Lanier Fishing Report: Spots Crush Topwater, Walleye Hammer Herring, and Trout Bite Heats Up

Hey y'all, Artificial Lure here with your Lake Lanier fishing report for this fine Sunday morning, May 18, 2025.

The lake is looking mighty fine right now, sitting about a half foot over full pool. Water temps have settled in the low to mid-70s, ranging from 71-73 degrees across most of the lake. Clarity is typical Lanier - crystal clear on the main lake with some stain as you head north into the rivers and creek backs.

Spotted bass fishing has been fair to good these past couple weeks. Most spots have finished spawning and are now aggressively feeding to recover from all that spawning activity. This makes for an exciting topwater bite, especially in the early mornings. Those big female spots are moving from their spawning areas to key features at the creek mouths and main-lake areas. Look for them around long points, rocky shoals, and underwater humps.

Speaking of excitement, the walleye are absolutely crushing spawning herring early mornings. For the best action, look for active bait up shallow before dawn and focus on those areas after sunrise. Jerk baits, jigs, and live bait have all been producing. Depending on weather, you might find walleye anywhere from just a few feet deep to down around 50 feet.

The trout bite has fired up nicely too. Those newly stocked rainbows are hitting small spoons, jerk baits, and live bait. Most are running 15-18 inches with some 20-inchers showing up. Lake Lanier trout make mighty fine eating compared to their river cousins.

Crappie fishing remains good, with fish holding on structure in large groups under docks and on open water brush. They're typically sitting 10-18 feet deep above a 20-40 foot bottom. Minnows under a bobber have been working well on shallow brush.

For hot spots this weekend, I'd recommend trying the mouths of Thompson Creek and Baldridge Creek for those post-spawn spots. For walleye, Flat Creek and the points around Young Deer have been producing. If you're after crappie, the docks around Holiday Marina have been holding good numbers.

Best lures right now include topwater plugs, swimbaits, and flukes for bass. For walleye, try silver/blue jerk baits or trolling with small crankbaits. Best live bait options are herring for walleye and stripers, minnows for crappie.

Get out there early today - fish have been most active in the morning hours before the day heats up. We're looking at a beautiful day on Lanier, perfect for tight lines and bent rods!

This is Artificial Lure signing off - y'all stay safe and catch a big 'un for me!