by Steve Scott
With the lake level still down 7’, the search for stripers had been a challenge for the month of June. The stripers remained scattered from Browns Bridge north to just before the rivers begin. These stripers were mostly “schoolies” sizing in the upper 20” to low 30”. Another concern this year for the species is the Copods found in the mouths and gills of these fish. I believe while the stripers are still eating live bait, they are concentrating on eating smaller sized baits because of this anomaly.
July’s striper fishing looks to be the same. Going out with smaller baits will be the ticket. Blueback herring and medium sized shiners are still working well. There is still a chance of catching a larger striper, but for the most part, you will catch a lot of smaller ones. The water temps are crawling up into the mid-80s, and this is controlling where the lake’s live bait is concentrating from 20’ to the bottom. You should use weighted flatlines and weighted planer boards. Put a couple of #7 size weights on your leader 4’ from the hook. Take care not to apply too much pressure adding these press-on weights as you could damage the line and cause an unexpected break-off.
Other baits that are working are the 8” Ben Parker spoon over an 80’ clear bottom or just over the trees; Umbrella Rigs over humps and points adjacent to deep water drop offs; and downlines over deeper water 60’ to 120’ on clear bottoms and over the trees, but be careful as when the stripers hit they will try to freight train it to the trees. Remember to rabbit towards the strike to prevent that escape and bring in the striper without stressing them. Locations to try should be north of Browns Bridge, Chestatee Bay, C1-C4, River Forks, Gainesville Creek, Holly Park, LM 55 and the pond dam near Hwy 60 bridge.
In late May, I had the honor of taking a couple of Gwinnett County police officers fishing with me. In early June, I also did a Wounded Warriors and Atlanta Falcons fishing trip. I wanted to give something back to these great Americans who protect and have protected us in the past. Update your log.
TIP OF THE MONTH: Checking your bait when surface temps are in the 80s is futile just replace them. For more detailed information go to my blog at TeamLanier.worpress.com/menu.