Lake Lanier Fishing Report November 2012

Lanier: Level: 8.8 feet below full pool. Temp: Upper 60s. Clarity: Clear.

Largemouth: Tournament angler Billy Boothe reports, “It’s still typical fall fishing right now. Main river flats and the backs of creeks are both producing well. I’m catching some good fish early on a white Mann’s spinnerbait slow-rolled around shallow rocky banks and points that are holding shad. After the sun gets up, I’m picking up a crankbait and looking to trigger a reaction bite around isolated cover. Crash a chrome-blue Mann’s Baby X into anything that’s isolated, and you will pick off some good fish that are staged up to ambush shad. On cloudy, rainy days, there is also a buzzbait bite right up on the bank. The bites can be few and far between, but the bites you do get will be worth it. If you hit some promising areas and don’t get bit power fishing, don’t be afraid to cycle through the same areas again and finesse fish. I like a green-pumpkin Mann’s Wonder Worm rigged on a 1/8-oz. jig head as a back-up bait. If we have any fronts roll in and it gets real windy, throw a 1/4-oz. chrome Rat-L-Trap on wind-blown points and pockets. The Trap will catch numbers, but you will have some good fish mixed in if you throw it long enough.”

Stripers: Guide Mike Maddalena reports, “Striper fishing is fair. The lake turnover has stalled due to the warm temperatures. Consequently, the fish seem to be everywhere and nowhere. We have been catching fish from the dam to as far up either river as you can get. You’ll catch them in creek channels 50 feet down over a 100-foot bottom, freelining over an 80-foot bottom, shallow in the backs of creeks to points at the mouths of creeks. The fish are not aggressive. They are moving and spooky, which makes lake fishing difficult. The Chestatee and Chattahoochee rivers, however, are holding some nice fish. The only problem with river fishing is the boat traffic. Pulling trout and gizzard shad on freelines has been the best technique for river fishing. The topwater bite is just starting to pick up. The night Bomber bite has also been picking up. If you enjoy fishing at night, now is the time to go fishing. Our advice is to go fishing if you can, find a large concentration of bait, put out a spread of trout and herring on freelines and downlines and enjoy.” The DNR would like Lanier’s striper anglers to collect striper scales during the month of November. There will be collection envelopes and collection boxes at Hammonds Fishing Center and Oakwood Bait and Tackle for anglers to use. A short video on how to collect the striper scales can be found at the following website: tinyurl.com/scalecollection.