I had Mr. Will back on the boat with me today, all the way from Spartanburg, South Carolina. This was his third trip with me, and at this point I really think he needs to start bringing some backup.
My objective every time he fishes with me is pretty simple — put him on more fish than one man should have to handle by himself. 😂
Today gave us a really good look at how the fish are starting to transition with the cooler water and changing fall conditions.
We began the morning searching around humps, ditches, and some other structure where I expected to find fish holding.
At first, I wasn’t seeing much.
Instead of wasting too much time, I slid off the structure and started checking the open water close to those same humps.
That move paid off immediately.
We Found a Mega School
Mega school of striped bass showing on the Lowrance during an October Lake Lanier striper trip. 🎣
As soon as we moved out into the open water, the electronics lit up.
We had a massive school of stripers underneath the boat, and the bite started quickly.
Rods started bending, and we were able to stay on those fish for a while.
We even caught about three fish on the spoon.
When you have that many stripers stacked underneath the boat, dropping a spoon vertically through them can be extremely effective. Sometimes the fish are so concentrated that it becomes one of the easiest ways to pick up extra bites.
Watching the Fish Transition
Striped bass repositioning in the water column as weather conditions changed on Lake Lanier.
One of the most interesting parts of the day was watching the fish reposition as the weather changed.
Early in the morning, conditions were overcast.
During that period, the fish were much more comfortable roaming out in open water near the humps.
As the morning progressed and the sun started coming out, I watched those same fish gradually shift.
They began moving shallower and started positioning themselves more directly on the humps and in the ditches running alongside those humps.
That is something anglers should pay close attention to this time of year.
The fish may not completely leave an area.
Instead, they may simply change how they relate to the structure depending on sunlight, temperature, bait movement, and other conditions.
The Bite Got Tougher
Once the sun got higher, the fish became noticeably more finicky.
There were plenty of fish showing around 40 feet.
The problem was that those fish simply did not want to eat.
My blueback herring would stay healthy at that depth, but the stripers sitting there were not committing to the bait.
The fish that were actually willing to eat were deeper.
Most of the productive fish were down around 60 to 70 feet.
That created another challenge.
With the current water temperatures and conditions, blueback herring do not last very long once they are dropped that deep.
So we had to stay on top of our bait.
The process became:
Drop the bait deep, give the fish a chance to eat it, bring it back up before it completely burns out, replace it, and send another one down.
We definitely went through some bait, but making that adjustment allowed us to put several additional fish in the boat.
Fall Fishing Is Starting to Take Shape
Mr. Will with a pair of Lake Lanier stripers as the fall bite starts to take shape. 🎣
The lake temperature this morning was approximately 79°F.
That is a major improvement from the much warmer water we were dealing with not long ago.
As the water continues cooling, I expect the fishing to continue improving.
The fish are already starting to move, transition, and relate differently to structure throughout the day.
That means anglers need to remain flexible.
If you do not see fish directly on the humps early in the morning, check the surrounding open water.
If the sun gets higher, come back and check those humps, ditches, ledges, and other nearby structure again.
The fish may have moved onto it.
That was exactly what we watched happen today.
Overall, Mr. Will and I had another great trip, caught some beautiful Lake Lanier stripers, and got to watch the fall pattern continue developing right in front of us.
The weather is cooling down, but the fishing is heating up. 🎣🔥
I still have plenty of available dates coming up, and now is an excellent time to get on the lake.
To book a Lake Lanier striper fishing trip:
Call or text: 678-283-6500
Book online: LakeLanierStriperSnipers.com
Or send me a message through Facebook.
Captain Striper Sniper — at it again.