Cranking staging bass on Lanier w/video & pics added

Coenen

Senior Member
Here's a few cranking fish from rock piles on the south end today. Water temps have cooled down to 54 and a lot of the fish that were shallow a week ago have pulled back out. Today there were 150+ boats from the FLW pro's that were practicing and there were 110+ boats in a high school tourney. Needless to say the lake was a little busy.
It was busy for real, any more and you could've jumped boat to boat from Bald Ridge out to the Dam.

We actually crossed paths a couple times, I was the goober in the kayak with the bait spread out. Didn't recognize you without the beard! I'll have to say hello next time. :cool: Glad to see you put it on them a little. I saw a lot of guys working real hard, but not too many catching fish. The week's weather might throw a wrench in some of the shallow action.
 

Scout'nStripers

Senior Member
It was busy for real, any more and you could've jumped boat to boat from Bald Ridge out to the Dam.

We actually crossed paths a couple times, I was the goober in the kayak with the bait spread out. Didn't recognize you without the beard! I'll have to say hello next time. :cool: Glad to see you put it on them a little. I saw a lot of guys working real hard, but not too many catching fish. The week's weather might throw a wrench in some of the shallow action.
I thought that may have been you judging from your location. I caught that fish in the last picture right after you passed by me. That little stretch of rip rap is usually good for a fish or two. I saw you catch one right before I left outta there. Definitely give me a shout next time.
 

Teh Wicked

Senior Member
I got skunked all weekend long at Old Federal. I must have casted 1000 times and worked over 100 docks in the area...Only 4 fish I caught was off drifting a minnow around behind me...
 

61BelAir

Senior Member
I got to fish with my youngest son for the first time in over a year this weekend. We were out Friday night, Saturday mid-day, and Sunday mid-day. I threw a crankbaits a lot, but only caught 2 on them. This is compared to them seeming to only want crankbaits a few weeks ago. This weekend almost all our quality fish hit spinnerbaits.
 

Scout'nStripers

Senior Member
I got skunked all weekend long at Old Federal. I must have casted 1000 times and worked over 100 docks in the area...Only 4 fish I caught was off drifting a minnow around behind me...

I got to fish with my youngest son for the first time in over a year this weekend. We were out Friday night, Saturday mid-day, and Sunday mid-day. I threw a crankbaits a lot, but only caught 2 on them. This is compared to them seeming to only want crankbaits a few weeks ago. This weekend almost all our quality fish hit spinnerbaits.
It was a tough weekend compared to the last one. Don't feel bad. Out of 114 High School teams it only took 17 and change to win compared to a week ago when there was a 22lb sack that won the UGA and 20+ in the BFL to win.

Two major factors contributed to that. First, the water was on the rise and second, the moon and the sun were in the sky at the same time with an approaching full moon. The warmer temps rising and the approaching full moon put a lot of fish on the bank in a staging mood a week to 2 weeks ago.
 

Coenen

Senior Member
I thought that may have been you judging from your location. I caught that fish in the last picture right after you passed by me. That little stretch of rip rap is usually good for a fish or two. I saw you catch one right before I left outta there. Definitely give me a shout next time.
There's a lot to like around there. I actually picked a couple small stripes off of that same spot on Saturday. That's why I was poking around, hoping to run into one.

I ended up having an okay day numbers-wise with the spots, but couldn't find any size to go with it. Very inconsistent bite. I'd pull a point or flat that I felt should've produced and get blanked, then pick one up out over a 70ft bottom. I only got on a couple of areas that produced multiple fish.

Question for you, any idea what those little spots are doing out in the middle of nowhere like that? Are they relating to anything in particular?
 

Scout'nStripers

Senior Member
Question for you, any idea what those little spots are doing out in the middle of nowhere like that? Are they relating to anything in particular?
Yes, my guess is that they are out there looking for bluebacks drifting near the surface once the sun gets up.
 

Coenen

Senior Member
Yes, my guess is that they are out there looking for bluebacks drifting near the surface once the sun gets up.
Never really found them out there like that before. Makes sense, though.

My guess was that it had to do with water temp, and maybe they were finding some sort of forage in these rafts of crud that are still floating around in the surface layer.
 

Scout'nStripers

Senior Member
My guess was that it had to do with water temp, and maybe they were finding some sort of forage in these rafts of crud that are still floating around in the surface layer.
Yes, I believe you are right. When the sun comes out the surface temps start to warm and the bluebacks seek out the warmth near the surface. That's what bluebacks do. Not a whole lot more that bass eat out there except maybe a few threadfin pods cruising around.
 
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