Lake Lanier is down 6.9 feet and the lake is clear and 82 degrees…

Largemouth bass fishing is slow. They are deep on the points in the creeks. Fish are on very tight cover or stumps and bass have to see a large bait in deep water to react to lures or even live bait. Work the large worms and a Zoom Magnum smoke red worm on a Texas rig. Later each day, try the larger Enticer black and blue or dark brown and black jig and pig on the river ledges and on points. Crank baits have been slow. Late each day use a fire tiger DT10 or DT16 Rapala crank bait add the hot mustard to the color list. All strikes will be very tight on any cover. Cast to the same areas often and use some Jacks Juice scent. On the jig with a salt trailer from Zoom, soak the plastic one day before heading to the lake to allow the scent to soak into the bait.

Spotted bass are in the summer pattern and anglers have been working very hard to get some strikes. There is a slight bit of top water improving daily, especially on the south end where there is more oxygen available. Most of the fish are being caught off deep structure like primary points and main lake humps. There has been a little top water fish surfacing activity particularly in Bald Ridge, Four Mile Creek and Six Mile Creek. What seems to be working best around these schooling fish, are casting spoons like a Silver Buddy or a Cicada, top water baits, Rapalas and suspended jerk baits. The white Zoom Super Fluke is still worth rigging for all day fishing. The spotted bass like a Zoom Super Fluke with a 3/0 Offset EWG Gamakatsu hook in the white pearl or any shad color especially around the schooling fish. Top water baits of choice are, a Spro Chug Minnow, a Lucky Craft Sammy 85 or the 100 in any color, chug bait in any form of a Storm Chug Bug, Super Spook, and/or a High Roller in the bone color. Crank baits should be a flat sided crank bait, like the #7 or # 5 Rapala in the pearl white color, and Bandit 200 pearl crank bait. The suspended jerk baits of choice for schooling fish are the Spro Down Minnow, and a Lucky Craft Pointer 78 and/or 100 models. The colors that are most reflective to imitate a shad or Blue back herring forage are best. It’s heard to beat a finesse worm rigged on a 3/16 ounce Mustad worm hook. Use a drop shot rig also and worms in colors of sand, watermelon, natural blue, smoke and purple, and smoke and blue colors. Focus on brush piles and wood on points and humps about the 31 to 33 foot mark. Have a ready rod with a top bait on just in case all day long for when fish come up and surface.                                                                                                                                              

Stripers have been feeding early in the day and main lake points that taper out into the main lake and the creek mouths are the target areas. After the bite gets started, you will see the fish holding at 29 to 39 feet deep. This is the location of the thermocline and all the bait fish from Browns Bridge down to the dam. Down line, red hooks and a long 6 foot fluorocarbon leader with a blue back will work. Some anglers are also using a one ounce spoon with the blue tint and adding two items: a red treble hooks and a stinger hook. Jigging requires only short lifts with the rod and most anglers will use a 6 and ½ foot heavy action bait casting rod with 14 pound test Stren Magna Thin line. Night fishing has been fair from 10pm until 1am then the bite seems to die. A small white light on the water helps bring the bait fish and anglers are using the Hydroglow lights after 10pm. The area in front of the dam is the best night area until the middle of next month. Just watch the Lowrance and you will see the bait fish and the stripers. If you do not have a water temperature probe that can reach down to the depths of 60 feet, order one from Bass Pro Shops and use it all year round. Record the data you find and the G P S locations and then refer back to the notes yearly. There has been no top water except for one single fish boldly chasing the bait all the way to the surface and feeding in with the spots. So be sure you have fresh line on any rig with the fish deep and then occasionally breaking into the bait fish early in the day.

Please keep the striper surveys coming to stripersurvey.com. The DNR stocked 555,000 fingerlings this year. Check this site for the DNR results.

Be sure to go to www.havefunfishing.com and listen to the new FREE! Show, “The Have Fun Fishing Show” "It's Watch and Listen Radio". Just click on the link and you are ready to hear and see this new show.

If you would like to have a free set up sheet for your sonar, send me an e mail to kensturdivant@earthlink.net and ask for the “Sonar Setup Quick List”.

Lake levels from http://lakes.southernco.com/

Take a look at http://www.pollymoon.com for a yearly moon phase calendar.