The weather has been well, February weather, all over the place. Between the Arctic Blast and the warm spell, then the cold again, a lot has been going on since my last report. How did everyone’s hunting season go? We still have some small game opportunities open in Georgia, but the majority of our hunting season has finally come to a close. You know what that means..time to go fishing! Speaking of which, instead of battling Georgia weather inconsistencies, I have set up shop in Homosassa, FL until March 8th. I'm guiding both inshore and nearshore charters on the beautiful and WARM Nature Coast of Florida. I will also include a saltwater report below. If you're interested in visiting and booking a trip, please contact me directly call or text 404-803-8608 for more info. There is plenty of lodging, restaurants, bars, and entertainment right here on the water where we dock. I will return to Lake Lanier for the duration of the season starting March 9th. Just in time for the great Spring bite and weather!
Lake Lanier is currently at 1071.87’ MSL. That is almost a foot above full pool. Surface temps are averaging the lower 50's in the mornings. With the recent rains, the upper reaches of the lake and creek are stained while mid to lower lake is fairly clear.
I’m going to start off with a different report than normal. Now through April is my favorite time of year to target Specks on Lake Lanier. Have you heard of those? Excuse my ex-Floridian language.. I’m talking about Crappie. Or if you are from the Midwest “Croppie” or Sac-a-Lait if you’re from Louisiana. I honestly don’t know what I enjoy better, eating them or catching them? We target them over timber, blow downs, bridges, and shallow brush. In these late winter and early spring months I target them in large schools primarily under deep water covered docks. The crappie will find the darkest shadows to hide under. This means under boats that are also under covered docks. There are 2 ways I like to get to these hard to reach fish. The primary technique is dock shooting. This is when you don’t cast or pitch a jig..you shoot it like a bow and arrow. Load up your spin rod by pulling the jig back to you while bending the rod tip, then letting it go. This will fire the line out low and parallel to the water to get under the docks. All of Lanier docks are floating docks. So if you’re familiar with them, you are shooting under the floats which could give you only a half a foot of clearance or less. On the Blazer Bay 2420 GTS I have low gunwales. Making it perfect to get nice and low to the water line to make perfect shots. This does take practice. If you’re a beginner I start the morning shooting easy boat slips. Once you get a handle of that I will shrink your targets as the morning goes. Another way to get down to the specks is to play the angle of the sun and shadows. On sunny days you will notice this time of year the sun is always at an angle, not directly above us like in the summertime. This will cast the darkest shadows out away from the docks if you know what to look for. This will give you an easy vertical presentation to reach them. Now until the end of April is prime time to load the ice box up before they move shallow to spawn. If you’re interested in learning these techniques and craving a fish fry for taco Tuesday, book at trip and let’s go catch em’.
The Striper fishing has been inconsistent. The weather that people want to go fishing in hasn’t been the best. The month of February may not produce great numbers on some days, but will make up for it in size. Overall, downlines on deep fish where you see the threadfin in the creeks and trolling planer boards have been about the same. It just depends on the the day and conditions. I would say mid lake has been better for numbers but they can be found lake wide. Recently there has been numerous catches shallow, now and accounting for some big Striper. This is the time of year you want to be prepared with everything. These fish are moving a lot and fast. Have your planer boards, freelines, downlines, Captain Mack’s umbrella rigs, and bucktails ready. Not to mention a variety of live baits. Some days they may prefer one over the other. Trout, herring, gizzards, and shiners have all been catching. Lastly, don’t forget to keep an eye on the gulls. They are the best fish finders on the lake. I'm just counting down my days for the Spring bite and it is just around the corner! Overall, as the days get longer, warmer, and we are getting closer to spawning season. We have some great fishing ahead of us. The Spring months March through early June are hot months to catch both Bass and Stripers. I call those the numbers months where we have opportunities for our trips to yield very high catch rates of multiple species. I go through a ton of bait. Summertime June through August offers our peak Striper fishing where we target those big schools in the big water.
BONUS NATURE COAST FISHING REPORT, Homosassa Springs, FL:
Inshore:
In the backwater rivers, creeks, and tributaries we have been targeting mainly Redfish and Speckled Trout. There is also plenty of Sheepshead, Black Drum, and Mangrove Snapper to be had. With the warmer temps I have been fishing the creek and river mouth areas. There has been plenty of Trout in the deeper depressions and the Reds have been active on the shallower rocks and oyster beds. Casting a 1/4 oz jig head tipped with a Lil John MirroLure on the holes have been catching the trout. For the Reds live pinfish and shrimp has been hard to beat. March 1st is opening day of Snook season! We will be targeting them in the same areas. For folks around here that usually is the main focus that first week.
Nearshore:
In the 8-12' range there is Sheepshead on the nearshore structures and rock piles. I use an 1/8 oz jig head tipped with a live shrimp. The bites are different. You will feel those pecks first. Wait for them to take it before you set the hook. Also, on the nearshore structure there is plenty of catch n' release Gag Grouper (out of season), White Snapper aka Grunts, Mangrove Snapper, Redfish, and I have caught some Red Grouper in less than 16'.
Overall, the fishing is great, the weather is warmer, and being able to have multiple species to target has been accounting for plenty of catchin'! If you like to experience the Nature Coast, I'm booking until March 8th, then back to Lake Lanier for the remainder of the year. Hope to see you on the water soon!
Tight Lines,
Capt. Andrew Hammond
(404)803-8608
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