Ken Sturdivant, Lowrance Professional
Fishing Staff will be conducting FREE! Sonar Seminars at Bass Pro Shops Outdoor
World in Lawrenceville Georgia. All seminars are the last Saturday of each month
at 2pm. All seminars are
subject to change without notice.
NEW! Bait Shop at Bald Ridge
Marina. Captain Marty Allagood has fresh bait and Lake Lanier fishing tackle and
is open every day. They even have boat and jet ski rentals!
Call 770-887-BAIT
(770-887-2248)
SPECIAL NOTICE:
The
2 mile stretch over Buford Dam at Lake Lanier will be shut down from October 4
to November 5 for a re-pavement project.
From The Forsyth County News: The U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers plans to close the scenic, winding section of Buford Dam
Road that straddles Lake Lanier for about a month this fall. The 2-mile stretch
will be shut down from Oct. 4 to Nov. 5 for a re-pavement project, said Lisa
Coghlan, spokeswoman for the corps' district office in Mobile, Ala. "There's no
detour," she said. "That's the only bridge going across the dam and we're going
to close two lanes”. The corps looked into leaving one lane open during the
construction, but Coghlan said it was "just not safe”. During the closure, east
west travelers crossing the dam on Lake Lanier can take Hwy. 369 on the lake's
northern end or Hwy. 20 to the south. The U S Army Corp of Engineers is one of
three government entities doing work along Buford Dam Road in the coming months.
The city of Cumming and Forsyth County also have projects. The county's project
is twofold. It will add turn lanes where the road crosses Samples and Lanier
Beach South roads, as well as straighten out the "severe angle" at which the
streets meet.
August 27 2010
LAKE LANIER IS DOWN 2.1 FEET, CLEAR AND 88 DEGREES.
Spotted bass are feeding right at daylight and they are after small shad colored
baits. Just stay around Lake Lanier Islands and just pick reef markers and long
points to fish, We had a few early showers that cooled on the lake some ran
almost everyone off the lake. There is a little top water action on small lures
on the south end where there is more oxygen available. Around the Lake Lanier
Islands there is a mix of spots and stripers being caught side by side over
humps from 20 to 30 feet deep and some big spots are being caught on live
herring. Most of the fish are being caught on primary points and main lake
humps. Try a 3/8 ounce white Rooster tail as well as live bait especially blue
back herring. We are using 10 pound Sufix Elite line on a medium spinning rod
and reel and making a light Carolina rig with a live herring as bait. The leader
is the same 10 pound test and using a 3/8 ounce slip sinker to get the baits to
the fish without spooking them. Be sure to use fresh line. For the most
consistent bite, go to the drop shot rig lake wide. Sit over the brush piles you
find with the Lowrance Structure Scan Down Scan machines. Use a 3/8 ounce or
smaller sinker and the typical drop shot plastics. Some fish are being caught on
the Spotsticker jigs. Try the 1/8, 3/16 and 1/4 ounce sizes until you find the
right weight for the day and the wind you have. The thermocline is holding
around the 27 to 35 feet and that is where the spotted bass live. But check out
a few shallow road beds at 14 to 19 feet for some smaller active fish especially
mid morning. Fish brush piles and humps at these depths for success. Look at the
Navionics mapping cards to see where the drop offs are and work them with a
small brown jig also. Have a "ready rod bait" ready for when fish come up and
surface.
This Lake Lanier Striper report is from Captain Ken West and Captain Mike
Maddalena of Big Fish On! Guide Service, 404 561 2564. www.bigfishonguide.com
Striper fishing is great. Not much has changed. The surface water temperature is
in the high 80's. The trolling bite has been good all week and should continue
the rest of the month. Lead core at 8 to 9 colors, umbrella rigs 140 to 160 feet
back and down riggers at 25 to feet are all working. However, lead core has been
the most consistent. We are seeing more and more fish in the creek channels and
just off the river channel over trees. Look for the fish in 80 to 120 feet water
off the river and creek channels from Browns Bridge to the Dam. The mouth of
Flat creek, Orr creek channel, main lake markers 11, 17, 22 and the neck down
where 4 mile creek runs into six mile have been productive. The bite continues
to be a late morning and afternoon bite. Down rods are also working over these
fish if you can stay on them with all the lake traffic. We also see some 60 to
feet which are catchable. If the 35 to 40 feet fish will not bite do not
hesitate to drop your baits down for the deeper fish. There are still a good
number of fish being caught in pockets with down rods over a 50 to 70 foot
bottom. Use a one ounce Captain Mack's chipmunk jigs with white and chartreuse
trailers on all my trolling rigs. However do not hesitate to use different
combinations of jig sizes and trailer colors. White trailers have been more
productive all week.
