Lake Lanier Fishing Report August 2013

Lanier: Level: 1.2 feet above full pool. Temp: Low to mid 80s. Clarity: Clear.

Spotted Bass: Good. Guide Ryan Coleman reports, “Lanier is still more than a foot up and has been all summer. It does not look like it will come down this summer. Other than the water level, there are not a lot of surprises out there now. The water is hot, it is August, and the fish are deep. They are mostly holding in the 20- to 25-foot depths and clinging to brushpiles on points humps and other hidden places where these ‘trees’ have been guided by anglers. These brushpiles are our lifelines to fish on Lanier in the summer. Topwater has been one of the better producers but may start to slow as August rolls in. Look for jigs and drop-shot rigs to dominate most of August as it has been for years. The water will finally stabilize, and the fish will get harder to catch. Especially the bigger fish. It is just a fact of August. Small hard swimbaits and jig heads with soft-body swimbaits have been producing well over brush and should still be a staple for Lanier in August. These baits will produce your bigger fish, but the bites will be less than drop-shot rigs and jigs worked directly in the piles. For your drop shot, work a hand-poured worm rigged on a 1/4- or 3/8-oz. weight around the brush. As the bite gets tougher, you will have to drop the rig directly in the brush. Stay as vertical as possible, and this should help with your hang ups. For a jig, work a 3/8-oz. jig from a distance directly in the brush, and the bigger fish will respond. It has been an exceptional year for jig fishing here on Lanier, and I expect that to continue throughout the summer and upcoming football season. Work the jig slowly through the brush as the beaten and battered summer fish are still a little sluggish in August. Green or brown jigs are always fantastic here, and I typically tip my jigs with a twin-tail trailer. I like lighter line matched with a 3/8-oz. jig to get the correct fall rate. I prefer 12-lb. fluorocarbon line with most of my jig fishing. As August comes to an end and September rolls in, we always cool down a little, and the fish get more active. Keep this in mind as you are sweating out the hot August days.”

Largemouth: Slow. Tournament angler and guide Billy Boothe reports, “The bite is hit-or-miss right now, and it’s a grind. The shallow fish are feeding on mid-size bluegill, so topwater prop baits and poppers are working well if you have bluegill in the area. Flipping green-pumpkin Baby Brush Hogs and Beavers will pick up a few fish off docks and laydowns with some bigger fish mixed in. The deep bite is really scattered, but you can pick up some spotted bass as well while you’re searching. There are a few fish on ledges, but brush seems to be holding more fish right now. Look for brush in the 12- to 25-foot range up the rivers and creeks. When you find a brushpile that has fish on it, spend some time and hit it with multiple baits. Start out with a crankbait such as a citrus-shad colored Mann’s 20 Plus to pick off the aggressive fish first, and then rotate between a junebug Ribbon Tail worm and green-pumpkin Lunker Lure jig.”

Stripers: Good. Capt. Ken West of Big Fish On, reports, “Not a lot has changed this week. I expected to see a river-channel trolling bite materialize, but the fish are still scattered over the southern half of the lake without a dominate pattern. The stripers are everywhere and nowhere! We caught fish over a 40-foot bottom off points, in pockets and over 100-foot bottoms. The good news is when you find them they will eat a herring on a downrod, and the school will stick around a little longer, which equals more fish caught out of a single school. Your best bet continues to be checking pockets off the creek mouths and the main lake. If you see one or two fish, go ahead and drop some herring down to them. Set your downrods at 30 to 40 feet, and change your bait often. The afternoon bite is a little better than morning, but the rain and storms have kept me fishing in the morning. I have been focusing on creeks from Vann’s Tavern south. The fish are continuing to move, and pinning them down has proven to be a challenge. You may have to check a given pocket several time during the day.”