Lake Lanier Fishing?

by Alex
(Georgia)

I fish on Lake Lanier in Georgia. My one problem is that I don't have a fish finder right now. I have maps of the lake so I was wondering if I could put these to use.

Also, I have fished mostly with a rooster tail and caught mostly crappie. I was just needing some fishing tips for spinners, worms, and cranks, like where should I put them, etc...?

Answer About Fishing On Lake Lanier

Your maps should be able to help you out a lot.

A topographic map would be great. For a refresher about topographic maps related to the importance of fishing, here are a few key things to keep in mind...

• Looking at a map, the closer the lines are running through the water, then the steeper the grade of the drop off will be. The further apart the lines are, the more gradual and flatter it slopes.


• Circle and oval shaped lines usually represent humps or deeper pools, depending on what depths are stated on the map.


• Lines that extend from the shoreline into v-like shaped patterns represent points that carry out from the land into the water.


• Many of the better and more advanced maps will likely show additional information, such as weed lines, types of structure like rock pilings, trees, boat ramps, docks, etc.

Use your maps to find those drop offs, extended points and humps. I would suggest to start off using a crankbait to get to those humps and points, and be sure to thoroughly cover the area. And then follow it up with your soft plastic worms, maybe rigged up as a drop shot.

Without using your maps, you can also get a relatively good idea of the contour and type of slope that the bottom might be like. You can tell simply by looking at the lay of the land leading into the water. The slope/grade of the the land will often carry on similarly throughout the into the water as well.

As we all know, fish like to hang around structure. So I would begin tossing out a spinner bait to those key areas. And of course, mix up your cadences until you trigger the fish to bite. And then follow it up again with your soft plastics, except you may want to rig it weedless like the Texas rig to help prevent yourself from getting hung up and snagged.

And from what I understand, there are "fish attractors" which have been hand placed throughout the lake. The attractors are just old recycled Christmas trees that have been anchored down to the bottom. Those trees make for great structure for the fish to hang out at. You should be able to obtain a map of Lake Lanier from the recreation facility, which shows where those fish attractors have been placed.

Google maps can also be an excellent resource. You might be able to locate small areas of water that extend past small coves and pockets. On the water it might look like areas that are hard to get to because of a shallow section of water and/or overhanging trees and brush blocking the path. Because of that, those secluded-like areas will most likely have the lightest fishing pressure, which should produce more fish for you. If you can find any of those areas while fishing on Lake Lanier, then you may have found your own secret honey hole.

Well, I hope this helps you out a little to get you going. If you have any other questions, feel free to come back and post them here.

I would be interested in knowing how you do out there on the water. Please feel free share your fishing pictures and/or just your fishing stories with us.

Good luck freshwater fishing on Lake Lanier. By the way, it just dawned on me as to what type of fish that you are specifically targeting? Crappie, lagemouth bass, striped bass, sunfish,..?