 Bradley Prince, February 20, 2008
- Water Temperature: Low to Mid 50s
- lake level: Approx. 1053
Stripers: Finally starting to see the lake come up a little with the rain. Looking back at last years report for March, the lake level was around 1066. The low water level has not hurt the fishing in any way besides making it harder to get in and out due to the low number of open ramps. The water temperature is rising and the fish are feeding to prepare for the spring spawning run. The shallow stained water in the back of the creeks is warming faster than the clear water on the main lake and the baitfish are heading for the warmer water. Early morning and very late in the evening will usually be the key times to be out. In the shallow water, the fish prefer low light conditions. During the day, freelines and planer boards will be the primary tactic to catch these shallow fish. A freeline is simply a line with a hook on the end and no weight. Let the bait out on average about 100 feet behind the boat and slowly troll down the bank line with the trolling motor. The planer boards work to pull the bait out from the boat. This also allows one to run more rods out from the boat without getting tangled. Be sure to take a variety of live baits during the spring. Some days the fish will want herring and some days they will want the largest gizzard shad you can find. A large shad being twelve to sixteen inched long and over a pound. The fish in the picture came on a twelve-inch gizzard shad. Pulling the big gizzard shad is some of the most exciting fishing of the year. Personally, it is my favorite time of the year to fish. The best chance to catch the lake record is always in early spring. Concerning artificial lures, keep a 1/4 or 3/8 ounce white bucktail tied on to cast tight to the bank. This pattern has been very strong at times already this year. Be sure to use a Zoom white pearl super fluke or a four inch white Bass Assassin Sea Shad as a trailer on the bucktail. The trailer not only gives the bait a larger profile but also causes the bait to fall slower in the shallow water. A good number of your bites will be on the fall of the jig. After dark the striper bite continues, the fish will be in ultra shallow water and provide some explosive strikes. The bait of choice is a 7/8oz. Long –A Bomber in various colors. The three key colors are pink, black, and baby striper. Cast the lure as shallow as possible on shallow flats and sand bars. Reel the lure very slow and the fish will do the rest. Same as in the daytime, the better fishing is up in the warmer creeks. The night bite usually turns on as soon as the water temperature reaches 55 degrees with a stable weather pattern. Just be more careful than normal with the lake being down.
Bass: Like everything else on the lake, once the water temperature hits the mid-fifties the bass fishing will begin to change significantly. Late in the evenings, be sure to keep a crankbait like a Bomber 6A Baby Bass or a shad colored SR7 Rapala Shad Rap ready to cast to shallow areas. The shad rap has been better than normal and the stripers are hitting them fairly well as a bonus. Watched a man a few days ago bring in an eighteen-pound striper on a shad rap. This technique is usually better later in the day when the shallow stained water has time to warm from the sun. Jerk baits will begin to be effective as well. Be sure to rip the bait and let it pause and the fish will bite on the pause. Remember the colder the water the longer the pause. The expensive Lucky Craft and Jackall jerk baits are well worth the money when it comes to jerk baits. If you do not mind spending the money, the MeagBass jerkbaits are excellent choices as well. Believe it or not, the MegaBass jerkbaits are around thirty-five dollars. If its cloudy, try the shell white Lucky Craft Flash Minnow. If it is sunny, try the Clown color or Aurora Black. Clown colors always do well in the spring. The clown color is my first choice in the spring. If the sun is bright, do not hesitate to fish the docks with a 3/16oz. Spotsticker jighead with a finesse worm. On Lanier, green pumpkin is the primary worm color. The spotted bass love anything green.
Crappie: Looks like we are going to have an excellent spring for crappie fishing. The rain is staining the water making them easier to catch. The fish will be concentrated under the deep-water docks and moving very shallow as the water temperature increases. With the low water levels, the normal fishing spots are high and dry. The better fishing for the most part will be on the north end of the lake due to the stained water. The number of crappie per acre of water is higher on the north end as well. Every year Thompson Creek, Wahoo Creek and Little River do very well. The stained water is very important to the crappie fishing on Lanier. The crappie are too spooky in the clear water. The lure of choice is any 1/32 ounce chartreuse and white jig. You really need the very lightweight jig for the slow fall. If the water is very stained go to a red and chartreuse jig. Being that we are finally getting some rain this year this will most likely the best jig. The fish will almost always be in the shade of the docks. The best docks will be the ones that hold brush. Look for rod holders and minnow buckets on the docks to help narrow your search and save you time. If March is warmer than normal, look for the crappie to go ahead and pull shallow on the brush to spawn. Anchor near the brush and cast crappie minnows as close to the brush as possible. Use a size 6 or 4 light wire hook with an extra long shank. To be exact, use a 202ELR hook by Eagle Claw. If you are close enough to the brush use a weightless float. If you have kids with you, be sure to use the weighted floats. Most of the weighted floats will be orange or chartreuse with a small ring of lead on the bottom. One last thing, be sure to use 4 pound test line and a limber rod for the crappie. The crappie are very line sensitive and have very delicate mouths.
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