when I’ve been in bass water and have already caught a qualifying Bartram’s bass and shoal bass and gotten the photos needed. Since I catch some Georgia largemouth and spots every year, that only leaves one to be intentional about to hit the minimum. So, it seems I’ve mentally committed to pursuing the Georgia Bass Slam again this year.

Jeff Samsel is a Content Specialist for PRADCO Outdoor Brands and a member of the Georgia Outdoor Writers Association. He and his family make their home in Clarkesville. Jeff can be contacted at jeff.samsel.fishing@gmail.com.