Morning anglers, Artificial Lure here, bringing you the Lake Lanier fishing report for Sunday, August 31, 2025.

First light has just broken, with sunrise at 7:04 AM and sunset coming up at 8:01 PM. Today’s weather: expect a humid morning, with air temps starting near 72 and heating up fast to the high 80s by midafternoon. Pack the sunscreen and plenty of water—by noon, the sun will be blazing, and a calm breeze from the southwest will make it feel even warmer. With water levels still a bit on the low side from this summer’s persistent drought, expect more visible structure and less cover for baitfish. According to the Statesboro Herald, the receding shoreline is exposing all kinds of “old reminders,” but for us it means tighter fish concentrations and fewer places for them to hide.

Fish activity has been picking up at daybreak and right before dark, which is classic for late summer with the water so warm. Those cool overnight lows are still helping a little, but the midday lull is real—midday fish are pretty sluggish and moving out deep.

Recent catches have been strong for striper and catfish. Local anglers working ledges and points with live blueback herring are reporting some solid stripers in the 10–15 pound range. One group set up 10 poles out on the exposed points and landed a mix of chunky cats and at least three stripers pushing double digits, all before lunch. Less water in the lake is definitely working in our favor—stripers and hybrids have been moving up to ambush schools of bait pinned against the structure.

Spotted bass action is best right at sunrise around long points, brush piles, and those deeper docks—especially north of Brown’s Bridge, and again down near the mouth of Six Mile Creek. Jerkbaits, shaky head worms, and topwater walking baits like a Heddon Spook or a chrome Sammy are producing quality fish. When the sun climbs high, switch to a drop shot with a 4” finesse worm and work the 20–30 foot depth contour just off main-lake humps.

Don’t skip catfishing either. Long nights and exposed muddy flats have the channel cat and the occasional blue cat biting strong on cut bait. Fresh shad or chicken liver are the old standbys—fish the evenings for best results, especially near the backs of creek arms.

Hot spots today:
- Buford Dam: The tailrace is fishing well, especially early while oxygen remains high. Try live bait rigs near the rocks and fast water for both stripers and hefty spotted bass. Locals say it’s also a great spot “just to hang out, fish, and shoot the breeze.”
- Brown’s Bridge North: Points and brush between Brown’s Bridge and Gainesville Marina are holding bass and spotted schools of herring—follow the birds at daylight, and you’ll often find the hybrids busting the surface.
- Six Mile Creek: Early bite on topwater, and some solid bass coming off the docks and shallow brush.

Best lures and bait right now:
- For striper: live blueback herring, medium-sized swimbaits, or large flutter spoons.
- For bass: topwater walkers and poppers at dawn, transition to soft plastics or a drop shot as the sun gets high.
- For catfish: fresh cut bait, chicken livers, or nightcrawlers on slip rigs.

Remember, with water levels down, exercise extra caution around ramps and submerged debris—keep an eye out for snags, and be courteous at crowded launches. And with bass and stripers fattening up for fall, September is shaping up for a great run on Lake Lanier.

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Good morning from the blue hills of north Georgia—this is Artificial Lure with your Lake Lanier fishing update for Saturday, August 30th, 2025.

The lake’s sitting at full pool, holding steady at 1071. Water temps are in the low- to mid-80s, and with that late August sun already climbing, it's gonna feel every bit of summer out there. Sunrise hit at 7:05AM this morning, and you can expect sunset around 8:10PM. Winds are light and humidity is on the rise, so plan on a hot, muggy day. We’ve had clear skies overnight, with a chance of pop-up storms by late afternoon—not unusual for August in Georgia.

Now, let’s talk fish. Striper and spotted bass remain the Lake Lanier stars, and recent outings confirm that they’re holding deep, especially after this past week’s heat wave. Fish are stacking up between 25 and 40 feet, sometimes deeper when the sun’s high. Dusk and dawn are your magic hours, with a push of topwater action just as the sun breaks through and again in the last hour of daylight.

