Lake Lanier is slightly below full pool at around 1,070.2 feet (full pool is 1071 feet).
Lake temperatures have risen quickly with this past week’s record heat to the mid and upper 60s and the main lake is clear to stained. The backs of the creeks and rivers are stained to very stained from the pollen.
The Chattahoochee River is clear to stained.
Check generation schedules before heading out to the river at 770-945-1466.
Bass fishing is up and down but they are biting. When the dogwoods are blooming it is spawning time, but they are not all going to go to the banks in one warm week.
You will find bass in all stages of spawn and now is that awesome time to go “junk fishing”.
Junk fishing is when you try using several different types of lures throughout the day.
I will often be tripping over a mound of fishing rods when practicing for a tournament.
You may be able to hone in on one pattern and move around the lake to similar areas and do well, or you may end up catching fish on several types of lures and patterns.
I prefer to pick one method that is working and stick to it, but that can really work against an angler as bass will change moods throughout the day.
They may be chasing bait in the shallows in the morning and then suspend under a deeper docks during the day, so it pays to try and change as the fish dictate. One thing is for sure: There are very few places that are more beautiful than Lake Lanier at sunrise or sunset and the weather has been awesome, so take your kids or parents out and go fishing!
Striper fishing has been pretty good and they are both shallow and out in the creeks and pockets on the main lake. Look at your fish finders and pay close attention to where the bait appears.
Loons and birds can also still give away the prime locations.
There are some huge fish being caught and there is a pretty reliable source that told me that the lake record striper might have been broken last week by about a pound at 47.5 pounds.
This is not a confirmed catch yet, but I saw the picture at Hammond’s and it’s a monster fish!
Use flat lines and planner boards and cover the water from where the creeks narrow down. Blueback herring are $4.99 at Hammond’s and they are working very well.
Gizzard shad will also work if you want to target a big fish. Casting SPRO McSticks around shallow flats can elicit incredible strikes both during the day and also after dark. The pink Bomber Long A plugs have also been working great over the past couple of hours after dark.
The crappie have been biting very well around the flooded weeds that grew all along the banks while the lake was down. The areas in the backs of the pockets and creeks have been the most productive.
Cast crappie minnows shallow under a bobber around the flooded brush and also around docks, downed trees and bridges. If you don’t get a bite within a half hour then move around and watch your fish finders for groups of fish in the five- to 10-foot range.
Microspoons and crappie jigs shot up under the docks have been working just fair after dark.
Trout fishing season is open and you can pick your favorite stream or river this weekend and go get them! This time of year, many of the trout are newly stocked and they are very easy to fool with just about any method.
One of the easiest and cheapest lures you can buy is an inline spinner like a Rooster Tail.
Use the lighter models in a 1/16- to 1/8th- ounce size. Cast the spinners on the lightest line possible. The secret to fishing a Roostertail correctly is to fish it slowly enough to keep the blades spinning and off the bottom.
Fly fishing has been better in the afternoon and there are a variety of hatches going on in spring. This is an awesome time to fish from the bank because almost all species of fish are shallow.
Pick your favorite spring method and area and take a sandwich and some sodas and enjoy the beautiful weather with family and friends.
If you have not found that perfect spring method and area, then start out with a crappie minnow or an earthworm and that should work just fine.
Rig these worms or minnows below a bobber and place it one-three feet above a plain, small Aberdeen hook. Cast these out around docks and wood.
Eric Aldrich is a part-time outdoors writer, bass fisherman and a member of Humminbird’s, SPRO, Gamakatsu, Hammond’s Fishing Center and Denali Pro Staff. Reports are based on personal experience and permission from a close network of friends. If you would like to email him please do so at esaldrich@yahoo.com. Remember to take a kid fishing!