Thursday, January 31, 2013

Jimbo's Lake Lanier Guide Service Fishing Report: 1/31/2013

Hey Everyone - It is has been awhile since my last report. I have been on the lake several days, but have also taken some time off to be with the family. Many busy days lie ahead with spring fast approaching, so I have enjoyed recharging my batteries over the past few weeks. For January, I have been on trips about half of the days this month, including a one-day jaunt up to Carters with my good customer Uncle Steve, who you may remember comes from Richmond, VA to fish with me several times a year. I had never fished the lake before, but we had a good day up there with the Fish Head Spin, as you can see from Steve's pic above middle. Lanier has been changing a bunch over the month of January as many of you already know. The water level has been rising dramatically with the rains, including the one we got yesterday, which has already raised the level another foot as we sit around 7.5 feet down from full pool. Water temperatures have been fluctuating a bunch as well as the rains have been very warm for this time of year, but the cold temps that follow these storms always quickly brings the lake back down around the 50 degree mark. The bait and fish are scattered, and can be found both shallow and deep. Not much has changed on the fishing front, especially that the best bite literally changes every day. Some days there is a good shallow bite, other days deep right away is the key, and some days mid-depth is the best location. Stay flexible and search for the best bite and run that pattern through the day, pausing to check other options in the other categories mentioned above from time to time. In the early mornings, work a mid-diving crankbait, fish head spin, and a jerkbait shallow in ditches, pockets, and on steeper rocky/clay points. Some creeks have loaded up with bait near the back and the fish are active in these areas, particularly at daylight. Try these type areas or main lake pockets or points first thing in the morning. After the shallow bite slows, we are then working out deeper in ditches and pockets near the main lake. Focus your efforts near sharp drops and ledges in ditches and near the timber line, and fish timber edges as well as right in the thick stuff in the middle of the ditch when you are fishing deep. The worm and jig seem to be the best producers out deep, but don't ignore other options such as a spoon or even a fish head spin, both of which we have used successfully right in the timber. This past week, we had some really good days in the timber from 30-45 feet deep. February is filling up fast for me. I am booked both this weekend and next, and only have all day Tuesday and Thursday morning open next week. As a recap, I have the following dates open in February: 5, 12, 14, 18, 22, 23, 24, 26, 27, & 28. The forecast looks great for next week with the temperatures coming back to normal and lots of sunshine with a warming trend! Give me a call and lets go fish! For Fishing Reports on other Georgia Lakes, please visit: www.havefunfishing.com Thanks to all and May God Bless! Jimbo

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Jimbo's Lake Lanier Fishing Guide Service Report: 1/17/2013

Hello Friends and Sponsors - I had the pleasure this past weekend of being involved in presentations on the Bass Tank at the Atlanta Boat Show. My presentations focused on the Fish Head Spin and its effective use in all seasons, but particularly the winter time. I demonstrated all the specifics of effective presentation with the bait, and it was a big hit! The fish in the tank ate the fish head spin (with hooks removed of course!) on every cast. After each presentation, I answered individual questions and personally explained the proper use of the bait. Thanks to everyone that attended - I enjoyed meeting each of you! Also, thanks to Scott Pledger over at Wackem for giving me that cool jersey to wear! Finally, a special thanks to Ken Sturdivant for inviting me to speak at the show and for doing all the fabulous Lowrance presentations - great job Ken! Fishing has been fun this week. The the lake has changed dramatically over the past few days with the unseasonably warm weather and massive rain. The lake is up over 2 feet in just the past 2 days and continues to rise. The water temperature has risen nearly 5 degrees. The good news is that the fish have responded positively and are biting! A number of different patterns are working right now and things are changing each day with the changing conditions. The fish head spin, crankbaits, jigs, jerkbaits, and Davis Shaky Head worms have all been productive. As has been the case, both shallow and deep approaches will work on any given day. The creek ditches remain our focus - we work both shallow and deep each day and then pursue the best options as the day progresses. We have caught fish as shallow as 3-5 feet and as deep as 45-50 feet. Stay flexible in your approach and find the best pattern on any given day and go with it - I recommend staying on the move and finding the active schools of fish willing to feed. Once you find them, your first accurate cast should catch them. The weather looks to be stabilizing the next week with lots of sunshine and good temperatures most of the week. I am booked over this weekend and next weekend, but have most of the weekdays open this coming week. Give me a call and lets go fish and enjoy some sunshine and good fishing!! For fishing reports on other Georgia Lakes, please visit: www.havefunfishing.com

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Jimbo's Lake Lanier Guide Service Fishing Report: 1/6/2013

Happy New Year Everyone! I hope that you all had a great holiday season and I wish you all a very prosperous 2013! Fishing has been good the past couple of weeks. I returned on December 27th for trips and have been on the water almost every day, save a couple of rain/wind outs. We have continued to work both shallow and deep for our fish. The FHS bite has slowed a bit for us, but the crankbait has been working well in the same areas. They just seem to prefer that crank lately. This bite seems to be best first thing in the morning shallow in the ditches, but can last through the day. We have also been working 1/4 oz jigs and Davis Shaky Heads in the timber and along the timber lines in those same ditches in the 30-55 foot range for some good bites. The spoon and the jerkbait have seen occasional success, but not consistent. Be creative in finding your ditches to fish. Study your map and look carefully at your contour lines to identify potential productive areas. There are some obvious ones, and then some not so obvious ones...stay sharp! If the water continues to cool, we should see a better concentration of fish and bait out deep. If it remains near 50, look for the fish to remain scattered both shallow and deep for awhile. This week I have all day Wednesday and Thursday open (Jan 9 and 10) as well as Friday morning, Jan 11 available for trips. Give me a ring if you would like to get out!! Thanks to all, and May God Bless - Jimbo