Planning spot and striper Labor Day fishing on Lanier

I have some family coming in town Labor Day weekend and 2 of the gents wants to go pull on some spotted bass and striper for the first time. Coming from where they are pike, musky, walleye, and smallmouth is what they typically get to tug on (mid-west).

I'm not familiar enough with Lanier to know what the spot and striper will be doing during that time. I'm assuming it will have gotten a little cooler so I hope there is decent top water bite. Most years are the spots and striper fishes still in the summer time pattern early September or are they in the fall? Free lining and planer boards will they be worth giving it a shot or down lining or leadcore trolling for striper? Sadly I do not have a bait tank to keep bait alive long enough so that may not be an option. However I now have a Motorguide Xi5 so I'm hoping to take advantage of the striper fishing.

Lanier will be a zoo Labor Day! Maybe you guys could get a deal on root canals or have bamboo jammed under your fingernails....

^ That's right now that you mention will change it to a Friday trip instead which should be slightly better

I would study a map so many good options available online now. I would start with Navionics Webapp it's a free App that will give you 1ft contours I would kinda pick out your spots you think that will fit the pattern, so when you hit the water you're ready to catch some fish.

IMHO hire a guide to take them out

If that's not an option, read up on the reports and good luck. They are still 100' down = big rough water. Mosey on over to sunset cove while you're out on the water....

Plans have changed going to celebrate 2 of my kids birthday on Friday now so will be taking my guest out on Sunday which I'm sure it's still going to be a zoo. I'm looking at going after some striper and spots. Either will be launching out of Mary Alice or Charleston Park. Where would be a good starting point for stripers? Not much of a lineside fisermen but my guest are looking to rip some donkey striper lips. Just picked up (8) Ben Paker 8" magnum spoons. Not looking for specifics just general areas or creeks to start off. I've got dual Lowrance Gen2 Touch graphs so with something general to start with I'll locate them. Don't plan on using any live bait because I do not have a bait tank. Thanks ahead.

THfishing said:

I would study a map so many good options available online now. I would start with Navionics Webapp it's a free App that will give you 1ft contours I would kinda pick out your spots you think that will fit the pattern, so when you hit the water you're ready to catch some fish.

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Thanks THF, I've been spending way to much time on those mapping tools. Great idea I recall stumbling on it before it's good to find it again. Got some ideas on where to fish that pond is way huge. Crossing my fingers that Ben Parker bite will be on fire.

GThunter5 said:

IMHO hire a guide to take them out

If that's not an option, read up on the reports and good luck. They are still 100' down = big rough water. Mosey on over to sunset cove while you're out on the water....

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GTH, I thought about a guide but my guest rather take the long route and learn the lake. Good idea on the reports I've been combing through quite a few. I'll try out Sunset Cove for sure, I think I've been there before on one of my spring trips. Thanks for the details

Fish

8 ben Parker's = a lot...dude find u some tree in the edge of the channel and jerk some up...drop below the fish on the graph, and reel....and reel with passion. And post pics please, 8 Parker's are worth more than my boat....

Lanier is far and away the heaviest used lake in the United States on holidays. Quit while you are ahead and maybe save some of your families lives by staying off on holidays. I have learned the hard way by fishing several holidays. This would be such an awesome lake if it wasn't so close to Atlanta. It seems like this forum should be called the Lanier Forum because 90% of the posts are about lanier instead of all the other georgia waters. I catch a ton of fish on Lanier but i am afraid this can't continue too many more years because it seems like this is the only lake people want to fish any more. I spread my fishing out on all the North Ga. lakes but not many do anymore. Striper boats outnumber bass boats 8 to 1 this year. I normally fish in a center console but on 1 trip this summer i took my aluminum v hull and was almost turned over by an ocean yacht wave. Striper fishermen are so unbelievably nosy, they come right up to me and try to figure what i am doing. I never invade another boats personal space and i figure the stripers out on my own. I don't care if people on here say quit complaining because if they fished as much as i did on Lanier this summer and had that many jerk fishermen come right in on them you would vent once a year too.

I honestly wouldn't try it on labor day weekend. It's going to be full of crazy drunk people.

Try it on a kayak!

I see boats on Lanier I see 15 miles out in the Gulf. I still go, but only early Spring and Fall and even then its super early.

sorry to echo the rest, but it is nuts. Almost got run over last holiday weekend I went out with the kids.


MBD

Sorry for the late report you all. My cousin from MN and I got out Labor Day weekend Sunday around 3 PM. Didn't make the drive back from SC to GA until late. Basically there was not much to report on besides Holiday boat traffic was epic. Meaning many times we had to fish on our knees with so much wake. We spooned (Ben Parker Spoon) fished from 3 PM - 6 PM, not a lick. Well we just couldn't locate any schools of fishes. We were fishing at the mouths of 6 Miles and Bald Ridge. We'd mark 1 or 2 fishes here and there but nope no mega schools to dupe into biting this hunk of metal. Water was clear as usual and about 83 degrees. Spent 6 - 8 PM chasing after some green fishes which that was a bust also. Nada single one came to the party. The only thing I didn't do was try some brush piles but we was running short of time. SMH, I think we started out late and very little knowledge of locations hence the epic fail for the spoon bite. Also lack of knowing where any brush pile locations. I'm not sure maybe there was just way to many boats pinging or what but my screen stayed pretty cluttered until about past 7 PM, as less boats were riding around my graph screen was much more clear and we were marking better fishes but by then we was just killing time to come in at 8 PM.

cumberland said:

Lanier is far and away the heaviest used lake in the United States on holidays. Quit while you are ahead and maybe save some of your families lives by staying off on holidays. I have learned the hard way by fishing several holidays. This would be such an awesome lake if it wasn't so close to Atlanta. It seems like this forum should be called the Lanier Forum because 90% of the posts are about lanier instead of all the other georgia waters. I catch a ton of fish on Lanier but i am afraid this can't continue too many more years because it seems like this is the only lake people want to fish any more. I spread my fishing out on all the North Ga. lakes but not many do anymore. Striper boats outnumber bass boats 8 to 1 this year. I normally fish in a center console but on 1 trip this summer i took my aluminum v hull and was almost turned over by an ocean yacht wave. Striper fishermen are so unbelievably nosy, they come right up to me and try to figure what i am doing. I never invade another boats personal space and i figure the stripers out on my own. I don't care if people on here say quit complaining because if they fished as much as i did on Lanier this summer and had that many jerk fishermen come right in on them you would vent once a year too.

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I don't think your complaining as much as stating a fact. The lake has changed over the 30 years I have fished it. Just not the same for better or worse. Everything I read on hear everyone wants to know all your details on how to catch them also. Nothing wrong with it, just different that's all.