HALL COUNTY, Ga. — If you've happened to drive by Lake Lanier in the past few weeks, you've likely noticed a receding water line that uncloaks much of the shoreline along the coast of the man-made swell.
On Thursday, brothers Randy and Bill Andre ate lunch in the parking lot before heading out on the water. Lake Lanier is too shallow for their usual fishing routine on the boat.
"The water's too far out to actually get your boat in the water," Randy said. "It affects just about everything."
Lake Lanier is about 7.5 feet below full pool. That's the lowest water level in more than five years.
"It's not (usually) like this at all," Randy said. "This is very different than other falls in the last few years."
Metro Atlanta hasn't seen rain in 20 days. There's a "moderate drought" that extends up to Hall County and the Lake Lanier area.
Randy said he's noticed fewer visitors during the off-season this year.
"I don't see many people here at all now because of the water levels," he said. "Normally, you would see some sailboats, or you would see some other boats out, but I haven't seen any."
He and his brother brought kayaks instead. They said that would allow them to walk over the more shallow parts of the lake and enjoy the water safely.
"There's just a lot of sand, a lot of mud and surprisingly, a lot of rock," Bill said. "It's affected the fishing for me, and it's a little bit harder to get the kayaks in the water."
They're hoping the rain will help fill out the lake soon.
"It's sad, but I know the Corps of Engineers has their job to do and their way of releasing the water for downstream," Randy said. "I guess they can't stop releasing even though we're in a drought. Hopefully, we'll get some rain."
