LAKE LANIER IS DOWN 7.8 FEET, THE CREEKS ARE STAINED AND THE MAIN LAKE IS CLEAR & 70’s


Finally some stable weather has returned to our area, and Lanier seems to like it. We have had a very productive week for big fish. The spawn appears to be wrapping up and the some of the early spawners are now in a full post spawn feeding mode. There continue to be a number of patterns working and you can catch fish several different ways. A finesse worm or a Senko on a Picasso Shakedown Head has continued to produce consistently, and should continue to be a producer for several weeks. Fish the worm on points and humps for this bite (brush is a plus), as well as around docks. The 10 15 foot depth range seems to be where the more active fish are holding. The top water bite has been good this week and we have had good success with a chug bug. Focus on offshore structure with cover, such as brush on humps and points, for this approach. The bite seems to be better in the middle of the day than any other time. The fluke has continued to produce well also points, docks, humps all of the above are viable. When you are targeting the more recent post spawn bass, consider using a weighted fluke meaning use a shank weighted hook on the fluke. Let it settle considerably between twitches. The bass in this stage are often lethargic and are not as aggressive. The weighted fluke will get down to them more quickly. I had the pleasure this week of fishing with Ronnie Garrison who was working with me to do an article for the June edition of GON Magazine. I am pleased to report that the fish cooperated nicely and we had an awesome day. I showed Ronnie 10 June hotspots around the lake which he will detail in his article and then we fished some interesting offshore structure with phenomenal results. Look for the article in the upcoming June edition of GON.

This Report brought to you by: Jimbo Mathley, www.jimboonlanier.com 770 542 7764

I only have a few dates remaining open in May: 20(AM), 23(AM), 31. I am also booking for June which should be the premium top water month these dates will go fast so get on the books NOW! Give me a call and let’s get out and have some fun!

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.bigfishon.com

Striper fishing is good. The Stripers are moving out of the back of the creeks and into the creek and river channels suspending at 25 to 60 feet deep over a 40 to 80 foot bottom. Down rods has replaced free lines as the primary tactic this week. We use 2 ounce slip weights, a bead to protect the knot and a swivel tried to a 5 6 foot 12 pound test Seaguar fluorocarbon leader. Blueback Herring continues to be the most productive bait. We have had some reports of a top water bite early morning on the South end of the Lake. First thing early in the morning cast a Chug Bug, Spook or a buck tale jig with a small fluke trailer to main lake points and reef markers for these early feeding fish. Pitching a Herring to a point is also a blast as you never know what you might catch. Spotted Bass, Stripers and Catfish are mixed in on points and they all will eat a Herring. The Umbrella rig is back this week and will work on those suspended fish. However with the Lake down 8 feet be prepared to get hung up as you have to go deep with 120 to 140 feet of line out. Keep your eyes on your Lowrance HDS and when you see a shallow (20 foot) tree, power up and “jump” your rigs over the trees. We use 1 ounce buck tail jigs on a 3 ounce 4 arm frame. Pearl or chartreuse worms or chad bodies are the preferred trailers. Vary you speed between 2.7 to 3.4 MPH. The North end of the Lake out fished the South end of the Lake this week but expect to change as more fish move south. The lake is 8 feet below full pool and the water is lightly stained on the main lake and heavily stained in the back of the creeks. The water temperature has risen to the low 70’s and should hit the mid 70’s if these summer time temperatures continues. 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 currently about 72 degrees. As expected, May fishing remains good to excellent. With the full moon tonight, we expect the bite this week to be at its best. All reports are supporting that thought. With the below average cool temperatures we’ve had the last few days, the water temp dropped into the mid sixties, but has crept back up. The biggest challenge we encountered over the last few days was the high wind that made fishing tough for a while. For now, we recommend that you concentrate on deeper submerged brush piles, using your downscan to locate your brush. Throw your marker down and give the fish a few minutes to regroup from your arrival. Fish the brush pile from a distance that you can cast past the brush pile to the other side of it, and retrieve it slowly toward the boat. If you’re interested in catching fish in larger numbers, zero in on submerged brush piles in 20 25 foot depths. However, docks with brush piles are also producing bigger fish, but not in the larger numbers. Both hair jigs and soft body jigs are working well. The lake traffic is definitely increasing, so be mindful that other fishermen may also be fishing the same spots. If you don’t get bites immediately, move on. Chances are very good that you will find alternate brush piles that will put fish in the boat. If you see a fisherman fishing one of your favorite docks, my advice is to skip it, and go to a different spot. Once you get the fish to bite, the entire school will shallow up as they chase the bait. The night bite remains fair at best, as night temperatures remain cooler. As the evenings warm up, so will the night bite. As always, our recommended line of 4 lb. test, high visibility line; not because the fish like it, but because it is easier for you to see the line movement and set the hook. 1/24 ounce jig heads is recommended or 1/16 ounce if you feel like the fish are deeper in the water column, or if the wind is working against you. If you like a challenge, use a double jigged rig. Keep them about 16 18 inches apart. In my opinion, hair jigs work best in that application.

Saturday, May 27, 2017 2pm at Bass Pro Shops in Lawrenceville, learn BASICS OF ELECTRONICS BY LOWRANCE PRO STAFF, KEN STURDIVANT

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.

The 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

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

For the Lowrance Gen3 & Carbon units on the boat using Software version 4.5 – aka NOS 56 (this includes StructureScan 3D & SonarHub)
When first updated, the units will be in Legacy Mode.
Once everything on the boat has been updated to 4.5, to get the units out of Legacy Mode, you need to go to each unit and: Press the Pages Button Select Settings Select Sonar Press Restore Sonar Defaults (Will light up blue, but no type or progress bar will show on screen) Power down the entire boat (graphs and all) for 1 minute. Power everything back up and you should be good to go. When you set the front graph to This Unit for its sonar source, it should not change, even if Network Sonar is turned on.