Located about 50 miles northeast of Atlanta, Lake Lanier reservoir is one of the greatest locations for fishing. With 38,000 – acre area operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, this lake offers complete facilities along with excellent bank fishing access. If you are interested in fishing, the best catch is striped bass, spotted bass, and crappie. This is brief fishing reports for lake Lanier to help you get familiar and prepare for your trip.
Fishing the Spotted Bass
The spotted bass fish is one of the favorite catch in this lake. There is a lot of population with some fish over the 14-inch minimum size limit. Most of the time, this species is easy to find roaming the open water. Otherwise, they usually gather down in a brush pile or some other structure with vertical relief. Use drop shot or shaky head technique for fishing in the summer or winter.
In the spring and fall, the best bets are to use the topwater technique. You can use the super fluke technique using Sammy or spook. The fishing report lake Lanier proudly says that the spotted bass can be found in some places. In winter, go to rip-rap embankments, muddy, and warm water discharges. April and May are the spawning times. During fall, this species is active early and late in the day. It will be harder to fish in the summer, but still possible.
Lake Lanier Fishing Report for Crappie
While the abundance of crappie is fall and rises over time, but it still a great catch in here. Fisher can expect to catch a good number with the size around 11 to 12,5 inches. In most cases, the number of smaller fishes is lower than average. Come around February to April and use 1/8 oz crappie jigs or live minnow as the baits, for better experiences. Based on DNR sampling, you should target Thompson creek, upper Chattahoochee arm, and Taylor Creek.
From other Lake Lanier fishing reports, you can easily find this species from all seasons. However, the best time is in early spring when the temperature rises. At this time, crappie can be found on creek channels, under a boat dock, or 10-15 feet underwater. During the fall, crappie tends to congregate in submerged timber (20-40 feet of water). In winter months, fish will stay in the creek channel with vertical structures.
Striped Bass Fishing Lake Lanier
Due to the big size and great spawn, the striped bass is one of the best catch. There is numerous report of fish bigger than 20 pounds. Use bucktail jigs, swimbaits, big spoon, flukes, and umbrella rigs as baits. Winter is the prime time to catch this fish. From winter to spring, bass will travel the banks in shallow water. Another fishing reports for lake Lanier says that summer they go deeper, while in fall back for surface.
Those are some information regarding the lake Lanier. The three mentioned above are the most possible catch. However, there are other popular species such as walleye, catfish, bluegill, and many more. There is no need of high technique or high-end baits. Depends on the time, you can even find the target on the shallow water and make it easy to catch even for beginner anglers.