Lake Lanier Fishing Report – September 2022

Lanier: Level: 2.2 below 1071. Temp: Upper 70s to low 80s. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Jimbo from Jimbo’s Lake Lanier Spotted Bass Guide Service reports, “A traditional September on Lake Lanier offers anglers many choices of approach. This September on Lake Lanier should be no different. The lake has been around full pool most of the year, and we may go into September down 3 to 4 feet, barring a major storm hitting our area. The water temperatures have been normal to high for late summer, so the traditional late-summer patterns should be in play. Often during these kinds of conditions, you can find fish very deep, as well as very shallow, and some in between. Let’s look at the options for fishing Lanier this September and how to approach catching bass in this key transitional month in these different locations. Understand that the primary concern of both gamefish and baitfish are oxygen and food sources, in that order. During a normal September, the comfort zone of both the baitfish and spotted bass become multi-faceted. In September, we often find spotted bass in three different types of locations: 1. Very deep (30 to 50 feet) off the ends of humps and points, relating to timberlines. 2. Very shallow in the backs of creeks and creek arms in major tributaries around the lake or shallow on rocky bluff walls. 3. Suspended in the mouths of major creeks around brush in 25 to 40 feet of water, as well as deeper pockets near the main lake. Now that we understand where we can find them, let’s look at some of the tools we can use to catch them in each of the above situations. A drop shot is a great tool to target deep fish. This presentation can be made vertically into cover or it can be cast toward the target and slowly retrieved. I like the Lanier Baits drop-shot worms. Light line is a must. I prefer 6- to 8-lb. test Seaguar Abrazx. Light line helps provide a more natural presentation and will garner more strikes and the Abrazx’s resilient features make it a must for fishing around cover. Georgia Blade spoons can be a great option this time of year. Both their smaller spoons and their Flutter Spoons can be very effective. Experiment with the presentation once you have located the fish. Some sort of rip/pause or fast reel/pause cadence should do the trick with the Flutter Spoon. When using the smaller spoon, a lift/drop combo can be effective. Their mood and the presentation required to catch them will vary daily with conditions. Look around timberlines and treetops near the mouths of creeks on the ends of long running, slow-tapering points. While Lanier is not necessarily known as a buzzbait lake, this can be a very effective tool in both shallow-water situations discussed above. Make your retrieve an erratic one and present around cover where possible in addition to steep, rocky banks early in the morning. I like the Georgia Blade choices for a buzzbait—check out all the options at Hammond’s Fishing. A Georgia Blade spinnerbait is an old favorite that can be deadly around flooded shoreline cover, shallow docks and blowdown trees, as well as shallow on steeper, rocky banks. Try the new offerings from Georgia Blade—they offer a nice variance of bait sizes and blade types to fit any situation. When fishing a crankbait shallow in the fall, opt for a shallow- to medium-diving plug and work the same areas as you would the spinnerbait. Try the Berkley Bad Shad and Frittside crankbaits—both of these are winners. When the fish are not chasing, don’t be afraid to pitch Berkley Power Worms on a Texas rig or jig head and/or Georgia Jigs to the flooded shoreline cover. This can be a very effective technique to catch fish with a smaller strike zone. Georgia Jigs rule! When the water starts to cool, the topwater action can be awesome. Look around man-made brush on offshore structure, such as humps and points, for fish that are hanging out. Topwater baits like the Berkley Cane Walker and Drift Walker can be excellent for catching fish, too. If the fish are resistant to the full topwater offerings, try ripping a fluke over brush—that can be a killer, as well. The Georgia Blade Shad Spin is an excellent producer on Lanier. Fish the bait at the depth you see the fish suspending near bait balls.  Understand the fall rate for your rig and count the bait down to the depth of the fish and maintain that depth. A jerkbait is another great tool for targeting suspending fish. Choose a bait that suspends where the fish are holding, and experiment with your retrieve cadence until you zero in on what the fish are looking for any given day. Try the Berkley Stunna for your jerkbait. It has great action and a number of color choices are available. Finally, a spy bait has become a popular choice for targeting suspended fish in the recent years. It is a great option when the fish are not hitting your topwater or jerkbait presentations, or if you find yourself fishing in low-wind conditions. Cast this bait out, count it down to 10, and then begin a very slow retrieve. This technique is the epitome of finesse fishing. Slow and methodical is the key. I like the Duo Realis offerings in the 80 G-Fix size, which you can purchase at Hammond’s Fishing or through Lanier Baits.”