Lake Lanier Tailwater got a fresh load of trout earlier this week according to the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division’s weekly report. Anglers tossing inline spinners and small swimbaits near the upper river stretches are seeing good numbers of rainbows—not huge fish, but tasty and plentiful if you’re looking for some variety.

The spots and stripers, though, are dialed in on blueback herring schools and are chasing bait hard from Browns Bridge up to Flat Creek and out toward the mouth of Six Mile. Locals are reporting double-hookups at sunrise trolling live herring mid-lake and running white bucktail jigs or chrome flutter spoons through the lower thermocline. If you’re sticking to artificials, a morning bite on walking topwaters like the Sammy or the classic Spook can bring explosive results if you’re over schooling fish.

Midday, focus on drop shots rigged with natural-colored finesse worms and shaky heads, or go vertical with a soft swimbait over deep brush piles. For those hunting crappie, brush in 18 to 28 feet near docks in the back of creeks is holding solid slabs—hair jigs and small minnows are your best bet. Catfish are feeding heavy after dark on cut shad and chicken livers around rocky main lake points.

On the bait front, nothing’s beating live bluebacks for stripers and big spots, but savvy anglers are also catching with medium shiners for a mixed bag. Night fishing under lights on deep docks or main channel humps remains productive—expect a handful of stripers, some chunky spots, plus a bonus crappie or two.

If you want a quick start, look to the mouth of the Chattahoochee between Gainesville Marina and River Forks Park early, or try the humps off the main channel near Van Pugh Park. Both spots have produced limits of good-sized spots and some keeper stripers in the past three days.

Before you head out, remember Lake Lanier’s known for sudden weather changes, so keep a sharp eye on the sky, especially with today’s potential storms. With the lake staying busy, get out early or settle in for a moonlit bite when the day crowd thins.

Thanks for tuning in to today’s Lake Lanier report from Artificial Lure—your local eyes on the water. Be sure to subscribe for daily fishing updates and tips. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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Morning y’all, it’s Artificial Lure with your Lake Lanier fishing report for Friday, August 29, 2025. The fall bite is peeking around the corner, and locals know this is one of the best times to hit the water. The sun rose right at 7:04 AM this morning, with sunset expected at 8:09 PM — so you’ve got a generous window to chase that trophy bass or a mess of spots before the day’s heat sets in.

Weather’s prime for fishing: light cloud cover with temps starting in the mid-70s, climbing to the mid-80s by afternoon. No rain on the radar today, and a mild northwesterly breeze will keep things comfy on the open water. Lanier, being a reservoir, doesn’t have ocean tides to worry about — what matters here are those controlled releases and water level changes, which have been steady all week according to Lake Lanier’s official updates.

Striped bass are schooling up already, making some surface boils around sunrise. Downlines with live blueback herring have produced consistent action in deeper channels near Browns Bridge and the mouth of Six Mile Creek. Some solid hybrids are mixed in, and just yesterday morning, a handful of locals at Little Hall Park reported landing linesides up to eight pounds using live bait and white bucktail jigs.

Spotted bass activity has fired up on brush piles and deeper rock points, especially anywhere from 15–30 feet. According to North Georgia Fisherman, the Texas rig worm in natural or green pumpkin has been hot, and more than a few nice fish came on finesse swimbaits and drop shots. If you like power fishing, throw a topwater walking bait or a chrome fluke first light over points near Flowery Branch — one lucky angler just bagged a four-pound spot at sunrise, and bite reports say the big girls are starting to slide shallow.

Largemouths are a little less consistent, but anglers working shallow crankbaits and spinnerbaits in stained coves have scratched out some solid bites, especially late in the day when baitfish are tight to the banks.

Catfish are active overnight and right up through the early morning, with good catches coming on cut shad and chicken livers around flat areas up the Chattahoochee arm. Channel cats and a couple of nice blues hit the cleaning stations at Bald Ridge just yesterday.

