Lake Lanier Fishing Report February 13th - 17th, 2023
Weekly Report for 17 February 2023
Water Level: 0.11 feet below full pool
Water Temps: 49-53 in the afternoons. They will likely be lower on Saturday with the cold front, but I expect the temps to rebound and surpass these numbers as we move through next week.
Water Clarity: No significant change from last week….Overall, the water clarity continues to improve but still varies greatly depending on location. The good thing is the areas that are blown out / muddy are minimal compared to where they have been. With the rains we are getting, there is some staining in the backs of the creeks with the runoff, but this is settling out quickly and most areas remain fishable.
For mid-February the lake is fishing very well. That being said, it is Lanier and it will still humble the best angler with the quickness on any given day. But, the lake is cranking out great numbers and size of fish right now. Over the past week, above Brown’s Bridge fished better for me than below. This is not uncommon for me this time of the year.
I threw two baits for virtually all of my fish over the past week: A finesse swimbait and a Shakey Head. I know there are some other things working right now, but these two things are my confidence right now. I know I can go out with these two rods and catch fish right now.
For the finesse swimbait, roadbeds again were the key feature. Raised or sunken, it did not matter. I fished roadbeds from 8 to 50FT with success over the past week. When I am fishing shallower than ~15ft, I will drop to a 1/4oz head to allow for a more natural presentation. If I am fishing deeper than 40ft, I may up size to a 1/2oz head made by Greenfish Tackle. As has been the case all winter, the key is to keep the bait on the bottom. If it loses contact with the bottom, the number of bites greatly decreases.
Additionally, the presence of a rough, rocky bottom is a HUGE plus. I would say that the majority of bites that we had this past week came as the bait was in the rough patches or right when it popped out of them. Try stopping the retrieve in the middle of the rough patches and just let the bait sit there for 10 seconds or longer. We are getting a number of bites after the bait was stopped and we start the retrieve again. If the water is stained, consider a color with chartreuse or more glitter to it. The clearer the water, the more natural I am going.
For the worm bite, I am throwing it on sunny rock that is near spawning areas or ditches that have held fish all winter. With the warming temps the fish are wanting to warm up as well and sunny rocks give them a great place to do that. The same rocks also hold a lot of crayfish which provides the fish with a great alternative to the small shad that has been such a huge part of the deep fish’s diet over the past few months. I am using a 1/4oz Davis HBT head with a 5in worm. The thinner worms are producing better for me than the thicker worms right now. I am going for something in the green pumpkin or watermelon family for colors. No reason to over complicate things.
If there is wind, I know there is a crank bait bite and I am hearing of a spinner bait bite as well. With the warming temps, we are getting into the time of the year where one can fish what they like with good odds of being successful. Confidence is key, if cranking is your confidence presentation, let it rip. It should work for you right now. The same can be said for jigs, spinner baits, underpins, and chatterbaits.
As always, if you have any questions or suggestions for things you would like to see in these posts, please send me a note, I really appreciate the feedback and support. You can also find previous reports on my website.
I am currently booking for March and have started filling in dates in April and May as well. If you are interested in getting out on the water, please let me know.
Best of luck to all on the water this week!
Jeff
770-715-9933
Jeffnailfishing@gmail.com
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