Lake Lanier Fishing Report – June 2022

Lanier: Level: 0.3 feet below 1071. Temp: Mid 70s. Clarity: The water has been clear on the south end and slightly stained on the north end.

Bass: Jimbo from Jimbo’s Lake Lanier Spotted Bass Guide Service reports, “It is hard to beat the topwater bite in June on Lake Lanier. Spotted bass chasing a topwater bait in wolfpacks from brushpiles provides unmatched excitement and fun. In this month’s installment, we will review the different options to take advantage of the incredible offshore topwater fishing on Lake Lanier in June. By June, most of the spotted bass have completed the spawn and have transitioned into replenish mode. This June may be a little different in terms of timing based on the delayed spring and spawn we have experienced. Keep that in mind in terms of the timing of your pursuit of this bite. In postspawn, many fish will be relating to key features at the mouths of the major creeks as well as main-lake areas and can be found on key structure such as long, running points and humps. Locating these areas and the man-made cover that is often found on them, which will often concentrate the fish, will be important to your success. Now that we have explored the location that the spots can be found in June, as well as how to find them, let’s examine some of the techniques and lures that can be used to catch these fish. Topwater is the No. 1 choice in June. There are many bait choices in the topwater category—poppers, walkers, wakers, etc. The preference of the fish will change day to day, so make sure to experiment daily to identify the mood of the fish, as well as their preference in presentation. Excellent topwater baits for Lake Lanier from Berkley include the J-Walker, Cane Walker, Hi Jacker, Surge Shad, Choppo and the Bullet Pop. These lures as well as all the rods and reels you will need to present them can be purchased at local tackle shops such as Hammond’s Fishing in Cumming. Make sure to check out those G-Loomis rods and Shimano reels. Swimbaits offer great versatility as they can be fished at any depth you wish. Popular hard and soft swimbaits are made by several different tackle vendors, to include many local options. As far as the mechanical-type swimbaits, one of my favorites is the Berkley Magic Swimmer. Vary your retrieve speed and depth with this bait until you find the retrieve for which the fish are searching. Look for these baits to be a big producer of monster spotted bass in June. When the topwater/swimbait bite is tough, pick up your Underspin and go to work. Fish the bait over and around brush for your best success, especially when the sun is out. The sun will concentrate the fish in this type of cover, and the Georgia Blade Underspin offers the perfect solution for the finicky fish that won’t come up. You can tip your underspin with either a straight-tail or boot-tail style trailer. When the topwater/swimbait action slows, and you see fish in the brush on your Humminbird, try the worm and jig. I like the Georgia Blade Jig head and worm combinations. As far as jigs go, I prefer Georgia Jigs. Explore different worm and jig sizes, shapes, textures and colors when you are fishing. Something different presented appropriately can make a big difference on certain days. Keep trying until you find the presentation for which the fish are searching that day. For topwater action, you should utilize either a medium to medium-heavy bait-casting or spin-casting outfit, rigged with 12- to 17-lb. monofilament line. Also an option is spooling with Seaguar Smackdown braid/mono leader combination. Monofilament (and braided) fishing line floats, where as fluorocarbon line sinks, which makes either monofilament or braided line the best option for presenting topwater baits correctly. As far as choosing a rig for fishing these topwater baits, consider the weight of the bait as your deciding factor. Lighter poppers and smaller walking baits are often better presented on spinning gear, which allows for easier casting of smaller baits. For swimbaits, I like to present the larger, heavier, mechanical-type swimbaits on a heavy-action rod that is at least 7 feet long, and I will utilize 20-lb. test monofilament or Seaguar Fluorocarbon line. My big swimbait rod is a G-Loomis IMX Pro Swimbait Rod, which is perfectly matched for these baits. I appreciate the extra rod strength to cast these big baits and manage the big fish you will catch on them. As far as the many other soft and hard swimbait options, you can scale back to a medium-heavy rod if you prefer, but I recommend keeping the length at 7 feet or more. G-Loomis also offers some outstanding topwater rods from which to choose. I really like the IMX Pro options. Check out the options at G-Loomis.com and hit up Hammonds Fishing for the best local selection. Don’t miss the opportunity to enjoy some of the best fishing on Lake Lanier during the month of June!”

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Alicia Perryman holds the 12-lb., 26-inch largemouth bass she caught while fishing off a dock at Lake Lanier on March 2. Alicia said the dock was in the Six Mile bridge area of the lake.