For baits and lures this week:
- **Live blueback herring** for stripers and hybrids.
- **Texas rigged worms** (try green pumpkin or watermelon) and drop shot minnows for spots.
- **Jerkbaits** and small swimbaits in shad colors.
- **White spinnerbaits** and shallow cranks for largemouth.
- **Cut bait** or chicken liver for catfish.

Hot spots to hit? Check the brush piles in front of Vanns Tavern for bass, and follow the channel edges near the mouth of Flat Creek for stripers early. Don’t overlook the submerged timber lines off Young Deer Creek — both spots have produced fish all week.

Stay safe, watch for boat traffic, and keep an eye on weather changes. Thanks for tuning in to this Lake Lanier report — remember to subscribe for all your North Georgia fishing news. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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Lake Lanier’s serving up a true classic late summer pattern today, y’all—water’s warm, skies mostly sunny after those early morning clouds, and a touch of humidity sticking around. Sunrise came at 7:04 AM and sunset’s clocking in tonight at 8:04 PM, so there’s a good, long window to sneak in a solid session on the water, especially early or right before dusk. No tides to contend with, but watch for boat traffic to pick up as the day goes on, especially near the bigger ramps and marinas.

Bass action has been right on point. According to The Bass Cast, Alex Prince just put up six solid bass for 26 pounds in the latest Phoenix Super Tournament, taking home the top spot with fish mostly hitting topwater and moving baits early, then shifting to drop shot rigs and shaky heads once the sun got up. If you want to match what’s working for these tournament hammers, start out throwing a SPRO Bronzeye Frog or similar topwater frog around grass and duckweed just after sunrise—Pat Schlapper vouches for that thick braid to muscle ‘em out of cover when they blow up on your lure. Once the sun pushes the fish deeper, ditch the frog and pick up a shaky head rigged with a green pumpkin worm, or grab a drop shot and target brush piles in 22-28 feet.

Striper reports have been strong in the deep channels and off the river arm humps. Over on Instagram, Mack Farr showed off a nice striper slammed on a blue/chartreuse Chipmunk Jig—always a deep-water staple here in August. Let that jig sink near the thermocline and work it slowly; live blueback herring on downlines after sunup are also pulling in double-digit fish. A couple of guides reported limits by midmorning using this approach, finding big schools suspended on their electronics.

Other catches are mixed, but folks are filling coolers with large schools of spotted bass around main lake points, with soft-swimbaits and underspins doing damage. Catfish bite’s steady using chunky cut bait or chicken livers in the coves, especially overnight. Crappie are still hit or miss, but a small minnow under a slip float in brushy pockets is your best bet for a fish fry.

Hot spots lighting up right now include:
- **Brown’s Bridge**: Work the bridge pilings and nearby humps for a mix of bass and stripers, especially early or at dusk.
- **Young Deer Creek**: Toss topwaters in the mornings for spots, then hunt brush in deeper bends as the day heats up.

Make sure you’re up to date on state regulations—Georgia Wildlife Resources Division has the current 2025-26 regs posted, and you’ll need a fishing license before you launch anywhere on the lake.

Whether you’re working a frog in the lily pads or chasing humps with that trusty Chipmunk Jig, today’s a prime day to wet a line. Thanks for tuning in to your go-to Lake Lanier fishing report—don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss the latest bite.

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Lake Lanier’s water level keeps dropping, but the fishing is heating up for locals who know how to play the conditions. Sunrise was at 6:57 AM and sunset rolls in at 8:12 PM, giving you plenty of daylight to get lines wet before the late August heat sets in. The recent spell of clear skies and muggy nights has continued. It’s already 78 degrees this morning, with highs expected near 91, humidity climbing, and only a light breeze. There’s no tidal action for this freshwater lake, but low water means limited hiding spots—making fish easier to target.

