Another Good One on Lanier w/pic & Report

[Scout'nStripers]

This week has been a pretty good week when it comes to the offshore stuff on Lanier. I got out most days this week, both morning and evening. The topwater bite right now is best in the early morning hours but it's not impossible to pop a couple good fish during the day throwing over points and humps with brush using the topwater offerings. Calling a fish up with a popping or splashing bait is kinda sporadic but if you see a few fish coming to the surface, even though they may have went back down before you can get them and make a cast, you've got about a 1 minute window to make a good cast with a walking or popping bait and they'll come back up for it. Another tactic that will work sometimes is throwing a popping bait and have another person throwing a swimming bait in the same area. The popping bait may get their attention but they will react to the swimming bait in the same area. A good combo for this is a big Chug Bug and a 125 sinking Magic Swimmer or Sebile. If the topwater isn't working I highly recommend throwing a Duo Realis Spybait around the offshore humps and over the brush piles in 15-30 fow. There is a learning curl to spybaiting and if the spybait isn't your thing a weightless fluke may work in the same areas. Another tactic that's coming on strong right now is the drop shot. I'm using 3 drop shot baits right now. First is the old faithful Roboworm in the Aaron's Morning Dawn color pattern. Second is the Zoom finesse worm in a sand color and thirdly is my bailout bait, Lanier baits fruity worm in Blue Lily.

One other tactic you can use that pretty much a lock for the drop shot is live bait, preferably medium shiners. This is a great choice if you have some young'uns in the boat. Just find the fish or the brush on the graph and drop em down.

Water temps are in the low to mid 80's, visibility is getting close to gin clear and Lanier has that deep rich green color we are all accustom to in the summer months. The corps has been generating in the hottest part of the day for power requirements and the moving water may enhance the bite if you can stand the heat. Below is another nice spybait fish I caught with a buddy yesterday in the hottest part of the afternoon at the end of a road bed near brush. The weekends are getting crowded on the lake so think safety!

 

[Rabun]

Great report Scoutin. That surely is a chunker!! I Need to use your tactics over the upcoming long weekend.

 

[Teh Wicked]

Going to force myself to throw that spybait more this year for sure.

 

[Tarpfisher]

Going to force myself to throw that spybait more this year for sure.

Same here... its so painfully tho. i have a hard time fishing that slow, but it will flat catch them at times on lanier.

 

[Spook]

Wow he nailed that spybait. Good report Jim. Thanks

 

[Scout'nStripers]

Thanks guys. The cool thing about the spybait is that it works better and has more action with lighter line. It has a wobble when retrieved properly with light line so I use 6lb flouro. I also use a 6'11" medium rod with a fast tip and that rod is like a bull whip when casting the spybait. It flexes a lot and gives me a long cast. The longer that little spybait is in the water the more productive it is. A spotted bass that big is a blast on that medium rod.

 

[Teh Wicked]

Thanks guys. The cool thing about the spybait is that it works better and has more action with lighter line. It has a wobble when retrieved properly with light line so I use 6lb flouro. I also use a 6'11" medium rod with a fast tip and that rod is like a bull whip when casting the spybait. It flexes a lot and gives me a long cast. The longer that little spybait is in the water the more productive it is. A spotted bass that big is a blast on that medium rod.

I have mine on a 7'0" ML St Croix spinning setup with a Fast tip. 10lb braid to a 8lb floruo leader. Guess I need to drop that leader down a little, my spybait doesn't wiggle at all, just the props spin. I really to change the braid to some Sufix Nano braid and that will probably help some, this braid is cheaper thicker stuff from Bass Pro.

 

[RamblinWreck]

All I use is 8 lb FC sniper and the lure wiggles fine. I am catching fish, anyway.
My rod is also a St Croix, a MLF 7' Mojo Yak spinning.

 

[Scout'nStripers]

I have mine on a 7'0" ML St Croix spinning setup with a Fast tip. 10lb braid to a 8lb floruo leader. Guess I need to drop that leader down a little, my spybait doesn't wiggle at all, just the props spin. I really to change the braid to some Sufix Nano braid and that will probably help some, this braid is cheaper thicker stuff from Bass Pro.

You don't think that braid messes with the sink rate vs straight flourocarbon? I know Lanier Jim uses a braid to flouro setup sometimes but I'm just slinging straight flouro.

 

[DAWG1419]

You don't think that braid messes with the sink rate vs straight flourocarbon? I know Lanier Jim uses a braid to flouro setup sometimes but I'm just slinging straight flouro.

I can’t keep flouro from coming off my spinning rods. What’s the secret? I’ve been throwing braid for years because of it. I’ve tried everything.

 

[littlejon]

I can’t keep flouro from coming off my spinning rods. What’s the secret? I’ve been throwing braid for years because of it. I’ve tried everything.

You are probably putting too much on the spool

 

[Scout'nStripers]

I can’t keep flouro from coming off my spinning rods. What’s the secret? I’ve been throwing braid for years because of it. I’ve tried everything.

There is a fine line between enough line and too much on a spinning reel. Some of the flourocarbon I've used in the past is very rigid and has a ton of memory but there's some smaller diameter stuff out there that's pretty good. Tatsu and Sunline FC Sniper is all i've been using and it works pretty good. I don't recommend any line treatment such as relaxer because over time it stains the line and looses it's clear qualities. If you can, run a little hot water over your spool and that will help relax your line a little. I only load my reels to about 3/4 full with my spinning reels.

 

[Hooked On Quack]

Informative thread, thanks !!

 

[TroyBoy30]

6 pound tatsu is all you need.

The setups I use

Spinbait 80 Dobyns 762SF Shiman Exsence C3000MHG 6# tatsu


Spinbait 90 Dobyns 764CBRM Lews TLCP1H 6.8:1 10# tatsu

 

[DAWG1419]

There is a fine line between enough line and too much on a spinning reel. Some of the flourocarbon I've used in the past is very rigid and has a ton of memory but there's some smaller diameter stuff out there that's pretty good. Tatsu and Sunline FC Sniper is all i've been using and it works pretty good. I don't recommend any line treatment such as relaxer because over time it stains the line and looses it's clear qualities. If you can, run a little hot water over your spool and that will help relax your line a little. I only load my reels to about 3/4 full with my spinning reels.

Do a video on spooling up a spinning reel. Then head out and catch a magnum

 

[King.Of.Anglers.Jeremiah]

Going to force myself to throw that spybait more this year for sure.

I like the G-fix version

 

[weagle]

I've been slaying the spots on a DonBob rig.

 

[goshenmountainman]

I've been slaying the spots on a DonBob rig.

View attachment 975250

We use that all the time to catch specks in Florida, never used that up here...but I might try it now.

 

[Scout'nStripers]

I like the G-fix version

That's about all I use. I have better luck with the g-fix 80 than any other spybait. I went out at 11:30 today for a couple hours and threw the g-fix 80 over some main lake brush and caught these 2, even with boat traffic. I had a few smaller fish but these were the biggest on the American Shad pattern.