LAKE LANIER IS 2.3 FEET OVER FULL, THE CREEKS ARE STAINED AND THE MAIN LAKE IS CLEAR & MID 50’S


Spotted bass fishing on Lake Lanier remains good. The Corp has been pulling water for several days now and the lake has dropped about 2 1/2 feet. The colder evenings have dropped the water temperature down to around 52 degrees. The current from the water release has put the fish in the creek ditches and the bite in these places is very good. A SuperSpin has been the ticket in these ditches. The first hour or so of daylight is key on sunny days. When the weather is cloudy, the bite seems to continue later into the morning. The fish have been as shallow as 4 or 5 feet in the mornings and are spread out all the way out to 25 feet. As the water gets colder, you will still find the fish shallow in the backs of ditches in the morning, and then they will pull out to the deeper depths as the bait moves out. A jerkbait has been productive back in the ditches as well. Work the jerkbait with soft twitches and 4 to 5 second pauses. When the moving bait bite slows down, a worm and a Chattahoochee jig have picked up the slack nicely. Toss these around in the same ditches after the SuperSpin and jerkbait bite slow down. There are still a certain group of fish have committed to deep water. A jig and a worm in 40 to 60 feet has been good in the deeper section of select ditches. Through the day we are also fishing secondary rock points and steeper banks. We are working these steeper rock areas with the jig and worm for some good bites. Sometimes these fish are very shallow in the cover, and sometimes they are back out a little deeper. Be flexible in your approach. Here is what I have open for trips in January: 27 and 28. If you want to learn ditch fishing and all it includes, picking apart shallow cover with a jig, along with deep timber fishing, now is your time! Give me a call ASAP to book your trip! Don't forget the Jimbo Seminar and EXPO on January 30, 2016! Call or email me NOW to reserve your spot! Also, don't miss my appearance at the Atlanta Boat Show on the Fish Trough Saturday afternoon, Jan 16th!

This Lake Lanier Striper report is from Captain Ken West and Captain Mike Maddalena of www.bigfishon.com

Striper fishing is good. The lake is 2 feet above full pool and the Corps of Engineers are continuing to pull water. The water temperature has also dropped which to 52 degrees which has consolidated the majority of the bait and the Stripers into the creeks. The Sea Gulls have been a big help this past week in pin pointing fish. Keep your eyes on the water and if you have some binoculars use them to check out the creeks. When you find the birds the fish will be in the area. The exception is when the birds are working Loons. In that case use your Lowrance Structure Scan to check out the area as the fish may or may not be working the same area. Pulling free lines with Herring is your best technique when you find the fish. As always keep someone on the deck casting a ½ ounce Captain Mack’s buck tail jig with a fluke while you are pulling free lines. The stripers will bite the buck tail! Don’t forget to take your down rods and deploy then on any schools you find. Trolling with Umbrellas rigs will work and make an excellent search tool. Set your rigs at 70 to 80 feet behind the boat and vary your trolling speed from 2.8 to 3.4 MPH. As always, fish the areas with the highest concentration of bait fish. Baldridge Creek, Six Mile Creek, Flat Creek, and Orr Creek, are good places to start. The water temperature is 52 degrees and the lake is 2.0 feet above full pool. The water is heavily stained in the creeks with a light stain on the main lake. To book your guide trip call us at 404 to 561 to 2564 or contact us on our web site. www.bigfishonguide.com

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

Water temperature is around 52 degrees and the lake level is about 2 ½ feet over full pool. The Corps of Engineers is continuing to release water to lower the lake level. Our lake conditions are heading toward normalcy for this time of year. The heavier stain remains at the far north of both the Chestatee and the Chattahoochee Rivers. The middle of the lake has the best water color for fishing, which is moderately stained. Four Mile and Six Mile Creeks are producing quality and numbers in crappie fishing. North of those creeks are also good options until you begin to notice a heavier stain. Bait fish are seen in abundance and the crappie are feeding well. This means that in a feeding mode, they are roaming around their brush piles or structure. If you find a concentration of fish, they start going after your jig in about 20 feet of water, but as they get stirred up, the bite shallows up to as little as 10 to 12 feet. In addition, the bite tends to be more aggressive, easier to feel and to see your line jump. Still, high visibility 4 pound test line is recommended because you can see your line better and react to the bite quicker. 1/24 ounce and on a windy day, 1/16 ounce jig heads are working well. The darker colored Bobby Garland Soft Body Jigs or the Tiny Shad Panfish Assassin jigs are both working well. The trolling bite with double rigged curly tails are also producing, with the backs of Two Mile, Four Mile and Six Mile Creeks being good targets. The downline bite with a Carolina rig and crappie minnows is also a good choice. This time of year, teaming up with a fishing partner is a wise choice. Wearing plenty of layers in the winter is a must, but stay safe and wear your life jacket!

The 2016 Atlanta Boat Show hits the Georgia World Congress Center January 14 to 17, 2016. Meet Ken Sturdivant, Al Bassett, Captain Mark Smith, Matt Driver, and Jimbo Mathley, Renee Hess, Chris Scalley. See www.atlantaboatshow.com and www.southernfishing.com for details.

Ken Sturdivant, Lowrance Professional Fishing Staff will be conducting FREE Sonar Seminar at Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World in Lawrenceville Georgia on Saturday December 26, 2015 at 2pm. Seminar is subject to change without notice. Be sure to see the NEW Lowrance machines coming on www.lowrance.com

For a free set up sheet for your sonar, send me an e mail to ken@southernfishing.com

Anglers have these books for sale BASS FISHING ON WEST POINT LAKE, BASS FISHING LAKE RUSSELL, BASS FISHING WEST POINT LAKE, and BASS FISHING LAKE HARTWELL. These books have lots of bass fishing and covers every week of the year. Each book $39.00. If you would like a sample of any book, send us an e mail to ken@southernfishing.com.

We offer these waypoints for sale. You get the coordinates and you load them into your GPS unit
Lake Allatoona for $99.00, Lake Lanier for $99.00, Lake Oconee for $99.00, Lake Weiss for $99.00, Lake Hartwell for $99.00 WAYPOINTS ARE NOT REFUNDABLE

Our mailing address is Southern Fishing Schools Inc. 106 Hickory Ridge, Cumming Georgia 30040. 770 889 2654