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Fishing news
Lake Lanier Fishing Report A sampling of fishing information and tips from area experts
Lake level: Down 1 foot Clarity: Main lake clear, creeks stained Temperature: 50s
Spotted bass fishing is good. Head to the docks and rocks. The warming weather will fire up these fish. Spots are being caught on docks especially half way in the backs of the creeks.
Look for the warming coves in areas of the last deep water toward the backs of the coves. The first wave of fish should start spawning when the water temperature stabilizes around 60 degrees over the next couple weeks. But this will require stable weather first. Most of the fish can be found in the backs of cuts on any kind of structure you can find, but seem to be relating more to the docks, particularly the last set of docks with at least 10 feet of water under them. Target areas should be out of the wind and get the most sunlight and with a bottom contour of sand or pea gravel. The fish are biting on Shakey Head worm rigs, Mini Me Spinnerbaits and Zoom Flukes in baby bass and pearl.
Use a Mustad 4/0 worm hook. Also get ready for the suspending jerk baits to work. Use a Lucky Craft bait in a silver and blue or an orange and copper color, small and midsized crank baits that dive 6 to 12 feet in a natural shad color. Main lake points with rocks and even hard clay are already good areas. Fish around the Lake Lanier Islands and there are lots of warming areas the spots are already heading to. In the back of Young Deer, the old road bed that crosses the creek has spots on the edges. The Rapala #7 Shad Rap or a Bill Lewis Rat L Trap in a chrome and blue or white color is a favorite.
Spots also love the small jigs like the Strike King Bitsy Flip in black and blue, browns, or the green and brown color. Recently we worked the back of Big Creek from the rock island to the back on the right bank around the water intake all the way to the back of the creek and found spots on Spot Stickers right up on the banks early and late.
After the sun is up, the fish are out to 15 feet and an X Rap in pearl is the ticket. Add a brown, black, or green pumpkin chunk such as Zoom’s Super Chunk Jr. Try to focus on areas that will warm the quickest and that are staging areas for spotted bass to spawn at, areas out of the wind with stagnant water, and the back side of wind blown points.
Find the fish on the Lowrance Down Scan technology and if have Fish Reveal use it on the Down Scan so the fish appear like on regular Sonar. Use the vertical jig in a 1/2 to 3/4 ounce spoon.
This report is from Phil Johnson, Lake Lanier Bass fishing guide. Contact: pjohnson15@hotmail.com or 770 366-8845.
Crappie fishing is good. The hot bite target zone is 6-10 feet deep. The crappie are getting fat. They are moving into the rivers and creeks and these areas are also loaded with bait fish. Try drifting or slow trolling .3 to .5 mph over the bait fish with minnows 3’-5’ deep in these areas. Crappie can still be found on the docks and when you find them they are loaded. I have been finding the crappie at 5 to 8 feet deep over 30 to 35 feet of water Try slow retrieval of a Crappie minnow with a BB sized sinker 12 to 16 inches above your hook. For best results use a live minnow. Look under docks that are in 20 to 40 feet of water near a main channel and have brush or structure use your electronic charts to locate these areas. Crappie love the shade so cast into the shadows of a dock. Try different Jig colors and styles. They can be used for short casting, vertical jigging, trolling or dock shooting. When dock shooting the biggest fish are usually the first to hit. Let your jig sink and give it time to get down to the fish and retrieve your jig slowly. On average recently the percentage has been 75/25 minnows to jigs. The most productive jig color has been the brown and yellow hair jig in clear water and try using dark colors (royal blue/black) in stained or muddy waters. I’m using ATX lure plastics on K9 5 pound test high visibility yellow braid for my line unless I am using a bobber and a Piscifun reel on a ACC Crappie Stix rod. I also use the Garmin Live Scope and the Navionics Boating app.
This Lake Lanier Crappie report is from Captain Josh Thornton call to book a trip 770 530 6493.
By Pamela A. Keene
On May 1, MarineMax is hosting a Cinco de Mayo Demo Day at Bald Ridge Marina. The dealer will be showcasing its full line of boats.
