Lake Lanier Fishing Reports

Fishing has really awakened on Lake Lanier the past few days for stripers. The stripers are feeding in fairly large packs and eating almost solely on herring. The water temperature has heated up to about 58 degrees, the weather has turned incredible, the lake is full, and life is good. Overall for this time of year we can not hope for it to be any better than it is right now. Some days can still be tough but most days the fishing has been very good. We are pulling freelines and planer boards with the trolling motor.

The crappie fishing on the other hand has been more difficult than expected with the rise in water temperature. ANy day now the fish should really make the move shallow but from what we have been hearing it has just not happened yet. Over the coming week, the crappie should really make the move shallow and be the best fishing of the year to catch them with the kids with bobbers and minnows up in shallow brush. Hope to see you out on the water,

Finally some warm weather has arrived and the fish have arrived with it. The water temperature is creeping into the low 50s which means the big fish are on the prowl. The next few weeks are the best of the year to catch that trophy striper. The big females have to eat to prepare for the spawn. We are now pulling some big baits and catching some big fish. We are not running up big numbers but the fish we are catching are good size. Also starting to see a few fish fall to the bucktail. If you want to catch a big one now is the time.
The crappie are also biting. Been running some trips for the crappie as well. The best time to take the kids is rapidly approaching. The fish will be on the banks in a few short weeks. See you out there,

Fishing continues to be good on Lake Lanier. The water temperature continues to be better than normal which has really helped. The fish are really beginning to move up into the back of the creeks. Over the next few weeks, the stripers will push even further up into the back of the creeks. As this happens, look for more and more big fish to show up making the next month the best time of the year to catch a trophy. Trout and herring have been the best live bait and will continue to be so the following weeks. Casting with bucktails will catch some big fish in the coming weeks as well. Most days we will be casting 1/4 ounce bucktails. If you looking for a big fish, your time of the year is rapidly approaching. Hope to see you soon,

The striper fishing on Lake Lanier this December has been better than normal. Due to the warm weather earlier in the month, the water temperature has stayed a little warmer than average and the fish have been feeding to prepare for the rest of the winter. Two patterns have been working for weeks on Lake Lanier and it looks like these two patterns will continue to be strong for at least the next several weeks. The bulk of the fish are deeper than normal. It has not been uncommon for us to catch the stripers 75 feet deep this week. We are catching all of these stripers on a downline very much like we do in the middle of Summer. The only difference is we are using live rainbow trout with a 3/0 octopus hook instead of a herring with a 1/0 octopus hook. Concerning the tackle, we are still using a 7 foot medium action Shakespeare Striper rod paired up with a Penn 310LC Linecounter Reel. We are using mostly 15 pound Trilene Big Game main line, a 1 1/2 ounce egg sinker above a swivel and five foot leader of 100% Trilene Flourocarbon Leader. We are still using some of the herring for the smaller stripers but most of the respectable fish are coming on the trout. You can pick up the rainbow trout at any of the local bait shops around the lake. The key to catching the fish on the downline right now is the baitfish. Find the baitfish deep and park on it. Put out your baits and let the fish come to you. They will not be far from the baitfish.
The second pattern that is catching less but bigger fish is to pull large trout and large gizzard shad on free lines and planer boards up in the creeks. All of the creeks are good targets and the dpeth of water has varied. As of right now, you will not catch big numbers doing this but if you are looking for a fish over 30 pounds this is the pattern for you. Over the past several weeks, there have been way more fish than normal caught over 30 pounds on Lanier. This is more of a patience game so take your time and fish for that one big bite so be prepared with heavier tackle.
Overall, the fishing has been great on Lake Lanier. The problem is not many people are getting out on the lake and enjoying it with the lake being lower than normal. There are still more boat ramps open than during the last drought a few years ago. The good news is there are not any jet skis, cruisers, or cigarette boats out on the lake. If you enjoy peace and solitude, now is the time to get out on the water. See you out there,

It comes as a surprise to most of our customers that the day after Thanksgiving is the busiest day of the year. All of the wives are out shopping and the men go fishing. Therefore, a common question for us is the outlook for the fishing of Thanksgiving week. Traditionally, Thanksgiving week is very good for us. The topwater bite that can be unpredictable gives way to the fish getting deeper and more reliable on the downline using rainbow trout for bait. This year is shaping up to be the same. Most of our fish are already coming on the downline with a few big fish early on freelines and planer boards. We hope to see you guys this week. If any questions, don’t hesitate to give us a call. We plan to fish all hours except for the day of Thanksgiving. If you want to go the day after Thanksgiving, be sure to give us a call as soon as possible.

