RicHolland wrote:
Hi All,
Ric Holland here in the Atlanta, GA area, about 6 miles from Lake Lanier. I hit a little snag here in GA and I’m hoping for some input. When I lived in TX back in the late 1980s, I was an avid fisherman, fishing many tournaments across TX, NM & OK. Then work endeavors sent me to Chicago and the NYC area for about 12 years. I transferred to Atlanta in 1993 but continued my national weekly travel schedule until late last year. I retired, moved to a smaller place near lake Lanier and played golf for the next 2-years (5-days a week).
Anyway, I decided to get me a Blue Sky Boatworks 360 Pro (
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofOJZlfnh0I)
back in February to get ready for the Bass Spawn on Lanier in March. I added a Motorguide xi3 55lbs thrust and Garmin Striker Vision 9sv, looking forward to picking and choosing boat ramps near key feeder creeks on Lanier so I could use my boat to fish specific areas without having to get into the main areas of the lake with my boat.
The first area I tried was launching at Old Federal Boat Ramp and scooted across to fish “mud creek”. The first thing I noticed was the water temp in the coves was already at 62 degrees. I know from experience that Largemouth usually start their Spawn when water temps get to around 58 degrees. When I loaded back up, I spoke to a few guys at the dock who informed me that Lanier really wasn’t known for their Largemouth population but rather for their Spotted and Small Mouth bass. Okay…. So, I figure the small mouth should start their spawn in water temp around 64-68 degrees, which gives me a couple of weeks to plan for areas.
Anyway, sorry for the long ramble. Can anyone give me some good advice on areas, feeder creeks, good baits and sizes for small mouth on Lanier (South Side)? Oh yeah, nearly forgot, I hear people talking about not eating the bass out of Lanier. Personally, I never used a safety helmet when I road my bike and my kids chewed on their baby crib paint without becoming too mentally unstable. What are your thoughts on eating some catch?
Thanks in advance
ric
Hi All, br br Ric Holland here in the Atlanta, GA... (
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Learn about Lake Lanier
Written by Super User | Print | Email | Hits: 12656
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Learn about Lake Lanier
Written by Super User | Print | Email | Hits: 12651
Lake Lanier is a 38,000 acre reservoir operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) and located about 50 miles northeast of Atlanta. Lanier receives heavy fishing pressure due to its proximity to the large population centers around Atlanta. Spotted bass, crappie, striped bass and catfish are favorite targets of Lake Lanier anglers. Spotted bass are very abundant, in excellent condition, and are putting on weight from the ample supply of threadfins and blue backs. Therefore, anglers should experience another good year catching numerous 1 to 4 pounds spotted bass. Based on WRD sampling the abundance of 1 to 2 pounds largemouth bass has also improved slightly. Largemouth’s exceeding 5 pounds are present, but limited in numbers. Spotted and largemouth bass can be caught on a variety of artificial lures throughout the year as well as live baits such as night crawlers, crayfish and minnows.
Georgia Department of Natural Recourses 2018 Fishing Prospects
Prospect: Lake Lanier supports an abundant Spotted Bass population with plenty of fish over the 14 inch minimum size limit. Spotted bass in the two pound range are common and fish exceeding four pounds are often found on the end of the line.
Technique: Spotted Bass feed on a wide variety of prey items; therefore, every angler’s tackle box should include a variety of baits and lures. Among the hundreds of options, there are a handful of proven selections.
Spotted Bass can be targeted similarly to striped bass throughout the summer using blueback herring on downlines and flat lines. Night crawlers, crayfish, and shiners are viable options for spotted bass as well, and will likely increase success rates for shore anglers.
Spotted Bass may feed at the surface on herring and shad just about any time of the year, but spring and fall are your best bets for top water action. The erratic action of a Super Fluke or "walking the dog" with a Spook or Sammy are among the favorite tactics of Lanier anglers. Often times, the biggest fish are hiding in slightly deeper water below the main school.
When spotted bass are not roaming the open water, they are usually hunkered down in a brush pile or some other type of structure with vertical relief. This is a typical pattern for both summer and winter and this is the time to pull out the soft plastic tube worms, finesse worms and Senko worms. Many successful Lanier anglers use drop shot and Shaky Head techniques to catch spots that are holding tight to structure.
