LAKE LANIER IS DOWN 9.7 FEET, THE CREEKS ARE STAINED AND THE MAIN LAKE IS CLEAR & 60’s

Bass fishing is good. The water temperatures are really headed North with all the warm weather we have had, and the spots are loving it! Not much change from last week's report, just more of it and more fish to be caught doing it. We have some great days for both numbers and size. We have been focusing on main and secondary clay/rock points and sandy pockets in 15 feet of water or less for the majority of this past week. A finesse worm on a Picasso Shakedown Head has been money this week for the majority of our catches. We are working the Shakedown Head on 8 pound test Seaguar Abrazx fluorocarbon. We believe the lighter line leads to more bites on this bait as it helps allow the baits to present more naturally. Look also for the shallower brush on points and in pockets through the day as well, as we have been finding some fish staging around this brush, again in the 15 to 18 foot range. A new swimbait from the Sweet Bait Company has worked well on some days in these areas. The swimbait has also been good on the windblown rocky points and banks. As the sun gets up, check the shallow docks in ditches and pockets for activity. Work a jerk bait and a soft plastic swimbait beside these shallow docks, as well as a jig and worm. Lowrance down Scan technology can scan much wider areas with the narrow beams so anglers can see the bait, the structure and the fish four times better than with sonar. Find the bait and you will find the fish. These fish back in the creeks are also staging in preparation for the spawn. You will find spots and largemouth in these places. This pattern definitely works better when the sun is out as opposed to cloudy conditions. The clouds make the fish scatter and often bottom locked as well. While they still remain close to the dock, they are often not directly under the docks. They are up and moving! Here are the dates I have open now through April: 6, 17, and 19(PM), 20, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, and 29. Give me a call and let’s get out and have some fun.

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! As I mentioned, if you are wanting to learn the deep timber bite and/or the ditch bite, now is the time!

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

Striper fishing is good. The bite continues to be small baits on free lines and planner boards. However, the small bait bite will change as the lake continues to warm and the Stripers, especially the females, begin to prepare for the spring spawn by packing on weight. The fish will begin to move into the creeks and the rivers. The bite will change to larger blueback herring and gizzard shad pulled on free lines and planner boards. Focus on flats and clay banks early morning with your planner boards as close to the bank as possible. Pull these bigger baits at 1.0 mph or faster As the sun gets up in late morning move to deeper water, add a couple of split shots, slow down and focus on creek channel ledges. The Umbrella rig will also get you a reaction bite in late morning and afternoon when pulled at 3.0 mph. We use a 1 ounce captain Mack’s buck tail jigs on a 3 ounce 4 arm frame Pearl or chartreuse worms or chad bodies are the preferred trailers but use your imagination. Hot pink Mr. Twister trailers was popular a couple of years ago. Look for a top water bite to develop in late April. Get out your Red Fin, Chug Bugs and Spooks and have them ready for deployment. Spring is here and it is time for some warmer weather and hot action. There are stripers lake wide with Two Mile Creek, Bald Ridge Creek, Shoal Creek, Flat Creek and Orr Creek are good places to start your search. The lake is 10 feet below full pool and the water is clear on the main lake and slightly stained in the back of the creeks. The water temperature is in the high 50’s. Call Big Fish On Service at 404 561 2564 to schedule a d fishing trip on Lake Lanier.

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 temperature is about 63 degrees and rising. Fishing remains good to excellent. Early morning and late afternoon - evening are the best times to fish. Signs of the times: turtles are swimming and sunning in the backs of the creeks; the ducks and geese are laying their eggs and are on their nests; the daffodils and tulips are in full bloom, the trees are continuing to bloom; pollen is everywhere, including floating on the water; the bluegills are near the banks in the shallows; but the most telling sign is that we are catching the dark colored purple and black male crappie near the banks. All these signs indicate that the spawn is in full swing, and should peak with the full moon phase. The biggest challenge this spring on Lake Lanier has been that the water level is ten feet below full pool. Our typical fishing spots for this time of year are on dry land, and we are having to discover unfamiliar spots that are now in the correct depths. The fish are scattered. Some are in the shallows, some are on docks with structure at 15 feet or less and some are anywhere in between. It is challenging to find those sweet spots, but once you do, it will pay off. That is why we are always on the move, not spending more than about 20 minutes per spot. Bobby Garland and Jiffy Jigs remain our “go to” jigs, and a minnow under a cork is always a good option right now. You may need to take your allergy medicine before heading out, but getting out on the water right now is worth it!

If you are local, drop in to our club meeting this Thursday (March 30) to hear the DNR fish biologists Pat Snelling and Chris Loony discuss the walleye, crappie and white bass fisheries on Lake Lanier, 6:30 at Hammonds Fishing Center.

Stay safe on the water, wear your life jacket!

On April 29, 2017 in Blue Ridge Georgia, the Blue Ridge Trout Festival & Outdoor Adventures will be there for their second year. Vendors, seminars and much more are planned. http://blueridgetroutfest.com/

Ken Sturdivant, Lowrance Pro Staff will teach two Free SONAR classes at the Cabela’s in Greenville, South Carolina, Sunday April 30, 2017 at 10 am and again at 3pm.

Ask for a free sonar set up sheet by sending me an email to [email protected]. Please tell me what model machine you have.

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 recommend Transducer Shield and Savers. Protect your investment.

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. 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, 168 feet from my boat. www.lowrance.com.

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, May 27, 2017 2pm at Bass Pro Shops in Lawrenceville, learn BASICS OF ELECTRONICS BY LOWRANCE PRO STAFF, KEN STURDIVANT

Ultrex and Cable Guard protects external Transducer cable for remote control trolling motors. The cable guard will allow the transducer cable to turn kink free and the shaft can be raised or lowered without pinching the cable. No more messing with cable ties or black tape. For Factory Direct Pricing contact Precision Sonar at 270 703 6133

Ken Sturdivant, Lowrance Pro Staff will teach two Free SONAR classes at the Cabela’s in Greenville, South Carolina, Sunday April 30, 2017 at 10 am and again at 3pm.

Lowrance announces the new HDS Carbon 16, a new addition to the HDS Carbon Series of fish finder and chart plotters and new addition to the HDS Carbon Series. Scheduled to ship in May 2017, HDS Carbon 16 features an enormous 16 inch high definition multi touch screen that provides even more screen real estate to showcase the amazing clarity, high resolution and superior target separation of the SolarMAX™ HD technology, exclusive to the HDS Carbon series.

On April 29, 2017 in Blue Ridge Georgia, the Blue Ridge Trout Festival & Outdoor Adventures will be there for their second year. Vendors, seminars and much more are planned. http://blueridgetroutfest.com/