Lake Lanier News

Hey Lake Lanier —

September is moving fast. Shore Sweep is this Saturday, and if you haven't signed up yet, there's still time. We've also got an ongoing story that's easy to miss but matters a lot to everyone with a stake in this lake — a federal dredging proposal that could pull significantly more water out of the reservoir. More on both below.

Week of September 15, 2026

Lake level: 1,065.07 ft — 5.93 feet below full pool (full pool = 1,071 ft)

Water temperature: Low-to-mid 80s (main lake)

Clarity: Clear on the main lake; staining in coves and creek arms

What it means: We've slipped another 0.3 feet from last week's reading, putting us roughly 4 feet below the seasonal average for mid-September. The lake has been running 4 to 6 feet below full pool most of this year, and that pattern isn't reversing until winter inflows kick in. If you're launching from a smaller ramp or running back into a cove, take it slow — there's less margin than you're used to.

The main body of the lake is fully navigable and the fall bite is setting up nicely for anglers (see Fishing Report below). Just know where the shallow spots are.

Source: USGS Gauge 02334400 (Buford Dam) / lakelanierwater.com

Shore Sweep — Saturday, September 19 | 8 AM – 1 PM

This is the weekend. The 38th annual Shore Sweep covers all 692 miles of Lanier's shoreline across four counties — 15 cleanup sites plus seven early-access locations. Last year, more than 1,200 volunteers removed 128 tons of debris. In 37 years, the event has pulled over 2.58 million pounds of trash off this lake.

You can go on land (parks and shorelines) or take your own boat out on the water. Both are needed. Registration is still open at lakelanier.org/Shore-Sweep — takes about two minutes.

If you've been meaning to do this for years, this Saturday is the one.

Swim Across America — Saturday, September 19 | Lake Lanier Olympic Park

Also on the 19th: the Atlanta Open Water Swim returns to the Olympic Park, with distances from 0.5 to 3 miles. Proceeds benefit children's cancer research at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta's Aflac Center. Sign up or donate at swimacrossamerica.org.

Have an event to add? Reply to this email.

The dredging fight is heating up — and it matters to every Lanier property owner

This is a story that's been building since early summer, and it just picked up momentum this week.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is studying whether to restore commercial barge navigation on the lower Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) river system — the same river network that feeds Lake Lanier. Congress has already appropriated $100 million for repairs to locks and dams and $3 million to study restarting dredging and channel work to support navigation.

The problem for Lanier: reliable commercial navigation historically requires large water releases from upstream reservoirs to float the barges. Because Lanier holds roughly two-thirds of the ACF system's storage capacity, most of that water would come from here.

The Lake Lanier Association has been raising the alarm, and LLA President Todd Baxter put it plainly: "We believe there is insufficient basin inflow in the river system to sustain reliable commercial navigation without significantly impacting Lake Lanier's authorized purposes, especially recreation and water supply." The lake is the drinking water source for nearly 5 million people in metro Atlanta and North Georgia, and supports a billion-dollar recreational economy.

Now a community group called My Lake Lanier has launched a direct letter-writing campaign to the Corps of Engineers — asking residents to submit public comments before the Environmental Impact Statement is finalized. The Corps is still in the public input phase, which means this is the moment to weigh in if you care about lake levels.

To learn more or submit a comment, start at lakelanier.org.

Sources: 97.5 Glory FM (Sep 14, 2026) / Lakeside News / WSB-TV / Lake Lanier Association

A new lake record, quietly set last month

Easy to miss in the August news cycle: Anthony Scroggins set a new Lake Lanier record for blue catfish on August 19, landing a 22-pound fish. Blue catfish have been expanding their range on Lanier in recent years — worth knowing if you're a catfish angler, and worth keeping an eye on as the species establishes itself further in the system.

September transition — the lake is fishing well

According to Jimbo Mathley of Jimbo's Lake Lanier Spotted Bass Guide Service, September is shaping up as a good month on the water despite the lower-than-normal lake level.

The key dynamic right now is the transitional period between late-summer and fall patterns. Water temps are still in the mid-80s, but the fish are starting to respond to subtle temperature changes. Here's what's working:

Deep and shallow, depending on time of day. This is the window where you can find bass very deep (30–40 ft on offshore structure), very shallow (docks, pockets near the bank), and points in between — sometimes on the same morning. The primary driver is oxygen and baitfish location, so watch your electronics for where the shad are congregating.

Topwater still producing early. The morning topwater bite on humps and long points hasn't shut down yet. Work it hard until about 9 AM, then transition deeper.

Fall is close. When water temps drop into the high 70s, expect bass to start moving shallower and more aggressively toward baitfish. That transition can happen fast on Lanier in late September. Keep a jerkbait and a swimbait rigged for when the first cold front comes through.

Striper fishing has been solid all summer and guides expect the bite to continue through September. Live bait on deep structure remains the primary approach.

Evergreen feature

If you spend most of your time on the southern end of Lake Lanier — closer to Buford, Flowery Branch, or the Lanier Islands area — you may have never made the drive up to Don Carter State Park. Worth fixing that this fall.

Don Carter sits on the north end of the lake in Hall County, on a peninsula that juts into the upper Chattahoochee arm of the reservoir. It's one of Georgia's newer state parks, opened in 2013, and it was built specifically to serve the Lake Lanier community — with lakeside camping, a swimming beach, fishing docks, picnic areas, and a boat ramp that accesses the quieter, less-trafficked north end of the lake.

What makes it worth the drive in September specifically: the north lake tends to be calmer and less congested as summer boat traffic winds down, the fall foliage arrives first up here, and the campground doesn't book out the way it does in June and July. If you've been thinking about a lakeside camping weekend before the season ends, this is the move.

A few things to know before you go:

Details and reservations at gastateparks.org/DonCarter.

For more Lake Lanier park and recreation guides, visit LakeLanier.com.

Shore Sweep month has the LLA social channels buzzing, and the community response to the dredging story has been significant — the letter-writing campaign launched by My Lake Lanier only went public this week and is already getting traction. If you're plugged into local Facebook groups, you've probably seen the posts. If not, lakelanier.org has the background.

Tips, photos, community news? Reply to this email.

That's your Lake Lanier week. Back in your inbox next Tuesday or Wednesday.

[email protected] | LakeLanier.com

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