Newsletter - December 29, 2011

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I. Current Lake and Weather Conditions. The moon is waxing and the Lake level is approaching 1060 - Yeah! Water temperatures have decreased to the low fifties. Water above Highway 53 is somewhat stained as a result of recent heavy rains.

II. Fishing Pattern. The following comments are related to the fishing pattern north of Highway 53 - on the Chattahoochee River. Your fishing method should be determined by weather conditions. On days with cloud cover, you should find the bait - Threadfins - on or near the top of the water column. Threadfins feed on plankton which for the most part are light sensitive. On days with a fair amount of sunshine, plankton retreat early to deeper water and the Threadfins will follow. So, on cloudy days Flat Lines and Planer Boards should work. On the other hand, with sunshine and partial sunshine, you should consider Down Lines as your primary method.

Fishing the above patterns will require some additional considerations. First, if you are using Trout on a Down Line, we recommend a shorter leader - say, four to five feet. Trout will recognize they are in the "danger" zone and will easily swim toward the surface. The longer the leader, the more they can swim to avoid the Stripers. Remember, in cold water, Stripers are somewhat lethargic; therefore, do not look for them to chase your bait very far.

If and when you find a lot of bait, fish that area! While you may not see the Stripers on your sonar unit, they are very close to the Threadfins and Herring. Work the area slowly - see if .6 MPH works better than 1.0.

Generally, the motto for winter fishing is "slow and small" (Dan Duncan's wisdom and experience). This means a slower trolling speed would be beneficial. Small refers to the preferred size of your bait fish. Remember this: Dan Saknini caught his 40 pound plus Striper on a very small Threadfin.

During the past five days, stripers were caught with Umbrella Rigs - White Jigs with Chartreuse Trailers. The Rigs were trolled over water with a depth ranging from 25 to 40 feet. Again, slow is the key word. If possible, your trolling speed should be 2.5 to 3.0 MPH.

III. Other News: Don't forget - our next scheduled meeting is January 3. A meal will be served for $10 at 6:30 and the meeting will begin at 7:00. We plan to have a free raffle consisting of fishing goodies.

IV. Safely launching your boat. Laurel Park is open - the ramps are safe - and the courtesy dock/ walkway is in the water.

Happy New Year and the Best of Luck with Your Fishing!

Lanier Striper Club