Local anglers are reeling in catfish and big striped bass, with several groups reporting stripers over 10 pounds and a handful of classic channel cats caught along exposed banks and shrinking coves. A recent account from Gainesville mentions setting up 10 rods lakeside and scoring quickly, confirming the pattern that less water means fewer fish hangouts. Expect the most productive bite zones to be close to deeper holes and submerged creek channels where fish are pulled from the shallows by warmer temps.

The morning topwater bite is reliable right now. Buzzbaits and hollow-body frogs fished over patchy grass and old stump flats are working, especially off the southern end near Flat Creek and Shoal Creek. Early risers are finding spotted bass chasing in shallow cover until about 9 AM. Once the sun’s overhead, swap to deeper tactics. Walk-the-dog lures like Zara Super Spooks and Rebel Pop-Rs are drawing strikes in open water. On the bottom, soft plastic worms rigged Texas-style and creature baits pitched into drop-offs around Van’s Tavern and the mouth of the Chattahoochee are a winning play.

Live bait is a solid bet for catfish and stripers this week. Fresh-cut shad and locally sourced live blueback herring are pulling the most bites off main channel points. Several anglers report excellent results drifting cut bait just above the bottom near Browns Bridge and east of Buford Dam. If you prefer artificials, try SpotChoker underspins paired with Tactical Fishing Company swimbaits—one Lanier kayak angler threw back several blanks on jerkbaits, only to switch and quickly start landing spots.

Bream are biting well for kids and old-timers using crickets or red worms under corks, especially in pockets with 4 to 8 feet of water and good shade. Look for bedded fish around timber south of Charleston Park.

Today’s best hot spots:
- **Van’s Tavern drop-off:** Consistently produces striped bass and spotted bass, especially at first light.
- **Browns Bridge channel edges:** Excellent for drifting cut bait for channel cats and big stripers.
- **Flat Creek stump flats:** Prime for early morning topwater bass if you can handle casting accuracy.
- **Shoal Creek coves:** Great for bream and shallow bass in the cooler dawn hours.

Remember, the pressure’s high with less water, so move quietly and watch for mud lines—stripers and spots will often lurk right on the edges ready to ambush. And don’t forget to pack out any trash you see; the exposed lakebed’s got enough reminders of Lanier’s past already.

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Lake Lanier’s classic August weather has rolled in—sticky warm mornings, hazy afternoons, and water temps drifting in the low 80s with the lake sitting just over a foot below full pool, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Sunrise today was right around 6:59 a.m. and you’ll have light until about 8:15 p.m., so plenty of time for a full day’s fishing.

You’re not getting any tides here, but weather matters—a light southwest breeze this morning will pick up a little by afternoon, and a chance of storms can’t be ruled out late day, so don’t be caught off guard.

Bass fishing is holding steady and remains the main event. Most of the fish are in classic deep summer patterns—think thirty feet or more, holding on humps, ledges, and the ends of long points. You’ll still see a flicker of topwater action here and there; keep a Skimmer or Chug Bug handy for when bass bust up bait balls early, especially near humps outside Flat Creek or the main-lake points near Browns Bridge. The real bread-and-butter right now, though, is working soft plastics like white or Blue Pearl Flukes and Spot Chokers over deep structure, watching for your forward-facing sonar to give up those deeper schools. The drop shot, rigged with a Morning Dawn or Blue Lily finesse worm, is the ticket if you’re working 30 to 40 foot brush and timber. Don’t be afraid to fish even deeper—100 feet isn’t out of the question for some of those bigger summer spots.

Recent catches are proving this pattern out. According to the Georgia Outdoor News and social updates from local anglers, spotted bass remain solid in both numbers and size, particularly off the lower lake’s mid-depth structure. Stripers are being found too, stacking over deep bait, and your best bet is to troll deep with live blueback herring or big spoons early, before the sun gets high. For catfish, the channel cats are hitting in 20+ foot depths on cut herring or nightcrawlers—targeting the flats between river channels and the submerged timber is best.

