yakdawg

The fishing is good!  If you haven't allready dusted the yak off and got on the water now is the time! Below is what is working for Yakdawg and LAKE members on Lanier and surrounding waters over the past few weeks.
Bass:  The spots are up on top and will hit moving baits if you are at the right place at the right time!  The key to fishing the topwater bite in the kayak is patience.  If the fish go down before you are in casting distance continue to make several casts and retrieves in the area you saw fish surfacing.  Sometimes you will "call up" an aggressive magnum spot!  It is hard to beat humps and points this time of year for topwater action on Lanier.  The zara spook and chugbug are two great lures to throw.  I have also been doing well throwing a jig-head 3 inch grub at surfacing fish.  Jerkbaits and swimbaits will also get hit.    
Stripers:  The striper fishing remains good but be prepared to get "window shopped!"  Downlined blueback herring is the ticket for a sleighride this time of year.  I have been catching fish this week 20-30 feet down over a 40-60ft bottom on the south end of the lake.  The great news is that the stripers are really starting to bunch up, but just because you have found them does not mean that you will get bit!  Some tactics that will help trigger a strike:  power reeling (dropping the bait below the fish and reeling up fast).  Lighter leaders, try 12 or even 10 pound.  Paint your weights black.  Also have a bucktail jig ready to drop to the fish and even try cut-bait if nothing else works!  Seeing lots of fish on the sonar is a bad problem to have!  I would much rather figure out what they want then to spend all day looking for them!   
Crappie/Bream/Catfish:Bream and crappie are biting on smaller lakes in the North GA area and can be a blast on light tackle!  I have been catching a mixed bag of bull bream and crappie on micro jigs, sometimes tipped with a berkley crappie nibble.  For larger bream, stay off the banks and let the jig sink to the bottom before working it back to your yak!  Crickets are deadly on these big bream as well!  Just because the spawn is over doesn't mean you can't catch crappie!  I have been catching crappie around deep blowdowns and bridge pilings.  Use jigs or live minnows for the slabs!
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Fishing has been very good on Lanier and surrounding waters over the past few weeks!  Spring is one of the best times of the year to get out and enjoy fishing from a kayak.  Mild weather, less boat traffic and eager fish make for some enjoyable days on the water.  So, what are the fish eating?  Here is what has been working for Yakdawg and other LAKE anglers:

Bass:  The bite seems to be changing daily!  On the lake the shallow bite is starting to slow down but there are still some small buck spots close to the banks and under docks.  Largemouth, like the fish pictured below, are biting good up the lake on plastic worms around blow-downs and docks.  Down south there are some fish coming up, hopefully that will pick up soon.  It is hard to beat a Zara Spook or chugbug for these topwater spots!  The sebile magic swimmer and a fishhead spin are to lures that you should have ready to throw!  If you want a change of pace from the busy Lanier traffic, try some bass fishing on a smaller lake or pond.  There are plenty in the Atlanta area and the size of the bass you may catch will surprise you! In the smaller lakes I do well on finesse worms on a texas rig and shallow diving cranks or rattle traps. 
Stripers:  The striper fishing remains good on Lanier and will only improve!  Kayak anglers have been catching stripers on Free-lined and downlined bluebacks.  Over the next few weeks don't be afraid to have both downlines and freelines out as the fish move deeper in the water column.  I like to run both particularly in the morning then switch over to all downlines once the sun gets high overhead.  Target points and humps this time of year for good numbers of fish.  If you have yet to experience catching a striper from the kayak then you are in for a ride, or should I say a "sleigh ride!"

Panfish:  The bite for bluegill and other panfish is hard to beat right now!  Small lakes surrounding Lanier are great places to target these tasty fish.  I like to use small 1/80 oz micro jigs and 1/32 crappie jigs to target these fish on ultralight gear.  You will find beds in anywhere from on the bank to five or more feet deep off the banks.  Let your jig sink to the bottom then start a slow retrieve back to your kayak, often the bream will hit the jig on the fall.  The key to catching good numbers of fish is not spooking the beds, anchor your kayak well away from the shore and make long casts.  Live bait will also fill the yak with these panfish, try small worms or crickets.  Pound for pound these fish are hard fighters, below is a nice stringer full of bluegill taken on a nearby lake.  

Trout:  For a change of pace, head up to the north GA mountains for some great fishing!  Streams and rivers have been heavily stocked!  A quick limit of fish coupled with the amazing scenery make for a great relaxing day on the water.  Many presentations will work on these fish including corn, salmon eggs, and worms but my favorite lure is a small inline spinner (roostertail).  

