Lake Lanier is mostly clear except for some stain on the north end of the lake. Water temperature is in the low 50s. The stripers have been deep all Winter and will continue to do so until the weather finally makes a turn toward Spring. We need some sun to warm the water for the bait to make a shift shallow. Most of the bait has been 50-80 feet deep. There have been a few fish shallow that can be easy to catch but not big numbers. Most of these shallow fish are being caught on minimacks. Rig up your minimacks with the 2.8 Berkley Power Swimmers as these baits are very durable. Best colors being sight flash and electric shad.
Live bait has continued to be the best pattern over the deep bait. As the bait Continues to condense in the creeks this pattern will not change much except that they will progressively move shallower as Spring gets closer and closer. Trout have been the best bait all Winter. Herring has been working as well. Keep as many Shakespeare striper rods rigged as possible with Penn Warfare II Linecounter reels spooled with 15 pound Trilene Big Game. Rig several of these striper rods with downlines. The downline is more less a carolina rig for live bait. Tie on a 2 ounce Capt. Mack swivel sinker, a four foot leader of Trilene 100% twelve pound Flourocarbon and a Gamakatsu size 3/0 Octopus hook for the trout and a size 1 Gamakatsu octopus hook for the herring. Great electronics like the Humminbird Solix is essential to finding the deep bait.
Some big fish will show up this February especially if the weather falls into place.. Be prepared and don’t say the big one got away.
