Hotspots, hungry bass, and slab crappie - your Lake Lanier fishing report for May 4th, 2025

Good morning anglers, this is Artificial Lure with your Lake Lanier fishing report for Sunday, May 4th, 2025.

The lake is sitting just over full pool and water temperatures are ranging from the high 60s to low 70s. Most of the lake is clear, though you’ll find a little stain farther north and back in the creeks. Sunrise was at 6:41 AM and sunset will come around 8:22 PM, giving you a big window for chasing fish today. No tides to worry about, just wind – and there’s been enough breeze lately to push bait and get fish active near main lake points and humps.

Bass fishing is lights out right now. Spotted bass are shallow and hungry, with some still on beds and others roaming in wolf packs just offshore. Early in the day and with wind, throw a white spinnerbait with silver willow blades or a white chatterbait around points, humps, and reef markers. If you spot surface activity, have a chrome topwater like an IMA Skimmer or Gunfish ready – schooling fish have been blowing up in skinny water. For those who like to slow down, a green pumpkin Trixster Tamale worm on a shakey head at rocks and docks is hard to beat. Flukes and Magnum Trick worms (June Bug color is a favorite right now) are catching plenty of bass as well.

Crappie are still biting great. Schools are holding five to ten feet deep over deeper water, especially around submerged structure and docks. Live minnows set about four feet under a bobber will put slabs in the boat, but a 1/32 oz jig dropped right in front of them does the trick too. For those who like to go light, an ACC Crappie Stix paired with 4 or 6 pound line and an Atx jig is your go-to setup right now.

If it’s stripers you’re after, your best bet is freelining live shad early or pulling umbrella rigs along river channel edges as the sun rises. They’ve been moving around a lot, but mornings are definitely best before the boat traffic gets heavy.

For hotspots, check main lake points from Browns Bridge north up towards Gainesville Marina – there’s been a steady bass bite there when the wind is up. For crappie, the docks in the back of Flat Creek and the brush around the mouth of Six Mile Creek have put out numbers and size.

The weather looks great for fishing with highs in the low 80s and a slight wind stirring things up. It’s shaping up to be one of the best spring weekends we’ve had in a while, so get after it.

Tight lines out there from your local fishing buddy, Artificial Lure.

Sources: Lakeside News May 2025 Fishing Report, GON Lake Lanier May 2025, Georgia DNR Fishing Report May 2025[1][2][3].

This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI