Lake Lanier Winter Stripers

Striper fishing continues to be tough. The threadfin winter kill is in full force. The stripers are inactive due to the cold temperatures. They are not eating much and when they do there is plenty of dying threadfins to be had with very little effort. The fish have been holding tight to brush over a 30 -40 ft. bottom. Your best bet is to troll points and humps with 4 arm umbrella rigs loaded with 1 oz. bucktails and white 4 inch shad bodies pulled 100 -120 feet back while searching for fish. Because the fish are so inactive if you find them you may have to put your rigs right on them to get them to bite. Once you find fish you can also put down lines out and work them slow in and out of the brush. Because the stripers are feeding on small threadfins, small minnows and threadfin shad will outperform the herring and trout. We have been rescheduling most of our trips in hopes of warmer temperatures. As the temperature warms the backs of the creeks and shallow flats will heat up first and draw bait which will improve the striper fishing. Until them your best bet is Flat, Balus and Mud creeks with umbrella rigs.