Rick and I had a decent Thursday afternoon landing over 15 fish in about 6 hours. We could have caught more but I was doing a lot of "experimenting" which basically means "not catching fish". I like to do this when we get on a consistent pattern that's working; use one rod to get the bite and the other to try things you thought might work but need to know the fish are biting to test your theory. Well, I got to test a lot of "theories" Thursday afternoon and for the most part, none of them panned out. Fortunately I was able to do well jigging and boated a couple including this solid 12 lb'er.
The good news is the fish are starting to get out over the main channel which means the trolling bite is on! Rick and I were able to get "in the zone" which means we were able to get bit on most every pass even though we weren't seeing many fish on the screen. And when these fish hit, they would take off ripping the leadcore off our spools causing my Diawa's to "scream"! These fish were biting shallow, right at the thermocline, and would make a mad dash for the trees down deep once hooked. Fortunately we didn't loose any to the timber though the big fish of the day came close to getting us snagged. Here's Rick with the "catch of the day" for this trip; a hefty 16 lb'er.
By dinner time we had enough and called it a day. This trip was good for numbers and all signs are pointing to it getting even better. The key "changes" happening right now include the following:
1) The massive quantity of bait we've been seeing for the past month is finally getting well above the thermocline. It's also grouping up so there aren't so many schools scattered all over the water column. This means it will become a lot more work for the Stripers to feed. Indirectly, this helps my type of fishing; trolling and jigging. As the bait moves up above the thermocline, the Stripers are a lot more willing to feed on my artificials that I can present "below" the thermocline. For the past two months, I've been pulling lures through thousands – I mean MILLIONS – of tiny bait fish (which, for some reason, have been overly abundant this summer). This supply of bait has made it so much tougher for anyone fishing lures (…like me…). The end result has been a slower than normal May, June and July; the last two years the bait has all but dried up by July making the artificial lure action a lot more productive compared to this year. Finally I'm seeing some signs of the bait not being so overly abundant which again, will allow us to get more bites so this will improve the action for sure.
2) The surface temps are finally breaching 85 degrees. During the last few years, I've learned the best summertime action seems to happen once the surface temps get over 85. I don't know for sure but it just seems the thermocline really sets up when the temps are at 86-87 and this "ceiling" over the Stripers makes it easier to figure out the "pattern" they're on. This is typically from August through September and into October. Last year (2008) we got ripped off because of Hurricanes which hit us in mid September. They caused the thermocline to scramble and break up and though the fishing was still Ok for the later half of September, it wasn't nearly as good as it was in 2006 or 2007. Based on the lack of "hurricanes" we've had come our way thus far in 2009, I'm expecting the summer pattern to last through September and carry into October.
3) The fish are finally moving to the main channel and deep water. To me, this is the final ingredient needed to get the "summer time bite" into full swing! Once I start seeing fish out in the this deep water, I'll start catching them there consistently. This means more fish but more importantly, more BIG fish! Tuesday was the first day I marked fish in this deep water and sure enough, I was able to catch some via the deep troll and while down-line jigging. Today was more of the same and it will only get better.
Lastly, the summertime "schools" of Stripers will soon be filling my fish finders screens. Once all the fish are forced to the Southside of the lake, into the deep water and contained in a limited amout of water that has a very distinct ceiling over it, the fishing will get as easy as you'll ever see on Lanier. Don't get me wrong; it's still quite a challenge to boat these fish but the limited amount of water to search makes your effort that much more productive and why I love the summer time on Lanier!
Jonathan and I decided to take Bella to the lake today and it was a blast!! Here she is sporting her new "life jacket".
Bella got a new "life jacket"
What's great about this new vest is that it's got a handle on the back that makes moving Bella around a breeze….
The new life jacket Bella wears is great for moving her around....
Well, the day started late due to a "rain delay" and with the strong winds, I wasn't expecting too much all things considered. Funny how these kind of days usually turn out to be the best! Before we got out of the "no wake" zone of Aqualand, we had our first bite. Jonathan promptly landed this healthy Spotted Bass caught on the troll.
