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SPORTS, LEISURE & ENTERTAINMENT
Another great spring and
; summer on Lake Lanier
S :*
.Lake Lanier is set up for the
season and the lake is only
a few feet from full pool. As the
warm weather sets in, Lanier’s
fishery begins to spring to life
•?with all the lake’s game fish head
ing to the shallows. Fishing is
'“about to take off on the lake.
» From the smallest fish (the crap
s- pie) to the lake’s largest (the
• striper) it’s time to plan for some
£ great springtime fishing.
; Lake Sidney Lanier will host as
; many as 20 million visitors this
; year. Weekend boat traffic will be
high since the lake is only 45 min
utes from Atlanta. Spring fishing
is usually limited to weekdays and
hight for area anglers.
7 The lake is currently down 4 feet
r from full sea level pool of 1071
' 'feet. The water temperatures will
skyrocket in the early spring and
will continue to rise into the high
** 80s by summer.
To the first time visitor to
Lanier, the lake seems to be a
huge body of water. On any sum
mer weekend it looks like the
entire Atlanta population has
come to the lake. But there are
great opportunities for all types of
water activities on the lake.
There are several signs marking
the locations of the Corp of
Engineers facilities on the major
access routes to the lake.
c, The lake was built and complet
ed in the early 1950 s and was
built for flood control. Its 36,000
acres is the number one Corp of
, Engineers facility in the country.
The lake has 640 miles of shore
line and the dam is 192 feet over
the old river channel.
The Chattahoochee and the
Chestatee rivers are the main
water sources for the lake. The
lake covers several counties and
■ -as new visitors see the lake for the
first time, its overwhelming size
and activity levels are obvious.
The lake has an excellent fishery
and currently holds several line
.clhss records as well as state
record fish.
The Corp of Engineers regulates
water release for power demands.
! The current water quality of the
I Hake has a clean bill of health
from the State of Georgia.
Lanier also hosts the two
-largest floating marinas in the
world, Holiday Marina and Bald
•Ridge Marina. From small house
1 boats to huge cabin cruisers that
may be 60 feet long, the weekend
traffic clogs the lower lake. Add
jet skis, ski boats, and cabin cruis-
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Ken
Sturdivant
ers to this picture for the summer
months, Lanier will be very busy
There are many growing com
munities that now surround the
lake and the shores of Lake Lanier
have become home for thousands
of families. Holiday Marina is
located on the Gwinnett County
side.
There are two major hotels on
the lake at Lake Lanier Islands.
Pine Isle is the older hotel and the
Lake Lanier Islands Hilton is the
new golf hotel. Both are on the
lower end of the lake and they are
only minutes from Buford Dam.
On Lake Lanier Islands there is
a huge water park and beach for
summer recreation. Renovations
are complete on all the cabins at
the islands.
The Corp of Engineers main
tains many parks and ramps on
the lake. There are special areas
reserved for the handicapped as
well as a special pond for young
anglers as well as for special
events.
Picnicking and camping are very
popular on the lake and summer
weekends will find every'single
one full. Reservations are a great
idea for this resource. The parks
have pay phones and several also
have restrooms
The Georgia Department of
Natural Resources manages the
fishery and Georgia laws on Lake
Lanier. There are also the United
States Coast Guard regulations.
Be sure to pick up the rules and
regulations for the resource man
agers office at the dam.
Boating regulations
Several boating regulations have
gone into effect for the state of
Georgia and personal water crafts,
jet skis and wave runners now
require strict adult supervision.
All boaters and personal water
craft operators must have valid
identification anytime these crafts
are operated. And the 100 foot
regulation keeps all vessels from
operating at not more that idle
speed around bridges, marinas
and private docks and other per-
sons or crafts within the naviga
tion channel.
Stricter boating under the influ
ence laws and child endangerment
regulations are now in place to
protect all persons on water ways.
For a current update to these regu
lations, see any park ranger or call
the Georgia Department of
Natural Resources.
Sailing is a very popular sport on
the lake and weekends will find
lots of beautiful, highly-colored
sails on the main lake. First-time
sailing vessels should be aware
that there are low-hanging wires
and some of the bridges are not
passable. Check with the local
marinas for information.
