Lanier Report 7-11-18 w/pics

[Scout'nStripers]

I haven't posted a report in a little while so I thought I get you guys caught up. I have been fishing on occasion but my trips have mainly been short ones for the past week or two. My wife and I are in the process of building our dream home on Lanier and getting ready to put our existing house on the market so I've been busy with that a good bit. We basically tore down our old weekender doublewide lake home and started from scratch. We found a house plan we both agreed on from an architectural designs website, made the modifications we needed so it would fit on our lot and found a builder to build it for us. Right now they are in the process of installing shingles and installing windows so it's moving right along. It was a long process of meeting with the Cumming city utilities to get them to run city sewer to our property but we got it done and got the ok to build. If anyone wants to take on this endeavor I can tell you about the whole process.

Now to the fishing....
My 3 main tactic include topwater, spybait and drop shot. The topwater bite has been up and down. Last week it was nonexistent but on Monday they started coming back up, especially early in the morning. For the topwater it's been the emerald popper, the chug bug and some walking baits. For the spybait it has been solid colors in low light and translucents or blueback patterns when the sun gets up and the drop shot has been Fruity worms and robo worms in various colors. Points and mainlake humps have been good for the bigger fish and good numbers over brush and points in the creeks. The water temps took a little dip over the weekend and into Monday but as of yesterday it was back up to the mid to upper 80's. The lake level is still about a foot above full pool and fishing during the day is very hot without much air moving. If you can find the wind, it's a lot easier to get bit. Also check the generation schedule because the bite has been picking up a little on the south end during generation. Here's a few pics of our biggest from the last week or so and a few lakehouse pics.

 

[howboutthemdawgs]

Man that’s great about the house. I built on the lake last year. A pain but worth it. Congrats.

 

[TroyBoy30]

don't overlook the timber from now till fall. IMO most of the largest fish have moved out

 

[Scout'nStripers]

don't overlook the timber from now till fall. IMO most of the largest fish have moved out

That's what I've been told. Makes sense because all the sudden the 4lb+ fish have disappeared. I've caught a ton of 1-3lbers over the last week but the big girls left town.

 

[Lanier Jim]

Good stuff Jim. Boy, you had some ugly guys in your boat last week

 

[Scout'nStripers]

Good stuff Jim. Boy, you had some ugly guys in your boat last week

Them dudes were making me look good.

 

[jocko755]

Wow - the house is NICE! What a view! Congrats.

I hit the lake Saturday after 8 am and missed the morning bite due to a dead battery. Threw the spybait. I had alot of followers. The only one I caught was a yearling as big as the bait itself.

I need a day off during the week!

 

[Scout'nStripers]

Wow - the house is NICE! What a view! Congrats.

I hit the lake Saturday after 8 am and missed the morning bite due to a dead battery. Threw the spybait. I had alot of followers. The only one I caught was a yearling as big as the bait itself.

I need a day off during the week!

Thanks Jocko. Definitely the lake fishes different on the weekends than it does during the week. I've had that conversation at least a dozen times with different fishermen. It's pressure and traffic IMO. During the week I can be the first ones to a lot of waypoint but on the weekend I can only hit 2-3 waypoints before some other boat gets to them. As you well know, after a waypoint gets picked over a time or two it's tough to pull out a quality fish unless it's the right place at the right time kinda deal.

 

[littlejon]

Thanks Jocko. Definitely the lake fishes different on the weekends than it does during the week. I've had that conversation at least a dozen times with different fishermen. It's pressure and traffic IMO. During the week I can be the first ones to a lot of waypoint but on the weekend I can only hit 2-3 waypoints before some other boat gets to them. As you well know, after a waypoint gets picked over a time or two it's tough to pull out a quality fish unless it's the right place at the right time kinda deal.

Good to see you got the tall guy out. He can hook-um good. I agree with you totally about weekend pressure. When I used to fish Lanier in my jon boat I would stay in one small area and watch boat after boat hit the same brush piles in a short time period. There are definably community holes. I also think when guides show and share waypoints the customers can network that info out quickly so "honey holes" are not as common. I know I share mine. I get to fish Lanier both weekends and weekdays and do better during the week in spring and summer.

 

[Scout'nStripers]

Good to see you got the tall guy out. He can hook-um good. I agree with you totally about weekend pressure. When I used to fish Lanier in my jon boat I would stay in one small area and watch boat after boat hit the same brush piles in a short time period. There are definably community holes. I also think when guides show and share waypoints the customers can network that info out quickly so "honey holes" are not as common. I know I share mine. I get to fish Lanier both weekends and weekdays and do better during the week in spring and summer.

