LAKE LANIER IS .67 FEET OVER FULL, THE CREEKS ARE STAINED AND THE MAIN LAKE IS CLEAR THE RIVERS AND UP LAKE COVES ARE VERY STAINED. 50S


Bass fishing is good. Jerk baits, the crankbait and a shallow to medium diver like the Castaway 1.5 Shad crank has been good. Work the crank baits on shallow rock points and clay banks, both in creeks and on the main lake. Always have a spoon ready in case they pop up on the Lowrance. Some days the wood in these areas is holding fish as well. Keep the worm rigs and the jig ready and work the around shallow docks back in pockets. The warm weather has really moved some fish up shallow.


Striper fishing has been good all week even with the cold weather. Trolling umbrella rigs in the creeks and off points has been the key. Both the 3 and 4 arm versions are working using either a white or a chartreuse curl tail trailer. The umbrella rig will allow you to cover more water and produce more bites. Jigging spoons are also working well using a one ounce white and chrome Flex it. The south lake has been fair. The best bet is still going to be to hit the north side of the lake. Be sure to watch the sea gulls. Using live bait is working well if the bait shops can get herring being the better bet. Take some Trout and large shiners. Both down lines and free lines have been working this past week. Most of the fish are going to be between a wide range of depths anywhere from the surface to 35 feet deep with the majority between 20 and 30 feet. Down line your bait just above the fish. Most of the surfacing activity has occurred in the mid to latter part of the afternoon.


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 temperatures are right at 50 degrees, a little lower at dawn. The backs of the creeks are heavily stained, and that is where you find the warmest water temperatures. To our surprise, there is a good bit less debris in the lake. You will see a floating log here are there, so both driver and passengers should still keep their eyes peeled. I hit one last week and did some damage to my transducer. I fixed it the same day and am back on track! The lake level is about 6 inches above full pool. Fishing conditions remain very strong, but the number one question I get asked is “where is the bait?” Some creeks and the river channels are still holding bait. The big difference from last week’s fishing is that we’ve been able to catch fish on deeper docks as well as on docks at 15 foot depths or less. Because the lake level is high and homeowners are keeping their docks in line with the higher levels, the brush piles that are typically underneath the docks this time of year have been on the outer edges of the docks for a while. Take advantage of those locations as they are much easier to fish. I’ve been getting many reports and photos of great catches from various fishermen. With these water temperatures, the fish are looking for food and staging for the pre spawn. With the forecasts projecting warmer nights as well as warmer days, even with the rain, the water temperatures should rise quickly. Darker jigs are still recommended in moderate to heavily stained water. I use Bobby Garland. Fishing should get even easier over the next few weeks as the fish shallow up, so get out on the water, enjoy the warmer weather and catch some fish! There is a big bass tournament this weekend bringing a lot of out of town fishermen to our lake, so be courteous, and be careful. Helpful tips: I’ve noticed when people fish with me for the first time, it’s consistent that they are using heavier line (more than 4 pound test) and heavier jig heads. If that is your comfort zone and it is working for you, keep it up. If it is not working, downsize your line (at least 4 pound test) and use 1/24 ounce jig heads or even 1/32 ounce. We are going to be fishing shallower water in the next few weeks, and I recommend avoiding the 1/16 ounce jig heads. When it comes to setting your hook, it’s all in the wrist use it more than you use your arm. Crappie are also called “paper mouth”. But when we hook them in the upper part of their mouth, most of the time we need to use pliers to get the hooks out. Greater wrist action over arm action will prevent jerking the bait completely out of the fish’s mouths. Stay safe on the water and wear your life jacket.


Ken Sturdivant, Lowrance Pro Staff, will be at the Bass Pro Shops in Lawrenceville, Georgia on February 23, 2019 from 10 am until 5 pm. Dates and times are subject to change without notice.


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.


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