Lake Lanier Fishing Report – January 2019

Lanier: Level: 6 inches under full pool. Temp: 53 degrees. Clarity: There are a few areas of cloudy water in the mid-lake area, but overall it’s pretty clear.

Spotted Bass: Guide and tournament angler Ryan Coleman reports, “Fishing has been pretty good out there for spotted bass. There are plenty of fish out deep right now, as you may expect for winter at Lanier, but the bigger fish seem to be up very shallow. I have been catching some good numbers out deep on worms, jigs and spoons, but my bigger fish have mostly come from shallow rock and steep banks. For the deeper fish, I have been using a 1/2-oz. football swimbait head rigged with either a blueback herring or pearl-colored 3.8-inch SpotSticker swimbait. I have been dragging this rig from 10 to 40 feet in ditches and pockets slowly on a casting rod with 12-lb. fluorocarbon line. This has been a great way to catch fish for the past two years on Lanier. I am still catching some out deep on worms and spoons, but the swimbait and a Georgia Craw or brown/orange casting jig have been my best weapons. Make sure your jig has some orange in it right now. For the shallow fish, I have been working the same 3/8-oz. Georgia Craw jig or a 10-foot-diving crankbait up on the shallow, steep, rocky points and banks. Most of the fish are up there in less than 15 feet, and some are as shallow as 5 feet. Just move from place to place, and stick with it. As the water cools, more fish will move out deep and get in the timber, but I fully expect some stubborn spotted bass to stay up shallow at all times this winter. This has been the pattern in years past when the lake was at or near full pool. Good luck out there to everyone.”