Lake Lanier Fishing Report August 12th-18th, 2023

Lake Lanier Weekly Fishing Report

August 18, 2023

Water Level: 2.85 feet BELOW full pool. Down .33ft from a week ago.

Water Temp: Mid 80s. With the projected forecast for next week, we will see temps back in the upper 80s maybe even lower 90s by the end of the week.

Water Clarity: The clearest water is on the main lake and the mouths of the main lake creeks. The water increases in color the further back in the creeks and up the rivers you go. With the rain and wind over the past week, there has been a decrease in visibility on the main lake. The water is still clear, just not to the extent we are accustomed to on the main lake.

I spent 5 of the last 7 days on Lanier. I had some really good days, and some not so great days. Typical for Lanier in August.

The DS was the best producer for both numbers and size this week. It produced a lot of fish with some good ones mixed in here and there too. Second to the DS was the soft jerk bait (both the Tricky Shad and Jerk Shad) and the Spro Fat Papa.

My best numbers bite came from River Forks up the Chestatee River. I did not find the size that I found down South, but I found plenty of fish that wanted to play ball. I focused on points and humps near the main river channel in 20-30FoW. When I was closer to River Forks, I focused on the deeper end of that span and the further North I went I would check a little shallower.

My best size came down south on a soft jerk bait and a Spro Fat Papa 130. Down South, I am focusing on 25-30FOW. So much so, that I have adjusted the highlighted area on my LakeMaster chip to reflect that. Making it only a 5ft band helps better identify the best parts of long underwater ridges and large humps. I am still weighting my soft jerk baits with a tungsten nail weight. I use between a 3/64 and 3/32oz weight. Doing this helps keep the bait slightly under the water, which has been a requirement to get bit on those baits.

As Jimmy Sanders mentioned in his recap, the fish may or may not be in the brush. If you do not have FFS and don’t plan on hitting 50+ spots a day, it is worth the time to check 25-50ft around your waypoints. Especially on the deep water side of the brush.

Bonus info: Lake Allatoona is fishing very well right now for numbers with some good size (for Allatoona) mixed in. Main Lake points in 15-25FoW has been best for me. I have not had to resort to too much worm dragging. Rather, I am catching most of my fish on a soft jerk bait, spy bait, riser bait, and gunfish.

For the remainder of August, I have the 20-25 available for trips on Lanier or Allatoona. I am also starting to book dates for September.

If you are looking for more detailed information on my trips to both Lanier and Allatoona, I publish a daily video covering the where, what, and how I caught fish that day. You can sign up at https://jeffnail.uscreen.io

Jeff

770-715-9933

jeffnailfishing@gmail.com

Jeffnail.uscreen.io

Jeffnailfishing.net

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