Lake Lanier Fishing Reports

The morning started slow, with only occasional fish being caught. As the day went on, more and more minnow fish appeared around the boat.

The water temperatures are in the mid 80s We are finding crappie suspended 15-30’ feet over a 30-40 bottom. The crappie are suspending for long periods of time and the bite is soft. Look for deep water brush or timber near a main channel up to 40’ usually they will be suspended around 25’ . Look for points near a main channel where the depth falls off quickly if there is any structure for the crappie to hold to you are likely to find them there. Crappie can still be found in shallow water if you can find a area with shade and the water temperature is lower. If you are using jigs I would recommend translucent colors with sparkles. Right now it seems they just want a minnow I am setting minnows 15’- 20 feet deep most of the time over a 20-40’ bottom. 95% of this weeks catch came on minnows. Crappie love the shade so cast into the shadows or shaded areas of dock. When dock shooting the biggest fish are usually the first to bite. I use ATX lure companies jigs on a lip thrashin lure jig heads. I use 5 pound test high visibility yellow k9 braid for my line unless I am using a bobber then it’s the k9 6 pound high vis line k9fishing.com and a Acc crappie stix. I use Garmin Live Scope and the Navionics Boating app.

We have an exciting opportunity for anglers to come fish in a Crappie Tournament on Lake Lanier for a great cause! The first place prize for this tournament is $1,000! All of the proceeds from the tournament support Fishing With Every Day Heroes, a local non-profit that provides free guided fishing trips to veterans, first responders and active duty military! Register today to support an awesome cause and for your chance at some big Prize money while fishing Lake Lanier for Crappie!

As the water temperatures rise going into summer season, Crappies eventually grow in number. Look for Crappie in shallow blow downs, and remember to retrieve slow and give the jig time to sink to the level of the fish. When dock shooting the biggest fish are usually the first to bite.

The early morning bite has given us a good catch, with an 86 water temperature until 10 am. Crappies love the shade, that's why it is recommended to cast into the shadows or shaded areas of the dock. Retrieve slow and give the jig time to sink to the level of the fish for better results.

Had a great time reeling some large fish within the 20’ depth range. Crappies are suspended at 6 to 10 feet, but the biting fish species are located deeper. During the trip, we were able to get around 4 great Crappies heading back to the dock with us.

The rainy day did not stop them from fishing a great catch. They managed to catch some Crappies and a massive 16.4 Flathead Catfish from Lake Lanier this July 2022. During the season, they are finding crappie suspended 15-25’ feet over a 30-40’ bottom.