Lake Lanier Striper Report

The Striper bounty is in full swing on Lake Lanier. Several nice fish have already showed up. Now is the peak time to catch the biggest fish in the lake as the fish prepare for the spawn. The big females have to eat and they are shallow for the warmer water greatly increasing your odds. Plus with the fish shallow, you are less likely to lose the fish to the deep timber. Live bait will be the best bet for the big females. Do not be afraid to pull a one pound gizzard shad up in the shallows. You need to use  a little heavier line with the big baits. Most of the time with the big gizzards we spool up with twenty pound Trilene Big Game and a twenty pound Trilene 100% Flourocarbon leader. At other times free lining blueback herring will be the best bait. We typically use a little lighter line fifteen pound test on the herring to give them a little more action. Also, be sure to use as small a hook as possible on the herring. Most of the time use a 2/0 Gamakatsu Octopus hook. Using too large of a hook is the most common mistake. Casting bucktail jigs to the shallows will also catch some fish. Look for stained water for the best success. 

Lastly, do not forget about the night bite. Casting Long A Bombers into the shallows can be exciting when a big fish crushes your lure five feet off the bank. Now that the nights are warming up, the night fishing is a little more pleasurable.