Flooded but Fishable Lanier w/pics

[Scout'nStripers]

Right now the lake is about as high as we've ever seen it but the corps is moving water and the weather has been stable for a few days so the fishing has improved dramatically for me. I went out for a while yesterday and caught fish primarily on the docks and today it was rocks and docks. It was tough fishing last week with the rain, the wind and rising waters but everything is starting to settle and the fish are getting back to eating. I've been catching just about all of my fish on a shakey head but I did catch a few nice fish on a DT10 in a shad pattern and a craw pattern. Water temps are hanging around 49-50 and there is still stain in the back of the creek. Here's a few from 4 hours yesterday and a couple hours today.

 

[Batjack]

You've got them pigs figured out.

 

[littlejon]

Nice fish Jim, were you up SM around noon today?

 

[Scout'nStripers]

Nice fish Jim, were you up SM around noon today?

Never left BR today littlejon. Stayed close to home.

 

[RedClayRoots79]

Dang they're eating good.

 

[Snichols1]

Great job Jim. Anyone know how the water is looking on Six Mile and Four Mile. Going to try some crappie tomorrow.

 

[littlejon]

Never left BR today littlejon. Stayed close to home.

Oh ok, thought I seen you.

 

[littlejon]

Great job Jim. Anyone know how the water is looking on Six Mile and Four Mile. Going to try some crappie tomorrow.

Further back you go the more muddy it gets

 

[Scout'nStripers]

Thanks for the kind words. One other notable about this bite right now is the fact that it's slow. I'm a power fisherman so slowing down to the speed needed to catch fish on this pattern is tough. I'll put it this way, "if you think you're fishing to slow and not catching fish, you probably need to slow down even more". This bite is like watching paint dry. If I have fish underneath the boat and I drop a worm straight down to them and watch it on the graph, the fish will follow the worm down. Once the worm hits the bottom I just dead stick it and wait. The fish will watch it for a while before reacting to it. If I move it, it's over, he won't hit it. But if I just wait and let it soak for 10-20 seconds he'll probably try and pick it up. I watch this happen over and over on the graph so I take that same approach when I'm throwing the worm around docks. Even though I can't see it on my graph, I just assume there is a fish watching the worm so I just let it soak and most of the time they'll suck it in and just swim off with it. It's a very slow bite but once you get the feel of it, it's a fun bite.

 

[Jonboater]

Great fish Jim! Jim with the Corp to pulling water so much do you think that would keep the bite active all day long?

 

[Scout'nStripers]

Great fish Jim! Jim with the Corp to pulling water so much do you think that would keep the bite active all day long?

If it's like it was last year when they pulled water 24-7 after the lake hit 1076 the bite was pretty awesome all day, especially out on the main lake. The fish just seem to be all over the humps, shoal and reef markers.

Just a quick update, they quit pulling water about mid-morning today and put out a memo saying they were suspending generation until Thursday at the earliest. The lake is on it's way up again and I'd be very surprised if it didn't reach an all time record by weeks end.

 

[Kdog]

So Sunday when it just felt like I had a heavy wet sponge, it was a fish.

I finally figured that out after my 3rd sponge and set the hook. Really slow and not my type of fishing. Had fish from 13-50' of water all on a shakey head. Never even picked up the cranks.

 

[Scout'nStripers]

So Sunday when it just felt like I had a heavy wet sponge, it was a fish.

I finally figured that out after my 3rd sponge and set the hook. Really slow and not my type of fishing. Had fish from 13-50' of water all on a shakey head. Never even picked up the cranks.

Yep, it just feels like mush. Once I recognized the feel I caught a lot more fish. The sponge feeling comes with a time limit though. They spit it back out after a few moments. Sometimes they spit it back out about the time I'm raring back to set the hook.LOL

 

[littlejon]

I crossed over the hooch today on 120 in Duluth and had to do a double take. I have never seen water that high up the bank there. This was about noon time.

 

[Scout'nStripers]

I watch the river flow below the dam as well the daily schedule and the lake level. Here's a link to the river flow below the dam.
https://www.nps.gov/chat/planyourvi...GRNGFDS3p9OM3jkozXOGHkn_N0mNKDsZhFCU6nF8b6YzU

 

[littlejon]

I watch the river flow below the dam as well the daily schedule and the lake level. Here's a link to the river flow below the dam.
https://www.nps.gov/chat/planyourvi...GRNGFDS3p9OM3jkozXOGHkn_N0mNKDsZhFCU6nF8b6YzU

Yea, that's a lot of CFPS for sure. I heard that dam also has emergency gate down below if necessary. Only tested once, could be a fish tale.

 

[Scout'nStripers]

Yea, that's a lot of CFPS for sure. I heard that dam also has emergency gate down below if necessary. Only tested once, could be a fish tale.

I wonder if it is a sluice gate? I haven't heard that about the dam here at Lanier.

 

[RamblinWreck]

This dang rain is messing up my fishing, just when it settled down from the last monsoon!

I found some big hungry slabs up-lake in muddy water Monday, but won't be going back there anytime soon. A week is starting to sound too optimistic.

 

[Scout'nStripers]

I'm going to get out this morning and look around after the sun comes up. These fish still gotta eat and the lake isn't getting a whole lot of pressure right now.

 

[howboutthemdawgs]

Hope the cancel the ranger trail Sunday. Lake will respond well with some of these tournaments being cancelled