LAKE LANIER IS 4.3 FEET BELOW FULL POOL, THE MAIN LAKE AND CREEKS ARE CLEAR & LOW 50’S

Bass fishing is good. You can still catch fish shallow or deep and everywhere in between. Look for areas with rock and quick access to deep water as well as creek ditches as primary locations for your search. The early morning bite has been good this week on a jig and a Fish Head. The underspin fish have been extremely shallow in the mornings in the very back of pockets and creek arms. Work the bait slowly! Focus on rock and clay points in the mornings with the aforementioned lures. Also, probe the ditches close to these type areas as many fish are now relating to those typical winter areas. Look for bait in the area you are fishing. If there is no bait, move on. The Davis Shaky Head with a Zoom Finesse worm has been producing some bites as well, so don't hesitate to throw the worm out there if the bite slows. The cold nights we have been experiencing will continue to push more fish out deep. A spoon fished around the timber edges in ditches from 40 to 55 feet has been productive also. This is really fun when you find them as you can often catch a bunch of fish quick. If the spoon fish are not biting in the timber, try the worm and jig. Those two are good bets on any day out there deep. For those of you that have contacted me or talked about learning the Fish Head Spin bite in the ditches, now is the time to schedule a trip. They are eating the Fish Head in the ditches well in the mornings, and this is a technique you must learn if you want to ensure consistent quality catches in the winter time. Also, this is a great time to learn how to fish the deep timber on Lanier. Further, I will be hosting 2 training classes on January 17th and 31st, 2015. These will be intensive, Lanier focused classes addressing areas such as: Fishing the deep timber, fishing ditches, reading electronics, ledge fishing, matching tackle and lure presentations, along with much, much more.

This Lake Lanier Bass report is from Jimbo Mathley. www.jimboonlanier.com 770 642 7764


This Striper report is from Captain Ken West and Captain Mike Maddalena of Big Fish On Service 404 561 2564. www.bigfishonguide.com

Striper fishing has been good. Check these areas for stripers with your Lowrance HDS. On the north end of the lake your best bet is to fish the creeks with the highest concentration of bait. Herring and Trout pulled on free lines and planner boards half way back in the creeks is your best bet. Most of the Stripers are related to points but do not overlook the bays and flats. The Umbrella rig is a great search tool and allows you to cover a lot of water when searching for fish. There are fish in all of the creeks. Do not spend too much time in any one area. Big Creek, Shoal Creek, Orr Creek Flat Creek and the northern creeks from Sardis to Wahoo are all good places to start. As most of you know the key to Striper fishing is finding these fast moving fish. Unlike fresh water fish, Stripers swim an average of three miles per day and their patterns can change from day to day. This time of year the major tools we use for finding these fish are: 1. The Loons and Sea Gulls. They will help you find feeding Stripers; it is important to keep your eyes on the water for these "fish locaters". 2. The bait. If you want to find Mike or I just hang out at the kitchen table and you are guaranteed to find us. Fishing the areas with the highest concentrations of bait is like fishing on the Stripers kitchen table. 3. Electronics. Good electronics are critical to identifying the fish, bait and structure. We use Lowrance HDS with down and side scan technology. We also use the new Point 1 antenna from Lowrance which is the cat's meow; check it out. Finding stripers continues to be a challenge as 99% of the stripers are in less than 5% of the lake and the 5% can be different 5% from one day to the next. The tools listed above will give you an edge in finding these elusive fish.

“Big Fish ON” Guide Service will be at the Boat show in Atlanta again this year. The boat show runs from Thursday, January 15th through Sunday, January 17th. Ken will be presenting one hour seminars on Striper fishing each day. The times are Thursday 5:00pm, Friday 6:00pm, Saturday 1:00pm and Sunday at 3pm. If you get to the boat show stop by the fishing center

Jimbo Mathley will be hosting two Bass fishing classes one on Saturday, January 17, 2015 and second on Saturday, January 31, 2015. The classes will be from 9 AM until 12:30 PM and will be held at the Dekalb Office Conference Room, which is located off of Exit 12 on GA 400, 1320 Ridgeland Parkway in Alpharetta. These trainings will be intensive Lanier focused sessions to include detailed information on some of the following popular topics: Winter fishing to include ditch and timber fishing. How to find the best areas and how to fish them. How to identify and fish productive ledges. Tournament fishing pointers to include developing a game plan as well as managing the mental side of fishing. Matching tackle to techniques. Reading and understanding electronics and processing the information you see to make better fishing decisions. Establishing seasonal patterns and much more. There will be a generous time slot allowed for an open forum and question answer period, as well as time for one on one questions after the training ends. The first session will be more winter focused. The second session will address prepping for the winter and spring transition which will start in February. Each class will have a short morning break as well to include refreshments. Call or e mail Jimbo Mathley. Register and pay in advance, prior to January 14, 2015, the price structure will be as follows: $69 for one training, $99 for both training sessions. Day of/at the door price will be $85 for either session. Space is limited so I highly recommend making your reservations in advance ASAP. There has already been a great deal of interest expressed from many people, so spots will go fast. Call 770 542 7764 or email me at jim@laniermapped.com. Payment forms accepted include: cash, check, credit card, and Pay Pal. Please note that all electronic transactions will have a $7 processing fee added.

Call Ken Sturdivant about the ON THE WATER SCHOOLS for Sonar or the Rods, Reels and Lures for Bass or a full day STRIPERS School. Call 770 889 2654 for details. Send an e mail to ken@southernfishing.com

The 2015 Atlanta Boat Show is January 11, through 15, 2015 at The Georgia World Congress Center. Meet these anglers in the “Let’s Go Fishing Center”: Ken Sturdivant, Dan Saknini, Mark Smith, Jimbo Mathley, Al Bassett, Matt Henry, Matt Henry, Tom Branch, Jr., Rick Burns, Rene Hess CCI, Captain Mark Smith, Randy Hancock, Matt Driver, and Chris Scalley.