Licenses
A fishing license is required for
adults and the state also requires
that any type of motor-powered
craft be licensed and can be
inspected at any time on the lake.
Be sure that all Coast Guard regu
lations are also met for larger
crafts, such as life jackets and
proper lighting.
There are day-use fees and the
parks on the lake are clearly
marked as to the fees. Contact the
resource managers office for a
$25 annual pass, if you’ll use
these areas often. Fees range from
$2 to $5 per day.
Renovations to the lake’s parks
has been all but completed for the
spring and summer visitors.
Several parks were improved by
adding gates and parks attendants,
as well as some repaving and new
rest facilities.
Lake levels will be kept at nor
mal pool elevations all summer
according to the corp office. No
draw down is expected unless the
spring and summer rains don’t
come in. There are no plans to
work on the dam or surrounding
areas at this time.
Trends in fishing tackle
For new tackle trends, the float
ing worm has been a real bonus
bait to anglers. This bait from the
Zoom Bait Company has salt built
into a 7-inch soft plastic worm.
Rigged with an Owner 2/0 offset
hook, this baits can be fished by
anglers of all skill levels.
This lure comes in many colors
but the brighter colors in white,
lime and even bright yellow are
easy to fish with and will catch all
species of bass. By casting this
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• Photo/Ken Sturdivant
Patrick Bankston of Sugar Hill displays his catch on Lake Lanier.
bait on light, 8-pound test line on
a spinning reel, this bait can work
all spring and summer on shallow
bass. Anglers can fish this bait
from the bank or any type of boat.
There are several areas available
to anglers that may want to fish
from the banks. The corp office
has a list of these areas and many
are even wheelchair accessible.
Call the corp managers office for
details and a map at (770) 945-
9531 .
Popular species
The most popular fish in Lake
Lanier are the largemouth bass,
the spotted bass (a small cousin of
the largemouth), the striped bass,
the white bass and the crappie.
And while not a lot of anglers are
after this fish, the yellow perch
also shares the deeper waters with
other species in the lake.
Looking at these popular game
fish, the country’s most popular is
Coming Events '■
• April 3 - Easter Weekend Sale _// "* '
• April 17 - 3rd Annual
Spring Fling M
• April 21 - Secretary’s Day zS&x/i
Plant Extravaganza |
• April 30 - National Arbor SGpW z
Day Sale 1 V ,x
SPRING FLING
BLOW OUT
This One You Won’t Believe!
Saturday, April 17
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6-7 Cherry Tree (B & B) $14,99
Eip 4,-JOWj
Your Fuss Service
5360 McGinnis Ferry Rd. af...4. A m> $834 Bethelview Rd.
Alpharetta, GA 30005 neVQH NUFSCFy Cumming, GA 30040
770-752-0206 770-205-0407
■■!■■ -—..-I „, ■ , I n ~. ~,n. , , I—
FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS - Sumtoy, March 28,1999
without question, the largemouth
bass. This one fish is more often
sought than all of the other fresh
water species combined.
The largemouth bass is not as
strong in population in Lake
Lanier as in years past, and there
is a good reason. As the lake con
tinues to age, the erosion of the
bank cover on the lake from year
round heavy boat traffic, erodes
the bank cover that this fish needs
to live in.
The lower lake’s banks are
almost void of any cover and as a
result, this fish does not often
show up in creel studies down
lake. Occasionally this fish is
caught down lake, but these are
usually exceptions rather than the
rule. There just is not enough
bank cover for this fish to survive
and reproduce down lake.
But up the rivers is another
story, and there is a glimmer of
hope. In the upper reaches of
Lake Lanier, more bank habitat
exists for this fish and it has made
itself right at home up both rivers.
The food source is greater and
these fish can survive in these up
lakes areas.
Plastic worms, jigs and top
water lures are all effective for
these fish. Spring and summer are
best times for number of fish, but
the winter months produce larger
fish.
The spotted bass has become
very popular with the lake's
anglers and this fish has all but
taken over the lower end of the
lake.
The spot can live in much deeper
water that the largemouth and
prefers the rocks and deeper cover
that still exists in the lake. This
fish can live in depths as great as
70 feet or more year round.
And while this fish does not
grow to the sizes of the large
mouth bass, it is a scrappy fighter
See FISH, Page I6G
PAGE 15G