LAKE LANIER IS 1.62 FEET OVER FULL, THE CREEKS ARE STAINED AND THE MAIN LAKE IS CLEAR THE RIVERS AND UP LAKE COVES ARE VERY STAINED. 50S


This report brought to you by: Jimbo Mathley www.jimboonlanier.com 770 542 7764


The lake has dropped .4 feet since last week. The Corp has slowed down pulling water at this point. The backs of the live creeks in the lower lake are stained. The lake above Brown's Bridge is stained and progresses to muddy as you approach Gainesville Marina. Please be careful of floating debris when navigating the lake as there is still some of it out there. The fish are definitely and finally in full pre spawn mode. They are still somewhat spread out and somewhat unpredictable, but they are moving. A crankbait and a jerk bait have been our best choices for catching fish this week. Shallow is the word for the fish we have been on. We have been working these baits shallow on rocky and clay points at the mouths of pockets and creeks. A Spro McStick jerk bait and a Castaway 1.5 Shad crank are good choices. Also, these baits will work back shallow in the creeks as well. Some days the wood in these areas is holding fish as well, so make sure to make some casts to the now many pieces of flooded cover. The jig and worm bite is still an option when the moving baits aren't working, so keep those handy as well. Slow tapering clay and rock points have been good this week, especially in the afternoons. Shallower docks are holding fish as well, so those are always worth a check on sunny days. Lots of stuff working out there now get out and fish and have fun. Here are my open dates for April: 1(PM), 8, 9(PM), 10, 11, and 12(AM), 15, 16, 17, 18, and 23(PM), 24, 25, 26, and 27(AM), 29, 30.


Striper fishing is good. There is plenty of bait in the creeks and the lake is healthy. Live bait continues to be your best bet. There is a shallow water early morning (before sunrise) bite using Herring on UN weighted free lines and planner boards. Once the sun gets up, weight your lines with several split shots, deploy your down rods in addition to your free lines and move to deeper water. Once the water temperature reaches 55 degrees we should be able to pick up some nice fish on the shallow flats half way back in the creeks. Be looking at points and flats this week. Use the umbrella rigs as a search tool last week and switched to bait when we caught a fish or marked fish on our Lowrance Structure Scan Sonar.


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


Water Temperature is around 58 degrees and as expected, Crappie fishing is good to excellent. We think that we are in the early stage of the spawn. Some fish remain staged in shallow docks at 10 foot depths or less, waiting to move in to the banks to spawn. Judging from the looks of their bellies, it appears that others have completed their spawn and are heading back to the docks. Long line trolling works well this time of year since the fish are roaming back and forth to the shallows. However, pretty much everything is working. Whether using crappie minnows or a jig under a cork, cast your bait or jig through the weed lines and retrieve slowly. Some blow downs are starting to hold fish in pockets and backs of creeks. (A blow down is a tree that has the base still on land and the majority of the trunk and branches partly or mostly submerged.) To gauge the length of the blowdown, compare the diameter of the blowdown trunk to similar standing trees nearby. That will give you an idea of the height of the blowdown and therefore how far the tree extends into and under the water. If you ride over it with your down scan, it will look like a standalone brush pile. Shooting docks remains the best method of catching the bigger fish. You should be ten feet or so away from the dock, with a 5 ½ foot to 6 ½ foot medium action rod, and high visibility line not heavier than four pound test. Release a length of line about two thirds the length of your rod, and leave the bail in the open position while you are holding the line with one finger. Grab the curve of the hook (below the barb) and bring it toward your body. Keep the base of the rod parallel to the water while pulling the line toward you to sharply bow the tip of the rod. Release the jig and the line at the same time, while aiming toward your target. If you need practice before heading out, try raising your garage door a foot or more and try shooting into the void. Make sure you break the hook off the jig when practicing so it doesn’t harm pets or property on the lake, target docks in ten feet of water or less that have some type structure below. Your side scan can be very helpful in locating structure. We’ve been catching fish on docks and brush piles near docks pretty much all day long. Blow downs and weed lines are doing better in the mornings and late in the day. Jiffy jigs or Bobby Garland soft body grubs with 1/24 ounce or preferably 1/32 ounce jig heads remain our number one choice. Keep in mind that you are fishing shallower docks and you don’t want your jig to go down too quickly to the bottom. For those who prefer live bait, a slip cork and a trusty crappie minnow will also put some fish in the boat. So, get out there and fish while fishing is good and before the lake gets busier with the warmer weather. Wear your life jacket, it can save your life.


Ken Sturdivant, Lowrance Pro Staff, will be at the Bass Pro Shops in Lawrenceville, Georgia on Ken Sturdivant, Lowrance Pro Staff, will be at the Bass Pro Shops in Lawrenceville, Georgia on March 30, 2019 and April 7, 14, 20 and 28 from 10 am until 5 pm. Dates and times are subject to change without notice.


We have all the details for our On the Water SONAR School on our web SCHOOLS page. We have the LOWRANCE LIVE and 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 158 feet from my boat. www.lowrance.com


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


Please watch this video! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7k0ECCQjeY


Call Brian Leiva at www.bbgmarine.com 888 570 0916 for all your Lowrance and other technology.


We 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