Fishing has been great on Lanier over the past few weeks! In my opinion the best thing going right now on the lake is the spotted bass fishing. The spots are biting a number of different lures right now so you can pretty much pick something you have confidence in and fish with it! I have been catching good numbers on a white rooster tail and a spot-sticker zoom finesse worm.  The rooster tail works best if you let it sink to the bottom and then start your retrieve.  Kayak anglers are also having good success with crankbaits, jerkbaits and catching some magnums with free-lined bluebacks while striper fishing!
The stripers are finally coming alive and biting!  Free-lined bluebacks are still the ticket right now but don't leave home without a topwater lure.  Red-fin's and Zara spooks are the lures of choice.  Catching a striper on top in the kayak can be challenging but is worth the effort!  Pictured below is a nice 12.5 pound striper that L.A.K.E member Ceanes landed today.  Stripers over ten pounds will give you what is called a "sleigh ride"  Quite an adrenaline rush!      

If you want to have some fun this spring with ultra-light gear the bream bite is really starting to turn on on Lanier.  On average the fish runs small but there are some larger ones in the mix waiting to be caught!  All of the new structure on the shoreline is making for a great habit for these fish to survive in.  I landed 20 plus bream on my last trip with a 1/32 oz jig and a pink grub.  This combo has been producing bream, crappie, largemouth bass, spotted bass and even a five pound catfish.  I just throw the jig out around brush/shorelines, let it sink, then slowly retrieve the lure.  If you want catch numbers of fish then give this a shot, you never know what you may hook into! 

Good luck on the water!  If you want to learn more about kayak fishing or connect with other Lanier Kayak Anglers visit our forum at http://lanierkayakfishing.proboards.com/

The bite is getting better every day!!! I have been out several times over the past week and have been doing well with bass, stripers and crappie.  For stripers your best bet from the kayak is still free-lined blueback herring, run them 100 feet behind the yak and cover some water.  You will catch a mix of spots and stripers this time of year, sometimes it is hard to keep the spots off the line!  I also like to cast jerkbaits or crankbaits for some bonus fish while trolling bait.  

The crappie are biting very well as they prepare to spawn. I have been catching them under docks but unlike last year this is not my best method. Most of the fish seem to be holding around blowdowns and brush that collected on the shorelines when the lake was down. Fish the backs of creeks or coves and target any woody cover or brush that you find for the slabs. They are hitting jigs and minnows right now, if you don't want to mess with bait, try some berkely gulp minnows, they work almost as good as live minnows, infact I caught five fish with just one yesterday! Fish the gulp baits 2-3 feet down under a weighted bobber.

The fishing should only get better! If you are interested in kayak fishing, visit our message forum at www.lanierkayakfishing.proboards.com To join in on a trip, read reports or just ask questions about the sport of kayak fishing.  Will report back next week, good luck on the water!

Spring has sprung and the fish are biting on Lanier and surrounding waters! Over the past few weeks I have been out mostly targeting crappie and bass. I have caught a mixed bag of fish on small 1/32 oz green jigheads rigged with plastic grubs. A small one inch pink grub has been my best color, tipped with a berkley crappie nibble. Small lures don't always mean small fish though, the 14 inch slab pictured in this report hit this exact combination!

With the warming weather and water, I am catching fish shallower around brush, blowdowns and docks. If you go out in the kayak after crappie make sure to use four pound line, you will catch more fish versus heavier line. Not to mention that light line and smaller reels make for some big fun with these panfish or even black bass! You may even catch catfish, stripers or perch this time of year so be ready!!

I will be back out several times this week, for more reports visit Lanier Area Kayak Fishing Enthusiasts on facebook or stop by our message board at www.lanierareakayakfishing.proboards.com .  

Made it out to Lanier Sunday for a few crappie, it is almost time! Best fish went about a pound, did not catch enough to fill a stringer but that will come soon! Fish were biting in a flat on the north end of the lake over a 20ft bottom. All of my fish came on a minnow or plastic grub with a yellow jighead at 15ft down. Can't wait to get back out there!

Will report back in the next few weeks!

Greg

Finally made it out to the lake today for a few hours!  The flex-it spoon bite is strong right now for spots, I ended up catching a nice limit of spotted bass today over a 40-50 foot bottom!  These fish were very aggressive, and feeding heavily on bait in the area.  Check out the detailed report at our new fishing forum:

We are excited to announce that our new message board is online for Lanier Area Kayak Anglers to enjoy! Visit our new online forum at http://www.lanierkayakfishing.proboards.com .

Finally made it out to Lanier for some fishing this week. The weather has been a combination of wet and cold! I fished the back of a southend creek in search of stripers but only found spots! I caught a few spots while free-lining trout for the stripe's. Next time out I will likely target only spotted bass as I did very well this time last year with flex-it spoons and bucktails jigs.  The lake is still full and looking great, very little pleasure boat traffic makes the winter months a great time to get out and fish!