Bass fishing is fair and there is a little movement up lake. The lake is rising fast, so check the lake levels on the site below. The junk pattern is in effect as the bass are not on any baits or structure with anything consistent. Just pick any place and any bait. All the bass are very scattered and there is not any type of structure that seems to be prevailing. Bass can move shallow with any overcast or foggy conditions and they will be roaming looking for food.

With the stable weather, bank cover out to 14 feet deep will be good depths for the fish. Slow rolling a Leverage spinner bait in the 3/8 ounce size with silver and gold blades in either the willow leaf or Colorado combinations has been fair. It’s important to slow roll these baits on and over points. Later each day up river, use the chartreuse and white Bill Norman crank baits or the chrome and blue combination Shad Rap crank bait. After the weather settles this week, break out the bright crank baits and the jigs.

The lake is rising after the storms. The fish are feeding on small to medium shad and crawfish. The bass up lake relate to wood and rocks looking for food. Crawfish colors in crank baits like the 7A Bomber will work as well as the old brown or black jig and pig. Concentrate on small points in the up lake creeks above Gainesville Marina and the left bank in Little River 200 yards out past the bridge is a good area. This water is warmer and has a slight stain to it allowing the bass to feed shallow as the fish will move on and over them after food. Work these baits right up on points but get the baits run as deep as 12 feet for strikes. Jigs almost always work but fish them very slowly over the heavy structure. The 1/2 ounce all black Enticer jig will be a good choice with a matching pork trailer by Uncle Josh. Also work these lures in the same location for a few casts and this can make the better fish strike the lures.

Spotted bass are biting and there are fish at 2 feet out to 40 feet to be caught. There are small fish shallow and they love small baits like small crank baits and small finesse worms. Use a medium tip spinning rod and 8 pound Sufix Elite line so you can feel the strikes. Worms should be a Zoom finesse style in natural blue, greens or Limeaide. If you like crank baits, get the Bandit 200 in root beer and a shad colored #5 Shad Rap and 8 pound Sufix test line and you can catch some fish. Drop shot rigs with small hooks and small finesse style baits will work and they seem to be producing a little better than a Texas rig. Sand worms, natural blue and cinnamon green pig and jigs or creepy crawlers are the baits of choice.

Down lake, go to the mouth of Young Deer Creek and work the docks on the left side of the creek right behind Tidwell Park. There is an old ramp on a long point and 70 yards off this point is a log jam of old pre impoundment cut up trees. These trees are 30 feet deep and there are some huge spots that live there year round. Drop any small jig or a finesse worm straight down and doodle these trees. Also the surrounding docks are over some deep water and they have spots on and in front of these docks. Use a small Bitsey Bug jig and also use a Zoom u tail worm and a Zoom Bush Hog in pumpkinseed. Young Deer is a great year round creek with humps, docks, road beds and ledges all the way back to the Bagwell house. Be sure to drop a ½ ounce Flex It spoon on the same locations.

Stripers are very scattered all over the lake from Gainesville Marina to Browns Bridge and then all the way to the dam. You have to pay attention to the bait fish and a Lowrance L C R is the best machine to use. The fish have been found in large schools but they have been feeding on tiny shad and blue backs. The weather this week already has the stripers and the shad starting to move into larger schools and most importantly bunched tighter together. Be sure to take some shiners to match up with the sizes of the baits the stripers are now feeing on. Smaller hooks and smaller baits could pay big dividends. Add some small weight to the flat line above the swivel so the baits will sink.

There are a few stripers on the river ledge in front of Gainesville Marina but they have been of and on with the bite. Gainesville Creek has a few fish this week, but that may change with the runoff. It’s worth it to check back to the power lines all winter. Be sure to check out any creek mouth from marker #42 down lake to Browns Bridge. Trail some live bait all day and the fish are eating both down lines and flat lines depending on the schools depth when you are close by. Flat Lines have been producing shallow bites as the water temperatures start to cool off. A few fish are biting in and off the river coves and creeks. As the shad start moving to the creeks and the rivers, the stripers will follow them. Orr Creek and the Old Federal ramp area are good locations. Watch the LCR. During the day use live baits on a planer board or a flat line on and over main lake points. Be sure to try other sizes on live bait and shiners and even small bream are good choices. Use all white jigs and cast them in the backs of main lake creeks in two feet of water. Cut bait on the bottom on main lake river points can get a big fish for the anglers willing to wait on these strikes.

Work the main channels early each day then move into deep bays with live bait. Balus creek and Flat Creek have been good all week. During any overcast day use live bait as well as all white 1/2 ounce buck tails and swim the jigs and baits through the schools. No night bite action yet. (On December 5, 2006, Reggie Weaver, North Georgia Game and Fish will be speaking to the Striper Club meeting at The Dam Store at 7pm.)

Crappie fishing is fair and the fish are on the deeper waters around the docks and marinas. Use tubes in the 11/2 inch size on a light 4 pound test Super Silver Thread line in clear. There are a few small fish roaming under the docks at 10 to 14 feet. Look over the deeper man made brush and they will bite live minnows as well as the tubes. Lots of the fish are schooling but with another cold front the better fish will be biting under deeper marina and private docks.

Lake Sidney Lanier ramp calculator:

Click here, and once on the spread sheet, at the word 'HERE,' blank that word out and then add the current lake level for that day. Today's elevation is 1061.83. Hit enter and the spread sheet will automatically calculate the end of the ramps for the entire lake. Many thanks to Mark Williams for this information.

106 Hickory Ridge
www.havefunfishing.com
770-889-2654
Cumming, Georgia 30040