LAKE LANIER IS DOWN 9.6 FEET, THE CREEKS ARE STAINED AND THE MAIN LAKE IS CLEAR & 60’S


Bass fishing is good. The water temperatures have started to drop with the cooler nights and more seasonable high temperatures. The lake is low so be careful. The cold fronts coming can help. The topwater bite is starting to fade, as expected. We are still seeing schooling fish on some days but these are often just stripers, with a few spots mixed in at times. The stripers, and the spots in some cases, that are schooling right now seem to be focused on the small threadfin shad. Therefore they will often ignore your typical topwater offerings. Casting a jigging spoon into these fish is one way to imitate the small bait. There are some other options as well, but it just takes some experimentation to figure out what they will eat. Think small and be creative. We are getting some good fish early in the mornings throwing a spinnerbait on windblown rock and clay points. I look for the Spro Crankbait bite to pick up soon as well on those same style points. There are still fish hanging around the brush throughout the lake. They can be caught a number of different ways. A swimbait and a jerkbait have both worked well at times this past week, and we are starting to have good success with both a Chattahoochee Jig and a Shaky Head in the area of the brush as well. With the lake down we look for a great ditch bite as the water continues to cool, so keep an eye out for the bait making their way into the creek arms. That will be the indication to shift your areas of focus. We have started to spoon up some fish out of the timber, or near the timber, in creek arms and ditches in 30 to 40 feet. The process is starting to happen. We look for this to strengthen as we continue into fall, and once the bait gets well established in the ditches, look for the SuperSpin bite shallow in the ditches first thing in the morning to be a predominant pattern. A jerkbait in these areas should work well also. We have a great fall fishing experience in store folks! I am now guiding in a Brand New Xpress Bass Boat 21’3″ powered by a 250 Yamaha SHO and equipped with the latest Lowrance HDS Gen III units featuring 3D Structure Scan technology. Come take a ride in this beauty! Here are the dates I have open in November: 25, 26, 28, 29, and 30. I am also booking for December, which should be the peak of the ditch bite. Give me a call and let’s get out and have some fun! If you have been waiting for the fall bite, it’s here, and it’s time to FISH.

This report brought to you by Jimbo On Lanier 770 542 7764 www.jimboonlanier.com

This Lake Lanier Striper report is from Captain Ken West 404 561 2564. Contact us on our web site. www.bigfishonguide.com

Striper fishing remains a challenge. The fish have gone nocturnal and the night bomber bite is your best bet. Fish main lake islands, reef markers and under water humps from dusk until 11:00 pm. There is an early morning top water bite but it is over by 9:00am. Look for the Stripers to move to over main lake and creek channels during late morning and afternoon. Deploying a combination of free lines and down rods is your best bet during the day. Set your free lines back 70 to 100 feet with Herring or Trout and pull at .5 mile per hour. Try a small split shot on one of your lines and vary your trolling speed to locate your baits at various depths. If you are using planner boards set your baits from 20 to 50 feet behind the boards. Always hang a couple of down rods over the side when you are pulling baits. In addition, put someone on the front deck throwing a Capt. Mack's buck tail jig; you may pick up an extra fish or two. The water temperature is in the mid to high 60’s. The water is lightly stained in the creeks and clear on the main lake. The lake is 10 feet below full pool. 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.net

Some creeks have a slight stain and since we’ve not had rain lately, these areas can be a degree or two warmer. If you notice bait in these areas, there are most likely crappie in standalone brush piles. We’ve noticed this week that a wave of crappie are moving to the shallower stand alone brush piles in the backs of creeks, as shallow as about ten feet. Since Lanier’s lake level is down 9 feet below full pool, some brush piles are beginning to show above the water line. Even though the tops may be showing, there still may be fish in or around them. The last few days with the super moon, fishing has been off the charts. Bigger fish are showing up, and are eager to bite. Yesterday we experimented with a variety of jigs, both soft body and hair jigs, in 1/24 and 1/16 ounce. The color did not matter. The bite should continue to be strong, with water temperatures dropping. Certain docks with brush piles in the middle to the backs of creeks are holding fish, but you may choose to concentrate on the ones that are easier to catch right now on standalone brush piles. There is plenty of bait out there, and the fish are still feeding on small threadfins, so pay attention to the bait in the creeks you are fishing. Live bait instead of jigs should also work well. If you like long line trolling, this is the time of the year that should produce. The backs of the creeks are ideal areas for that method, using your trolling motor at higher or variable speeds. Look for flat bottoms in those areas. Double up on the curly tail jigs with two per rod, each with 1/16 ounce jig heads. Use the short rods in the back of the boat and longer rods toward the front, with two foot differences in length. Your jigs should be running at about eight to ten feet below the surface. If you like to fish with live bait, a slip cork is a must if the fish are at eight to fifteen foot depths. Otherwise, a Carolina rig and egg sinkers with swivels on each side using the down line method with crappie minnows should also work. Stay safe on the water and wear your life jacket!

The Atlanta Boat Show is coming to the Georgia World Congress center January 12 thru 15, 2017. Meet Bass guide Phil Johnson, www.PJsFishing.com.

SONAR TIPS: HOW TO USE TRAILS: Go to the TRAILS menu and name the trail for today’s date. Now pick a color trails for each day of the week. Sunday BLUE, Monday RED, Tuesday YELLOW, Wednesday GREEN, Thursday OD GREEN, Friday PURPLE, Saturday PINK. Keep the trails you need on and SD card. Delete the trails you do not need. Keep the “POINTS” under 5,000 for any trails.

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

Advantage Boat Center in Cumming Georgia offer sales, service and storage close to Lake Lanier. 678 771 8745. Ask for Myra.

We have the LOWRANCE Gen 3 Touch and the game changing technology in 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.

Ask for a free sonar set up sheet by sending me an email to [email protected] Please tell us what machines you are using.

Anglers we have these books for sale BASS FISHIN LAKE LANIER, BASS FISHING 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, December 17, 2016 2pm at Bass Pro Shops in Lawrenceville, learn BASICS OF ELECTRONICS BY LOWRANCE PRO STAFF, KEN STURDIVANT

The Atlanta Boat Show is coming to the Georgia World Congress center January 12 thru 15, 2017. Meet Lowrance Pro Staffers, Tom Branch Jr, Captain Mark Smith, Al Bassett and Ken Sturdivant.

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