Don’t skip the Lanier tailwater stretch below Buford Dam—according to the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division’s weekly trout stocking report, it’s been freshly stocked with rainbows this week, so those hitting the cool waters with small inline spinners or dough baits should have good odds.

A couple of hot spots to put on your hit list:
- **The humps off Three Sisters Islands:** consistently hold bass and stripers, especially at first light or just before dark.
- **The creek mouths in the south end, around Flat Creek and Big Creek:** low-light conditions or when a breeze stacks up bait, keep your eyes peeled for surface activity—quick reaction with a topwater or fluke is key.

Best baits this week: Flukes (white, Blue Pearl), Spot Choker with chartreuse or citrus shad fluke, drop shot with Morning Dawn finesse worms, Skimmer or Chug Bug for topwater. For stripers, nothing beats live blueback herring. For catfish, go with cut herring or nightcrawlers; for trout in the tailrace, small spinners or salmon eggs.

Thanks for tuning in to today’s Lake Lanier fishing update with Artificial Lure. Be sure to subscribe for daily reports, and may your next cast land you a new personal best. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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Lake Lanier delivered again for North Georgia anglers today. With sunrise at 6:59 AM and sunset at 8:14 PM, folks fishing early found comfortable temps around 72°F this morning, climbing into the mid-80s under mostly sunny skies by the afternoon, with only the slightest breeze and almost no shot of rain. Humidity was up, but boat traffic stayed light until mid-morning—a perfect setup for bass chasers. Tidal influence doesn’t affect Lanier’s freshwater, but for those curious, Lanier Island over on the coast saw high tide at 7:33 AM and 7:57 PM on August 21, though that has no impact on these waters.

The spotted bass bite has been nothing short of excellent. Over on the GON Forum, an angler with a guide boated more than 15 quality spots in just 4 hours, with several fish breaking the 3- and 4-pound mark and a new personal best spotted bass tipping 5.1 pounds. They worked main lake humps and submerged timber, finding most action in 25 to 60 feet of water. The summer thermocline is still hanging deep post-heatwave, so those offshore brush piles and rocky humps are the ticket.

Best lures this week? Locals are crushing it on shaky head worms, chicken rigs, and finesse drop shots when the sun’s up, while early risers are still getting some love on topwater walking baits and flukes worked fast across points and reef markers just after first light. Fngoutdoors on TikTok says right now is prime time for chicken rigs and shaky heads, and judging by cooler counts at the ramp, he isn’t wrong. Subtle greens, watermelon red, and natural shad patterns are proving the most consistent.

For bait fans, it’s hard to beat live herring—thread one on a downline for stripers or bigger spots. But the guys running crayfish and nightcrawlers on deeper drops are also reporting lots of bites from chunky spotted bass and even the occasional catfish. As the sun gets up and boat traffic picks up, finesse really shines; keep it slow and keep it deep.

Recent catches have been dominated by spotted bass, but a few nice largemouth have come shallow early near docks and riprap with big jig-&-crawl combos. Striper activity has slowed some with the heat, but a few big ones are coming at dawn and dusk on live bluebacks around the river channel. Not many reports of crappie or walleye this week, as most anglers are fixated on the hot bass action.

Hot spots to try include:
- Young Deer Creek: Consistent producer for morning topwater and mid-depth finesse during the day.
- Main Lake humps south of Browns Bridge: Big spotted bass and occasional bonus stripers on the breaks and timber edges.
- The Flowery Branch creek arm has been good for targets holding close to brush, especially mid-morning and into the evening.

Best advice? Get out at first light for the shallow bite, then back out to 30, 40, even 60 feet using your electronics. Chicken rigs, shaky heads, and a little patience are all you need to load the boat with Lake Lanier spots right now.

