Lanier striper report 1/17

First I want to remind everyone that this upcoming weekend is the Great Southern Fishing Show located @ the North Atlanta Trade Center. Should be a dandy of a show!

Finally got back on the water the last couple of days and while fishing was far from stellar, I did find the fish both singles and doubles cruising on the banks some as well as some BIG schools down deep in 20-30 feet of water. Looks like we are finally getting back to what winter fishing is supose to be like. Had Alex Lunsferd (Unicoi Outfitters guide) out today and while the numbers were not great the size was. Alex caught a beauty of fish that weighed a tad under 20 lbs. Probably a high teens fish. We are seeing some really nice sized fish being taken and this should continue thru the winter. Fish are feeding on small threadfin in the 1-2″ size range. WIll be back out on the water as soon as the weather permits. See you on the pond! HC

Lanier striper report 1/8/12

A nice pair of January stripers

First let me start out by saying, “GO BIG BLUE!”… Yes, I am a huge NY Giants football fan!

Fishing on Lanier remains very consistent as the fish are moving further north and into the coves. This is what we fly anglers look for during the winter months. We were in a cove today w/4 boats and we were the only ones consistently catching fish. We landed 5 fish from 8-12 lbs. All fish were taken on sinking lines and Clouser type flies. The fish are eating as one would suspect in the winter. All eats are on the pause as the stripers like to eat the wounded shad that are free falling. Overcast days will produce better than sunny days and finding the fish can be done using wildlife and your fishfinder. We are not seeing many fish surfacing but there are a few being seen early in the morning. Looks like January will shape up to be a good month. See you on the pond! HC

Lanier striper report 1/3

Happy New Year to all! Well the fishing took a turn up this past week. Let me start by saying that from Thanksgiving until Xmas our fishing on Lanier was more miss than hit. However for folks willing to fish @ night there were two good options: the bomber bite and the dock light bite. While the bomber bite slacked off as it started to get cold (about ten days ago) & the dock light bite kicked it up another notch. The daytime bite was sooooo inconsistent that I cancelled nearly every trip! But right after Xmas the lake started to look like it is suppose to for winter. Water temps dropped, birds came north, bait stacked up in the river and the stripers started doing what stripers do in the winter…..eat small baits! By mid-week I was able to put a decent stringer of fish together using both the dock lights and fishing north. Also mixed in was some largemouth and spotted bass. You have to work hard but it is worth it as some of the stripers being caught are real bruisers. Every day has seen fish put in the boat from mid teens to twenty plus pounds. That along with a mix of five to ten pound fish (both on and off the dock lights) makes for a nice morning. Look for wildlife to help you find the bait and the fish after daybreak. This is the time of year you really have to pay attention and keep your eyes peeled all day long. Terns, gulls. loonns, herons and kingfishers will all help you find the fish. Both intermediate as well as sinking lines are called for. Go shallow during low light and dredge deeper once the sun rises through the tree tops (unless you see fish rolling). WIth the frigid weather here the next couple of days I suspect we will see fish moving into the shallows of the coves shortly. A REMINDER: The Great Southern Fishing Show is the weekend of Jan 21/22 and there will be lots of seminars and fly tying going on. This show is for both the fly angler as well as the conventional angler. Go to:  http://www.northatlantatradecenter.com/fishing.html for more info. See you on the pond! HC

Brian Sodel w/20+ lber taken on a dock light before New Years

Lanier striper report 12/5

So here we are in early December and the past 10 days of striper fishing using artificials (fly or light tackle) has gotten tougher. This is usually the time of year we are counting on for consistency yet the last 10 days have been anything but that. Fish are holding deep for the most part and are located in the coves mostly on the south end (both lower and mid-lake). There are some fish being taken real shallow on intermediate lines but it is mostly a hit or miss deal. There are plenty of small bass being caught shallow as well. Most of them are in pockets on the south end (lower and mid-lake) off of rocky points. All in all it is a bit disappointing right now. We had some absolute PERFECT weather for some late fall top water but it is not happening. I suspect that with the full moon occuring this Fri (Dec 9th), we will see a spike in activity starting today and running thru Dec 12th. After that…..who knows! FIsh are still eating small baits and a somethin’ else is your best bet. Best to go with both an intermediate line as well as a sinking line in case you happen upon a big school of fish 20 feet down. Leave the floting lines at home now as we are really in a winter mode. Look for loons and terns to help locate feeding fish both just under the surface as well as sub surface (10, 15, 20 feet down). We JUST got our terns and gulls on the lake this week which tells you that we are running 2-3 weeks behind in patterns. Burn gas, have faith and you will find a few to toss a fly to. See you on the pond! HC

match the hatch w/a somethin' else

Lanier striper report 11/16

Fishing this past week has remained strong with stripers surfacing in both the mornings and the afternoons. Best to just ride until you see fish on top. The stripers and spots are feeding on shad in two sizes: small & smaller. There are 1 1/2″ long threadfin and 2 1/2″ long threadfin out there and the stripers are feeding on both sizes. Best to keep flies in both sizes available as matching the hatch is extremely important in order to get the fish to bight. These fish MIUST be fed. It is not just throw in the melee and expect an eat.This is more finesse feeding. Intermediate lines are still best in order to feed these fish. Windless days are better than windy day and overcast is better than sunshine. This bite should continue well into December as the fish push north. Watch your GPS as the lake is over 13 feet down and getting lower. Trees will be showing just under the surface shortly. Be careful and smart. Click on link below to view some top water porn. See you on the pond. HC