Stripers: Capt. Clay Cunningham, of Catching Not Fishing Lake Lanier Charters, reports, “Now that June is here, look for the stripers to progressively move deeper as the water temperature rises. We are still seeing some topwater action as the stripers push herring to the surface, so be sure to have a Berkley Magic Swimmer or Jaywalker ready to cast. Some of our biggest fish this past month have been on the Magic Swimmer. Walking baits like the Berkley Jaywalker will also be a good choice in bone and chrome. The topwater bite has been fun but unpredictable. Cast these lures on 12-lb. Trilene Big Game on a spinning rod. A good setup is a 7-foot medium-action Abu Garcia Veritas spinning rod paired with a Penn Conflict 3000 spinning reel. Don’t be afraid to blind cast the points. You do not have to see them schooling on the surface. That being said, we have been seeing some schools of 20 to 40 fish schooling on the surface on a daily basis at random times throughout the day. As the fish move deeper with the heat, look for the downline to take over, which is usually the first week of June. Spool up a Penn Fathom Linecounter reel with 15-lb. Trilene Big Game on a Shakespeare medium-light action Striper Rod. Tie on a Captain Mack’s 2-oz. Swivel Sinker, a 4-foot leader of 15-lb. 100% Trilene Fluorocarbon and a 1/0 Gamakatsu Octopus hook. Herring from the local tackle shops will be the key bait. Look for the stripers on your electronics before you drop baits. In June, points will be the key structure. You can use traditional 2D sonar or Down Imaging to see these fish. Great electronics like the Humminbird units are a must. You can see your bait swim around the sinker. Overall, June is usually a great month on Lanier for stripers. The spawn will be over and the stripers will feed. The fish will be heading south looking for cooler, oxygenated water.”

Capt. Ron Mullins, of The Striper Experience, reports, “June is one of our big transition months. There will still be quite a few fish up on major points that have steep drop-offs in the mid lake and south end of the lake that can be caught pitching herring the first of the month. Spot-Lock your boat upwind of these areas and toss your herring on a 7.5-foot medium-action Okuma Reflections spinning rod with a 3000 class Okuma Helios SX loaded with 20-lb. braid. Attach 3 to 4 feet of 12-lb. Seaguar Tatsu fluorocarbon leader with an Alberto knot to the braid and tie on a No. 1 or No. 2 Gamakatsu circle hook, depending on the size of the herring that you will be pitching. These points will hold stripers, spots, largemouth and channel cats, so there is no telling what is going to eat your herring. After you pitch your herring up to the point, just let the herring swim around as natural as possible, so let out some line if you feel it swimming away from you and reel in a bit if you lose contact with the bait. Most of the bites that you will get will be pretty aggressive and the fish will be moving up into shallower water to eat your bait and then hauling it back down into deeper water, so hang on and enjoy that screaming drag. The stripers will begin moving out to deeper water and start feeding primarily at depth versus chasing herring and shad on the surface as the water warms into the 80s in mid-June. Pockets with 40 to 60 feet of water from Chestatee Bay south to the dam will be the areas that will hold the majority of the fish going through June. This is the beginning of our downline season, and quality electronics will be your best friend through October. The Humminbird Solix or Helix units will allow you to look for fish in these pockets on the big motor and avoid fishing in spots that are not holding fish. Once you have marked fish, then you can put your MinnKota trolling motor down and begin deploying your four 7.5-foot Okuma Striper rods with Okuma Coldwater 15 or 25 models spooled with 15-lb. Big Game monofilament with a 1.5- to 2-oz. Captain Mack’s Swivel Sinker, a 4- to 5-foot length of 12-lb. Tatsu leader and a No. 1 Gamakatsu circle. Drop your herring down just above where you have marked the fish and begin moving around the area at 0.4-0.6 mph. Most of the fish that you will find in these pockets will be moving around the pocket, so keep moving so that you have a better chance to run back into them. As the fish migrate to the south end of the lake this month, the lead core trolling bite will also pick up this month. This historically gets very good in the Chestatee Bay area this month, so make sure your lead core is ready to go. The 1.5-oz. Striper Tackle Super Spin Shad, available at Oakwood Bait and Tackle, in white head/white shad body or white/glow will be a great lure to start with. Troll these five to seven colors back at 3 mph on the main creek channels or river channels for the schools that will be forming up as they move south. In this culture of who is the GOAT and pressure to be the best, remember that Jesus told us in Mark 9:35, “anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” Serve others and put others first as Jesus Christ did for us.”

Crappie: Capt. Josh Thornton reports, “I am finding crappie in the summer pattern. Look at the docks for suspended fish in 20 to 45 feet. Also look for crappie in shallow blowdowns. If you are using jigs, I would recommend a white and chartreuse or a translucent body with sparkles. Remember to retrieve slow and give the jig time to sink to the level of the fish. Always bring minnows. I mainly use jigs, but the biggest fish of the month came on a minnow. I am setting minnows 10 feet deep and putting them in a rod holder while I shoot jigs. Don’t fall into the trap of staying too long just because you see a pile of fish on your electronics. If they are not biting, move on and look for some that will bite. Crappie love the shade, so cast into the shadows. When dock shooting, the biggest fish are usually the first to bite. I’m using Skippers Jig Moon Jigs. Use the promo code ‘heroes’ when ordering. I’m using ATX Lure Company plastics. I use 5-lb. test high-visibility yellow braid for my line (unless I am using a bobber) and a Piscifun reel on an ACC Crappie Stix. I use Garmin LiveScope and the Navionics Boating app. Find me on Facebook and like my pages @crappieonlanier and @fishingwitheverydayheroes.”

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