Very good striper fishing on Lake Lanier
Capt. Mike Maddalena
February 1, 2012
Lake Lanier - Freshwater Fishing Report
Striper fishing is very good. Its February and the water temperature is in the low 50's. I have never seen the lake water this warm in February. I have also never seen this much bait. There is plenty of bait 30 to 50 feet down over the river and creek channels. The river channel from Gainesville Marina to the Hwy 60 bridge is a prime example of deep water bait. We are also seeing some bait starting to move into the back of the creeks over a 20 to 30 foot bottom. Ada and Gainesville Creek are good examples of what I will call shallow bait.
This has been a very good week for free lines. Un weighted lines and lines with a single split shot fished 50 feet behind the boards and 100 feet behind the boat has out fished downrods. I have not had any luck graphing for groups of stripers. Instead I am pulling free lines and down rods where I find the highest concentrations of bait fish. Small baits continue to your best bet. If you can throw the net get some Threadfin Shad and use those. If not, take some medium shiners, very small trout and small herring.
Try any creeks with a large concentration of bait. Focus on the creeks and river channel from Flat Creek north to Wahoo. Holly Park area, Ada and Gainesville creek are good starting places.
Target Species:
stripers, striped bass
More Fishing Reports:
