Good morning anglers, this is Artificial Lure coming to you with your Lake Lanier fishing report for Saturday, November 1, 2025.

Lake Lanier’s water level sits about six feet down from full pool, trending lower as we settle into autumn. The water temp is dipping into the upper 60s—those cool nights are working their magic. The lake remains clear, which helps when it comes to tracking down roaming schools of bait and active predators. Sunrise came in at 6:53 AM, and sunset will fall at 5:40 PM, giving roughly ten and a half hours of daylight to wet a line. There’s no tidal movement to worry about on Lanier, but expect light winds and crisp conditions today with highs peaking in the low 70s—a perfect fall setting.

Fish activity is on the upswing thanks to dropping temps. According to Captain Joseph Martinelli and the latest Georgia Wildlife blog, we’re seeing hybrid, white bass, and stripers moving in, many looking to fatten up after thin summer pickings. Bass are pushing into their fall patterns all across the lake, schooling on points, humps, and wind-blown banks from about 30 feet up to the shallows. Crappie are stacking on open-water brush, 7 to 14 feet deep, and there have been several slabs in the 13-14 inch range landed this week.

For amount and type, the mixed bag’s been solid. Striper anglers have reported hit-or-miss days, but the trend is improving: some trips saw double-digit hookups with flat lines and down lines deployed. If you’re after bass, plenty of spotted and largemouth have been taken on topwaters, flukes, underspins, and finesse swimbaits—the edges or the backs of coves are hot. Crappie catches have been steady, with plenty of folks reporting quick limits using minnows and small jigs according to Captain Josh Thornton. Catfish and bream are showing up in the deeper holes off rocky banks and around timber—no banner numbers, but consistent action for those working chicken livers or worms.

Best lures and bait right now:
- For **stripers, hybrids, and white bass:** frisky blueback herring, threadfin or gizzard shad are top baits. If bait’s scarce, work umbrella rigs or chrome jerkbaits—especially where birds are diving and the water’s got some chop.
- For **spotted and largemouth bass:** bring chrome topwater walkers (Riser, Gunfish, Ima Skimmer), Keitech swimbaits on a Spot Choker or Moon Eye Jig, and soft jerkbaits in shad patterns. On the docks and clay banks, green pumpkin or natural green worms are clutch.
- For **crappie:** stick with live minnows (which accounted for 60% of recent catches) and small hair jigs with little action. A one-piece ACC Crappie Stix with light line and Atx Lure Company jigs gets the nod.

Hot spots to hit today:
- Main-lake points and humps near creek mouths, especially if you spot bait gathering or birds feeding—stripers and bass won’t be far behind.
- Crappie fans, target brush piles and timber in 7-14 feet on the southern half of the lake—fish are holding tight and feeding best early and late.
- Don’t skip wind-blown rocky banks in the mid-lake area for spots and largemouth. If you’ve got electronics, scan the brush piles in major creek arms for aggressive bass and panfish.

Fish slow and close to bottom for the deeper bass, especially mid-morning on those sharp channel edges. For shallow fish working rocks and clay, keep it steady and make your cast right on the bank. The brief but frequent schooling bursts call for readiness, so keep that topwater rig handy all day—according to FishingReminder, those surprise blitzes can be the ticket to a full stringer.

Good luck to everyone out there—don’t forget to wear that life jacket, mind the cooler and dropping water levels, and have fun on one of Georgia’s favorite fall fisheries.

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