Lake level is 1064.20 (6.8 feet below pool), water temps are 49-51 degrees and water clarity is clear on the main lake to slightly stained in the backs of the creeks and up the rivers. Striper fishing will continue to be good thru January from mid-lake and north up the rivers. The stripers will be in a variety of water depths, but the most consistent bite will be in 40-60 feet of water with downlines if you are looking for numbers of fish. The Captain Mack’s Planer Board bite has been good in late December and should continue to produce numbers of fish. If you want to pull a trout or shad in the 8-12 inch range and target a few big fish that opportunity is there as well. The key to the down line bite will be to find the large concentrations of bait towards the backs of the creeks. Sardis, Ada, Wahoo, and Littler River on the Chattahoochee side and Taylor, Thompson, and Yellow on the Chestatee side will all be good starting points. The drainages and coves coming into the main lake as you run up the river channels from River Forks on the Chattahoochee side and up to Thompson on the Chestatee side will also produce during January. Your tackle setup should include an Okuma Coldwater 153 or 203, a Capt Mack’s Med Light Striper Rod, with 15-20# main line, a 1.25 or 1.75 oz Striper Tackle Pro Pencil swivel sinker, approximately 3’ of 10-12# Seaguar Tatsu fluorocarbon leader, a #4 or #2 Gamakatsu circle hook, and a small herring or medium shiner for your downlines. Don’t forget that small or medium trout or small gizzard shad will also be great baits to put down. Remember to change out your hooks to a #1 or 1/0 hook if you are putting a shad or trout on your downline setup. The Capt Mack’s Mini Mack with Striper Tackle 3/8 or ½ oz Ultra Pro Spin, Ultra Pro Swim or Pro Swim jig heads will be the artificial setup in January. Pull the Minis on a Capt Mack’s Power Reeling rod with 20# main line. This awesome rod is a dual purpose rod that is great for Striper Tackle Hawg spoons in the late spring and summer time as well. The slightly larger heads will help keep your Mini down closer to the amount of line that you are letting out, especially at the quicker speeds we are running when “stealth trolling.” If you are concentrating on the northern creeks the Candy Blue head with your favorite chartreuse trailer is a deadly combo in dirty water. After you find the bait and fish on your Humminbird APEX or XPLORE get your Capt Mack’s Mini Mack down. The “stealth” trolled Mini Mack pulled with your trolling motor should be put 25-35 feet down, attached to your Perfect Planer Board, and then let out another 30-50 feet away from the boat. Pull this setup around these schools at 1.2-1.5mph, so that you can cover more water quicker than with the downlines. If the fish are slow to respond then you can slow down to .3-.5 mph or even spot lock on the school of fish with your Minn Kota Instinct to get those finicky to bite. The Mini Mack will also be an easy rig to flip out 150-175 feet behind the boat and trolled thru active birds that you will see while you are moving from creek to creek.
As we enter 2026 we need to remember what we have learned in December throughout Advent and that the Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love that Christ shows is for all of us. Every time an act of kindness, integrity, or patience is shown it matters. Hope grows when these things are shared. No matter what happens in our lives, we can always have trust in Christ and experience Peace thru him. Joy doesn’t come from our things or circumstances; it comes from Christ leading our lives. Lastly, remember that we are known by God and fully Loved. He loves us all; the broken, the misfits, all of us!
Get out there and catch em up!
Call us today at 678-300-4865 or visit our booking page to book your Striper Experience!