Lake Lanier Fishing Report

I hope you all are enjoying this time with family and friends, all while taking time to reflect and offer thanks for the many blessing you enjoy – like this incredible lake we get to fish!

The lower lake temps are right around 56 degrees in the morning, and right now the lake sits at 3.52 feet below full pool, which is about a half-foot up from Sunday prior to the rain. I have been slam packed with business. I am very thankful for that. Save last Sunday in the rain, I have been on the water every day for the last 9 days, and I am full through the weekend, including a morning trip tomorrow on Turkey Day. I am blessed! My wife finally let me guide on a holiday. She has already told me Christmas is out! LOL.

The fishing has been very good for the most part. The rain we got Sunday definitely spread them out a bit more than they had been. Prior to Sunday, there were several dependable patterns out there. They are all still there, just a little more looking around to find them. There have been some very shallow fish, some mid-depth fish, and some fish in 35-50 feet around the timber edges. All have worked well at one time or another every day.

In the mornings, a spinnerbait and a crankbait on windy, rocky points has been very good for some big bites. In the mid to late morning hours there have been some good spooning opportunities out in the timber. In the afternoons, we have been working a jig and a shaky head around rock in 5 to 30 feet of water. There are some variations to this protocol, but this has been our normal schedule each day. The ditch bite with the fish head was coming in very nicely last week, but has since disipated some. I am guessing we can thank the rising water for that as well as the fish and bait moving around a bit more. They should get settled down and deeper as things stabilize and the water continues to cool. Look for the timber bite to strengthen and the bigger fish to be out deep more consistently. This is a great time to learn the timber bite with a spoon and a jig or shaky head out deep. Again, this should only get better. I am hopefull the fish head bite will return in strength as well. The ditch bite on Lanier is key to some big stringers this time of year.

Bait choices this past week have included a Strike King 6XD crankbait, a white spinnerbait, a Chattahoochee Jig, a Davis Shaky Head, and a War Eagle spoon in nickle.

I still have Saturday morning available this week if anyone is interested. I am pretty open next week as it stands (starting Dec 1),  but with the warmer weather foretasted, I expect to fill up quickly. This is a great time to learn the ditch bite and the timber bite (which are often one in the same, just at different depths) so give me a call and let’s go bust some donkeys!

Thanks to all, Happy Thanksgiving, and May God Bless!

Jimbo