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“The Original Southern Fishing Report”
By Ken Sturdivant
106 Hickory Ridge
www.havefunfishing.com
www.stripersurvey.com
770-889-2654
Cumming, Georgia 30040
March 2, 2007
LAKE LANIER IS DOWN 4.5 FEET, THE CREEKS ARE SLIGHTLY STAINED AND THE MAIN LAKE
IS CLEAR & 49 DEGREES
Bass fishing is fair and there are some really big bass taking jerk baits in the
pockets on the main lake above Gainesville Marina. The best structure up lake
will be points and cuts in the off colored waters. The fish will move shallow
with any overcast or foggy conditions and they will be roaming looking for food.
With the stable weather, bank cover out to 14 feet deep will be good depths for
the fish. Slow rolling a Leverage spinner bait in the 3/8 ounce size with silver
and gold blades in either the willow leaf or Colorado combinations has been
fair. It’s important to slow roll these baits on and over points. Lots of
anglers are on the lake with a large tournament this weekend and the fish will
get hammered hard especially the shallow fish. This week get into Little River
and go to the backs of both forks. Start on small points and work all the
pockets and protected coves and concentrate on the sunny banks in the morning.
Later each day up river, use the chartreuse and white Bill Norman crank baits or
the chrome and blue combination Shad Rap crank bait. Work these baits right up
on points but get the baits run as deep as 12 feet for strikes. Jigs are always
fair and work the slowly over the heavy structure. The 1/2 ounce all black
Enticer jig will be a good choice with a matching pork trailer by Uncle Josh.
The Husky Jerks in bright colors will work with the jerk and pause method
working best. If you like the smaller Chestatee River, go to the back of both
Thompson Creek and Taylor Creek and do the same thing, small pockets and small
points in the back. Also work these lures in the same location for a few casts
and this can make the better fish strike the lures.
Spotted bass fishing has been fair as
the weather finally breaks. They are coming off of points, just within the
points, main lake humps and ditches of the last deep water going up into coves.
Areas where there are brush piles and bait in about 14 to 20 feet of water are
good places to start. As the warm weather sets in you can catch some spotted
bass moving up into areas of warming water, such as areas out of the wind, and
that get the most sunlight. Traditionally these are usually banks located on the
north west side of the lake and coves. Some really big spots are taking jerk
baits that suspend anywhere from 4 to 10 feet deep over structure. Start on the
main Chattachoochee River at marker #42 and then head south. Pick the sunny
banks first thing in the morning. On sunnier days some fish are being taken on
the deep rocky banks out of the wind on suspending jerk baits in a silver/blue
or an orange/copper colors. Down lake it’s hard to beat the middle to the back
of Bald Ridge Creek. Start at the big rock and head into the small coves and
cuts but work the points first. Just use jerk baits and Spot Stickers and the
fish will respond. Also Zoom’s swamp crawler worm rigged on a 3/16 ounce Spot
Sticker jig head in the green pumpkin and natural blue colors will work all day.
Also rig up a small jig such as a 3/16 ounce Strike King Bitsy Bug in black and
blue, browns or the green and brown color and add a brown, black, or green
pumpkin chunk such as Zoom’s Super Chunk Jr. The spots are getting a little more
active on and stick with the areas that are warming the quickest, such as rock,
areas out of the wind with stagnant water and the back side of wind blown
points. If you just need to fish docks, go half way into any creek and skip jigs
and trick worms up under the deeper docks in the coves. Pick the enclosed docks
apart as they will transfer the warmth from the sun into the water especially
early in the day. We have also found spots on the outside edges of humps on the
main lake. We found these fish by accident while pulling live bait over the
humps for stripers. These fish are at 20 feet and the beat way to get them is
with a Spot Sticker and a green finesse worm or an all white Mini Me ¾ ounce
spinner bait. Be sure to get the spinner bait down to these fish and adding a
weight on the shank of the spinner bait will get it deeper and you can cast them
a mile on a bait caster. Drag these spinner baits just fast enough to keep the
baits turning. And hold on!
Stripers are scattered and flat lines
early and the down lines after the fish move off the banks. At 8:30am. If the
wind is blowing hard, the stripers will not go shallow r they won’t bite for
some reason. So get out to 30 feet of water and put a split shot or some weight
on the main line so the baits will sink. You may not see some of these fish on
the Lowrance so get you planer boards out or drag long 70 foot flat lines in the
shallow pockets mid lake. Balus Creek and the mouth of Four Mile Creek are good
areas with gizzards, trout and blue backs. There are some stripers in the rivers
but these fish are moving but not feeding well because the water is still cold.
