Lake Lanier Fishing Report – December 2006

Lanier: Level: Down 8.2 feet below full pool. Temps: 56-57 degrees. Clarity: Clear.

Spotted Bass: The bass are in transition moving from shallow to deep water, but the fishing is still good. “Fish are on the move out to the winter areas now and should start to stack up in the first part of December,” said guide and tournament pro Ryan Coleman. “There are a few fish left up shallow, but your best bet right now is to fish deep. We are catching big spotted bass from 25 to 45 feet on spoons, worms and jigs. The deep-water jig bite has been the best in late November with the spoon bite on the rise. As the water temp gets in the lower 50s, look for the fish to react better to the jigging spoon.” Ryan said not all of the spots will be deep, and on certain days you can catch the biggest fish very shallow. “December is always a great time for big fish on a spinnerbait. Work your spinnerbait on windy, main-lake points for some true monster spotted bass. You will not catch 20 a day with this technique, but the ones you will catch will be magnums. As December rolls along, look for fish to stack up in the timber and hold throughout the winter. Using your Lowrance, work your jigging spoon along the edges and tops of the timber to draw these fish out.”

Stripers: Some big fish have been caught in the past two weeks using big gizzard shad on freelines up the Chattahoochee arm above Gainesville. Down the lake, the fishing is good for numbers and the occasional big striper. It seems to vary almost by the day, but anglers are catching stripers both on live bait and by trolling jigs and umbrella rigs. With live bait, try flatlines early. Fish in the creeks and pockets where you are marking lots of bait — lately it’s been halfway in the creeks to the backs. Later in the morning, downlines have been better.