LAKE LANIER IS DOWN 9.9 FEET, THE CREEKS ARE STAINED AND THE MAIN LAKE IS CLEAR & 50’s

Bass fishing on Lake Lanier has been strong this week and has recovered well after the cold front we had last week. We are really starting to see some great activity out there and some real signs the spots are starting to move up and stage in mass. We had an exceptional day on Wednesday this week, sacking up several fish with our best 5 going nearly 21 pounds. We have been focusing on main and secondary rocky points and pockets in 15 feet of water or less for the majority of this past week. A green pumpkin finesse worm on a Picasso Shakedown Head or a Chattahoochee Jig have been money this week for the majority of our catches. We are working the Shakedown Head on 8 pound test Seaguar Abrazx fluorocarbon. The lighter line leads to more bites on this bait as it helps allow the baits to present more naturally. We fish our jigs on 15 pound test Seaguar Tatsu fluorocarbon, which is the toughest stuff you will ever find. You can tow a boat with this line, yet it remains limp and very easy to manage. It's more expensive but definitely worth it, especially for high impact hook set techniques like a jig. Look also for the shallower brush on points and in pockets through the day as well, as we have been finding some fish staging around this brush - again in the 15-18 foot range. As the sun gets up, check the shallow docks in ditches and pockets for activity. Work a jerkbait and a soft plastic swimbait beside these shallow docks, as well as a jig and worm. These fish back in the creeks are also staging in preparation for the spawn. You will find spots and largemouth in these places. This pattern definitely works better when the sun is out as opposed to cloudy conditions. The clouds make the fish scatter and often bottom locked as well. While they still remain close to the dock, they are often not directly under the docks. The fishing is definitely more random under cloud cover. This is a great time to learn the pre-spawn bite on Lanier. They are up and moving! Here are the dates I have open now through April: March: 25, 29 (AM) April: 1, 3, 6, 15, 17, 19, 20, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, and 29. Give me a call and let’s get out and have some fun! Thanks to all and May God Bless.

I am now guiding in a Brand New Xpress Bass Boat – 21’3″ powered by a 250 Yamaha SHO and equipped with the latest Lowrance HDS Gen III units featuring 3D Structure Scan technology. Come take a ride in this beauty! As I mentioned, if you are wanting to learn the deep timber bite and/or the ditch bite, now is the time!

This Lake Lanier Striper report is from Captain Ken West 404 561 2564. Contact us on our web site. www.bigfishonguide.com

Striper fishing is good. The bite continues to be small baits on free lines and planner boards. However, the small bait bite will change as the lake continues to warm and the Stripers, especially the females, begin to prepare for the spring spawn by packing on weight. The fish will begin to move into the creeks and the rivers. The bite will change to larger Blueback Herring and Gizzard shad pulled on free lines and planner boards. Focus on flats and clay banks early morning with your planner boards as close to the bank as possible. Pull these bigger baits at 1.0 mph or faster As the sun gets up in late morning move to deeper water, add a couple of split shots, slow down and focus on creek channel ledges. The Umbrella rig will also get you a reaction bite in late morning and afternoon when pulled at 3.0 mph. We use a 1 ounce captain Mack’s bucktail jigs on a 3 ounce 4 arm frame Pearl or chartreuse worms or chad bodies are the preferred trailers but use your imagination. Hot pink Mr. Twister trailers was popular a couple of years ago. Look for a top water bite to develop in late April. Get out your Red Fin, Chug Bugs and Spooks and have them ready for deployment. Spring is here and it is time for some warmer weather and hot action. There are Stripers lake wide with Two Mile, Bald Ridge Creek, Shoal Creek, Flat Creek and Orr Creek are good places to start your search. The lake is 10 feet below full pool and the water is clear on the main lake and slightly stained in the back of the creeks. The water temperature is in the high 50’s. Call Big Fish On Guide Service at 404-561-2564 to schedule a guided fishing trip on Lake Lanier.