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It’s Artificial Lure with your August 20th Lake Lanier, Georgia fishing report, coming to you bright and early on a Wednesday morning as the sun clears the horizon just after 6:56 AM and will set around 8:19 PM. Lake Lanier’s currently seeing an unseasonably cool snap for late August, with yesterday’s eight-degree temperature drop stirring up the water and making things feel a bit like early fall, reports from local anglers and Instagram’s GON account suggest. Cloudy skies and overnight rains have muddied spots in the river arms, but Lake Lanier itself is mostly clear, with water temps trending down and bass on the move.

The spotted bass bite is definitely heating up—just ask the Lanier diehards. GON and several experienced locals say the cooling water’s got the spots feeding pre-fall style, with many moving up from deeper summer haunts and pushing bait right up onto points and humps. Recent catches have included good numbers of 2- to 4-pound spotted bass, and some posts even mention anglers “absolutely wearing them out” in the mid-lake and south-end areas.

For lures, right now is prime time for topwaters and soft plastics. Yo-Zuri 3DB Pencil Poppers, Super Flukes, and shakey heads are all catching fish. If you’re targeting those schoolers busting bait at dawn, tie on a topwater and work it aggressively over main lake points and shallow humps. As the sun gets up, go finesse; drop shot a shad-colored worm or switch to a shaky head dragged along the brush and rock transitions.

Striper reports have been solid—one Lanier angler recently put a few nice ones in the boat running the legendary “Mustard Stick” on leadcore, paired with a blue chartreuse chipmunk jig. Trollers are finding bands of big fish holding between 40 and 70 feet down over the old river channel, especially near Browns Bridge and the mouth of Six Mile Creek, with blueback herring remaining the top live bait. But artificials are working, especially in low light if you match the hatch and stay mobile.

Catfishing has also picked up some with the rain and cooler outflows. Muddy water around feeder creeks and the back of Flat Creek set up well for cut shad or chicken livers, especially at dusk.

Trout in the rivers remain steady for late summer; the cooler air’s helping, so expect a consistent weekend bite if this weather holds, according to recent accounts on Instagram from river runners.

For hot spots, focus on the following:
- Van Pugh North Park: Schooling spotted bass at daybreak, especially around the long points
- Browns Bridge area: Striper action deep on leadcore, plus bonus spotted bass surface activity
- Flat Creek: Good for catfish and the occasional chunky largemouth in the muddy outflows

There are no lunar or tidal swings on Lanier, but the cool weather is the real game changer, shifting typical summer patterns and concentrating feeding windows around low-light hours. Get on the water early, fish points with topwaters, and be ready to slow down with a shaky head or drop shot after midmorning.

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Artificial Lure here with your Lake Lanier Fishing Report for August 17, 2025.

Sunrise hit us early at 6:54 a.m., with that golden Lanier light reflecting off a shrunken but fish-loaded lake. Sunset tonight’s coming up at 8:27 p.m. What’s it feel like out here? There’s still a little steam to these Georgia August mornings, but you can tell we had a recent cool snap—water temps have dropped about eight degrees just this week. That dip’s got fish, especially the spotted bass, acting like fall’s already in full swing according to Georgia Outdoor News. What’s that mean for your catch count? This is the week to be on the move and on the water.

Drought’s still hitting us, water’s low, and the mudflats are creeping out past the normal shoreline. Locals are finding odd relics sticking out of the mud, but the real treasure’s beneath the surface—these shrinking holes are forcing bass, stripers, and catfish into tighter packs. Less water, more fish in every honey hole, like old-timers say. Folks working points, humps, and drop-offs are pulling in quality fish. Just yesterday, anglers running ten rods along a peninsula had stripers topping 10 pounds, and more than a couple of cats found their way on the line, according to a recent Statesboro Herald update.

Striped bass are pushing shallower in the pre-dawn and dusk hours, especially with water coming down. Live blueback herring is still king if you’ve got it, but don’t overlook big bucktail jigs in white or chartreuse after sun-up. For spotted bass—this week’s real story—you want to lean hard into moving baits. Try a shaky head with a natural worm, a drop-shot rig off rocky points, or even a topwater popper if you’re an early riser. The bite’s hot from dawn through mid-morning, and picks up again just before dark.

