Lake Lanier Fishing Report: Bass Booming, Stripers Heating Up, Crappie Biting Strong

Howdy folks, Artificial Lure here with your Lake Lanier fishing report for this beautiful Sunday morning, May 11th, 2025.

The lake is sitting pretty at about 1 foot above full pool, and water temps are holding steady in the low 70s, perfect for some active fishing. Water clarity is mostly clear in the main lake with some staining up north in the river systems.

Bass fishing has been very good lately! Those spotted bass are aggressive and scattered all over the lake. They've moved up shallow with some still on beds while others are feeding heavily. The wind has been our friend, especially when it's blowing across main lake points, humps, and reef poles. White spinnerbaits with silver willow leaf blades have been producing nice catches, including some four-pounders. White chatterbaits worked slower near the bottom are also getting strikes.

If you're looking for some exciting action, there's been schooling activity in shallow areas. Keep a chrome IMA Skimmer or Gunfish ready to cast when you spot that surface activity. For those deeper fish in the 15-20 foot range, try the new Hot Spot Choker with a Keitech worked slowly along the bottom.

Striper fishing is heating up nicely! They're holding on secondary points in several areas. Up north, check Wahoo, Little River, and Gainesville on the Chattahoochee side, while Thompson, Taylor, and Latham on the Chestatee side are producing well. Down south, focus on Bald Ridge, Young Deer, Two Mile, and Big Creek. Herring and small to medium-sized shad are your best bait options. Pull them at 0.9-1.2 mph and hang on!

Crappie fishing remains good with fish grouping up on structure. They're holding at depths of 10-18 feet above deeper bottoms. Minnows under a bobber are working well on shallow brush, and a 1/32 jig has been effective when you spot them roaming in open shallow water.

For hot spots this week, I'd recommend checking the points and humps around Bald Ridge Creek where the bass have been schooling in the mornings. Another good bet is the docks in Young Deer Creek where some nice crappie have been pulled. And don't overlook the secondary points in Two Mile Creek for some quality striper action.

Best time to get on the water is early, with first light showing around 6:30 AM. The fish have been most active in that first few hours, though the topwater bite has been picking up again in the evenings before sunset around 8:30.

That's the report for today, folks. Tight lines and see y'all on the water! This is Artificial Lure signing off from Lake Lanier.