LAKE LANIER IS DOWN 8.22 FEET, THE CREEKS ARE SLIGHTLY STAINED AND THE MAIN LAKE IS CLEAR & 55 DEGREES

Black bass fishing is slow. Mid lake and up use worms and jigs. Fish the humps and points half way to the backs of the creeks. In the mouths of the main lake creeks blue pumpkin Zoom mini lizards. The backs of the lower lake creeks are clear and a use 1/2 ounce Stanley jig in black and blue Zoom pork imitation. Fish heavy bank cover and work baits dead slow all the way back to the boat. Look for any warming water in the northwest cove’s later in the afternoons. The back of Wahoo Creek on the left side all the way to the back of the creek warms early each day and crank baits in bright colors will work. Also use the all black jig and use the Uncle Josh all black eel and drag this bait on the same bait casting rig on and over these locations. If the weather warms up at all, try both a small and a large Fat Free Shad in red shad or green shad and add some Storm Suspend dots to the bottom of the baits. Now these should fished with very long casts on light line and get the baits deep and stop them. Up lake drop spoons and all white buck tails to the fish once they show up on the Lowrance depth finder. The ledges right off the main river around Gainesville Marina are good locations to find a schools of fish. But getting them to bite has been tough. Use a large jig with the Uncle Josh trailer and fish this bait just like a jigging spoon. Vary the jigging spoons sizes during the day also. Use both a one ounce and a half ounce spoon.

Spotted bass are under docks and on ledges with brush and depths must be at least 30 feet. Several spots over 3 pound spots were caught this week on this pattern around the mouths of major creeks around the Lake Lanier Islands. The fish are right in the and around the brush piles. No brush, no fish. Use a Texas rigged natural blue finesse worm in the brush or the sand finesse worm with a chartreuse tail. This is the time to learn to use or perfect your drop shot rig. Rig the drop shot with a small Mustad drop shot mosquito hook and a ¼ ounce drop shot style sinker. It really do not seem to matter what color worm you use but green Yamamoto Flat tails are very effective on this rig. Keep your rod tip tight and do not drop the rod while fishing this bait. Spoons and the drop shot the ditches in the middle of the lower lake creeks. The old pond dam behind the large rock island in Big Creek is a good location to get out of any wind. Fish the deep docks close by as well as the pump tower. Use spoons in a variety of colors and sizes and look around the larger marinas as a back up area. Also spoons and small Bitsey bugs will work but fishing them all straight down is the best technique. Many times casting and then dragging baits across the bottom does not keep the bait in the strike zone long enough. Deep brush to 40 feet is the key. No brush, no fish. Also try fishing the edges of the trees out in the creek mouths. Try the bitsy bug jig in a ¼ ounce and add an Uncle Josh small frog trailer and use as much green in the bait as possible. Use the pork trailer for the extra salt and the extra action you will get from pork over plastic. Also look in the marinas and there is a good pattern on docks from 25 to 40 feet deep. The fish are moving around under these docks so keep a close eye on the Lowrance. Try some extra scent on the plastics and this may help the fish hold the baits long enough to feel the strike and set the hook. We have found a few bigger spots mid lake just past Browns Bridge in the coves and pickets on the northwest side of the river. Pick the docks with the sun on them early and doodle the Zoom baby Bush Hog in greens on the Texas rig.

Striper fishing is fair and both the backs of the creeks down lake and the main lake are all good areas to look for the fish. There are a fish in the backs of the lower lake creeks all day. Go to the backs of the creeks and start fishing at 40 feet. The bait schools and the fish are still relating to the backs of the creeks. The food is there and the stripers are feeding at 15 to 40 feet over old lake brush and on hard clay points. Many of the fish are right on the bottom so sit still and watch the Lowrance. Try both the rivers this week and the fish are not deeper than 40 feet anywhere in the river. Gainesville Creek and the middle of Ada Creek are good up lake areas. Down lake the big bay out in front of Vann’s Tavern and 5 Two Mile markers are good areas.

Six Mile Creek back behind the bridge needs a look this week also. Use blue backs, trout and shiners on a flat line. Fish are holding at 39 to 55 feet deep over at least a 60 foot bottom. Watch for the birds feeding and stick with them. A fish or two may bust the surface, however mainly you will only see the slight roll from the fish. If the birds are not actively feeding down line your baits and you will pick up a few. Look for the birds working bait then put out either herring, trout and BIG ONES! or large shiners on free lines. Place these baits 60 to 100 feet behind the boat and cruise the area while throwing a white Super Fluke on a ½ ounce Fish Head Spin. During the middle of the day when no surface activity is present, place down lines in the same areas directly overtop the fish. Depths are ranging anywhere from 20 to 45 feet deep at the bends in the creeks and off the points. Umbrella rigs are working in both the three and four arm rigs. Chartreuse curl tail trailers have out produced the white. Trolling these rigs anywhere from 100 to 130 feet behind the boat is working.

Crappie are slow all over the lake. Try the marina docks or larger docks that provide lots of shad. The shad will migrate into the marinas down lake after the middle of the day and the crappie will feed on tiny baits.