Lake Lanier Fishing Report – January 17, 2025
- Water Level: Lanier has risen to 1.64 ft BELOW full pool. The lake is likely to continue to slowly rise over the next few days with the upcoming rain.
- Water Temperature: Water temps have fallen over the past two weeks into the mid to upper 40s. Garmin is consistently showing 45/46 while Lowrance is showing 49 just as consistently. I expect these temps to remain stable or maybe slightly rise over the next two to three days before dropping a little more with next weeks cold front.
- Water clarity: The backs of the South end major creeks are much cleaner than I have seen in January over the past few years. The main lake has visibility approaching 10ft.
As of this writing, I have not seen any sign of a shad kill in the areas I have been fishing. The water temps need to drop into the low 40s for a few consecutive days for a strong shad kill. If it does not happen next week, the odds of a strong shad kill occurring in 2025 start to decrease as the days are getting longer and warm fronts will start to bring temps back up.
The ditch bite still remains strong for me. I have fished from above Hwy 53 to the dam and have found ditch fish throughout that range. While the finesse swimbait bite is still the most consistent for me in these areas, other baits are starting to play a role as well.
Over the past two weeks, the A-rig bite has been picking up. With the A-rig, anglers are able to target both suspended fish as well as fish that are hugging the bottom.
Unfortunately for the non-scopers, the A-rig bite relies heavily on the use of FFS. Yes, the A-rig can be effective without the use of FFS, but right now, angers are exponentially more efficient when combining the two. For anglers new to FFS, this bite is a great way to get used to seeing the bait and bringing it to fish. The reason for this is the size of the rig produces a large return on the screen making it much easier to pick up and follow.
For the suspended bass, we are throwing the rig past the fish and letting it sink to a level right above where the fish is at. The retrieve is slow and should pass right above the fish. What to do when the bait passes the fish is the “art” of it and there is no “correct” answer. Some days the steady retrieve will work, others we have needed to burn it after it gets the fish’s attention, and killing it has even worked on other days. Trial and error is the name of the game.
For fish hugging the bottom, FFS is a must to avoid many of the hang-ups. Simply cast, find the bait on the screen, let the bait sink to the bottom then slowly retrieve the bait back to the boat. Watch the bait and adjust the retrieve as needed to swim the bait over structure on the bottom.
My set up is below:
- Rig – Diamond Baits 4.5in “Frenzy”
- Hooks – Keitech 1/8oz tungsten heads with a 2/0 hook
- Swimbaits – CAST 3in Prodigies in Blue Herring
- Rod – St. Croix Victory or Legend, 7’5” MHF
- Reel – SEVIIN GF 7.3:1
- Line – 14lb fluorocarbon
We are quickly approaching the time of year where things will start changing quickly and the number of patterns will increase with those changes.
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For January, I have the following dates available: 19-30. For February I only have the 9, 10, 12, 16, 21, 22-28.
Jeff
770-715-9933