Nothing much has changed on the stripers on our guide boats. Downlined bluebacks fished 40-100 feet deep are still working. Leadcore is still producing early most days. Power reeling down to the fish that you see 80 to 100 feet is also producing some big fish. Mid-lake and further south is best.

There are fish out over and just off the main channel down 40-100 feet, but there are also some smaller fish in the mouths of southend creeks over a 45-60 foot bottom. Most of these shallower fish have been from 3 to 10 pounds, with a occassional bigger one.

Our better size stripers have been deep, out on the main lake, in or just off the main channel.

Overall, the striper fishing has been good most days. We've had a day or so that has been slower on live bait, but trolling leadcore and power reeling has saved us when the fish have been shopping our baits.

This report is brought to you by Shane Watson Guide Service www.lakelanierstripers.com and Hammond's Fishing Center. Good Fishing.

An annual tradition is returning to Lake Lanier: the Lake Lanier Rowing Club will hold the annual Taste of Gainesville.

This event has been held every year since 1998 at the Lake Lanier Olympic Venue and was formerly known as “Dinner on the Docks.”

Hundreds of people will dine under the stars with live music and wonderful food from many top restaurants in Northeast Georgia.

The 2009 Taste of Gainesville will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. on September 19th on the plaza. It serves as a primary fundraiser for the activities at The Lake Lanier Rowing Club and helps bring restaurants and consumers together.  Proceeds from ticket sales will be used to maintain and improve the Lake Lanier Olympic Venue and its legacy.

Tickets for adults are $25 in advance and $30 at the door on the day of the event.  Children 10 and under get in free.  Tables of 8 and 10 are available for reservation in advance. Tables of 8 are $40 and tables of 10 are $50.

Guests are welcome to come by car or boat. Boats may be anchored near the docks, and the Rowing Club will provide boat taxi service.

To buy tickets, please contact the Lake Lanier Rowing Club office at 770-287-0077 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The Atlanta Falcons first home game at the Georgia Dome this year will kick-off Saturday night at 8pm against San Diego. Fans from Flowery Branch are sure to get a charge out of this pre-season contest as Alexis Hart, a student at Flowery Branch High School, will be singing the National Anthem.

Other scheduled activities for the game include a quarter of youth football at halftime, hundreds of Chik-Fil-A plush cows parachuting into the stands, and 2009 season schedule magnets are being given out at the gates.

The third pre-season game is usually the one that features the most playing time for the starters, so fans should be able to get at least a full half of meaningful football.

In a regular season game last November, the Falcons handled the Chargers 22-16 in San Diego as Michael Turner racked up 120 rushing yards on his former team.

On Tuesday Governor Sonny Perdue met privately with several of Georgia's environmentalist groups to give them a run down on the state's response to this summer's federal water ruling and in an effort to work together to find solutions to the crisis. He also outlined the state's appeal plans, its negotiation position with Alabama and Florida, its strategy to convince Congress to authorize Lake Lanier as a metro Atlanta water supply source, as well as other contingency plans.

Members of the Georgia Water Coalition and the Coosa River Basin Initiative were in attendance and are optimistic about participating in the state's water policy despite some disagreements with the Governor's plan.

Arguing that it's the fastest and cheapest way to secure the water supply, the environmentalist groups would like to see more of an emphasis on water conservation in the policy instead of relying as heavily on building more reservoirs, which could take years to implement. They also argue that river basin transfers would stress other systems and possibly shift the crisis to another area of the state.

Rome’s Joe Cook, executive director of the Coosa River Basin Initiative, estimates that aggressive water conservation methods could save the state as much as 200 million gallons of water a day.

If an agreement is not reached within three years, the amount of water available to be withdrawn for metro Atlanta from Lanier will revert to 1970's levels, slipping from the current 350 million gallons a day to 230 million gallons.

Since 1971 Dawson Forest on the western side of Lake Lanier has been owned by Atlanta and Hartsfield-Jackson Airport with the intention of using the land for a second airport. However, pressure for another airport diminished when Hartsfield-Jackson added a fifth runway in 2006 and now, in the aftermath of the court decision potentially restricing Georgia's access to Lake Lanier, some developers are renewing previous talk of building a new reservoir in the forest.

An Atlanta-based company named Republic Resources is asking to use one-fifth of the 10,000 acres in Dawson Forest for the new reservoir. The land would be suitable for a reservoir because Shoal Creek, Amacalola Creek and the Etowah River all run through the forest.

Republic Resources proposes that Atlanta sell the property to the Etowah Water & Sewer Authority, which serves Dawson County. The utility then would work in a public-private partnership with a new corporate entity to be formed byRepublic Resources to build the $600 million to $650 million reservoir.

There are several potential objections. The Etowah River runs into Lake Allatoona which is also the subject of a legal challenge from Alabama and government permitting requirements would be difficult to overcome.