Fall is in the Air! Lanier Report w/pics

[Scout'nStripers]

This week I finished up the boat maintenance so after a lower unit oil change, new plugs and wires, a battery, a bilge pump, live well pump, fuel/water separator sensor and fixed a jackplate I was back on the water. Tuesday I was out from 10am till 2pm and even though the temps were in the low to mid 90's the fish were pretty active. I was fishing a point out on the main lake around noon and I saw a school of stripers surface not far from me in less than 10 feet of water. I thought that was interesting for as hot as it was at the time. Soon after that I saw a large school of 2-3 inch bluebacks take shelter under my boat right before a big school of bass went bonkers on the bluebacks. I threw a 5 inch swimbait in the mix but no takers. When the bass quite coming up the water around my boat was cloudy with scales everywhere. That was an incredible feeding frenzy all around my boat and I saw quite a few big bass in the school. I was able to catch a few fish Tuesday throwing a spybait and swimbait. Yesterday it cooled down to the mid 80's with a northeast wind putting some heavy chop on the water. I caught fish on a big 130 whopper plopper knock-off and swimming a swimbait right below the surface. That big 130 size whopper plopper displaces some water and draws a lot of attention when it's choppy. About 9am I was fishing a point in the creek and out of now where stripers just start blowing up all around the boat and I was sitting in less than 10 feet of water. I picked up my pearl swimbait and basically tossed it over the side. I started feeling it getting hit right away and then the striper pictured below took off with it. That was fun. Back out this morning and it was a combo of the swimbait and the big 130 whopper plopper ko. The wind was a little worse today out of the east but If I could find points and humps where the wind wasn't too bad I could throw the topwater stuff and get fish to surface. I also caught some suspended fish with a 3.3 keitech paddletail on a 1/4 leadhead and a small underspin. There's a lot of active feeding fish this week and I think they can sense that cooler weather is on the way. Here's a few pics from the last 3 days.

 

[RamblinWreck]

Nice!

Hope the wind lays down some tomorrow - I chickened out this morning due to wind forecast, and cut grass instead.

 

[Q2gyro]

Awesome! Maybe it is a sign of a good fall to come.

 

[littlejon]

Nice catches Jim, what is the water temps?

 

[LittleDrummerBoy]

Water temps were 84 deg F on Tuesday in the Balus Creek and Flat Creek areas, leading me to think the behavioral shifts relating to Fall were more due to shortening length of day rather than water temps. I bet the water is much cooler this weekend after the cooler air temps associated with the cool front we are now enjoying.

 

[Fletch F. Fletch]

Very nice.

Yeah, yesterday was rough on Lanier. We caught 3 all day. 2 LM on the bank and one spot on spybait.
Found a few schools, but couldn’t get em to bite.

Thanks for the report.

 

[GreenPig]

I'll be on the lake at daylight in the morning. Looking forward to the Fall feed.

 

[Papa Bear]

Nice ones there Jim. Send a few of those little pigs up toward 2 and 4 mile. Few I have been catching have not been picture quality fish!

 

[Scout'nStripers]

Nice ones there Jim. Send a few of those little pigs up toward 2 and 4 mile. Few I have been catching have not been picture quality fish!

We fished up on the north end last Saturday and I wasn't that impressed with the size. I think a lot of these bigger fish are feeding on the big schools of bluebacks down on the south end right now. I've been seeing a lot more fish on the surface chasing 2-3 inch bluebacks and I've been seeing small groups of bluebacks waking the surface. That usually means a good topwater bite. Yesterday evening I got out for a little while and threw a 110 size custom whopper plopper ko I painted. Some of the blow-ups on this bait right now are incredible. If you're going out this weekend I would recommend 4 baits to have on deck. A whopper plopper, a sebile type swimbait right below the surface, a spybait for suspended fish and a drop shot for the bottom feeders. Here's a quick 5 fish from yesterday evening.

 

[Big7]

This week I finished up the boat maintenance so after a lower unit oil change, new plugs and wires, a battery, a bilge pump, live well pump, fuel/water separator sensor and fixed a jackplate I was back on the water. Tuesday I was out from 10am till 2pm and even though the temps were in the low to mid 90's the fish were pretty active. I was fishing a point out on the main lake around noon and I saw a school of stripers surface not far from me in less than 10 feet of water. I thought that was interesting for as hot as it was at the time. Soon after that I saw a large school of 2-3 inch bluebacks take shelter under my boat right before a big school of bass went bonkers on the bluebacks. I threw a 5 inch swimbait in the mix but no takers. When the bass quite coming up the water around my boat was cloudy with scales everywhere. That was an incredible feeding frenzy all around my boat and I saw quite a few big bass in the school. I was able to catch a few fish Tuesday throwing a spybait and swimbait. Yesterday it cooled down to the mid 80's with a northeast wind putting some heavy chop on the water. I caught fish on a big 130 whopper plopper knock-off and swimming a swimbait right below the surface. That big 130 size whopper plopper displaces some water and draws a lot of attention when it's choppy. About 9am I was fishing a point in the creek and out of now where stripers just start blowing up all around the boat and I was sitting in less than 10 feet of water. I picked up my pearl swimbait and basically tossed it over the side. I started feeling it getting hit right away and then the striper pictured below took off with it. That was fun. Back out this morning and it was a combo of the swimbait and the big 130 whopper plopper ko. The wind was a little worse today out of the east but If I could find points and humps where the wind wasn't too bad I could throw the topwater stuff and get fish to surface. I also caught some suspended fish with a 3.3 keitech paddletail on a 1/4 leadhead and a small underspin. There's a lot of active feeding fish this week and I think they can sense that cooler weather is on the way. Here's a few pics from the last 3 days.View attachment 983553View attachment 983554View attachment 983555View attachment 983557View attachment 983558View attachment 983559

Looks like you were dialed in pretty good.
Were you Bass fishing and just happened up on the Striper's? Reason I'm asking is although big mouths are hig on my list for eating fish, there is not much better eating freshwater fish than a Striper. I don't get to go big water much since I sold my Tracker 5-6 years ago. I sure do miss cooking and eating my fill of Striper.

Nice fish you have there and a great story behind the trip. ?

 

[Scout'nStripers]

Looks like you were dialed in pretty good.
Were you Bass fishing and just happened up on the Striper's? Reason I'm asking is although big mouths are hig on my list for eating fish, there is not much better eating freshwater fish than a Striper. I don't get to go big water much since I sold my Tracker 5-6 years ago. I sure do miss cooking and eating my fill of Striper.

Nice fish you have there and a great story behind the trip. ?

I was targeting bass on points and the stripers just showed up. It's a "right place right time" kinda deal with the stripers right now. They are breaking off from the big schools out on the main lake and these smaller splinter schools of stripers are moving around pushing bait up onto these points and feeding. They move through the mouths of the creeks in late Sept and Oct. and then move on further back in the creek in the cooler winter months. Right now they are moving so fast you'd be better off just sitting on a point and waiting for them to come to you than if you were to try and chase them imo.

 

[Big7]

Thanks.. Hope you wear them out !! ?