GAINESVILLE, Ga.: Georgia’s Lake Lanier is the place to be if you want to catch a big bag of spotted bass early in the year. It’s also become a tradition to start the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine Bulldog Division season: Lanier will serve as host of the division opener for ninth straight season come March 1.
The weather has been up and down all winter in Georgia, but if conditions line up this week, the fishing on Lanier should be excellent for this event. Spotted and largemouth bass are in play, and there is potential for lunker-class fish of either species.
Signups for the event are open now. Remember that in 2025, the BFLs will feature an expanded slate of Regional events, which will give anglers more chances to qualify for the BFL All-American and further minimize travel costs. This expansion ensures that grassroots anglers can fish closer to home on lakes they know and love for a chance to win a $50,000 Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower outboard as a boater and a new $20,000 cash award as a co-angler, plus qualification into the All-American.
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What to expect
Flowery Branch, Georgia’s, Rob Jordan, a former FLW Tour pro, has scored a win and six other Top 5 finishes on Lanier in the past decade in BFL competition. He also guides on the lake and keeps close tabs on how it’s fishing. Jordan says the March 1 Bulldog opener should see typical early-season Lanier, and should be a classic prespawn tournament.
“The winter has been pretty mild overall, we’ve had some cold snaps with snow and ice but have also had some warm spells,” Jordan said. “Those warmer stretches have pulled some fish up shallower, which is the perfect scenario for a prespawn tournament. Once they’re up, they’re not going back out deep, so there will be a lot of ways to catch them.”
Jordan reports that a recent team event took over 25 pounds to win, but in a boater and co-angler format like the BFL, he believes it will be slightly less. Last year’s February event was won by Brooks Anderson with 23-3, and a few weeks later, Freeman Edwards took the win with a nearly identical 23-2. Jordan says that’s typical and the weight he expects, pending the weather the two days leading up to this tournament.
“I anticipate somewhere in the lower to mid 20-pound range will win this one,” he said. “One thing you see a lot this time of year is mixed bags or a 6- or 7-pound largemouth that gets someone over that 20-pound mark and in contention. You can see those bags with all spotted bass, too, but Lanier has some huge largemouth that are ‘bonus fish’ in a tournament. Sometimes largemouth will be mixed right in with the spots, and other times, running way up the rivers will be your best chance to catch one.”
According to Jordan, there should be several patterns in play, including ‘Scoping and some traditional early spring lures like crankbaits and jerkbaits.
“You have some clean areas of the lake and also a good bit of muddier areas because of the rain we’ve had, so you can pick your style and what you like to fish,” he said. “That helps spread the field, and everyone can do their thing. I know minnow-style baits will be a factor, but this time of year is killer for crankbaits and jerkbaits for fish that are up shallow on secondary points and in pockets Then, you have your finesse rigs like a Ned Rig or Neko Rig that are always a factor in the early spring on Lanier.”
Jordan adds that this time of year, the fish are spread out in ditches and flats instead of being grouped up on brush like they are later in the year, making it a great scenario for boaters and co-anglers.
“The thing to remember is that spotted bass are never alone, and there will always be groups of them around when you find catch one – but this time of year, they spread out and move around quite a bit,” Jordan said. “It’s either going to be a power-fishing approach or slowing down with finesse, but that’s a good one-two punch that will work for both guys in the boat if they are doing something different than their partner. Lanier is slap full of fish from one end to the other, and 3-pound spotted bass have become the norm. This should be a great event for guys catching fish with both approaches.”