• Lake Lanier Fishing Report - GA

    Southern Fishing Schools
    (770) 889-2654 http://www.southernfishing.com/ ken@southernfishing.com
  • SOUTHERN FISHING SCHOOLS INC. is the ONLY full time Fishing School in the south. We have been fishing these lakes and streams of the south since 1957. We have attended more than 40 worlds championship events, that include 26 Bassmasters Classics, 7 Red Man All Americans and 5 BassNGal World Finals. We can teach anglers of all skill levels how to find and catch more bass

  • Lake Lanier Fishing Report - GA

    LAKE LANIER IS 1.1 FEET BELOW FULL POOL, THE MAIN LAKE AND CREEKS ARE CLEAR & 49 DEGREES.

    Bass fishing is fair. Focus on two types of areas this week. Inside timber lines in 30 to 40 feet of water have produced some big bites for us recently. Typically, a jig or worm has been our best offerings. Our most consistent fish have still been coming off of rock or rock and clay mix and have been fairly shallow. Most of our bites will come from between 10 and 20 feet, with some big bites still coming in less than 10 feet of water. Our best offerings on the rock and clay have been a jig, a shaky head, a crank bait, and a Fish Head Spin. The main key to getting bit right now is SLOW presentations. When you think you are going slowly enough, slow down. This is a great time to come out and learn winter fishing in cold water, both deep and shallow. If you don't know these techniques, they are certainly valuable tools to add to your winter fishing arsenal.

    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 and should continue through the winter as the lake water temperature stabilizes in the high to mid 40's. In addition, the rain we have had over the past couple of weeks has raised the water level several feet. The Lake is currently one foot below full pool. Lake Lanier is healthy with a large population of bait fish. All of this should equal a good winter bite throughout January and February. The key tools for winter time fishing are the Double B's (birds and bait). Check out the creeks for bait and keep your eyes on the water in search of actively feeding Sea Gulls and Loons. Keep in mind that the shallow water flats on the sunny side of the creeks will heat up during the day and attract bait fish. Pulling baits on these "sunny" flats can be very productive. The "go to" technique during the winter months is pulling live bait on free lines and planner boards. Herring, Gizzard Shad and small Trout are all good baits but do not hesitate to downsize to medium shiners if you see signs the fish are feeding on small Thread Fin Shad. Set your trolling motor speed between .3 to 1.0 miles per hour. Vary the distance of your baits behind the boat/boards and the weight on your free lines to cover a variety of water depths. We use split shots to weight some of our free lines. When you find the best distance, weight and speed replicate those settings to the majority of your lines. Also, try to keep someone on the front deck casting a Captain Mack's 1/2 ounce buck tail jig with a fluke tied on. The umbrella rig is still working when pulled across points and flats. However this bite will slow as the lake water temperature continues to cool and the shallow water bite gets stronger.

    This Lake Lanier Crappie report is from Dan Saknini, Member of the Lanier Crappie Angler’s Club. See our club’s website, www. laniercrappieanglers.com

    Water temperature is about forty seven degrees, just right for this time of year. With all the rain that we’ve had, avoid the backs of creeks, as the water is too stained. The stain is moving south slowly. You will notice that when you catch fish in stained water, the fish are lighter in color than fish in clearer water. Even though they are lighter, they are still in the Black Crappie family, which is the predominant crappie in Lake Lanier. In the spring as they move to the bank, the color will darken to become purplish or almost black; hence the name. Right now, finding fish is all about the bait. If you follow the bait, you will find the Crappie. We are targeting docks off the creek channels, using our dock shooting technique. Early in the morning, the fish are suspended between five to eight feet below the surface when bottom depths are twenty to thirty feet. As the day goes by and the bait goes deeper, obviously the fish are following the bait. When you shoot your jig in the dock, immediately close your bail and start reeling slowly, especially if you are using the heavier jig head. To maximize your catch, don’t spend too much time on one dock when the bite slows down. Keep moving. High visibility four pound test line is very important. Use a one twenty fourth ounce or one sixteenth ounce jig head tied directly to the line. Bobby Garland’s soft body jig tails in darker colors are working well.

    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.

    The Forsyth County Parks and Recreation department will host an “Outdoor Fun Festival 2015” on April 25, 2015. The location will be the Caney Road Park in south Forsyth County off Highway 141. See the web site at www.outdoorfunfestival2015.com. Call 770 887 2217 2217 Carrie Toth or cmtoth@forsythco.com for all the details and vendor options.

    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
  • Search Fishin.com

  • GA Power Lake Levels

  • Recent Articles