March 2021 Fishing Report
March 2021 Lake Lanier Fishing Report
In contrast to February, March has been very consistent and full of strong and exciting fishing days. The dominant pattern has been freelines and planer boards, with and without split shot. As the day progresses, more of my lines get weighted and my trolling speed slows a bit so as to allow the baits to sink a little more. A word on trolling speed, when the fish have been very aggressive I have done best at higher speeds like 1.1-1.4 mph. This has often been the case on the windiest days, with the wind breaking up light penetration and creating a better hunting scenario for the stripers. Location has been a little more challenging to pinpoint day to day. Open water over the river channel, open water over the creek channel, the backs of the creeks, and the bank lines have all been viable options. Typically one is better than the others but I end up fishing all of them at some point during the day to make sure. Lately, the back third of the creeks make for solid starting points in the morning unless a cold front pushes everything out into the open water. Bait choice is completely open, they are feeding on everything equally. Herring, shad, and even trout have been getting the bite. I would give the nod to gizzard shad in the backs of the creeks or on the bank line bite and herring in the open water. Leader length has not made a difference, I am running between 3 to 6 foot leaders throughout my spread and they are all producing well. I have increased my leaders to 12 and 15 pound test as some of the strikes have been vicious. Downlines on the other hand have been very quiet on my boat, so much so that I replaced them with a bit of a game changer.
I had been pulling the Mini Mack on and off since October with mixed results until last Monday. The Mini started producing like crazy, so much so that I went from running only 1 to 3 Mini Macks in the spread now, all in downline positions. I believe Jeff is pulling 4 at the moment. I have been starting them at 20, 25, and 30 feet, adjusting accordingly throughout the day. It really is a form of hybridized fishing, pulling an artificial in your live bait spread. Not only does it produce bites, I believe it serves as an attractor for your bait spread as well. It seems to produce best on days when the bait bite is slow to start. And of course, use caution when handling and unhooking fish from the Mini, those 5 hooks have a way of finding your hand.
I have been catching fish at all times of day. While there is certainly a strong morning bite, some of my better fish seem to come in the middle of the day. The afternoon and evening bite has been just as good. Weather conditions have mattered more, with cloudy and windy days being best as one might expect. Such are the conditions in the forecast for the Maggie Tournament this weekend, expect a good bite. Water temperature this morning was 56 degrees, most of the creeks are showing a healthy stain which will warm them quickly as we progress into the spring season.
As we move into April, look for more of the same great fishing taking place throughout the entire day and the shallows really heating up in more ways than one. It really is the best time of year to get out there and enjoy the beautiful weather coupled with a great bite. The fish need to feed in order to put on weight for the spawn and they will need to feed afterward to recover, we will be there to make sure they eat and don't miss any meals.