Bella checks out Jonathan's first catch of the day.
Because the weather was "iffy", I decided to start by getting gas. This took a little time and during this break, the rains started in again… After another 20 minute delay, I thought I saw a break in the clouds up lake and decided to make the trip. This turned out to be a smart move with fish all over the water column biting everything we used. The troll bite was effective today with 4-5 landed via leadcore. Here is Jonathan getting a good workout on a nice Lake Lanier Striper.
Jonathan did a lot of this today and he's definitely tired this evening...
Once we got over fish, it took a little time for Jonathan to "remember" how to jig but I guess it's just like riding a bike. He ended up boating several as did Dad. Here I am sporting a nice Lanier Striper while Jonathan battles another one on the swimboard.
Dad showing off his catch with Jonathan fighting a fish on the swimboard!
Jonathan landed fish every which way and this year I'm working at getting him to handle them more. This will really help when the bite gets fast and furious. And he's gotten so much bigger he's barely able to fit under the top on the boat anymore. And of course Bella had to inspect the fish we caught. Usually they'd get a lick or two and she seemed to approve.
Jonathan holds his fish for the camera as Bella inspects.
This Striped Bass was actually about as heavy as Bella!
Bella checks out Jonathan's fish
After reeling in a bunch of fish, we decided to take a swim break. Bella is in training and one of the ways she likes to work out is to pull Jonathan around the lake. She doesn't "tread" a lot of water but she'll go and go and go….
Bella likes to pull Jonathan around in the lake
She ended up dragging Jonathan to shore where the two of them walked around looking for "treasure". When they came back aboard, Jonathan brought his find of the day – a chicken wing bone! Bella thought this was a sure prize too but I convinced him (and her) it had to go back to land.
Jonathan and Bella go treasure hunting
All in all, we did quite well considering the day started miserably. Even after the rain passed, the wind was relentless. It was blowing all day around 12-18 mph and it made fishing tough. I wasn't able to stay over them long at all and with all the trees around, it was amazing we boated as many as we did. Not sure if we got 10 or a 11 but it really doesn't matter. The big fish was 11-12 lbs and they were caught trolling and jigging. The surface temps were only 83 so the lake still has some heating up to do before the fishing peaks. And the fish are still scattered down lake but again, I expect that will be changing shortly. The good news is that I'm catching fish in 80-100 plus feet of water and that means they're moving deep. This is my kind of fishing!!!
Look for more of the same the next two months and at this point it's not a question "if" we'll catch them; it's more a question of "how big" are they gonna be!
Oh, and I want to Thank Rick for "pulling through" again. Keeping with tradition, the Stripers decided to bite as soon as he left to visit his Dad!! No bull, this is the third year in a row that we've had this happen. He usually goes to visit his Dad around the end of July and when he's gone it's like magic!! All the fish seem to just appear and they're aggressive too! I'm thinking when the fishing gets bad late in the year, maybe I'll pay for him to go make another trip to see good ole Bori and Jill….
Capt. J.
Got out on the lake with the Rickster today to see if the Stripers are getting any closer to their summer patterns. So far the lake has been slow to warm with the temps still barely just over 80 degrees. We really need 85+ on the surface to help set up a solid thermocline and so far we just haven't had any real hot weather to help generate that much heat. I expect that will change shortly though as we move into August so it won't be long…
Rick and I headed North today after hearing about some fish up above Browns Bridge. Turned out my sources were right on. We were able to mark fish on our electronics and got several to bite as well. The first fish of the day was 12-13 lbs and was trolled out in some deep water which is always fun.
First fish of the day!
There were 6-7 boats in this area so these fish were a little skittish but we still managed several before lunch. And though we did get over 2-3 fish at a time, they weren't big schools and they weren't super aggressive. That being said, I still managed one jigging which is always fun on the lighter spinning tackle. All the other fish were caught on the troll.
Here is Rick with one of the fish he boated.
