Fishing Report For Lake Lanier, GA
By Rick Seaman
April 15, 2025
Fishing Reports
Popular Fish Species Lake Lanier, GA
Striped Bass
Current Report: Good To Very Good
Outlook: Very Good To Excellent
Threadfin shad and blueback herring are the primary food source for striped bass, and both are plentiful at Lake Lanier. Schools of stripers are migrating into coves and up the inflowing rivers. They are aggressively feeding. Once the water warms and drives them out of the coves, they will follow the baitfish back to the main lake, holding above river channels and humps. Fish finders are a big help in locating these roaming schools. Spoons, swimbaits, jerkbaits, crankbaits, live bait and cut bait are all effective here.
Largemouth Bass
Current Report: Good To Very Good
Outlook:Very Good
The bass are shallow, in various early stages of the spawn, and actively feeding. A wide variety of lures are catching nice largemouth bass here, but many local anglers are throwing jerkbaits, flukes, crankbaits, spinnerbaits and vibrating jigs. As the water warms from the current mid-50's to the 70's, the bass will migrate out to points, ledges and humps along creek and river channels. Big worms, spoons and drop-shots are popular once they hang out in 20' or deeper. Topwater is just around the corner, so keep a Zara Spook, or similar topwater bait handy.
Black Crappie
Current Report: Poor To Fair To Good To Very Good To Excellent
Outlook: Poor To Fair To Good To Very Good To Excellent
Virtually all the major cover and pockets on the lake are loaded with crappie, in shallow water, as they begin the spawn cycle. Crappie fishing has been very good for many years in Lake Lanier, and this year appears to be off to a terrific start. Spring is the premiere time to be on the water as crappie move into shallow coves to spawn. Boat houses, docks, bridge pilings, brush, wood and deep vegetation are good places to cast small crappie jigs or live minnows. Light tackle with 4 lb to 8 lb line is ideal. Locals report good success using forward facing sonar to identify cover holding schools of crappie.
Fishing Video
Fish species to fish for...
Guide to fishing for largemouth bass, spotted bass, channel catfish, flathead catfish, black crappie, walleye, rainbow trout, bluegill, green sunfish, redbreast sunfish, redear sunfish, warmouth, white bass, yellow perch and striped bass at Lake Sidney Lanier in Georgia.
Lake Lanier is a 37,000-acre reservoir with nearly 700 miles of shoreline. Notorious for great striped bass fishing, the lake also has healthy populations of catfish, bass, crappie, sunfish, walleye and perch. It is also stocked with rainbow trout. There are areas with public access for fishing from the bank.
Primary fish species residing in Lake Lanier
Click images for fishing tips and details about each species.
Today's Weather & Forecast
Fishing Boat Rentals
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Public Boat Launch Ramps & Landings
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Marinas
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Fishing License
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Map - Fishing & Access
Rick Seaman is a fishing enthusiast with over five decades of fishing experience, a retired tournament fisherman, author of numerous published articles on fishing, and co-author of the book "Bass Fishing - It's not WHAT you throw, It's WHERE you throw it".
Contact Information
Lake Lanier
Holiday Marina On Lake Lanier
6900 Lanier Islands Pkwy
Buford, GA 30518
770 945-7201
Fishing lakes in each state.
041525
Lake Sidney Lanier, Georgia Report
GEORGIA
Information about fishing lakes in Georgia
Lake Lanier is a great destination for bass, rainbow trout, striped bass, catfish, crappie, sunfish, walleye and perch fishing in the north-central portion of GA.