Lowrance Structure Scan/Down Scan Tips
Sheet
Structure Scan
Set up the quad panes on HDS-8/10:
Press pages – right arrow to structure
Down arrow to structure & sonar & chart, press enter
Set Up for Max Performance
Set the left top pane view to look both left/right
HDS 8&10 Press view button soft key
HDS 5&7 Press menu, down arrow to view – enter
Up arrow to left/right – enter
Change Active Pane
Hold the page key down until the orange box moves to the top right box
HDS 8&10 Press view button soft key and change to look down
HDS 5&7 Press menu – right arrow – down arrow to look down – press enter
Change Width of Panes
Press menu – menu – up arrow to page – right arrow – down arrow to adjust pane –
right arrow
Hold the right arrow down and adjust the left panes to have ¾ of the screen –
press enter
Edit Overlay Data
Press menu – menu – arrow up to page – right arrow – down arrow to edit data –
right arrow
There is a blue box around the active field to edit, i.e. (Structure depth) –
Press enter and use arrow keys and move data to desired location – then press
exit. Press down arrow key and the blue box will change to the next active field
to move, i.e. (Water temp) – Repeat this process on other data to edit or move.
When edits or moves are completed, press menu – down arrow to save – press
enter.
Add Overlay Data to Screen
While in edit overlay data press the menu key and down arrow to add - press
enter and up arrow to GPS – right arrow and then down arrow to (Speed over
ground) press enter. This will add that data to the screen. Repeat this process
to add time or any other data as needed.
Change the Size of the Overlay Data
While the data is active, with the blue box around it, press the Zoom out or
Zoom in to make the data larger or smaller as needed.
Other Optimum Settings for Use of Structure Scan
Use pallet #6 for best viewing on structure scan panes only
Contrast for pallet #6 is best at 72% to 76%.
Pallet #5 works well on Structure Scan with 80% contrast.
Pallet #1 or #13 work very well for conventional 2D sonar. Set the ping speed at
18 for good performance.
Structure Scan Speed
Optimum speeds for the use of Structure Scan technology would be 3 to 10 mph. It
can read at higher
Speed’s depending on where the transducer is placed.
Hide the “Quick Buttons”
On the HDS8 and the HDS10, press and hold the Exit button and the “Quick
Buttons” will go away. Press and hold the Exit button and the “Quick Buttons”
will reappear. Pretty cool.
Turn these HDS machines off properly!
Turn all HDS products Off to save settings or waypoint’s. Press the power key
one short stroke, the menu will come up with the standby mode active (blue box
around standby). Arrow down to power off and the HDS will power off.
Use the “Shallow Water” setting for any inland water application. This dictates
a minimum search of 0 to 100 feet, so bottom is not lost and sonar lock on is
fast in shallow water. “Fresh Water” setting applicable to Great Lakes and unit
goes into medium range search 0 to 400 feet.
To optimize key strokes while Structure Scan panes are active (on HDS 8&10)
press the view soft key in the bottom right side of the screen and leave the
view menu up on the screen while trolling around looking at cover or structure.
This will allow you to change the view to all left or right based or where the
object would appear on the screen. Then range less as much as possible keeping
the object visible, and move the cursor over the object and press Zen. This will
shift the object to the center of the screen and zoom it in. BE SURE TO ZOOM
BACK OUT AND GO BACK TO VIEW LEFT/RIGHT MENU.