One of the nice fish Rick landed today.
Rick will be on vacation next week and if things go down like they did last year when he left town to visit his Dad, the Striper fishing should really get going while he's away. I expect a lot more fish to be active out in the deep water as we move to August so it could be "on" any day now. When this happens, they'll be schooled up a lot more which means more jigging and more catching!!
Start checking weekly for my latest report as I expect to be on the water several times a week for the next 2-3 months.
Capt. J.
Got out for a quick trip up the lake after hearing about some awesome action early this morning. Turns out all the action was in the morning; we didn't do well but it was a nice day to be on the water and in the end, getting to watch Rick commit another "classic moment" is what days like this are all about…
Got up to the same area I was at yesterday just after 3:00 and spent an hour looking for fish. We were marking a few small ones but nothing significant. Most were small and single so we just kept moving. Water temps were hitting a new high ranging from 77-80 degrees. Finally after 4:00 we came upon a small school and stopped the boat. I was able to get a small 7-8 lb'er to hit a jigged Daredevle. Rick actually got a hit but no hook up. We spent another 30-40 minutes chasing the few we saw but they were pretty much gone by 5:00 so we headed back down the lake.
Along the way we stopped at several locations but there just wasn't much happening. Water temps are climbing steadily; the main lake was 76 all the way back to the dock so the down line should be on soon. With the fish wanting to be high up in the water column and the weekend warriors hitting the lake big time, I just don't think it was a good time to be out. Friday afternoons generally means a lot of people will be hitting the water for some weekend R&R. Today was no exception. By 4:00 PM the boat traffic was like any normal summer weekend. In other words, it was pretty crazy out there with jet skiers, water skiers and people tubing. Definitely not the kind of traffic any fisherman likes to see. Next week I'm sticking to early morning trips as the fish are definitely more active and up high in the water column so that will be the best time to do some "catching".
We were back at the dock before 7:00 when Rick pulled another one of his classic "stunts" that made this trip well worth my time and gas. While moving off the back of my boat onto the dock, he somehow let one of his reels "fly" out his back pack and onto my swim board. From there it bounced into the lake where it joined all the other equipment Rick has tossed in over the years. I'm sure all this equipment (mostly mine) are huddled together on the lake bottom right now, enjoying a "cold one" this Friday night, talking about their "friend" Rick who likes to practice "catch and release" with his equipment!!
Had one of my best "May" days ever! I boated 9 fish ranging from 4 to 9 lbs. Fish were caught many different ways including surface, trolling leadcore, trolling umbrella's and jigging. All told it was beautiful on the lake with mild temps and little to no boat traffic.
Headed out later than I wanted. Hit River Forks around 11:00 and noted several boats downlining so I pulled up to see what the fish finders could show me. Not much but after a few minutes I did see a few shallow fish and instinctively decided to throw a Spook in case any were interested. Second cast I got nailed and boated a small 4-5 lb'er. Threw another 15-20 times and decided the fish had moved so I left. Not bad for a 10 minute stop.
Up at Gainesville Marina I stopped in front to see if any of the "fish" Rick reported were still hanging around. Instantly found some bait but then saw Doug riding up. He was headed back to get more bait; he said there were fish up the lake and he was coming back with more bait. I decided to check it out and see what I could find.
After spending an hour going everywhere but where Stripers were swimming, I found a few in Wahoo. Water temps were 74, BP was beginning to drop and it was just before 2:00 when I got one to bite. It took a large spoon trolled 3 colors on leadcore. Weighed about 9 lbs. After boating the fish, the screen filled with fish so I went to the jig. Got the next one on a large Daredevle followed by another the same way. One more on leadcore and then they quit biting and disappeared.
An hour later I found them down back down the river 1/4 of a mile. Using an umbrella I boated another 4 ending the day with 9 total. Not bad for May. Water temps at that point were up to 76-77. All the fish biting were in the 15-20 ft range over a 20-30 ft bottom. Very shallow but were schooling a bit and aggressive.