LAKE LANIER IS DOWN 4.0 FEET, THE CREEKS ARE STAINED AND THE MAIN LAKE IS CLEAR & 80’S

Spotted bass are fair and they are deep most of the day to 25 feet and deeper. Fish for spots as they are chasing tiny baits right on the banks around the mouth of Big Creek. These fish jumped on the 85 Sammy and Aurora black back was the color. Docks in the backs of creeks have been fair for small fish. Use the drop shot rig at the same depths. We found several schools of spots chasing tiny baits right on the bank around the mouth of the major creeks. Early and late each day almost any main lake reef markers can hold several fish but make a few casts and go to the next one. Small to medium chrome and blue top water lures can draw the spots but the key is to move around and make only a few casts to each location. If the fish don’t cooperate keep moving. Night fishing has been fair until midnight. Spinner baits all black, June Bug Bill Norman Middle N’s and Zoom June Bug u tails on a Texas rig are the three best night baits. Do not spend more than 15 minutes in a spot.

This report is from Big Fish On Guide Service and Captain Ken West.

Striper fishing remains very good. Not a lot has changed this week. The down rod bite with Blueback Herring has been the strongest bite and will continue to be the primary technique through this summer. Now is the time to break out your lead core rods and get ready for some deep water trolling. Lead core line is basically just what it says; line with a core of lead which adds the weight to the line to get your bait down deep. The line comes in some odd sizes but for striper fishing you should use either 27 or 36 pound test. The line is spooled with 10 colors. The line changes colors every 30 feet which equals 300 feet of line per spool. You will also need some backing and a leader. We use 50 feet of monofilament backing and 50feet of 20 pound test fluorocarbon leader. Make sure you use a reel with enough line capacity to handle the thickness of the lead core line, the backing and the leader. We use PENN 330’s. Breaking your lead core line is not a good idea so you should always use a leader with less strength than your lead core line. The rule of thumb for the lead core depth is 3 feet of depth for every color at a speed of 3 miles per hour and a 1 ounce buck tail jig. We also add 3 feet for the 50 foot leader. Consequently, with 7 colors deployed you are at 24 feet. The most used lure for lead core is the 1 ounce buck tail jig with a trailer or tipped with a Herring. You are now ready to do some deep water trolling for Stripers. Keep in mind that you have a football field of line out and like the umbrella rig you need to increase your speed when making turns to prevent the jig from falling into the trees. All of the creeks south of Browns Bridge are holding fish. Two Mile, Six Mile, Flowery Branch, Orr, Shoal and Baldridge are some of the creeks we fished last week. The lake is 4 foot below full pool and clear in the creeks and main lake. The lake temperature is in the mid 80’s and rising. To book your guide trip call us at 404-561-2564 or contact us on our web site. www.bigfishonguide.com

This Lake Lanier Crappie report is from Dan Saknini, member of the Lanier Crappie Angler’s Club. See our club’s website, www. laniercrappieanglers.com

As expected, crappie fishing around this time of year is fair at best. Your best bet for catching fish is early in the morning, on deep docks and deep brush piles. Expect this pattern to remain the same until you see a combination of a change in the temperature and cooler rain. This will bring the fish to shallower structure, thus making them easier to catch. This is a good time of the year to work on your brush piles, which will give you more spots to fish when the weather cools and the bite heats up! Night fishing is good right now. Target bridges. You will need some type of twelve volt light such as a Hydro Glow. For best results, keep the light a few feet away from your boat. This can be accomplished by using a broom stick or some type of rod. After submerging the light, attach the cord to the rod, leaving just enough slack in the cord for the light to stay submerged. Place the other end in the rod holder. This will keep the light several feet from the boat and give you better coverage, and keeps it from banging against the boat and spooking the fish. Small or medium crappie minnows are your best bet for bait. Set your baits at different depths, and if you notice one depth is getting more action, adjust accordingly. The bite is sporadic. You may wait an hour or so for the fish to come after the bait and hit them good for thirty minutes or so, then you may wait another hour or so for another school to come by and start the bite again. This requires patience, but is a great opportunity to kick back and relax during an evening on the water. Be safe on the water as the lake continues to be crowded! Wear your life jacket, it can save your life!

Georgia Outdoor News will host the BLAST! at the Infinite Energy Center, formerly known as the Gwinnett Center, just off I 85 north of Atlanta. The address is 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway, Duluth, GA 30097. The Outdoor Blast will begin this year at 1 p.m. on Friday, July 29 and runs through the weekend until 5 p.m. Sunday, July 31.

We recommend Overboard Designs for 2956 Waterworks Road Buford, Georgia 30518 Phone: 678.714.7122.

The NEW! Atlanta Outdoors Expo is March 11 and 12, 2017 at the Georgia World Congress Center. www.atlantaoutdoorsexpo.com. contact Tim Fearney Show Director at 678 822 9804
[email protected] Fax: 770 642 4715

We have the LOWRANCE Gen 3 Touch and 3D NEW Lowrance Technology on our boat. Bring any HDS machine only to Lake Lanier and learn it ALL in one day. Call Ken for details.

Ask for a free sonar set up sheet by sending me an email to [email protected]

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 [email protected].

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

Saturday, August 27, 2016 2pm at Bass Pro Shops in Lawrenceville, learn SONAR! LOWRANCE PRO STAFF, KEN STURDIVANT

Our mailing address is Southern Fishing Schools Inc. 106 Hickory Ridge Cumming Georgia 30040. 770 889 2654