http://youtu.be/XJD7WlGv7iEXJD7WlGv7iE

Lanier striper report 11/10

The past week has seent the top water bite go off. As long as the winds are light the fish are relaxed and feeding on the surface. I have had days both with and without folks on the water. Fishing was that good that two anglers could have put between 6 & 10 fish in the boat. Biggest fish caught this week on fly was a 16 lb beast. Fish are feeding on small 1 1/2″ to 2″ long threadfin. FIsh are spread out all over the lake. They are mostly on the south end of the lake but can be found on top just above Brown’s Bridge. Both early and late in the day have been most productive. Intermediate lines with either a small Clouser or a Somethin’ Else will do the trick. For conventional anglers, a weightless super fluke Jr or a fly with a casting bubble will do the trick. SOme fish are already pushing up into the coves but the majority are out in open water. Now is the time!!!!! See you on the pond (which is getting smaller as they continue to pull water). HC

Angler Jake Pace w/a beauty caught on top

Lanier striper report 10/30

Thought I’d mention that Lanier’s top water bite is starting to heat up. The past 4 days have been really consistent with fish feeding on the surface. Fish are feeding on both threadfin and herring and are not extremely particular to what fly you want to throw. Here was a clip from one of the groups we had up this morning….Anglers are NGTO’ers KeithO and tarpon052499

Lanier striper report 10/23

I am writing this on a Sunday afternoon after watching the Falcons put a good @$$ whoppin’ on the Lions. That was the highlight of my past 4 days. The rain, wind and cold brought in last week really shut our fishing down on Lanier (and all the area impoundments for that matter). The good news is that I just got off the phone with a Lanier fly angler who lives on the lake and he told me that fish were busting bait all over his cove on the north end. That is the great thing about fall striper fishing on Lanier…… It only takes 2-3 days after a front along with some consistent steady weather and fish will start feeding again. Lanier is down 11 feet from full pool and is continuing to drop. That is a REALLY GOOD thing as far as our fishing goes. The top water bite is just starting up and the fish will be feeding on wiggle minnows and crease flies on the surface along with Somethin’ Else flies on intermediate lines just sub surface. While nothing is ever guaranteed in fishing, I would bet the OVER as for this falls productivity level of our fishery over the next 8 weeks! Last time the lake was down over 10 feet from full pool I had the best two years I have ever had on Lanier. Look for fish to be mostly on the south end of the lake and slowly making their way up north as we approach Thanksgiving. The stripers are averaging two sizes right now. Fish in the 4-6 lb class and 8-12 lb class are the norm. As we get into mid/end Nov I expect to see more teen sized fish being brought to hand. Dock light fishing is just starting to happen as is the famed “bomber bite” for the anglers wanting to fish after sunset. This pattern will improve over the next two weeks and it is possible to land upwards of 5-10 fish per angler once this pattern takes hold. Fish are feeding on both 4-6” long blue back herring as well as 1-2” long threadfin shad. As we cool down I expect the threadfin shad pattern will take over as the forage fish throughout the entire winter. This is what every fly angler on Lanier looks forward to. Now is the time to make time on “the pond”. Hope to see you out there…..HC

Lanier striper report 10/12/11

Okay guys/gals……..GAME ON! The stripers have officially started the fall top water run over the past couple of days. Low water combined w/cooler temps have got the fish feeding on top. It is by no means banner yet but this morning I had a school of about 40 fish tossing bait into the air up on the bank. This bite should only continue to inprove as the weather cools. Low water should give us a tremendous fall run this year. Fish are feeding on both 2″ threadfin shad and 5-7″ herring. You need to be rigged for both as you never know what you are going to encounter. Two setups: a floating line with a wiggle minnow and an intermediate line w/a grey/wht Clouser or somethin’ else will do the job. There are also some MONSTER spots being caught on top water too. I had fish to 5lbs this morning. Fish are mostly south of Browns Bridge so anywhere between the dam and Browns Bridge is a good place to look. Will post some photos and/or video in the coming days. See you on the pond!  HC

Lanier striper report 9/22/11

Well it looks as if Lanier’s lake level will serve the fisherman well this fall. The lake is down 8 feet from full pool and continues to fall with the lack of rain in No GA. This is a VERY good thing for Lanier anglers (both fly and light tackle). The last time our lake was this low in the fall was 3 yrs ago. Our top water bite was sensational! I suspect the same will happen again this year, especially after the past 2 seasons poor top water showing. So I went out this morning looking for a pattern of some sort. Rumors abound fo spotted bass fishing being really good for top water fishing. I went south after the rain passed us today and found spots on nearly all my points. It was awesome! Best of all was that the fish averaged over 3lbs with some topping the scales at 4+ lbs. FOr anglers wanting to experience a fun morning or afternoon of fishing this is as good as it gets. As the morning wore on I saw some schooling of spots too. This is a very good sign of things to come….. For those fly anglers who want to shoot for a legitimate IGFA world record, now is the time! The stripers should fire up right behind the spots and I suspect in the next 2 weeks this fishery will fire up to. All in all a GREAT START to the new season. Now is the time so get out and have a ball with some great Lanier top water action. See you on the pond. HC

Top water spotted bass fishing is on!