Crankbaits and jerk baits in shad colors also play an important role for spotted bass anglers. On windy days in late winter, baitfish stack up near rip rap. Anglers should fish parallel to the windy side of rip rap. During the spawning months of April and May, spotted bass will take a variety of shallow running lures, jerk baits, and SuperSpin when fished near their spawning beds. Crankbaits are effective during the fall months when fished on long, rocky points.
Target: During the winter, spotted bass will follow schools of baitfish into pockets of warmer water that occur near rocky outcroppings, rip rap embankments, muddy water and warm water discharges.
April and May is the spawning season for spotted bass. Spotted bass typically spawn on rocky banks in 5 to 15 ft of water. Cast shallow running baits, floating worms, or bottom bouncing soft plastics along rocky banks, around boat docks, reef marker points and fallen trees.
During the summer months, spotted bass will feed on small shad or herring at the surface in the early morning hours. During the day, use a high resolution electronic fish finder to locate brush piles in 20 to 40 ft of water on the lower half of the lake. Patiently working every fishable inch of a brush pile can provoke some quality spots into taking the bait.
During the fall, spotted bass are transitioning back to the surface. Look for surface activity early and late in the day. During midday, use deepwater presentations on points and fallen trees.
Prospect: Largemouth Bass are relatively abundant in the upper areas of the reservoir, especially north of Bulling and Thompson bridges and their associated backwater sections, where shallow water and downed trees are prevalent. The minimum size limit for largemouth bass is 14 inches.
Technique: During the winter months, live baits and slow moving artificial baits are effective when fished in the right locations. A popular winter technique is pitching jigs into blowdowns or working a SuperSpin, jerk bait, or crankbait in the creek channels and underwater road beds. When the wind is blowing strong, target the windblown rip rap banks, especially those with stained water conditions. The wind tends to cause threadfin shad and blueback herring to stack up near the rip rap. Cast parallel to the bank with lures that imitate shad including jerk baits, crankbaits, and SuperSpin with a boot tail trailer.
As the water warms in the spring Largemouth Bass move into shallow water to spawn and are more easily targeted. They will hold close to cover such as docks, woody debris, and other hard structures. Soft plastic worms, shaky head, lipless crankbaits, and flukes are suitable springtime baits. To target bigger fish, fish in slightly deeper water adjacent to likely spawning areas.
There are two very different summertime approaches to catching largemouth bass on Lanier. The tried and true method is to fish deep water structure with SuperSpin tipped with a soft plastic swimbait. A second approach involves casting swim baits, flukes, and top water baits over humps during the early morning hours. When the water temperature starts to cool down during the fall months, Largemouth Bass will feed aggressively on shad, bream and crayfish. Cast top water baits like a Spook, Sammy or even Fluke into surface feeding bass. Work downed timber with crankbaits and soft plastics or use jigs and spoons on rocky banks and secondary points.
Live bait such as night crawlers, crayfish, and shiners can be very effective for Largemouth Bass when fishing from the bank or a boat.
Target: The upper end of both river arms and its feeder coves contain the highest number of largemouth bass. Because largemouth bass orient to structure, finding their hiding places is the key to catching them on Lake Lanier.
In the winter, Largemouth Bass will typically be in deeper water along creek channels or tucked deep within the tangle of submerged tree branches. During spring, bass will move into shallow water to spawn near tree stumps, rock outcroppings or other visible structure. Warm summer temperatures drive largemouth bass into deeper water in the 20 ft depth range along points and in the tops of standing timber. As fall approaches, Largemouth Bass will roam all types of habitats in search of shad and herring, so anglers need to use a run and gun approach to locate feeding fish.
Prospects: The abundance of crappie in most reservoirs sporadically rises and falls in response to various environmental conditions and Lake Lanier’s crappie population is no exception. This year, anglers should catch good numbers of crappie in the 8 to 10 inch size range but larger crappie are less abundant than usual. Late February through April is the best time to catch crappie on Lake Lanier
Technique: The best baits for catching crappie are live minnows and 1/8 oz. crappie jigs. Good electronics with side scan sonar will help you locate schools of pre spawn crappie suspended underneath boat docks.
