LAKE LANIER IS UP 1.6 FEET, THE MAIN LAKE IS MOSTLY CLEAR AND THE CREEKS ARE SLIGHTLY STAINED AND & 84 DEGREES

Bass fishing is fair. At this point the folks at the Corp of Engineers should consider changing the level of full pool on Lanier and be done with it. It’s hard to say when we will again be below 1072. We have been doing a mix of artificial and live bait trips. We have also been spending some time up north around the Little Hall area. There is some largemouth on the move up there in the mornings. There is also a fair amount of schooling activity as well. A small crank bait and top water prop baits have been working for some good bites at daylight up there. As the day progresses, a jig and Davis Shaky Head has worked well for numbers on points around brush. When I am down South in the mornings, we have been opting for a Spro 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, although this bite has slowed significantly. 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 in Cotton Candy on a drop shot rig. I am booking for August and I have some dates next week, the week of August 19, 2013. Give me a call and let's go fishing. 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 Striper report is from Captain Ken West and Captain Mike Maddalena of Big Fish On Service 404 561 2564. www.bigfishon.com

Striper fishing is good in the afternoon and fair in the morning. The trade off is rain, thunderstorms, temperature and crowds in the afternoon. We have just about given up on the fish out over open water and a good trolling bite. The fish have not moved out over the river channel due to the amount of rain and the cooler than normal water temperatures. As a result the typical summer lead core bite has not materialized. Live herring on down rods continues to best. Most of the fish are being caught over an 80 to 120 foot bottom at 50 to 90 feet down. If you mark a few fish stop and fish there. Set your down rods at various depths both above and below the fish you marked. If you have a "clean" bottom do not hesitate to drop your down rod to the bottom and crank it up a couple of turns. We are using 8 to 10 foot 12 pound test Seaguar fluorocarbon line as a leader and a 1 or 1/0 Gamakatsu Octopus hook depending on the size of the herring. Pick up some extra bait and change your bait often. Our herring are not living long and the stripers will not eat a dead or half dead bait. Shoal Creek, Bald Ridge Creek, Big Creek and Six Mile Creek are your best bets.

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