Clear waters will warm faster than stained water. Look on the main river coves
close to the current use live blue back herring and some trout on both the down
lines at 30 feet over the trees and it the pockets shallow early. During the day
depths vary as the fish are ranging. Watch the Lowrance for the schools of bait
fish and a lot of fish are shallow. Go midway to backs of the creeks are
producing fish. These fish have been shallow so concentrate on long points and
humps in these areas to find the fish. Casting a buck tails and Fish Head Spins
in all white with a white fluke will get stripers and spots. Get the Red Fins
and the top water baits ready. Using a Zoom Super Fluke on a Fish Head Spin or
on a buck tail to schooling fish has also been working. For live bait, use
herring, gizzards or shiners and free line or rig them up with a balloon and
fish the areas thoroughly. Using planer boards will allow you to cover more
water get your baits closer to bank without spooking the fish. Night fishing is
also about to break out. Cruising the shoreline with live herring free lined
behind the boat while casting Bombers will work. Some fish have also been
schooling on top late in the day mid lake. The area around River Forks and the
islands out from Long Hollow are good areas to find these fish.
RECORD YOU STRIPER TRIP GOOD OR BAD ON THE SURVEY:
www.stripersurvey.com
Crappie are on the front of many up
lake docks and tubes in bright colors on 4 pound test will get them. Look for
brush piles on and under the docks and use the shooting method to get these
baits under the docks.
WEST POINT LAKE IS DOWN 6.5 FEET & 58
DEGREES AND STAINED
Bass fishing is good and there are some nice fish getting really shallow in the
coves mid lake. Look for and shad activity and throw a shad imitation lure. The
recent bad weather may slow this down after the storms but it will rebound fast.
The next 10 days are suppose to be rain and front free. White Rooster Tails, DT6
Rapala crank baits, Shad Raps, Rat-L-Traps, all small crank baits are the best
lures. The mouths of the lower lake creeks are warmer than the river so stay
below Highland Marina this week. The fishing is picking up and the main lake is
a little stained. The upper river water is muddy with more runoff from the river
that may continue to stain the lake. The water temperatures are going up every
day. Fish Rat L Traps shallow off the deeper points and the on old creek bends
early. Bass are tight on cover. Whitewater Creek is a good area and use the
black and red Stanley 1/2 ounce jig and a larger Pro Pork Trailer by Uncle Josh.
Work the larger stumps rows and old creek ditches. Work jigs slowly over cover
as the bass settle to the sharper drops on creek banks and points. After the
water warms up the fish are moving into pockets looking for shad. Reel the baits
fast and use at least a 1/2 ounce bait and cast it on the banks down lake.
Line sides are fair down lake and they are feeding on shad. There are already
some fish roaming towards the river but the water is still cold and muddy. The
clear water is better down lake but a really warm rain may get the fish feeding
like crazy. Early stay down lake and look in the creek mouths with the Lowrance
to locate schools of bait fish. After lunch run up the river to the 110 marker
and start trolling Shad Raps and Sassy Shads.
Crappie are feeding on flats and are biting trolled baits. The fish roaming the
flats as if it were already spring. Use live minnows on lead head and jigs at 7
to 10 feet.
LAKE ALLATOONA IS DOWN 13.3 FEET, 48 DEGREES AND STAINED
Bass fishing is fair a and the Mini Me spinnerbait bite is picking up some good
fish mid lake. Burn a 3/4 ounce Mini Me with dual white willow leafs towards the
back of the newly flooded creeks in the warmer stained water where you will see
1 to 3 foot visibility. The fish aren't quite up to full bore yet on the flats
but it will turn on any day now with this weather being as warm and stable as it
is. Any fish you find on the flats will more than likely be an aggressive
feeding fish so it doesn't take much finessing to get them to commit to your
offerings. This pattern will only get stronger as we approach the spawn. With
the full moon this week on the way and warming weather the bass will start a big
time move to the shallows.
Spotted bass fishing is good and a lot
of spots are being caught on jerk baits in the clearer water on the main lake
points and pockets. Just stay down lake and as the water continues to warm up
expect the spots to get more and more aggressive to reaction baits. Spots are
hitting pointer 100's and Pointer DD78 in shell white color on a stop and go
retrieve and also CB200's and CB350's made by Lucky Craft in the pearl white
color. Be sure to let both baits "suspend" several seconds to trigger the fish
into striking. Some spots are also being caught on Mini Me's up on the shallow
flats right next to the largemouth on the dual white willow leaf Mini Me. The
rip rap pattern has died off due to the warmer water temps we are seeing
recently. Like the largemouth report above and with the recent first full moon
of March expect a major wave of spots to hit the shallows and expect next weeks
report to change from a "better ratings" to a "good" ratings due to those
conditions.
Striper fishing is good for big fish but not so much fro numbers. The south end
of the lake is by far the best place to be right now. The shad kill stopped due
to the water warming up and the fish are back eating big baits again. Flat lines
and planner boards are working the best and the Iron Hill area is loaded with
bait and fish. The only draw back to fishing there is all the boats but it is
still worth fishing. Fish off the main lake points north of the dam. The fish on
the main lake seem to be hitting the umbrella rig better then live bait.
Trolling is really starting to heat up. Troll the fully loaded umbrella rigs
over main lake points and hold on.
Crappie fishing is still slow, but is starting to show good signs of improving,
as the water continues to clear up, expect the larger slabs to start biting.
Look this week in and around any wood especially in the Little River area up
past the marina and bridge.
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