Summer is fading fast here on Lanier. The lake has dropped a couple feet and another couple feet looks likely at least. The water is clear and the water temperature is beginning to drop. The topwater bite has started early again this year. The topwater bite is not widespread yet but as the water temperature drops look for the topwater bite to become solid. Concerning live bait, herring will continue to be the primary bait in October. Rig the herring on a free line which is basically a 1/0 Gamakatsu Octopus hook, a section of 10 pound Trilene Big Game 100% Flourocarbon and a Spro 120 pd Power Swivel. The Spro Power Swivel is important. Do not buy the cheap swivels on the market. Use this setup on the same Shakespeare Striper Rod used for downlining paired with a Penn Fathom II 15 Linecounter spooled with fifteen pound Trilene Big Game. Pull the herring on the Freelines as you cast to the schooling fish.
Be prepared for the surface action with a wide selection of topwater baits. Spool up an Abu Garcia medium action rod with 10 pound Trilene Big Game and a Berkley Magic Swimmer as the lure. The Magic Swimmer has caught tons of stripers over the past decade here on Lake Lanier. The Magic Swimmer comes in several sizes and they all work but the 125 is most popular on Lanier. Be prepared with several colors like the Halo Greenie, Chrome, and White Liner. These baits have been hard to find at times so plan ahead. Other key topwater baits include the Berkley J-Walker 120, Berkley Surge Shad, and the Berkley Driftwalker. On the soft side, keep a Berkley Jerk shad in white also rigged up on a spinning rod. Each one has a different action and each day can be a different choice based weather conditions. Also keep the trebles in tip top shape. If they are bent replace them with Gamakatsu Magic Eye trebles. The stripers are good at destroying lures. So far this Fall the Magic Swimmer has been the best bait. Look for schooling fish and cast right in the middle of them. Some of these schools can be massive. This is usually the most exciting month of the year on Lanier. Do not miss it!
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