Crappie? They’re stacking tight to submerged timber in 15 to 25 feet of water. Minnows, of course, but a tiny white jig’ll do if crappie are feeling suspicious.

Catfish, especially channels and a few blue cats, are hugging any fresh water coming in. Cut shad, chicken livers, and even shrimp are producing steady action in shallower, muddier water—don’t be afraid to fish where the bank used to be.

Best spots? Don’t sleep on the mouth of Six Mile Creek or the rocky points around Browns Bridge—they’re lighting up before sunrise and again at dusk. Nighttime dock lights on Flat Creek are stacking up magnum spots and the occasional hybrid, while the deep timber near Young Deer has been a striper hotbed before the sun’s high.

There’s no tidal swing to worry about on Lanier, but with Army Corps of Engineers pulling flows down even further, fish are more concentrated every single day. That’s a great equalizer for anyone still searching for that end-of-summer lunker.

Bring your sunscreen and extra water—it’s hot out there by noon, and the crowds tend to thin out around lunchtime, leaving the best structure wide open.

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Lake Lanier is waking up hot this August morning, with a slight chill in the air from the recent cool snap, but bright, steamy days are still dominating the forecast around north Georgia. Sunrise hit at 6:54 AM and sunset won’t roll in ’til 8:27 PM, so there’s plenty of daylight to get lines wet. No tides in a reservoir, but pay close attention to power generation schedules at Buford Dam – that release current can make or break your afternoon, especially for striped bass and spotted bass action.

With lake temps dipping following last week’s rain, bass have been noticeably on the move – Georgia Outdoor News reported a “drastic drop in water temp has Lake Lanier bass on the move.” That’s true on the water: spotted bass are schooling tight off humps and points, running bait hard from just before dawn through the mid-morning hours[2]. According to locals on Instagram, big spots are coming into the boat, with several anglers celebrating personal bests just yesterday – one post showed a truly impressive spotted bass caught near Browns Bridge[10].

Striped bass are hunting too, especially during water releases. As @extremestripers posted yesterday, “these fish are really eating well during generation times,” with multiple good fish taken just off the river channel ledges up around the mouth of Six Mile and Shoal Creek[6]. Mid-morning turns to a grind, with spots dropping deeper and striper schooling harder beneath the baitfish balls.

If you’re hunting numbers and size, the best bite right now is first light to about 10:00 AM. Drop a Queen Tackle tungsten ball head jig with a Keitech swimbait down around brush piles in 22–28 feet or cast a weightless fluke to surfacing schoolers. If it’s windy, tie on a KVD spinnerbait or a Berkley Choppo for that topwater blow-up – locals are having success burning these baits across main lake points[4][8]. Chatterbaits are also hot this summer, especially over submerged grass and shallows around the islands.

Live bait anglers are finding threadfin shad bringing in numbers of quality stripers, but if you’re sticking to lures, jerkbaits and underspins are pulling big spots suspended off long points. Crappie fishing is fair, mostly at night under lights in the backs of deeper creeks using live minnows.

The Georgia DNR is still running regular trout stockings in the Lanier tailwater below the dam, and August 11 saw another truckload hit the water – so if you need a break from the lake, wade the Chattahoochee below Buford Dam for fresh-stocked rainbows[1].

If you’re looking for hot spots, make sure to check:
- The humps at Vans Tavern: big schools of spots are pushing bait there at sunrise.
- Mouth of Six Mile Creek: strong striper bites reported during afternoon generation.
- Browns Bridge: several anglers have pulled trophy spots near the bridge pilings at dawn[10].

Remember, as the lake warms, those fish will drop deeper after mid-morning, so don’t be afraid to graph around until you see arcs off the bottom – and always keep that topwater handy if the bait gets nervous.

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