The user needs to understand options and choose the correct setting for their
application. Settings can be found under menu – menu – sonar – fishing mode –
enter – choose application – press enter.
We have 50 GPS waypoints for bass
fishing on Lake Lanier 25 on the south end and 25 on the north end of Lake Lanier for sale for
$99.00. Get the GPS waypoint and the structure as well as the lures to use on
each location. Send a check for $99.00 to: Southern Fishing Schools Inc., 106
Hickory Ridge, Cumming Georgia, 30040
Look on the bottom of this page for
a "sampler".
(WAYPOINTS ARE NOT REFUNDABLE)
Our NEW! DVD, FINDING FISH
WITH MODERN TECHNOLOGY is now on sale.
Lake Lanier
Ramp Calculator
(Requires Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet)
Stop wasting time, gas and Money. Learn how to find
where the fish Live!
“On the Water” Sonar School Outline
We will spend the day tuning the sonar, locating fish and structure and marking
fishing locations where fish “live”. We will SEE the fish and the structure
where they live.
Learn how sonar works. What is the cone angle? What do fish look like when we
are sitting still and when we are moving? What are those long skinny lines
coming off the bottom? What are those long horizontal lines? What does a
school’s of bait look like.
How do I find the places where Bass live? Learn the technique that will
eliminate water and hot to “find” the fish.
3. How to use the right bass lures at the right time. We will use the Fish and
Game Forecaster and learn when to fish with what. www.moontimes.com
Tune a sonar from a to z. All the settings are there for the angler to
customize their machine.
Learn how to use the Aqua Vu under water cameras. www.aquavu.com SEE THE
FISH!
5. See the GPS features in action and load numbers into a GPS unit. We will give
anglers a list of several locations at Lake Lanier where bass live. Learn how to
load GPS numbers in machines.
Attachments: Outline, How Sonar works, Sonar tuning
sheet, Moon times, Tooth Cove, Running updates, Young Deer GPS sheet
We also offer a $25.00 cash referral to anyone that books takes an On the Water
School or a guide trip. Be sure you tell the referral to give me your name and
phone number so we can forward you a check.
COPYRIGHT Southern Fishing Schools Inc.
Lake Lanier is a 38,000 acre reservoir operated by the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers (COE) and located about 50 miles northeast of Atlanta. Lanier receives
heavy fishing pressure due to its proximity to the large population centers
around Atlanta. Spotted bass, crappie, striped bass and catfish are favorite
targets of Lake Lanier anglers. Record low rainfall in 2007 drastically reduced
the surface area of the lake and brought predator and prey species closer
together. These “close quarters” will allow spotted bass, largemouth bass and
stripers to be more effective at locating and feeding on blue back herring and
threadfin shad in early 2008. These improved foraging conditions will allow
predator species to improve their body condition and put on weight for the
upcoming spawning season. Black bass fishing should be very good in 2008.
Spotted bass are very abundant, in excellent condition, and are putting on
weight from the ample supply of threadfins and blue backs. Therefore, anglers
should experience another good year catching numerous 1 4 pounds spotted bass.
Based on WRD sampling from 2007, the abundance of 1 to 2 pounds largemouth bass
has also improved slightly. Largemouth’s exceeding 5 pounds are present, but
limited in numbers. Spotted and largemouth bass can be caught on a variety of
artificial lures throughout the year as well as live baits such as night
crawlers, crayfish and minnows.
Anglers fishing for crappie should experience an average year when it comes to
numbers. Fish in the ½ ¾ lb. range will be common with a few larger fish
weighing in near 1 ½ pounds The heaviest stringers will be produced from late
February through April, when larger spawning fish are shallow. The best areas to
find crappie are the upper Chattahoochee arm (Clarks Bridge to Lula Bridge),
Thompson Creek and Taylor Creek. Look for downed trees in the water and use a
depth finder to locate submerged structure, when fishing for Lanier slabs.