Sitting indoors today watching the wind blow. Not much to report this week. The weather has really crushed us this week. The few trips we had booked this week all cancelled and I can not blame them. However, we can’t complain when you look at the news and see how the northeast has been devastated.
Before the hurricane, the topwater bite on Lake Lanier was just taking off. We were starting to see some good fish come up on top and we caught some fish on Sebile Magic Swimmers and other topwater baits. This all came to a grinding halt when the wind showed up Sunday. A few final fish were caught on topwater and everyone stopped fishing for the last few days. We did make it out on the lake for a quick look over of the lake yesterday and it was not too bad considering the massive weather system. The water temperature has dropped five degrees down to 64 degrees but that is still good.
As soon as the wind lays down today, the fishing on Lake Lanier should improve daily. The topwater will change some this week but we should still see some fish rolling on the surface eating threadfin shad. We should also start seeing more fish caught on our planer boards using trout. We normally catch some really nice fish in November on live trout. Overall, it has been a rough week on Lanier but don’t expect it to stay that way. In the coming days, the fish are going to make up for lost time and they are going to be relaxed form the lack of boat pressure. ll this add ups to some good fishing in the near future. Hope to see you out there,

Lanier Stripers: The striper fishing on Lake Lanier has changed rapidly the last few weeks. The Fall fronts have arrived and are bringing cooler weather which has dropped the water temperature. With the dropping water temperature, the pattern has changed rapidly. The lake has already went through the worst part of the lake turnover where the cooler surface water sinks due to it being denser. This is very important since it brings more oxygen back into the water. The stripers are loving the cooler water temperatures and are beginning to school on topwater. Be sure to keep topwater baits tied on at all times. A subsurface lure like the Sebile Magic Swimmer is also catching some stripers along with some massive spotted bass. Two of the most popular colors are white lady and sea chrome. Use the sea chrome color on the sunny days and the white lady on the cloudy days. Most of the topwater bite has been in low light conditions and on windy days.
If you are not having any luck on the topwater, begin to look at humps and points near deep water that top out at thirty to forty feet deep. During the middle of the day, the stripers are laying on the points and humps. Drop your downlines right on top of their heads. Do not use as long a leader as you did in the Summer. Most of these fish will be tight tot e bottom and not want to leave. The bait of choice has been live trout on the downline. Look for this pattern to only get stronger as the water temperature drops each passing week.
Overall, it has been very nice out on the lake. The boat traffic has been nonexistent and the weather has been incredible. Some of the best fishing days of the year are always in the Fall along with some of the toughest. One thing is for sure, if you don’t get out and go you will never see one of those best days. Get out enjoy the weather and see what you catch. Tight lines,

As expected, the striper bite on lake lanier continues to be strong. The striped bass continue to be schooled up over the deep water on the south end of the lake. We are still catching most of our fish midday on deep downlines using live blueback herring. We are also using heavier leaders than the last few years. We have been catching some really nice fish. The average fish is up from the last few years. The weather looks incredible this week. Hope to see you guys soon.

The striper fishing on Lake Lanier has been very strong on the downline. The schools of stripers have continued to be large and concentrated on the south end. The big question for September is how the weather will affect the stripers. September is always a month of transition for the stripers on Lake Lanier. Right now, the biggest question is how hurricane Isaac will affect the lake. Several patterns may develop on Lake Lanier depending on Isaac and the weather after Isaac. Hard to say if the downline bite will continue after the storm. Hopefully the downline bite will remain strong until late September. However, it is expected that the pattern will change some and be more of a early and late bite with downlines in deep coves on the south end of the lake. If the water temperature drops some, look for the fish to possibly pull up more on points and humps on the south end of the lake. This could lead to a strong umbrella rig bite on the south end of the lake. There is also the remote chance that if the water temperature drops enough we get an early topwater bite which can lead to some incredible fishing with topwater baits like the Sebile Slim Stick in Sea Chrome. We have already been seeing some small stripers break randomly on the surface which has many excited that this may happen this year. Overall, it is really hard to say what this September is going to bring on Lake Lanier. With Hurricane Isaac headed this way as this is written, it is very hard to say what will happen in the coming weeks. One thing is for sure, the weather is usually great in September. Get out on the lake and see what happens.

Finally getting back on the lake after losing the powerhead. Brian has been taking most of the trips up until now. Today Brian and I got out and broke in the new motor. Saw lots of fish deep in the timber. Overall, the bite was very good especially considering we were not out all that long. Looking forward to getting back out on a trip tomorrow. Live bait continues to be king along with a few caught power reeling. We are using the larger 2 ounce bucktail jigs on the power reeling. Still got some days open in late August so hope to see you guys soon. The downline bite is still going strong. Time to go!