Lake Lanier Fishing Report – February 2019

Lanier: Level: 0.5 feet above full pool. Temp: Mid to high 40s. Clarity: Mostly clear, but slightly stained in some of the upper and mid-lake creeks.

Stripers: Guide Ron Mullins reports, “February striper fishing on Lake Lanier will all depend on how much colder we get during the month. With water temps in the mid to high 40s, the fishing has been good. If we get to the low 40s, then the fish will get a little lethargic. The key to this month’s fishing will be finding the bait. The birds will still be a great help in February, but the best way will be with your Humminbird SOLIX or HELIX graph looking in the 50 to 90 foot depth ranges from the middle to the backs of the creeks. All the northern favorites from Sardis, Ada, Gainesville and Little River are great places to start your search, as are Thompson, Taylor and Johnson. If you stay south, 4 Mile Creek, 6 Mile and Bald Ridge are good bets. After you find the fish, the best technique to start with will be downlines with small trout, medium shiners and herring for bait, dropped down to the tops of the bait balls you are seeing. Fish this month will get very picky, so make sure you have a variety of baits with you so that you can figure out what they are eating that day. Most of these creeks have areas without a lot of timber where you can drop down below the bait and even to the bottom for the fish you are seeing deeper than the bait. The newest technique that has been producing a lot of fish is fishing a Capt. Mack’s Mini Mack behind his Perfect Planer Board, or even as a downline below the boat. If you are using the board, put the Mini Mack out 20 to 40 feet, clip on the board, and set it 30 to 40 feet away from the boat. Pull these rigs a 0.8 to 1 mph in the same areas you are using your downlines. These speeds are perfect to put a live bait on a flatline or cork rig in your spread, as well. Most of this month’s freeline fish will be caught on small trout or medium shiners. Try not to overpower these little baits with big hooks. Use No. 2 or No. 4 Gamakatsu octopus hooks, so that you do not affect the way they swim too much. February is usually very cold, so be safe, layer up, and if you must go alone, then put on your life vest. Catch ’em up.”