Lake Lanier’s autumn bite is on fire this Tuesday, October 28th. The morning kicked off with a crisp chill—temps dipping into the upper 40s at first light with scattered clouds overhead and highs only climbing to the low 60s by afternoon, a classic North Georgia October. Sunrise rolled in at 7:48 AM and sunset’s set for 6:47 PM, so those twilight hours are golden right now for any angler chasing that fall frenzy.

We don’t see tides up here, but the lake’s fall turnover means mixed water clarity with a little stain pushing into the shallows and some windy chop on the main channel. According to FishingReminder and reports from locals, the spotted bass are pushing big schools of bait into the points and mouths of creeks—especially early and late in the day. Topwater action’s best right at dawn and dusk, so keep a walking bait or fluke rigged. When that sun burns through, swap over to jerkbaits or underspins and hit the wind-blown banks.

For those chasing numbers and quality fish, this week’s Phoenix Bass Fishing League at Lanier saw limits of nice spotted bass—several local hammers weighed in five-bass sacks over 21 pounds. The winning angler, Cooper McDonald, stuck his big bites up shallow, casting a Neko-rigged Gary Yamamoto green pumpkin Senko right up against boulders and rock piles. If you’re running electronics, scan those hard structures from 20 feet deep all the way to the bank. That’s where the big ones are hiding.

Striped bass are blitzing mid-lake flats and pockets, especially around Chestatee Bay and the mouth of Flat Creek. Birds are your best fish finders—watch for ‘em diving and pitch a white bucktail or a big swimbait that imitates herring. Reports from last week mention stripers pushing into creek arms on cloudy afternoons for aggressive surface feeds.

Crappie are stacking up on brush and docks in 10 to 18 feet. Locals are popping limits with bright plastics on 1/32–1/16 oz jigs, especially around river channel docks up the Chattahoochee arm. Bright chartreuse or monkey milk colors are smoking ’em when the water’s got a little stain.

As far as bait, nothing beats live herring on a free-line for stripers if you can get ‘em fresh. For bass, stick with soft plastics in natural greens when the water’s clear and dip that tail in chartreuse if you’re getting short strikes. Topwater walkers in bone or chrome draw explosive strikes at first light, and suspending jerkbaits in blueback patterns are hot once the sun’s up.

A couple of hot spots this week:
- **Young Deer Creek:** Points and bluffs are loaded with spotted bass early—plenty of surface busts on bait balls.
- **Vanns Tavern:** Creek mouth and adjacent humps holding both bass and stripers, especially when that wind’s pushing bait in.
- **Flat Creek:** Crappie bite is best near the bridge and deeper brush piles.

Don Carter State Park’s Overlook Trail is also a great bet for bank access and catching a quick sunset bite; plus, the foliage is popping for anyone looking to mix fishing with a bit of fall scenery.

That’s the Lanier rundown for October 28—spotted bass are aggressive, crappie limits are stacking, and the stripers are blitzing if you’re in the right place at the right time. Keep a topwater handy and move fast when the birds start working.

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