“Our annual Cinco de Mayo celebration is a fun event that unites boaters together at the start of the summer boating season,” said Beth Kendrick, marketing and events coordinator for MarineMax. “Attendees will have the opportunity to view our lineup of boats and talk with our team members and experts about their specific boat needs.”
The event takes place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and includes Mexican food from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Reservations for the afternoon buffet are required due to limited space and social distancing.
On-the-water demos are available by appointment only. Call MarineMax at 770-781-9370 to schedule. For more information and to register, visit marinemax.com and click on the events tab.
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Riverkeeper announces spring events
By Pamela A. Keene
The Headwaters office of the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper has a full slate of events in and around Lake Lanier through May.
On Thursday, April 22, celebrate Earth Day from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Buck Shoals Wildlife Management Area in Cleveland. Bring a lunch and wear water shoes to join the Soque River Watershed Association and the Riverkeeper for a hike.
On Saturday, April 24, from 8:30 to 11:30 p.m., join a fullmoon paddle, launching from Don Carter State Park. Participants are encouraged to decorate their boats and themselves with glowsticks for this evening paddle that will include a look at the night sky. Bring your own boat, life jacket and paddle.
Saturday, May 8’s clean-up paddle trip will go from Belton Bridge Park to Lula Park.
For information about these events, visit Chattahoochee.org, and click on the events tab.
Wild & Scenic Film Festival One of the group's most popular events takes place on May 15. The Wild & Scenic Film Festival will be live-streamed to ticket holders that evening.
The festival shows award-winning family-friendly films about nature, community activism, adventure, conservation, water, energy, climate change, wildlife, environmental justice and agriculture. It will also include a chance for interaction with a real-time chat.
Funds raised through this event will be used to grow and sustain The Clean Lanier Equation, which is a CRK initiative focused on pollution, education and resilience in the Lake Lanier watershed.
“Doors” will open at 6:30 p.m., at which point attendees will be able to gather online before films start at 7 p.m. CRK’s Wild & Scenic Film Festival also includes an online silent auction, where attendees and friends can bid on items and experiences in support of CRK’s mission both before and after the virtual event.
Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at chattahoochee.org/wildscenic. Tickets start at $12 per household and include a raffle entry and an annual membership to CRK.
PHOTO COURTESY CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVERKEEPER A scene from one of the many Chattahoochee Riverkeeper events held throughout the year.
WE ARE YOUR PAINTER ON THE LAKE
By Pamela A. Keene
In the spirit of getting people back together and updating the community, the Lake Lanier Association’s Member Appreciation event is taking place on Saturday, April 17, at Gainesville Marina.
The event, slated for 4 to 7 p.m., will include a vendor fair, food from Skogie’s, music by the Fly Betty Band and a cash bar.
Admission is free to members, but the organization requests registration for the event at lakelanier.org to save time at the door. Non-members can join at the door for $50. Program updates
In 2021, the association is expanding its community outreach and educational programs. LLA will host a kayak and paddleboard safety course on April 24. For details and to register, visit the association's event page; registration will be open in early April; space is limited.
“We will soon be seeking donations of life jackets to expand on our life-jacket loaner program introduced at Mary Alice Park in Forsyth County last year,” said Jennifer Flowers, executive director of the group. “Forsyth County is identifying parks where we can install two or stations this season.”
At this time, the association is accepting calls from people willing to donate life jackets for infants, toddlers, children, youth and adults. “However, until we can secure inventory storage and finalize our agreement with Forsyth County, we are asking people to contact us about donating. We will follow up with them once the details are worked out.”
Volunteers are needed to assist with cleaning and tracking inventory and helping keep the stations stocked from Memorial Day through Labor Day. The plan is to have the new locations operational by Memorial Day.
The association is also continuing its island rip-rap installation initiative, the solar light monitoring and the removal of abandoned docks and boats.
For more information about the group, visit lakelanier.org.
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