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 about 54 degrees. Although it is a little cooler than typical spawning water temps, the females are full of eggs and we think that we are at the very early stage of the spawn. Normally, when the fish move to shallower water and you can catch them on blow downs that are an early sign of the spawn. Two weeks ago, we were beginning to catch fish in shallow water, but the cold snap pushed them a little deeper. As the water temperature gradually warms, they are slowly hitting the shallows again. For the first time this week we noticed that the turtles are sunning on blow downs, which is also an indicator of the spawn. With the lake level down about 10 feet, the normal spawning ground that we are used to fishing is obviously now on dry land. But you should still zero in on docks, blow downs, and even shallow brush piles in 12 foot depths or less. The wind has been a challenge, but that is typical for March. Having said that, the early morning bite or late afternoon bite when it is less windy, is the optimum time right now for fishing, obviously for dock shooters, jigs are the best option, such as Bobby Garland and Jiffy Jigs. You can substitute a minnow, using a #6 long shank Eagle Claw hook if you prefer. Use the smallest split shot you can, based on the wind to allow the bait to swim naturally. Long line trolling in 12 foot depths or less remains a good option It is critical to use 4 lb. test or less on all your reels when crappie fishing. It’s a great time to be fishing.

Stay safe on the water, wear your life jacket!

On April 29, 2017 in Blue Ridge Georgia, the "Blue Ridge Trout Festival & Outdoor Adventures" will be there for their second year. Vendors, seminars and much more are planned. http://blueridgetroutfest.com/

Ken Sturdivant, Lowrance Pro Staff will teach two Free SONAR classes at the Cabela’s in Greenville, South Carolina, Sunday April 30, 2017 at 10 am and again at noon.

Ask for a free sonar set up sheet by sending me an email to ken@southernfishing.com. Please tell me what model machine you have.

We recommend Overboard Designs for 2956 Waterworks Road Buford, Georgia 30518 Phone 678.714.7122.

Advantage Boat Center in Cumming Georgia offer sales, service and storage close to Lake Lanier. 678 771 8745. Ask for Myra.

We recommend Transducer Shield and Savers. Protect your investment.

We have the LOWRANCE Gen 3 Touch and the game changing technology in the NEW 3D Lowrance Technology on our boat. Bring any HDS machine only to Lake Lanier and learn it ALL in one day. Call Ken for details. See our Southern Fishing Schools page for the latest screen shots of the LOWRANCE 3D technology. See bass over a ladder in 10 feet of water, 168 feet from my boat. www.lowrance.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 for
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

Saturday, March 25, 2017 2pm at Bass Pro Shops in Lawrenceville, learn BASICS OF ELECTRONICS BY LOWRANCE PRO STAFF, KEN STURDIVANT

Ultrex and Cable Guard protects external Transducer cable for remote control trolling motors. The cable guard will allow the transducer cable to turn kink free and the shaft can be raised or lowered without pinching the cable. No more messing with cable ties or black tape. For Factory Direct Pricing contact Precision Sonar at 270 703 6133

Ken Sturdivant, Lowrance Pro Staff will teach two Free SONAR classes at the Cabela’s in Greenville, South Carolina, Sunday April 30, 2017 at 10 am and again at noon.

Lowrance announces the new HDS Carbon 16, a new addition to the HDS Carbon Series of fish finder and chart plotters and new addition to the HDS Carbon Series. Scheduled to ship in May 2017, HDS Carbon 16 features an enormous 16-inch high definition multi-touch screen that provides even more screen real estate to showcase the amazing clarity, high resolution and superior target separation of the SolarMAX™ HD technology, exclusive to the HDS Carbon series.

On April 29, 2017 in Blue Ridge Georgia, the "Blue Ridge Trout Festival & Outdoor Adventures" will be there for their second year. Vendors, seminars and much more are planned. http://blueridgetroutfest.com/