LAKE LANIER IS UP 1.03 FEET, THE MAIN LAKE IS MOSTLY CLEAR AND THE CREEKS ARE SLIGHTLY STAINED AND & 81 DEGREES

Bass fishing is good. There have been some changes on the lake the past week. The top water and swim bait bite has slowed a bit but is still there in the afternoons. The fish are still willing to come up, but we are seeing more of a need to tweak the baits or presentation in terms of size, action, or color in order to get the fish to commit. In the mornings, we have been opting for a swim bait or crank bait over shallower points and humps on the main lake, sometimes with brush and sometimes not. This bite is particularly good when the wind is up in the mornings. Once the sun gets up good, the top water bite has been decent over the brush in the 20 to 30 feet range on both points and humps. A chug bug is still working pretty well. When you cannot get the fish to come up, go down to them with a Fish Head Spin, a Dude, a jig or a Davis shaky head worm. We have also been fishing the Wackem Sissies on a drop shot rig. In general, we are noticing the fish are keying on much smaller bait fish of late. You can often see the ones who have been in battle floating on the surface! If you see this and are having trouble catching fish, take the opportunity to downsize your offerings. I am booking for August and I still have dates open next week starting August 5th, 2013. Call Ken Sturdivant about the ON THE WATER SCHOOLS for Sonar or the Rods, Reels and Lures for Bass or a full day STRIPERS School. Call 770 889 2654 for details.

This Lake Lanier Bass report is from Jimbo Mathley. www.jimboonlanier.com 770 642 7764

Striper fishing is good. We are starting to see a few more schools but finding them remains a challenge. The fish are moving and have yet to settle into the summer time pattern. There are fish being caught over a 30 to 120 foot bottom from mid way back in the south end creeks out to the river channel. That is a lot of water to cover which adds to the challenge of finding these fast moving fish. These are the times when your Lowrance Structure Scan really pays for itself. If you see one or two fish go ahead and drop some Herring down to them. Set your down rods at 30 to 40 feet. However, do not hesitate to vary your down rod depth based on the water depth as a few fish are taking baits at 65 to 80 feet. The afternoon bite is a little better than the morning but the rain, storms and crowds have kept me fishing in the morning. We will be trolling this week with lead core and downriggers and hope to report some positive results next week. Your best bet is to focus on creeks from Vann’s Tavern South to the Dam. Cabela’s is coming to Acworth, Georgia in 2014.

This Lake Lanier Striper report is from Captain Ken West and Captain Mike Maddalena of Big Fish On Service 404 561 2564. www.bigfishon.com