Lanier anglers can expect another excellent year for striped bass. The lake
supports an abundance of small stripers weighing from 2 to 10 pounds. A good
supply of 10 to15 pounds stripers will also provide plenty of action and an
average number of trophy stripers (20 to 30 pounds ) are still present. Both
winter (November March) and summer (July August) offer excellent conditions for
striper fishing. Live bait (herring, shiners, bluegill, shad, and small trout),
super flukes and bucktail jigs will produce the best results. Angler success
during the summer months will depend on oxygen conditions at cooler depths
(greater than 25 ft.), which provide the striper’s habitat from July through
September. An abundant supply of blue back herring, which is the preferred
forage of stripers, plays a key role in maintaining a healthy population in
Lanier.
WRD stocked 142,000 walleye fingerlings in 2007 to boost the fishery by
enhancing spawning runs up the rivers. Wahoo Creek and the upper Chattahoochee
River arm of the lake are good areas to begin the hunt for Lanier walleye. Most
fish caught in 2008 will be in the 1 to 2 pounds range, with a few fish over 2
pounds Adult walleye are increasing in abundance, and a few larger fish can be
caught in the Chattahoochee River near Belton Bridge in February and early March
during spawning runs. After spawning, walleye move to the lower reservoir
seeking the cool, oxygenated waters (25 to 40 ft. depths). Trolling the
shoreline (spinners, crank baits and crawler harnesses) and still fishing
nightcrawlers on the bottom at depths of 15 to 40 feet is an effective method
for taking walleye year round. Check out www.walleyehunter.com for general tips
on walleye fishing or the “Walleye Fishing in Georgia” guidebook that is posted
on the WRD website at www.gofishgeorgia.com .
Channel catfish are numerous and average about 1 lb. Bluegill weighing ¼ . lb.
can be caught on a regular basis using crickets or red wigglers fished near
boathouses and around sandy bottoms from May through August. Carp are terrific
fighters and fun to catch in shallow water. They readily take prepared catfish
baits, corn and dough balls from May through August. In 2007, WRD, State Parks,
and COE personnel cut and anchored shoreline trees where permitted at two cove
locations at the Don Carter State Park property, just below Lula Bridge. These
downed shoreline trees will attract crappie, bass and other species for anglers
to catch this year (if the lake returns to normal pool). Maps showing the
locations of attractor sites can be obtained from the COE office at Lake Lanier
(770 945 9531) and the Gainesville WRD Fisheries Management office (770 535
5498). A guide to bank fishing opportunities is also available. Some key bank
fishing spots include Lanier Point Park, Thompson Creek Park, Little Hall Park
and Little River Landing. Buford Dam Park and River Forks Park are two good
sites that also are accessible. Lake Lanier was nearly 20 ft. below normal pool
at the beginning of 2008. The COE, with assistance from local groups, will be
extending some boat ramps around Lake Lanier. For information regarding lake
levels, boat ramp openings and donations to ramp extension projects, contact the
COE Buford office (770 945 9531) or visit their website:
http://lanier.sam.usace.army.mil/
.
We have these books for sale: “BASS FISHING ON WEST POINT LAKE”, “BASS FISHING
LAKE RUSSELL”, “BASS FISHING WEST POINT LAKE” and “BASS FISHING LAKE HARTWELL”.
These books are written by Tim White and Ken Sturdivant and each one has over 65
locations exclusively for bass and covers every week of the year. Each book
$39.00. If you would like a sample of any book, send us an e mail to
kensturdivant@earthlink.net. Our mailing address is: Southern Fishing Schools
Inc. 106 Hickory Ridge, Cumming Georgia 30040.
We have 3 books that cover all species in the lakes, “52 WEEKS ON LAKE
ALLATOONA, “52 WEEKS ON LAKE LANIER”, and “52 WEEKS ON WEST POINT LAKE” on sale.
Each book is $23.95. Our mailing address is: Southern Fishing Schools Inc. 106
Hickory Ridge, Cumming Georgia 30040. All the books are $39.00 total. Check or
money orders ONLY, NO CREDIT CARDS. Make the payment to: SOUTHERN FISHING
SCHOOLS INC, 106 HICKORY RIDGE DRIVE, CUMMING GEORGIA 30040. Please allow 14
days for delivery.