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Stripers: Capt. Ron Mullins, of The Striper Experience, reports, “We are already seeing turnover conditions, which will make this month a challenge, but there are still stripers to be caught with a bit of looking. The majority of the fish that will be caught in September will be within sight of the dam from the Three Sisters Islands area, Cocktail Cove, Young Deer Creek, and Bald Ridge Creek mouth in water depths of 60 to 150 feet. Stripers will be relating to the river channel and scattered throughout these areas. This means trolling will be your best bet this month. Trolling lead core or with your Cannon Downriggers will allow you to be fishing for these scattered fish while on the hunt for the schools that will form up as the day progresses. Lead core will be best fished seven to nine colors out with a 1.5- or 2-oz. jig at 2.5-3 mph. The Super Spin Shad from Captain Mack’s has four different colors that will all work in different lighting conditions, but the white/glo and chartreuse/chartreuse glitter will be great combinations to start with. The Captain Mack’s Fat Hawg spoon has also been producing on lead core the same distance behind the boat. The best colors for the Fat Hawg are nickel silver, blue scale, pearl or pearl silver scale. When using your Cannon Downriggers, watch what depth you are marking fish at with your Humminbird Helix or Solix and place your ball approximately 5 feet above the fish you are seeing. The lures of choice here are the 1-oz. Super Spin Shad and the Junior Hawg spoon. Both of these baits are a bit smaller and will run 2 to 5 feet below the ball depth when they are placed 50 to 100 feet behind the ball. Once you find groups of fish, make sure that you have quite a few herring with you to drop down to them. Keeping your herring frisky and lively is the key to a good bait bite, especially in September. The best way for you to take care of your bait is to start the day ahead of the curve by icing your water when you go by Oakwood Bait and Tackle or Hammond’s. This will get your bait cooled off and will help keep them from stressing out throughout the day. The other key to keeping great bait happy is an oxygen system. The increased dissolved oxygen in your tank will keep your herring strong and in the best shape to be dropped down to the stripers you will be seeing from 35 to 80 feet down. In September, increase your leader length to 9 to 10 feet of 10-lb. fluorocarbon. This will allow your bait to swim that distance up or down and keep it in the best water quality so that it stays alive on the hook longer. You will still need to switch out your baits for a fresh one every three to five minutes. Fall water temps are going to come early this year it looks like, so make sure you start carrying your topwater rods to take advantage of the schooling activity that has already been seen. All of our lives are fast-paced, busy and at times plain chaotic. God knows that about us and invites us to step out of our comfort levels and into His calling for our lives. When we do pursue God’s plan, we are actually pursuing God’s purpose in our lives and when we take that first step, He will be with us the rest of the way.”

Stripers: Capt. Clay Cunningham, of Catching Not Fishing Lake Lanier Fishing Guides, reports, “After an August with lots of afternoon rain showers, it will be interesting to see what weather September brings this year. The lead-core bite has been the dominant pattern this summer. Lead core is a weighted line you pull behind the boat. It is color-coded to help you dictate your depth. On the end of the lead-core line, tie a 30- to 50-foot piece of 20-lb. Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon tipped with a white Berkley Fusion bucktail or a white Captain Mack’s Chipmunk Jig. You need a wide selection of these bucktails from 1- to 2-oz. Some days they will key in on a particular jig or color. Tip the bucktail with a 4-inch chartreuse Captain Mack’s Shad Body as a starting point. Every bait store around the lake has these bucktails and Shad Bodies. Be sure to purchase several colors of the Shad Bodies, as well. Some days a certain color will outperform other colors due to numerous factors like cloud cover. That being said, white is the primary color and starting point each day. The Captain Mack’s Shad Bodies are fairly cheap, so purchase several colors to be prepared for changing weather conditions. Also of note, the lead-core line requires a larger diameter reel than downlining. Check with you local tackle shop, like Hammond’s Fishing or Oakwood Bait and Tackle, for the appropriate size reel and rod. Personally, I use the Penn Fathom or Squall with an Ugly Stick Tiger Rod. Lastly in September, the weather will begin to cool off. Be sure to have several topwater rods loaded with topwater baits and swimbaits for any early topwater action. Baits like a Berkley Canewalker, Berkley J-Walker and the Berkley Magic Swimmer are essentials. The Berkley Magic Swimmer in green-back ghost or chrome are both deadly on Lanier. We really expect the topwater to take off early this year. They are already coming to the surface at random times. A great casting reel like the Abu Garcia Revo makes the difference. With the large number of fishermen on Lanier, a little extra distance makes a difference. Be ready for the fun. This fall is setting up just like last fall.”

Crappie: Capt. Josh Thornton reports, “We are finding crappie suspended 10 to 15 feet over a 30- to 40-foot bottom. The crappie are suspending for long periods of time, and the bite is soft. Look for deep-water brush up to 30 feet deep. Look for points near a main channel where the depth falls off quickly. If there is any structure for the crappie to hold to, you are likely to find them there. Crappie can still be found in shallow water if you can find an area with shade and the water temperature is lower. If you are using jigs, use light colors in clear water and dark colors in stained water. I am setting minnows 10 to 12 feet deep most of the time over a 20- to 30-foot bottom. Sixty percent  of this week’s catch came on minnows. Crappie love the shade, so cast into the shadows or shaded areas of a dock. When dock shooting, the biggest fish are usually the first to bite. I use ATX Lure Company plastic jigs on Lip Thrashin Lures jig heads. I use 5-lb. test high visibility yellow K9 braid for my line unless I am using a bobber, then it’s the K9 6-lb. high visibility line. I use Garmin LiveScope and the Navionics Boating app. Find me on Facebook and like my pages @crappieonlanier and @fishingwitheverydayheroes.”