Lake temperatures are in the upper 80s. Lake Lanier is less than a quarter of a foot down from full pool at 1,070.8. The main lake and creeks are stained to clear and the Chattahoochee River is clear. Check generation schedules before heading out to the river at 770-945-1466.
Bass fishing has been a little tougher but anglers who are adept at locating off shore cover can excel in the hot days of summer. Knowledge of both lake structure and the cover located around it is key to successful summertime bass fishing.
For many, anglers do not have this information there is still good news. Fishing is one sport that we can continue to get better at as we grow older.
With all of the tools available to anglers with today’s technology this off shore information is readily available.
There are some sites that offer GPS waypoints, videos and hot spots. Quality electronics, Internet reports, Google maps and even reports like this one can provide a wealth of information for anglers of all skill levels.
Trying to locate all of these areas can be quite a task on our large lake, so I encourage anglers who are just starting out to narrow down the areas that they try to cover in a day.
You can easily spend days learning a single square mile of Lake Lanier and still not discover all of the nuances which indicate where the fish will be located.
Fishing is one sport that we can continue to get better at as we grow older. There is no replacement for time spent on the water. Once you have acquired several areas then you can stat to set up run and gun pattern to locate the active schools.
The spotted bass seem to be setting up much better this week in the 35 foot range, and when you catch one fish there should be several more in the same area that will bite.
When you catch a bass on a moving lure like a crank bait or a top water plug, it often activates the whole school into action so take advantage of this when the opportunity presents it self. We have been catching bass this week on the deep brush and rock piles and also on the off shore drop offs and standing timber.
Top water plugs like a SPRO Dawg 125 or a Zara Super Spook, deep diving crank baits and drop shot or jig head Big Bite Finesse worms are all working well when active fish are located.
The drop shot and finesse worms seem to be the best for numbers of fish.
There are also some decent bass on the deeper docks in the mouths of the coves. Target docks that have at least 20-feet of water on the fronts of them. Spot Tail minnows fished over the brush piles have been the most productive method for catching bass and this will remain the case most of the summer.
Striper fishing remains very good and the bite should remain that way for the whole summer. The blue back herring on Lake Lanier hang around in the deeper cooler water that striper prefer, and this has made for consistently great fishing for the last few years.
Make sure to have plenty of live blue backs and also invest in quality bait tanks with the proper chemicals and plenty of ice to keep your bait lively. Down lined blue backs is the most consistent method this week.
Most of the stripers are located at 30-to 50-feet deep over a 70-to 80-foot bottom but pay close attention to your electronics as stripers can move up or down in the water column as they follow around the bait.
Continue to troll a large SPRO Buck Tails on lead core set out to 7-8 colors and troll around two miles an hour.
Also keep a top water plug tied on the morning and also during the day as stripers can appear on the surface at any given time.
After dark, use Hydro Glow Lights in the creek mouths. Big Creek and Six Mile are great places to check but other creeks are holding fish after dark too.
Crappie fishing is slow during the day but some anglers are shooting the docks up in the rivers and catching decent stringers in the mornings and right before dark.
The night bite under lights on the bridges is still probably the easiest way to catch them. Place your lights around bridge piling that are in 20-or-more feet and set crappie minnows on light four-pound Sun Line at around 20-feet deep.
Trout fishing is good on the Chattahoochee River. Continue to get out early in the day as the float traffic slows down the bite considerably.
Try a Countdown Rapala or a 1/8 or 1/16-size Rooster Tail. Dry flies in a black ant pattern have been working well.
Bank Fishing: Brim, catfish and carp are all good choices for fishing from the banks. Brim and Carp will eat corn and all three species will eat earthworms so you have several choices. Use 8-pound test and try to limit the swivels or line snaps to increase your odds of catching fish.
Eric Aldrich is a part time outdoor writer, bass fisherman and marketing specialist. Reports are based on personal experience and permission from a close network of friends. I would love to hear from our readers so please e-mail me at esaldrich@yahoo.com or visit my website at aldrichfishing.com. Remember to take a kid fishing!