Lake Lanier Striper Survey: www.stripersurvey.com
You can see the feeding times daily with a Data Sport Fish and Game Forecaster
on our web site.
We teach “ON THE WATER SCHOOLS”: “Rods, Reels and Lures for Bass or Maps and
Depth Finders. Call 770 889 2654 for details or see the web site:
www.havefunfishing.com.
Take a look at www.aquavu.com. You really need a camera. Copyright 2008,
Southern Fishing Schools Inc. calls us to set up a school “Rods, Reels and Lures
for Bass”. See our web site, www.havefunfishing.com for more details or call us
right away, 770 889 2654.
if you would like to have a free set up sheet for your sonar, send me an e mail
to kensturdivant@earthlink.net and ask for the “Sonar Setup Quick List”.
Southern Fishing Schools Inc.
Ken Sturdivant
106 Hickory Ridge
Cumming Georgia, 30040
770 889 2654
SAMPLER
Lake Lanier G PS locations Volume One
NORTH LANIER
THESE WAY POINTS ARE
"NOT" TRUE.
(WAYPOINTS ARE NOT
REFUNDABLE!)
1. River Find this old road bed and in 25 feet of water
there is a good man made brush pile. Jigs, crank baits and spinner baits. 34 22
83 49 28
2. River Rocky Point A small pea gravel point with small rocks with spots year
round. Small crank baits, spinner baits and jigs 34 21 991 50 19
3. Creek This is an old road bed with a new man made brush pile. Right up on the
bank there are small rocks that spots and largemouth will feed on. Use crank
baits, spinner baits and jigs. 34 21 6 8 50 4
4. Creek This is a large fresh man made brush pile in front of the docks right
next to the creek channel. Use crank baits, spinner baits and jigs. 34 22 421 83
59 415
5. Creek this is a set of 4 docks with brush piles under and in front. Look for
the houseboat and fish all the docks. Use crank baits, spinner baits and jigs
drop shot, Carolina rigs. 34 32 497 83 22 21
6. Creek This is a point just past the bridge with a fresh man made brush pile
with stumps and rocks. Jigs, drop shot, Texas rigs 34 03 21 83 49 88
7. Creek This is an old road bed on the right side of the creek with a fresh man
made brush pile. The road bed goes all the straight across the lake but this is
the only place the fish hold on. Jigs, drop shot, Texas rigs and jerk baits 34
23 81 83 482 107
8. Creek This is a large hump with two very large man made brush piles. This
hump is out in the center of the creek and there are always some big spotted
bass living here. Crank baits, spinner baits, jigs, drop shot, Texas rigs, jerk
baits, drop shot, Carolina rig, Texas rigged finesse worms 34 20 138 83 52 90
Copyright 2008, Southern Fishing Schools Inc.
FREE SONAR SET-UP SHEET:
If you would like
to have a free set up sheet for your sonar, send me an e mail to
kensturdivant@earthlink.net and ask for the “Sonar Setup Quick
List”.
Please participate in the Lake Lanier Stripe
Survey!
www.stripersurvey.com
We have these books for sale:
“BASS FISHING ON WEST POINT LAKE”, “BASS FISHING
LAKE RUSSELL”, “BASS FISHING WEST POINT LAKE” and “BASS FISHING LAKE HARTWELL”
and "BASS FISHING LAKE ALLATOONA".
These books bass fishing locations exclusively for bass and covers every week of the year.
Each book
$39.00 total. If you would like a sample of any book, send us an e mail to kensturdivant@earthlink.net. Our mailing address is: Southern Fishing Schools
Inc. 106 Hickory Ridge, Cumming Georgia 30040.
We have 3 books that cover ALL species in the lakes, “52
WEEKS ON LAKE ALLATOONA, “52 WEEKS ON LAKE LANIER”, and “52 WEEKS ON WEST
POINT LAKE” on sale. Each book is $23.95. Our mailing address is: Southern Fishing
Schools Inc. 106 Hickory Ridge, Cumming Georgia 30040.
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