Target: Based on DNR sampling, the upper Chattahoochee arm (Clarks Bridge to Lula Bridge) as well as Thompson Creek and Taylor Creek contain the highest numbers of crappie. Anglers should target these coves as well as other similar habitats in the upper end of the reservoir.
During the winter months, crappie congregate in creek channels containing deep water timber and other vertical structure. Slow trolling jigs over these structures is the best wintertime tactic.
The highest numbers of crappie are caught when the water temperature rises in early spring. During this season, crappie will stage under boat docks, creek channels and underwater road beds in 10 15 feet of water before moving into the shallows to spawn. By early April crappie move into 2 3 feet of water around visible submerged cover near bridges, downed trees, emergent vegetation, and backwater coves. During the fall, large numbers of crappie will congregate in submerged timber in 20 to 40 feet of water.
Prospect: The striped bass population of Lake Lanier is maintained by DNR’s annual stocking program. Over the past six years, several strong year classes were produced. As a result, striped bass in the 8 to 10 lb. range should be abundant this year. In addition, stripers approaching 20 lb. will also provide quite a few thrills for many striper anglers. Early reports have indicated that there will be plenty of young striped bass eager to bite this year as, which is great if you have a junior angler on the boat. If you have never tried striped bass fishing before, this year on Lake Lanier is a good time and place to start!
Technique: Striped bass feed almost exclusively on shad and herring. Live lining, down lining, or trolling with planer boards, down riggers or lead core line are common ways that Lanier anglers present live blueback herring and gizzard shad to striped bass. Buck tail jigs, flukes, swim baits, Spooks and umbrella rigs are suitable alternatives to live bait.
The winter months are the prime time to catch big fish on Lake Lanier using a variety of methods, including shallow water techniques, whereas the summer provides the highest numbers of fish in deep water using live baits. Live baits such as blueback herring, large gizzard shad and even rainbow trout are preferred by most of Lanier striper anglers and guides, but flukes and buck tail jigs will also produce good results.
Target: The baits and lures used to catch striped bass are simple and fairly straightforward to use, but the challenge comes in knowing where to use them and how deep to fish them. Understanding the seasonal migration patterns of striped bass in Lake Lanier will give you an advantage. Supplementing that understanding with good electronic sonar and navigation equipment will increase your chances even more.
During the winter months, baitfish and the stripers that follow them are drawn to areas of warmer water. Fish the points and flats in coves on the upper end of the lake that have stained water. Also, troll through areas where you observe sea gulls diving on bait at the surface.
From late winter through spring, striped bass cruise the banks in fairly shallow water, especially in the early morning and evening hours. This is a good time of year to cast buck tails or flukes around points and adjacent flats. Trolling live herring or big gizzard shad behind planer boards in the backs of coves is another effective approach for catching shallow water stripers.
In the summer months, striped bass retreat to deeper, cooler water on the lower half of the lake. Stripers typically suspend in the tops of the submerged timber adjacent to the river channel. Good sonar and Navionics are essential tools for finding stripers in their summer habitat. Once a school is located, downline herring into the school or use heavy jigs. Trolling herring behind lead core line is a good scouting technique for deep water stripers during the summer.
In the fall months, striped bass return to the surface and feed on small shad and herring. Look for diving sea gulls and surface feeding activity near the river channel on the lower half of the lake. Surface activity is usually greatest on cloudy and rainy days. Downsizing to small jigs and buck tails is an effective approach when stripers are feeding on small baitfish.
Prospect: A walleye population occurs in Lake Lanier that is maintained by DNR’s effort to stock low numbers of fingerlings each spring. Anglers have their best success at catching Lanier walleyes from February to April when hundreds of fish move into the headwaters of the lake. For the remainder of the year, anglers occasionally catch walleye while fishing for bass, stripers and sometimes crappie.
Technique: Fishing for walleye requires simple baits and simple tactics. The "go to" walleye bait is a night crawler and the "go to" tactic is doing whatever it takes to get that night crawler in front of a walleye’s nose for as long as possible. There are three basic options for fishing the night crawler.
Ron620DVS🎣🐟🐠🐸🦞
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