LAKE LANIER IS DOWN 5.6 FEET, THE CREEKS ARE STAINED AND THE MAIN LAKE IS CLEAR & 80’s

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

Bass fishing is good. The lake levels have remained stable over the past week, and the water temperatures are on the rise as we get into the heart of summer. The fishing on Lanier remains good, although it is starting to change as the fish seem to be trending more toward their mid summer patterns. The top water bite is still decent albeit more inconsistent. Most days will offer periods of good top water fishing, but count on having to do some other things during parts of the day to get bit. On the top water side, a chug bug, a Sammy, and a fluke have been my main choices for top water, and a Sebile for a swimbait. Focus on offshore structure with cover, such as brush on humps and points, for this approach. We are still focusing on brush in 18 to 25 feet of water, but start looking at the deeper stuff as well, up to and including timber edges in 35 feet on the same type structure. For the past week, we have seen a good early morning schooling bite, and then a slowdown mid-morning, which is consistent with current moon phase. The top water bite has been returning in the afternoon. When the fish are schooling, pay attention to the size of bait they are chasing. Match the size of your top water to the size of the bait on which the fish are focused. The drop shot bite continues to improve and it is proving to be a good option when the top water bite slows. I have been using the Lanier Baits offerings. Candy has seemed to again be the best color this week. Also, look for the SuperSpin bite to really improve over the next few weeks as the fish become less and less willing to come to the surface. Also, start experimenting with a Picasso Swim Jig over and around the brush as well this bite should get stronger in the coming weeks as well. Work these baits around points and humps with brush and vary the areas of the water column you work until you find the sweet spot. Here are my open July Dates: 20, 22, 24, 25, 26, 27, 29, and 31. I am also starting to book August trips as well. Now is a great time to learn off shore fishing for midsummer bass on Lanier! Deep humps, hidden points, and ledges are a focus now Give me a call and see what that is all about! And I'm sure we will have some fun along the way.

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 fish are deep and now is when your electronics pays for itself. Be sure to turn your sensitive up on your Lowrance HDS so you can pick up those deep water fish. Down rod Herring continues to be the most productive technique. We are using 20 pound Seaguar fluorocarbon main line with a bead, swivel and 2 ounce egg weight tied to 5 to 6 foot Seaguar fluorocarbon leader with a #1 or #1/0 Gamakatsu Octopus hook. The hook size is dependent on the size of the bait. Last year we tried longer leaders up to 12 feet in length. I did not feel that I was getting any extra bites and went back to 5 to 6 foot leaders. We also tried Gamakatsu Octopus Circle hooks in an effort to reduce the number of fish which swallowed hooks. My experience was I did not reduced the number of swallowed hooks and the number of fish that pulled hooks increased with the Circle hooks. I went back to the standard Octopus hook. It should be noted that a number of very good fishermen recommend circle hooks and longer leaders. We have always been strong believers in trying different techniques and tackle. This year I am trying 1¾ ounce pencil weights with imbedded swivels. Do not hesitate to try different techniques and approaches. Experiment and have fun! Confidence is the most critical factor in fishing success not the length of your leader or type of hook you are using. Look for the fish to be at a depth of 30 to 70 feet deep over a bottom of 40 to 120 feet. Be sure to take advantage of the Lowrance Side and Down Scanning technology to find the fish faster. There are fish in every creek from Browns Bridge to the Dam. The lake is 5.75 feet below full pool and the water is clear on the main lake and lightly stained in the back of the creeks. The water temperature is in the low to mid 80’s. To book your guide trip call us at 404 561 2564 or contact us on our web site. www.bigfishonguide.com

Saturday, August 26, 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