| Many people new to georgia are surprised to find out | | | | the number of fish that come by your boat and do |
| Lake Lanier is home to some of the best fishing in | | | | not eat. Advancements in global positioning |
| the United States. Every year approximately 6 million | | | | technology have also helped the average fishermen |
| people visit Lake Lanier with a good number of them | | | | as well. An angler can now drive the boat to the |
| being fishermen trying to catch a trophy striped bass. | | | | exact area the angler caught fish a year ago and be |
| The same striped bass that swim in the ocean now | | | | confident he is in the right spot. |
| swim in freshwater lake across the United States. | | | | The proper bait that I am talking about is blueback |
| This new type of fishing began in the early 1970s | | | | herring. Blueback herring are a different species of |
| and has spread like wildfire. In Lake Lanier, the | | | | baitfish that was illegally introduced into Lake Lanier. |
| stripers are stocked by the Dept. of Natural | | | | Blueback herring are a type of baitfish that live very |
| Resources as one-inch fingerlings and grow at a rapid | | | | differently from the native threadfin shad and gizzard |
| pace. Striped bass up to 46 pounds have been | | | | shad found in Lake Lanier. Blueback herring are natural |
| caught in Lake Lanier with a healthy population of fish | | | | to the Savannah River chain of lakes in eastern |
| in the twenty-pound class. | | | | Georgia but are not natural to the Chattahoochee |
| It was once thought the best time to catch the | | | | river system. Most likely fishermen from the |
| striped bass on Lake Lanier was the coldest days of | | | | Savannah River chain brought the herring over to |
| the winter when the fish were up in shallow water. | | | | Lanier and released them after they were finished |
| This is no longer true. Just as many striped bass are | | | | fishing in the late 1990's. With a couple goods |
| caught during the summer months as the winter | | | | spawns, a healthy population of herring was born and |
| months. The fish are in larger schools during the | | | | the lake has changed. Herring prefer the deep water |
| summer months. Due to the water being warmer | | | | similar to the striped bass during the summer months |
| during the summer months, the fish's metabolism is | | | | so the stripers have a new food source during the |
| higher and the fish have to eat more frequently. It is | | | | summer months. Before the introduction of herring, |
| not uncommon for a striped bass to gain four to five | | | | the stripers had a hard time feeding on the shad that |
| pounds a year in freshwater. The biggest reasons for | | | | preferred the shallow warmer water during the |
| this change in fishing success has been the | | | | summer months. As a result, the stripers did not gain |
| advancements made in electronics and a new baitfish | | | | any weight during the summer months. Consequently, |
| introduced into the lake. The fishermen that is | | | | the stripers had a hard time reaching the 40-pound |
| prepared with the proper electronics and bait cash in | | | | class that marks a trophy in anyone's eyes. Now that |
| on some of the best fishing of the year. | | | | the stripers have the herring to feed on in the deep |
| The advancements in fishermen's electronics are | | | | water during the summer months they are gaining |
| changing as fast as any other areas of electronics. A | | | | weight year-round. As a result, the 40-pound fish are |
| fisherman can now watch his bait swim around on | | | | becoming more common. Don't be surprised when |
| the hook and watch as a twenty-pound fish comes | | | | the lake record is broken sometime in the near |
| by and eat it. This does not mean you can catch | | | | future. A fifty-pound striped bass is in Lake Lanier's |
| every fish that comes by the boat. These | | | | future. |
| advancements in electronics also allow you to see | | | | |