GAINESVILLE, Ga. – Lake Lanier will serve as the host of the season-opening Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine event for the Bulldog Division on Feb 28. The fishery is well-known as one of the best in the world for spotted bass, and there are likely to be plenty of magnum spots brought to the scales, with the chance for some outsized largemouth bass to also make an appearance as the season begins in Georgia.
What to expect
Lanier guide and tournament angler Brooks Anderson has a trio of Top 10s on his home lake, including winning the season opener there in 2024. He says the whole lake has been fishing very well as of late, and anglers will have to choose where to fish, keeping in mind that certain sections offer different things this time of year.
“The south end right now is where a lot of the big bags are coming from, but the catch-22 is that you are not getting a lot of numbers, so you have to sacrifice numbers for size,” he shared. “Up the lake, you can catch a lot more fish, but it can be harder to get over that 4-pound class that you need to get a big bag. But I still think we’ll see a mix of both parts of the lake in the Top 10.”
While spotted bass are the primary focus on Lanier these days, as it’s one of the premier fisheries in the country for them, largemouth have been making their presence felt in local events.
“There’s been a lot of them weighed in the past few weeks, and it’s been the difference-maker in a few of those tournaments,” he said. “For you to get in that low to mid 20-pound range we all shoot for, a big 5- or 6-pound largemouth can definitely get you there. But you can also do that with all spots on Lanier.”
New this year are restrictions on forward-facing sonar, with BFL anglers limited to three hours with the technology. Anderson says it will still be a big factor.
“That’s definitely going to change the game for a lot of guys, myself included,” he said. “It’s going to be one of those deals where you have to make it count when you can use it as you look for those wolfpacks of big spots out deep feeding up before they spawn. Limiting it may also stop some guys from catching big bags, but it also adds a lot of strategy to when you decide to use it.”
Baits to bring
Anderson recommends packing your minnows and Neko Rigs, as they have been among the top producers, and noted that a crankbait will also play a role during the non-forward-facing sonar time. He prefers medium divers this time of year, such as the SPRO RkCrawler MD 55.
What will it take?
Last year, a day later on the calendar, Cooper McDonald took the win with 21 pounds, 14 ounces. The top weight could be even more this year, according to Anderson.
“Everything is taking 22 to 24 pounds to win lately,” he said. “That’s been a mixture of largemouth and spotted bass, but sometimes it’s just spots. I expect to see a few bags over 20 pounds and then a bunch in the upper teens.”