Lake Lanier Fishing Report – November 2010

Lanier: Level: 2.5 feet below full pool. Temp: Mid to high 60s. Clarity: Clear to stained on main lake; stained in the creeks and rivers.

Spotted Bass: Eric Aldrich reports, “I have been spending most of my time targeting midway on back into the lower lake creeks targeting fish that are eating blueback herring on or below the surface. Sammys, Super Spooks and the larger SPRO Dawg 125s have all been working when the bass and stripers are on the surface. When the fish are down, try using a swimbait that mimics the longer blueback herring. A BBZ1 6-inch trout or a Sebile Magic Swimmer are both great lures to try. Shaky heads rigged with Big Bite Squirrel Tails will work very well around the docks and brushpiles. Also try throwing a topwater lure or crankbait around this same cover to pick off the more active fish.”

Largemouth Bass: Good. Billy Boothe reports, “November should be a great month for largemouth fishing. The shad are starting to gang up in the pockets, and the bass are right there with them. The key is to watch your graph and find the pockets with ditches and drains, as well as shad flicking on the surface. November is a crucial month to match your bait selection with the size of the shad in the area your fishing. I’ve had the best success with a splatterback Mann’s 1-minus and 1/4-oz. chrome Mann’s Little George fished under and through the balls of shad. For big fish, flip docks in the backs of pockets with a 7/16-oz. green-pumpkin TABU jig or slow-roll a white 1/2-oz. War Eagle spinnerbait along the edge of weeds and bushes. If we get any major cold fronts toward the end of the month, back out to the first major drop-off, and work a Mann’s 15-plus or a 5/16-oz. green-pumpkin TABU jig.”

Stripers: Good. Guide Shane Watson reports, “The stripers are busting on top early and late most days. Cast Spro Dawgs, Sebile Magic Swimmers, Spin Shads and Flex-it spoons to these surfacing fish. These are just several of my favorites, but many other lures will work. This combination of lures will have it covered if they are feeding on small threadfins or larger bluebacks. Lead-core line continues to produce nine colors out at 3mph. Use a white 1-oz. jig and a paddletail trailer for the most bites. If they wad up under your boat, downlines will also work. Keep moving until you find fish. One day you will find them in the mouths to the middle of creeks biting leadcore and downlines, and the next day they will be out in the main channel on top.” Mike Maddalena of Big Fish On Guide Service reports, “The lake is in the process of turning over and has released the summertime deep-water stripers on the lower end of the lake. These fish are up and moving and will scatter lakewide throughout the month. Focus your efforts on points and flats from the mouths to halfway back in the creeks. Keep your eyes open and on the water. Topwater action is getting stronger and will continue throughout the end of the month. Red Fins, Spooks, Chug Bugs and Captain Mack’s 1/2-oz. bucktail jigs retrieved fast across points and humps will all work. Pulling herring and gizzard shad on planner boards and freelines 50 to 80 feet back will also work in these same areas, putting a split shot is always a good idea. The best times are first two hours in the morning and the last two hours in the evening. Look for the fish to move deeper to 40 to 80 feet of water as the sun moves overhead. November stripers are notorious for moving. They will not suspend in one place for very long, so when you find them, do not waste any time in getting your baits down. The Bomber bite at night should also be good all month. The seagulls will start arriving on Nov. 20 and will be a valuable tool through out the winter.”

Crappie: Eric Aldrich reports, “The crappie are moving shallower in the creeks, so try trolling crappie jigs on a lake rake, which basically means a crappie boat rigged with as many as 12 trolling rods of different lengths so you can stagger the lines. Start out with different colors then switch over to the most productive ones. Downlined crappie minnows both during the day and after dark at about 10 to 15 feet on the docks and bridges are working fair.