LAKE LANIER IS 2.57 FEET OVER FULL, THE CREEKS ARE STAINED AND THE MAIN LAKE IS CLEAR THE RIVERS AND UP LAKE COVES ARE VERY STAINED. 40’S

Bass fishing is good. The lake has stabilized and is only up slightly from same time last week. The bait and fish remained scattered, and can be found both shallow and deep. This past week, as in recent weeks, we have caught fish anywhere from 5 feet deep to about 50 feet deep. In the early mornings, work a deep diving crank bait shallow in ditches and on steeper rocky/clay points. The jig with a twin tail trailer as well as a 1/4 ounce Davis Shaky Head tipped with a Wackem Pointy Tail worm in green pumpkin is still a good bet at all depths, from shallow to deep. The main lake and creek pockets and ditches continue to be the focus areas for our fish. You can work a jig, Davis Shaky Head, or even a drop shot in the deeper brush and timber lines on the sunny days for good results right now. A jigging spoon will work well also on some days, particularly when it is sunny. The 30 to 50 foot seemed to be the key depth range this week for the deeper bite. Focus your efforts near sharp drops and ledges in ditches and near the timber line when you are fishing shallower, and fish timber edges as well as right in the thick stuff in the middle of the ditch when you are fishing deep. The jerk bait is also producing a few fish for us, but it continues to be an inconsistent bite. The bites you do get seem to be good ones however. We have been starting shallow in the mornings and working out deeper as the day progresses, although we have found a good shallow bite during the day as well at times. Look for the shallow bite to become stronger as the current warming trend continues.

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

Lake level is almost very 2½ feet above full pool! This time last year it was over 9 feet lower than today’s level. Naturally, the sudden rise of the lake has caused a heavy amount of debris in the water, making navigation hazardous and hampering fishing. On top of that, it is a challenge to get the jigs below the surface past the floating pine needles. Water temperatures are hovering around the mid 50’s. As expected, the upper parts of the lake are heavily stained. Your best bet is to look for less stained water. Some of the creeks are clearing up faster than others that’s the areas you should target. The bait is plentiful, so follow the bait. River and creek channel docks are your best bets. If you locate a submerged brush pile close to a dock, that is an added bonus. Bobby Garland’s new darker colored jigs have been working well in the stained water, such as “Mo Glo The Shadow and Mo Glo Monkey Milk. In addition, their Slab Slayers in Mo Glo, Indigo Sky are still working well. 1/24 ounce and 1/16 ounce jig heads are still our preference. Concentrate on docks that are at 25 to 35 foot depths. Fishing is fair to good (at best), IF you can exercise patience with the debris, and still cover a lot of area. The best part is the current mild weather, so be careful, and enjoy it while it’s here.
We have all the details for our On the Water SONAR School on our web SCHOOLS page. We have the LOWRANCE LIVE and 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 158 feet from my boat. www.lowrance.com

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.

Call Brian Leiva at www.bbgmarine.com 888 570 0916 for all your Lowrance and other technology.

We 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.

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