Cooler nights, a little rain and a more clouds are dropping water temperatures at Lake Lanier enough to make the ravenous striped bass population hungry. For those who relish the brute power exhibited by one of these big linesided predators on the end of a fishing line, explosive battles are on the horizon!
The striped bass is an eating machine that can convert useless shad into highly desirable gamefish pounds, and in Lake Lanier, they grow even faster than at other lakes. Great water quality and a tremendous baitfish supply are responsible. Their only negative quality is the lack of aerial acrobatics when hooked, although stripers often leave the water when attacking a surface plug.
When no surface activity is seen, many anglers fish points using lighter baitcasting outfits with 10 to 12 pound line. These outfits are used to cast plugs like Storm’s jointed Thunderstick, Cordell’s Redfin and Bomber’s 1600 Series Long-A. The best method is a slow steady retrieve with these lures that leaves a little “V” wake when the surface is calm, or a slightly faster retrieve to take the lures 3 to 5 feet deep when the water is choppy.
Though topwater lures are fun to use, jigs of different types are often more productive. Favorites include the 1/2 ounce Blakemore RoadRunner with bucktail hair, a 1/8 ounce leadhead jig dressed with a 3-inch, chartreuse curlytailed grub or a 1/4 ounce Swirleybird spinner. Even with this knowledge, one must make thousands of casts to be successful. However, the catch of a lifetime may be only one cast away. One can hook as many as ten stripers over twenty pounds on a single outing and it only takes one of those big fish to make a trip worthwhile.
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