Fishing

Lake level: 1.6 feet below full
Temperature: 80s
Clarity: Clear

BASS: Bass fishing on Lanier is fair.  The dog days of summer are here and the fishing is typical August tough. The fish have pulled out to the humps, ledges and end of long points that are closer to the channels. Brush in these areas is a definite plus but finding the pods of shad in the areas seems to be more important.

There is still schooling activity with both the bass and the stripers throughout the day but it can happen in any area at any time as the fish are simply following the shad. Many of the shad we see on the surface are one to two inches long so be prepared to down size your baits as needed. The Lip Thrashin Riser along with either a 95 Gunfish or a Vixen have produced the most fish this week. For the days with the lighter wind the Riser has been the ticket and on the days with more wind the Gunfish is the first choice.

After throwing the top water baits in an area we are working the deeper brush in the 35 feet or so range with the drop shot or quarter ounce Spot Choker with a two or two and a half inch paddle tail bait. Work the Spot Choker the same as you would a spoon in the winter at the depth you see the bass. On the drop shot we have been working Blue Lily, Sweet Rosy and Epik Flash worms. On some days you will need to shorten the worm to two to three inches to get bit. It’s not uncommon to find brush with good numbers of fish around it but then have them ignore your baits so be ready to cover ground to find the active fish.

It’s definitely August but you can they will still bite so Go Catch ‘Em!

Report by: Phil Johnson, pjohnson15@hotmail.com, 770 366-8845.

STRIPERS: Trolling lead core and umbrella rigs have produced some nice stripers and most are located on the south end on the lake. Trolling near the dam north to Young Deer in the river channels has produced, using Capt. Mack’s 1.5 to 2 ounce chipmunk jigs with trailers in a variety of colors 240 to 280 feet behind the boat at 2.5 to 3 mph. Umbrella rigs trolling 130 to 160 feet back at the same speed is an option. Remember to hydrate and wear your life jackets.

Report by Buck Cannon, Buck Tails Guide Service, 404 510-1778.

CRAPPIE: Crappie fishing is good. You can find crappie suspended 10-15 foot deep over a 20’-40’ bottom. A recent week’s catch was on a mix of crappie minnows and jigs. The jig color combination I had luck with was grey on grey with a slow retrieval.

The gear I recommend for crappie fishing is a Acc crappie stix 1-piece rod and reel with a 4-6-pound test K9 line, along with Garmin Live Scope and Power Pole.

Report by Captain Josh Thornton, 770 530- 6493.