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Lake Lanier
Lake Lanier is a very popular reservoir in north Georgia for anglers and recreational boaters. It was created by the completion of Buford Dam on the Chattahoochee River in 1956, and is also fed by the waters of the Chestatee and Chattahoochee rivers. The lake encompasses 38,000 acres, or 59 square miles of water, and 692 miles of shoreline at normal level, which is at full summer pool of 1,071 feet above sea level. Lake Lanier boasts some of the best striped bass and spotted bass fishing in the country.
Lake Lanier Resources
Lanier: Level: 3 feet below 1071. Temp: Mid to low 50s. Clarity: The water is mostly clear except for a little stain in the backs of the creeks. Turnover seems to be done mostly. Bass: Guide Jimbo Mathley, with Jimbo’s Lake Lanier Spotted Bass Guide Service, reports, “While the outside elements are not always favorable, January can offer some outstanding angling on Lake Lanier. Lanier offers some great winter fishing if you are willing to be outside in the elements and explore fishing outside of your comfort zone. Please mark Jan. 11, 2025 on your calendar. This is the date of Jimbo’s Fishing Expo! ONE DAY ONLY! Come and enjoy some incredible fishing tackle and service vendors for a great day of shopping, in addition to some awesome raffle prizes! The event will be held at the Forsyth County Conference Center at Lanier Tech, off Exit 13 on GA 400.…
Read MoreLake Lanier Articles
Want to catch some magnum spots this month? Or maybe you prefer to catch lots of keeper-size spots, still with a chance of a big one. No matter which you prefer, head to Lanier right now. You can choose from a variety of patterns that can produce a huge spotted bass or great numbers of…
Gerald Kennedy’s name goes down in GON’s Lake and River records as holding not only the Lake Lanier longnose gar record, but for now, his 30-lb., 13-oz. fish is also the state record. “On Wednesday (Sept. 4) I put a bream on a rod to troll,” said Gerald, who lives in Murrayville. “I heard the…
It wouldn’t be difficult to make a compelling argument for Lake Lanier being the most dynamic fishery in this great state. Although the 38,000-acre reservoir enjoys national attention for its gargantuan striped bass, it also offers outstanding spotted and largemouth bass fishing for both novice and seasoned anglers alike. I had the opportunity to experience…
A 45-lb., 4-oz. striper was caught from the north end of Lake Lanier the night of May 3, and the angler, Jody Pressley, of Dawsonville, was using an interesting and apparently very productive technique when the huge striped bass hit. Jody said he grew up on Lake Lanier and has been fishing hard for stripers…
Cool weather has arrived, and with it a change in the fishing opportunities on Lake Lanier, north of Atlanta. Shad and blueback herring are moving into the creeks, and the big stripers are not far behind. While you’ll need to adapt your approach to these cooler conditions, there is plenty of hot striper action available…
Lake Lanier Record Fish
| Largemouth Bass | 17-lbs., 9-ozs. | Emory Dunahoo | 12/19/65 |
| Spotted Bass | 8-lbs., 0.5-ozs. | Patrick Bankston | 05/20/85 |
| Striped Bass | 47-lbs., 12-ozs. | Ward Schanhals | 04/03/10 |
| Hybrid Bass | 12-lbs. | Fred Duncan | 12/22/92 |
| White Bass | 5-lbs., 1-oz.* | J.M. Hobbins | 06/16/71 |
| Shoal Bass | 5-lbs., 5-ozs. | Peter T. Thliveros | 12/01/94 |
| White Crappie | 3-lbs., 2-ozs. | Bill Fretwell | 04/17/91 |
| Black Crappie | 3-lbs., 5-ozs. | Chris Williams | 10/06/06 |
| Walleye | 8-lbs., 9-ozs. | Buddy Wade | 01/20/13 |
| Bluegill | 1-lb., 2-ozs. | Mrs. Pat Johnson | 06/03/79 |
| Yellow Perch | 1-lb., 8-ozs. | Jeff Howard | 02/02/90 |
| Shellcracker | 1-lb., 9.44-ozs. | Michael Madryga | 12/12/21 |
| Rainbow Trout | 9-lbs., 6-ozs. | Brooke Wheeler | 03/02/19 |
| Brown Trout | 6-lbs. | Tim Wyatt | 04/24/04 |
| Flathead Catfish | 51-lbs., 10-ozs. | Rodney Stephens | 08/14/16 |
| Channel Catfish | 22-lbs., 8-ozs. | Robert Hancock | 09/28/11 |
| Longnose Gar | 30-lbs., 13-ozs. | Gerald Kennedy | 09/04/13 |
| Common Carp | 19-lbs., 9.6-ozs. | Charlie White | 03/17/24 |
| Blue Catfish | 19-lbs., 5.5-ozs. | Tyler Kesselring | 07/27/24 |
For Subscribers: Lanier Map-Of-The-Month Bass Articles
Anglers are learning to go to the ditches at Lake Lanier during the winter months for numbers of spotted bass, but you can also fish rocky points for kicker-size fish to feel the fight of a magnum Lanier spot. The ditch bite is in full swing this month, and you can catch a lot of…
Everyone has heard about the good winter ditch bite at Lake Lanier, but how do you locate those fish and catch them? James Harmon, known as “Lanier Jim,” or LJ for short, has spent years learning to read electronics and using them to catch Lanier bass, and his tips will help you. In 2012, I…
Big spotted bass are feeding from the surface down to 35 feet deep at Lake Lanier this month. You can catch October bass all month long on a variety of baits by fishing humps and points that have wood cover. Lake Lanier’s 40,000 acres on the upper Chattahoochee River northeast of Atlanta is ranked in…
Parker Guy teamed up with Tyler Campbell to represent Emmanuel College in the Georgia Bass Nation state championship that was held on Lake Lanier Oct. 8. They won with five bass weighing 17.58 pounds and had big fish with a 4.49-lb. spotted bass. Their weight beat out 17 other college teams, and the win earned them…
Editor’s Note: George Stewart “Stew” Medlin passed away on Sept. 20, 2023. In addition to being a fishing guide, Stew was the longtime bar manager at Gino’s NY Pizza Bar in Atlanta, where the bar has been renamed Stew’s Watering Hole in his honor. Stew’s Obituary Lake Lanier is famous for its big spotted bass,…