I've been wanting to get out with Hookum for a while. We had a great time. I didn't realize he had such a warped sense of humor...LOL
I spent pretty much all yesterday cruising and graphing new stuff. I've come to the realization that I need to come up with some new waypoints from time to time because there are a lot of eyes out there during the weekdays and weekend and my boat is pretty easy to spot. It seems like during the week I'm playing musical waypoint with about 3-4 other guys so I like to periodically do some scouting and graphing.

 

[howboutthemdawgs]

I've been wanting to get out with Hookum for a while. We had a great time. I didn't realize he had such a warped sense of humor...LOL
I spent pretty much all yesterday cruising and graphing new stuff. I've come to the realization that I need to come up with some new waypoints from time to time because there are a lot of eyes out there during the weekdays and weekend and my boat is pretty easy to spot. It seems like during the week I'm playing musical waypoint with about 3-4 other guys so I like to periodically do some scouting and graphing.

So honest question given what are saying about the pressure (which obviously I see daily as well) why would you want these big, high profile tournaments on Lanier? I get that your opinion won’t sway whether or not they come but I would think from a mental standpoint it would frustrate you. Help me see why it’s a good thing?

 

[Scout'nStripers]

So honest question given what are saying about the pressure (which obviously I see daily as well) why would you want these big, high profile tournaments on Lanier? I get that your opinion won’t sway whether or not they come but I would think from a mental standpoint it would frustrate you. Help me see why it’s a good thing?

That's a good question. For me it's a matter of good vs bad. I'm in the tackle and fishing business and I understand what this means from a business perspective and what it does for our local economy. Tackle shops, hotels, restaurants, rentals like VRBO's to name a few are going to be making a little extra $ from the tournament. I also know what this means for a lot of fans that get a chance to see their favorite pros fish our lake. As far as the negatives go, other than my personal inconveniences and the extra pressure on the lake, which in my opinion will pass, the good outweighs the bad. I very seriously doubt Lanier is going to turn into another Guntersville, Chic or Pickwick because those are primarily LM lakes that have the possibility of a heck of a lot larger sacks than Lanier would ever produce and as you well know there is a lot of spotted bass in this lake and it's always been renewable resource. The fact the tournament is in Feb. means there's not going to be much more than the pros and all the cling-ons that follow the pros around for a few days and then they are gone. I honestly don't think it's going to be as bad as one might think. IMHO

 

[TroyBoy30]

That's what I've been told. Makes sense because all the sudden the 4lb+ fish have disappeared. I've caught a ton of 1-3lbers over the last week but the big girls left town.

i caught all big fish on the 3rd. on the 8th they were gone. it was also blowing what seemed like 30 that day so I wasn't on the main lake though

 

[Scout'nStripers]

i caught all big fish on the 3rd. on the 8th they were gone. it was also blowing what seemed like 30 that day so I wasn't on the main lake though

I got a feeling there isn't much good oxygenated water up around the surface anymore. My guess is these bigger bass are looking for pockets of thermocline in the deeper water. In a way I'm kinda glad they are deep and buried in the timber. It gives them some extra security and a break from us pesky fishermen.

 

[TroyBoy30]

it makes them tougher to find for sure

 

[Rabun]

Nice fish Scoutin! House is looking great! Be sure and forward a pic of the finished product.

 

[MarkWohlers]

Great pictures Jim! Let me know if you need a Realtor up there, ahem, lol.

Would love for you to join us next time at a Braves game. Jimbo said he spoke to you before he got to my house yesterday. Wish I had known sooner.
Jake and I will be on Lanier tomorrow morning with one of Jake's classmates. Maybe we will see you out there.

 

[spurrs and racks]

Awesome! One of my favorite players! I believe I saw him play here in Macon.

 

[Scout'nStripers]

Great pictures Jim! Let me know if you need a Realtor up there, ahem, lol.

Would love for you to join us next time at a Braves game. Jimbo said he spoke to you before he got to my house yesterday. Wish I had known sooner.
Jake and I will be on Lanier tomorrow morning with one of Jake's classmates. Maybe we will see you out there.

Thanks Mark. Great pics! Who's that goofy looking guy in the middle? That would be awesome to join y'all next time and check out some of those awesome young Braves players as well as talk some serious baseball from back in the day. I told Jimbo if he got sick or anything I'd definitely take his place....LOL

I'll be out tomorrow too. I'm taking out a long time Red Sox fan from Boston so you guys may hear us out there before you see us. I'll keep an eye out for y'all.

 

[someguyintraffic]

What a spot, I mean the lot.