"Spring Bite Heats Up at Lake Lanier: May 14 Fishing Report"

Good morning anglers, this is Artificial Lure with your May 14, 2025, fishing report for Lake Lanier, Georgia.

Lake Lanier is riding about one foot over full pool, with the lake level right around 1071.7 feet. Surface water temperatures are sitting nicely between 71 and 73 degrees. Main lake water remains clear, but you will notice stained conditions in the northern river arms and the backs of the creeks. There is no tidal activity to report, as Lake Lanier is an inland reservoir.

Sunrise is right around 6:33 AM, and sunset will hit near 8:34 PM, giving anglers plenty of daylight to target the spring bite. Weather today should be mild with partly cloudy skies and light winds—a perfect forecast for a day on the water.

Fishing activity is high right now. The spotted bass bite is some of the best you will see all year. Most of the spots are finishing up their spawn and moving out from spawning pockets. As they recover and feed up, look for them around long-running points, rocky humps, and those famed underwater islands near the mouths of major creeks. You will often find wolf packs of big spots chasing bait on the surface.

Tactics should lean heavily on topwater and swimbait presentations during the morning and late afternoon. Tie on a walking bait like a Zara Spook, a Chug Bug, or a Redfin and work those surface boils. When the sun gets higher or the bite slows, swimbaits and jerkbaits fished over brush or points can coax those deeper fish.

Striper fishing is also fired up. Fish are schooling up chasing blueback herring and shad. Downlines with herring or medium shad have been hot, especially over points and humps in 30 to 50 feet of water. Pull your baits at about 0.9 to 1.2 mph and keep a topwater rod ready for sudden busts. Best areas right now include north lake spots like Wahoo, Little River, and Gainesville Creek on the Chattahoochee side, and Thompson and Taylor on the Chestatee side. Down south, check Bald Ridge, Young Deer, and Two Mile Creek for both stripers and bass activity[1][3][4].

Crappie are hanging on brush and under docks in big groups, usually at 10 to 18 feet over 20 to 40 feet bottoms. Minnows under a bobber and 1/32 ounce jigs are putting plenty in the boat. Focus around docks and shallow brush, especially in the clearer sections of the lake[2].

For bait, blueback herring is king right now for both bass and striper. Shad are a solid backup. For artificial lures, topwater plugs and swimbaits dominate for bass; crappie are still chewing on small jigs and live minnows.

Hot spots to try today are Bald Ridge Creek and Young Deer Creek for both bass and stripers, and don’t overlook Little River for a mixed bag. The points and humps at the mouths of major creeks are the place to find that fast action.

That’s your Lake Lanier report for May 14. Tight lines and good luck out there!