Over the last 2 weeks, the striper blow ups have been amazing on live bait. We have caught many stripers from 20 to 31 pounds on freelined bluebacks and on gizzard shad. Spro McSticks and bucktails are also working very well on stripers, spots, and largemouth. Some mornings, the stripers have been busting on top and the action has been great on 10 to 20 pound male stripers. Our bigger female stripers have been caught in the backs to the middle of creeks up in 5 to 15 feet of water.

The crappie fishing has also been great on jigs and on minnows. Our crappie guide has been been catching 50 to over a 100 crappie a day. Spring is here, the trees are budding out, the lake is rising, and the fish are on a full spring time pattern. It's great to be alive and on Lake Lanier.

This report is brought to you by Shane Watson Guide Service 770-235-9829 www.lakelanierstripers.com,  Hammond's Fishing Center, and Carolina Skiff Boats. Good Fishing and We Appreciate Your Business.

Shane Watson Guide Service Report (02-24-12).

Dwayne and I spent much of last week in Miami for the boat show. While I was gone and since I've been back our boats have had trips daily. Down the lake freelined bluebacks and gizzard shad fished up shallow from the middle to the rear of creeks have produced well at times. Up north, we've done well on downlined trout and on Capt. Mack's 4 arm u-rigs.

I've seen a few groups of fish boiling on top since returning from Miami and we have caught these surfacing fish on white bucktails. It really has depended on what we are seeing every morning as to the pattern we've been using. Some days, the fish have been up shallow and the blow-ups on the freelines have been amazing. At times, the fish have been much too deep for freelines and we've had to troll or catch them on downlines 40 to 60 feet deep. You just have to be flexible in these transitional months. Have a game plan, but be willing to change everything and make drastic moves if your chosen pattern is not working.

We've caught and released many big spots the last couple of days on downlines 40 to 60 feet deep while striper fishing over a slick bottom. Our crappie guide is doing well on jigs around deeper docks. Looks like an early spring for us Thank God. I look forward to more fish moving up shallow as surface temps continue to rise.

This report is brought to you by Shane Watson Guide Service, Carolina Skiff Boats, and Hammond's Fishing Center. Good Fishing.

Shane Watson Guide Service
www.lakelanierstripers.com
770-889-5549

Our boats continue to do well on downlined trout 25-40 feet deep over a 40-60 foot bottom. Capt. Macks 4 arm shad body u-rigs are also working when the fish are up in the water column. I have ran a good many bucktail jig trips the last few weeks and we've done well beating the banks up north and mid-lake. A white 3/8 to 1/2 oz. Spro bucktail jig with a white fluke or white hyper striper tail has worked best. We've caught and released many stripers up to 25 pounds on the jig and many big spotted and largemouth bass on the jig. It's great to see the largemouth rebound over the last few years.

I can remember have good the largemouth bass fishing was here back in the early to mid 70's, it's nice to see some good ones again. The seagulls have been helpful on the stripers some days, especially the further north you go. Down south you will see thousands and thousands of gulls, sitting on the water and flying around. Don't be distracted by these, keep moving until you can find the smaller groups of seagulls that are hitting the water, with and without loons.

We are catching some quality stripers right out from under the loons. We've had good reports from our scouts that are way down the lake south, but I haven't been down there this week. Our crappie guide has also been doing very well on jigs, under deeper docks up the lake. It's great to see Lake Lanier come back up, hope it continues to rain.

This report is brought to you by Shane Watson Guide Service www.lakelanierstripers.com, Hammond's Fishing Center, and Carolina Skiff Boats. Good Fishing and Watch out for floating debris.

We are continuing to see good u-rig and downlining fishing on the stripers. Capt. Mack's 4 arm shad body rigs, fished 80 to 90 feet behind the boat at 3.0 mph are working well. Downlined bluebacks and trout fished 25 to 40 feet deep have also been working well most days. Mid-lake and north has been best on our boats. I have had dock pick-up down south a couple of days this past week and we have found the birds diving back in the creeks. We caught a few stripers on leadhead flukes and bucktails when you pulled up to the diving seagulls with and without loons. We caught a 20 pounder on a jig right under a loon.

Whether you fish north or south, active seagulls are a dead give away this time of the year. Our crappie guide has also been doing very well on a split trip catching stripers early and then going crappie fishing later in the day. They are catching crappie under deeper docks on jigs. This good crappie fishing will last thru spring. This report is brought to you by Shane Watson Guide Service www.lakelanierstripers.com, Hammond's Fishing Center, and Carolina Skiff Boats. Good Fishing and We Appreciate Your Business.