Lake Lanier Weekly Report January 1st - 6th, 2023
Lake Lanier Weekly Report for 6 January 2023
Water Level: 1.44 feet below full pool
Water Temps: 48-52 at first light, 52-56 mid afternoon
Water clarity is all over the map right now. From muddy (like liquid clay) in the very backs of some of the creeks to relatively clear on portions of the main lake. You have to look for clean water right now. Many of the places that have historically been protected from getting too heavy of a stain, are heavily stained right now. The stain line for Bald ridge reaches almost to the main lake and the stain line reached the main channel in front of Vans Tavern yesterday.
Clear water, ditches, and little to moderate wind. If those three factors came together, I have gotten bites. I start looking in about 40-50 feet. As I am idling in, I’m looking for the bottom to clean up so I can work the Guppy head on the bottom without breaking off every 2 casts. Once I see the clean bottom, it’s time to get on the TM and start fan casting.
I am not overly concerned if I do not see a ton of bait or huge schools of fish up on the water column. I will fan cast and work my way shallower, all the while watching the graphs. A lot of times, the fish will show themselves when the lure comes through them. If fish show themselves through biting or on the graph, I spot lock and fish the area more thoroughly. If neither of those events occur, and I get to 10-15 FOW, I head for the next spot.
I always have a DS, Damaki, or spoon handy. I use these baits to drop on fish that may show up under the boat. Pay special attention to your graph when reeling in any hooked fish. Many times, you will pull other fish to the boat that will hit something on a vertical presentation.
I have kept a Kietech in my hand 99% of the time over the past two days. Today, my client wanted to gain more confidence in fishing during the winter and with more finesse techniques. The setup is a 6’8” MXF St. Croix Legend Tournament spinning rod paired with a 2500 Stradic. I prefer this sized reel for finesse swimbaits because it has a slower retrieve rate than the 3000. After some backing, I put ~100yds of 12lb CAST braid and some 8lb Sunline Fluorocarbon. I throw the Kietech on a 3/8oz Guppy head with a 1/0 hook. This gives the smaller 2.8 baits a much better action than the larger 3/0 hook.
While it’s only January, we are about 6 weeks or so from legit pre-spawn. Now is a great time to do an inventory of traditional spring baits and restock as needed before the spring rush. Now is the time to head to your local tackle shop and stock up on the soft plastics and hard baits that will surely sell out as things ramp up.
Looking forward, I have Sunday (8th, ½ day only), Wednesday (11th) and Saturday (14th) open for next week. I also have some dates available later in Jan and Feb. If you are interested in booking a trip, please let me know.
If you are interested in reviewing any of my previous reports, they are all posted on my web site.
Thank you to all my clients and sponsors. Without your support, these weekly reports would not be possible.
As always, if you have any questions, please let me know.
Best of luck to all on the water this week!
Jeff
770-715-9933
Jeffnailfishing@gmail.com
#TritonBoats #LanierBaits #Hammondsfishingcenter #stcroixrods #castfishingco #gillfishing #trixstercustombaits #Spotchoker #advantageboatcenter
