Lake Lanier Fishing Report October 7th-13th, 2023
Lake Lanier Weekly Fishing Report
October 13, 2023
Water Level: 5.83 feet BELOW full pool.
Water Temp: With the cold front that passed through last weekend and the cloudy conditions much of this week, water temps have fallen to around 72 on the South end of the lake.
Water Clarity: The clearest water is still on the main lake and in the mouths of the main lake creeks. There is some color in the very backs of the creeks and up the rivers.
I have been on Lanier 6 of the last 7 days. Fishing has varied from horrible to incredible over the past week. The post front conditions last Saturday gave the fish lock jaw for a few days. From there the fishing just got better as the week went along through Thursday.
As with last week, this week was all about moving baits that imitated the herring and small thread fin that the bass are starting to gorge themselves on. I focused on the top of the water column for 90% of my time of the water.
Looking back over the past week, it was tough to pick which two to mention in this writing as I had 4 or 5 that all excelled at different points in time over the week. But, there are two that set themselves apart; the CAST fishing co OG (20 and 30g) and the improved Lanier Baits Hard Swimmer (V2).
For locations, I am focusing on long points and shallow humps on the South end of the lake. While I have had most of my success in the mouths of the creeks, I have found fish a good ways back in the creeks as well, so you are not limited to the mouths - first 1/3.
I am finding fewer schools of fish than a month ago, but the schools that I am finding are much bigger. The more fish in the school, the better the odds of triggering one which will then kick off competition for the bait and increases the odds of a hook up.
For the OG, I am making long casts and burning the reel handle a few times then allowing the bait to pause. Almost all of the OG bites in my boat over the past week have come while the bait was just bobbing up and down in the water looking like a stunned herring. If I notice that a bass is under the bait but not committing, I will either just allow the bait to bob up and down for a longer period of time or I will make 1/4 to 1 turn of the reel handle. I am trying to make the bait jump but not move much. For colors, Bankroll and River Gray were the most productive. But Black Chrome, Ether, and Bone all put fish in the boat as well.
The Hard Swimmer, a steady retrieve has been best. I am looking to keep the bait about 4 inches under the surface. I will occasionally burn the reel for a couple turns or kill the bait to trigger a strike from a fish that does not want to commit. Overall, the steady retrieve has worked best and has been all that was needed to get bit. For colors, Crome when it is sunny out and FZNH2O when its cloudy out. I kept it pretty simple.
Keep a look out for schooling fish and bait running across the surface. Both will give away the location of actively feeding fish that can be more easily targeted than fish hanging out in the tops of brush piles. This is where you have to find the balance between watching FFS and keeping your head on a swivel and paying attention to what is going on in the area(s) you are fishing.
Of note, the striper have been all over the prime bass areas this week. Thursday I could not get away from them. With this in mind, make sure that you are checking your line often for nicks and now is not the time to skimp on line size. You can get away with braid if that is your thing or you can go with something like 12lb P-Line or Big Game. If you are going straight floro, I’d bump up my line size to 14-20lb.
If you are very partial to a particular bait a strong argument can be made to put lighter split rings on the hooks for those baits. This will allow a striper to straighten the split ring and not break off with your favorite bait. There is a risk that a spot could do the same thing, but that can be mitigated with good use of the drag system on the reels.
In celebration of the start of my 3rd year guiding, I am giving each client that takes a trip between 14 September 2023 and 25 October 2023 a spool of CAST braid.
If you are looking for more detailed information on my trips over the past week, I publish a daily video covering the conditions, the where, the what, and how I caught fish each day I am on the water. You can sign up at https://jeffnail.uscreen.io
I am open Oct. 14-16, 18, 22-25. Please reach out if you are interested in getting on the water.
Jeff
770-715-9933
jeffnailfishing@gmail.com
Jeffnail.uscreen.io
Jeffnailfishing.net
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