by Steve Scott
Cooler morning and evening air temperatures brought cooler water temps in September making us move a month forward in our search for striped bass. This meant that we would use our October fishing strategies in mid-September. The lake water temperatures would have ranged in the mid to high seventies instead they were in the low to mid-seventies. Our target areas were 30′ points beginning at Browns Bridge and heading north to main lake points at the mouths of creeks in the Chestatee River from C1 to Lathem Creek or in the Chattahoochee River from River Forks to Sardis Creek.
Methods used were downlines at 48′ in patches of trees or in the mouths of creeks up to the 5th marker in each creek. Lead core remained consistent early in the morning 8-9 colors out with white on white over the 30′ main lake points. Power reeling a 2 ounce bucktail jig tipped with either a blueback herring or an 8-10” paddletail swimbait, as well as the 8” Ben Parker spoon over 30-50’ humps, not forgetting to have downlines baited ready sitting in the rod holders in case stripers were lured to the boat with the power reeling action.
October water temps will range from high sixties to low seventies. Methods to use are downlines 30-45’; umbrella rigs running deep in the river channel; lead core 8 colors out over 30’ main lake points and at the creek mouths; and power reeling 30’ points in the mouths of creeks in the Chestatee and Chattahoochee Rivers. By mid-October the lead core bite will slow down. Stripers will start to make their trek even further north with a bonus of surfacing fish. Have your Red Fins and topwater plugs handy on spinning rods.
TIP OF THE MONTH: Develop your own set of “cardinal rules” for each technique you use. Example: Downlining – use Spot Lock when over a multitude of stripers; change baits often; idle the big motor; and when stripers are seen to the left or right of your position while you’re on Spot Lock, put a downline on a planer board over them. Lastly, don’t forget the transom bait just barely under the surface. Check your logs to see what you did the same time last year. For more tips go to: https://TeamLanier.wordpress.com/menu.