by Henry Cowen
I am sitting here writing this report in May and spring has FINALLY arrived. Water temps have quickly climbed into the low 70’s over the past week and the lakes of North Georgia are finally fishing the way we expected them to fish four weeks ago. In a normal year, striper fishing for the month of June is over for most fly and light tackle anglers. However, due to the late spring-like weather finally settling in, the striper fishing on our area lakes MIGHT still going strong for fly anglers most of the month of June.
For those wanting to pursue Lanier’s stripers in June, the south end will certainly be the area to concentrate on. Sinking lines will certainly be your best choice once the sun gets up. Low light can still get you a few bites tossing a Pole Dancer fly on a floating line or launching Super Spooks and Redfins on conventional tackle. After the sun gets above the tree line, it is time to start looking in the river channel off of long tapered points that kind of butt up to the deep water. Stripers like to have the safety of deep water to get back into quickly after feeding up shallow.
June is also the BEST month for topwater spotted bass on Lanier. Go to any point during low light and toss any topwater fly like a Gurgler, Flat Fred or Crease fly and enjoy one of the Lanier’s most fiesty combatants. If you happen to see some topwater activity, then try to toss your fly or lure into the melee as spotted bass are suckers to leave a bait to grab your artificial. They usually feed in groups of 2-6 fish, so this sort of wolf pack ambushing on their part is a tactic you should be on the lookout for. This is just perfect for a six or seven weight outfit and this bite will continue throughout the entire summer.
Another place to target these fish are on humps that are between twenty to twenty five feet below the surface. If you own a Humminbird depth finder along with their lake master chart, you can pre-set your machine to find all the humps Lanier has to offer (contour highlighting). It is THE BEST asset for anglers to help locate the humps that the bass acclimate to.
North GA anglers can also look to June for three things: Allatoona topwater hybrids (hopefully), Chattahoochee River striped bass and Hooch carp. This is the time when most fly anglers decide where to fish based on the weather report. If the reports are for bluebird skies and light winds, then carp needs to be in your plans for the following morning. If the reports are for fairly light winds and overcast skies, anglers need to hitch their trailer and head up I-75 to Acworth and Lake Allatoona. The hybrids might be knocking bait up on the surface in gigantic schools! This is one of the most fun fishing trips a fly angler can make in North GA. Schools of hundreds of two to five pound hybrids trashing itty bitty threadfin shad all over the lake, usually at first and last light. Anglers need to bring an intermediate fly line and a small 1 ½” to 2” long fly for best results. I am particularly fond of my Albie Anchovy fly for this fishing or a Somethin’ Else as a second option. Just head to any of our local fly shops (Orvis, Unicoi or The Fish Hawk) to purchase this hybrid killer. Conventional anglers can fish the same fly by affixing it to a popping cork rig or using a casting bubble filled with water on their spinning rods. It is a deadly combination that is sure to put a few fish in the boat.
Finally, anglers can also start fishing the Hooch for either striped bass below Morgan Falls Dam or carp above Morgan Falls Dam. Both of these fisheries will be fired up by the time you read this report. Stripers will be feeding on small baitfish, and it is best to toss an intermediate line on the river. Fishing for stripers on the Hooch can be good anytime of the day, but I particularly like either the first three hours after sunrise or the last two hours before sunset. I prefer the northern breeches of the Hooch for river stripers early in the season. Lastly, river stripers always seem to feed best when the water level in the river is coming down. If you can plan your trip accordingly, finding them is not all that hard.
Carp fishing should be fished during daylight hours when the sun is shining high for best visibility. Small crayfish patterns as well as Damselfly nymphs are going to be your flies of choice. If you have never sight fished for carp, you do not know what you are missing. They are a spooky combatant, but for those anglers liking a challenge, this is the game fish for you. With all the rain we’ve had the past 6 months, it is nearly a certainty that the Corp of Engineers will be releasing water all June and July which allows the carp to come up and onto the flats.
June is one of the best months to fish here in North GA as anglers have many choices. Hope everyone will get out and give it a try. See you on the pond (or river).