Lake Sidney Lanier

Lake Lanier is one of the most heavily used USACE lakes in the country. The lake offers great fishing for a variety of species, and its proximity to metro Atlanta makes it a popular destination with both anglers and pleasure boaters. Lake Sidney Lanier is named for the nineteenth-century Georgia poet, Sidney Clopton Lanier. The poet’s love of the area inspired him to write his famous “Song of the Chattahoochee.” Lake Lanier’s Buford Dam was completed in 1956 as part of a comprehensive development plan for the Chattahoochee River. The lake’s purposes are flood control, hydropower, navigation, recreation, and fish and wildlife management. It is the largest lake found entirely within Georgia’s borders. Lake Lanier is not the place for solitude and undisturbed vistas. There are an estimated 7,500 boat docks on the lake’s 38,000 acres, and homes occupy much of the shoreline. As Atlanta has spread north, much of Lake Lanier has become part of suburbia. Recreational use of the lake is extremely heavy on summer weekends, and the lake traffic begins to resemble the notorious traffic jams on Atlanta’s freeways. Even during the week, boating traffic is heavy. Besides the thousands of personal watercraft buzzing around, there are plenty of inland yachts that throw quite a wake. Despite all the use, the lake consistently produces good fishing and is nationally known. Lake Lanier is a frequent stop on national bass tournament trails. Although summertime angling basically becomes a nighttime proposition because of the heavy use, in the cooler months anglers have the lake to themselves. Key species: spotted bass, largemouth bass, striped bass, crappie, white bass, channel catfish.