Lake Lanier Fishing Report November 2013

Lanier: Level: 0.1 feet above full pool. Temperature: 70 degrees. Clarity: Clear.

Largemouth: Good. Tournament angler Billy Booth reports, “Junk fishing is the name of the game right now. With so many options up shallow, try to locate shallow bait and forget everything else. Docks, brush, weeds and rock will all hold fish right now, so covering water is the key. Start in the backs of the creeks and pockets, and work your way out. The two best baits have been a sexy-shad War Eagle spinnerbait and a 3/8-oz. white War Eagle buzzbait. Fish the spinnerbait fast and just under the surface and the buzzbait slow. If it’s a high-pressure day, a silver shiner Mann’s Three fished under suspended bait balls and deeper docks will pick up a few fish also. For deeper fish, target isolated stumps and brush with a gray-ghost Mann’s 15 Plus or a watermelon-red Zoom Trick Worm fished on a 3/16-oz. War Eagle shaky head.”

Spotted Bass: Good. Guide Ryan Coleman reports, “The lake is turning over in places all over the south end. This process should be finished by Thanksgiving for the most part. Fishing has been pretty good out there over the past week or so. We are getting a little schooling action on the south end, but most of my bites have been sub-surface. I have been catching most of my big spotted bass on swimbaits and jerkbaits over points and brush and then using the jig in and around the brush. I am also starting to get some deep bites out there, so that bite is very close. I have been working a Megabass Vision 110 on points and humps where brush is present or on the windy points. I then follow that up with a Sebile Magic swimmer. These two baits have been great throughout the day. As things slow down, I am working a 3/8-oz. brown living rubber SpotSticker casting jig and Zoom Swamp Crawler rigged on a stand-up football head around the brush and deep trees. Look for this bite to catch fire in November as the surface continues to cool and the turnover moves the fish around.”

Stripers: Guide Shane Watson reports, “Some days they are up and doing it well, and some days they are not. Fall is here, and the weather/water temps are cooling down, which is what triggers the fish to feed on top. Our boats have been out daily, and a mix of things have been working. Freelined bluebacks and trout have been producing on points. Downlined bluebacks 20 to 25 feet deep on and just off deeper points and humps have caught some nice fish. When the stripers have been up busting on the surface, freelines, Redfins, Spooks and spoons have worked well. There is nothing like casting into a big school of busting stripers. This schooling pattern has been sporadic, as some days they are up and feeding well, and some days they have been down and scattered. The topwater bite will continue to improve and will peak over the next four weeks.”