Lake temperatures are around 80 degrees.

The lake is down around 13.4 feet at 1057.6 feet.

Lake Lanier is clear on the main lake and stained in the creeks. The lake will get stained during the weekends from all of the boat traffic.

The Chattahoochee River is clear.

The bass fishing remains good.

The topwater action is still the ticket this week. I have had several anglers ask where and how to find good topwater action, so if you are struggling to find them on top you are not alone.

Here is what I suggest.

Stay away from the banks and go out to the main lake. Check your lake maps for any humps that top out around 15-feet deep or less. Once you locate a few of these main lake humps then visit them throughout the day. Most of these humps have brush located around them and if you can find the brush piles you should find the fish. A lot of people think you will see huge schools of fish jumping on top, but usually you will only see a few bass or baitfish surfacing from time to time.

These small clues will give away the large schools of active fish that are feeding in these areas throughout the day.

Continue to work SPRO Dawgs, topwater plugs or swim baits over the brush piles on main lake humps and points.

The best action is during the middle of the day and weekdays seem better than weekends because of boat traffic.

When the topwater activity slows, then fish soft plastics like a drop shot rig, Texas-rigged worm, finesse worm on a jig head or even jig-and-pig combination around the brush piles and docks.

Live spot tail minnows or medium shiners on down lines around those same brush piles will ensure success.

Be sure to always use sharp Gamakatsu Hooks!

Shane Watson’s Guide Service says that nothing has changed since last week’s report.
They have had boats out everyday and down-lined bluebacks fished 20-30 feet deep over a 25-45 foot bottom has produced best.

Fish your baits on and just off of slick bottom points and humps both north and south.

There has also been a good top water striper bite at times on Red fins, Spooks, and all the latest swim baits.

Expect a mix of stripers and spots on these top water baits.

In addition to Shane’s report above, note that we have been catching some decent stripers on SPRO Dawgs and Zoom Flukes while fishing for bass.

Keith Pace of Crappie Spoons reports that they are catching some good stringers of crappie from the deeper docks and bridges up lake.

Find the docks in that are 20 feet or deeper with brush in 15 feet.

Wahoo Creek and Little River are great places to look.

Fish the bridge with crappie minnows on a down line at around 10 feet deep.

Micro spoons and darter jigs tipped with a live minnow are working well.

Worms and salmon eggs (where permitted) are producing limits of trout below the dam. Fly-fishing with dry and wet flies is producing well during the day. Yo Suri Pins minnows and sinking Rapalas continue to catch lots of trout.

Eric Aldrich is a part-time outdoors writer, bass fisherman and is sponsored by Humminbird, SPRO, Gamakatsu, Tru Tungsten and Hammonds Fishing and Boat Storage. Reports are based on personal experience and permission from a close network of friends. Contact him at esaldrich@yahoo.com or visit his Web site www.esaldrich.tripod.com.