Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Jimbo's Lake Lanier Spotted Bass Fishing Report: 1/27/15

Hey Gang! It has been awhile since my last post. I have been busy on some other fishing-related fronts and it has been an awesome January. I hope you all have been out and enjoyed some of the good days we have had recently, when we have had 'em. It is January after all, not all the days are good! LOL As many of you know, I have been running a Seminar Series this month. We held one on January 17th and I have another one coming up this Saturday, January 31st. My buddy Dan W. has graciously offered his company's state-of-the-art meeting facility down at Dekalb Office, where we are holding he seminars. This place is unbelievable and it has been a true pleasure to work with Dan. I can't say enough about his generous hospitality. Thank you Dan - you are the man! The January 17th Seminar was a HUGE success. We had over 90 attendees and discussed some of the particulars of ditch fishing, timber fishing, and tackle set up. In the January 31st Seminar, we will have an in-depth reveiw of electronics - how to read them and interpret them to catch more fish. In addion, we will discuss fishing the winter to spring transition, tournament preparation and game planning, as well as seasonal patterns on Lanier. Thanks to Dan, we have been able to add some additional chairs for this Seminar to meet the growing demand. We sit at 101 attendees, and can grow it to 110. So I have 9 spots left if you are interested in attending. This will be an extremely valuable course as we will help prepare you for fishing the coming months on Lanier. We will welcome you with refreshments such as coffee and donuts, raffles, giveaways, in addition to some great vendors such as Chattahoochee Jigs, SuperSpin by SuperFish, and Spro Lures. Please contact me directly at 770-542-7764 to reserve your spot. First come, first serve of course. Class starts at 9 AM, doors open at 8 AM. Registration is $85 and we will close the class at 110 participants. I hope to see you there for another great lesson on Lanier. I have also been playing in the tournament scene this month. We wrapped up the Hammond's Winter Trail on Saturday with a 16.92 lbs sack and a 2nd place finish in the Classic on a very tough day. My partner Joe and I were further honored to secure 2nd place in the points race for top team of the year. We were fortunate to have fished very consistently all year. Our strengths were planning and decision making, along with execution of course. These are areas that we will be discussing at this Saturday's seminar. A big congrats to Mark Hardin and Chad Spivey for their incredible year and 1st place honors in the trail. Also, a big thanks to Hammond's Fishing for running this highly competitve trail that consistently attracts Lanier's best. Joe and I then rolled into the first H&D Tournament of the year out of Little Hall on Sunday with a 15.74 lbs sack and a solid 6th place finish out of a 61 boat field. Conditions were much nicer Sunday, but the fishing was just as tough. Over the weekend, we focused our efforts in the 45 feet range on timber edges for most of our fish. A Chattahoochee Jig, a Shaky Head, and a drop shot were our main weapons. We did make some deviations on Sunday after we got our limit in the timber as we then went hole hopping for a couple of upgrades on the Chattahoochee Jig. Overall, a fun weekend and a pleasure to be fishing in January! Check out the PIG above that I caught last week on the SuperSpin from SuperFish Baits. This is a fairly new release to the market and in my opinion a great addition to the UnderSpin market. A longer blade arm, bigger eyes and a unique head design highlight the competitive advantages of this bait. The longer blade arm allows for a consistent free spin on the fall which is how I caught spotzilla above - on the fall. I am honored to be working with Kevin Stowers and his team helping to promote this new product. I encourage you to give this bait a try - I think you will like it!! Lastly, I want to announce that I have officially split from Sworming Hornet Lures. I enjoyed my time with Rick and certainly appreciated the opportunity to represent his company. I wish him all the best with his future endeavors. I have Thursday and Friday open this week for guide trips. The weather looks good so let's get out and catch 'em! Give me a call! Thanks to all, and May God Bless. Jimbo

Friday, January 2, 2015

Jimbo's Lake Lanier Spots Fishing Report and Seminar Reminder: 1/2/2015

Happy New Year Everyone! I hope y'all enjoyed a safe and happy holiday season with family and friends! I want to wish everyone a fulfilling, healthy, and prosperous 2015! We made the trip back to Indiana for Christmas in a most excellent 11 hour downpour all the way there....and back. We enjoyed the time there anyway, but I am glad to be back in Georgia where at least we see the sun every once in awhile! I want to start by thanking everyone for registering for my upcoming seminars on Jan 17 and 31, 2015. The response has been incredible and I am grateful. There are a still a few spots left, but not many. These Lanier-intensive, winter fishing-specific seminars will cover such topics as: Ditch Fishing, Deep Timber Fishing, Ledge Fishing, Fishing the Winter to Spring transition, Reading Electronics, and much more. I invite you to call or email me to register for these valuable classes while there is still space available. The seminars will be held at the Dekalb Office Conference Room which is conveniently located just off of Exit 12 on GA 400. These facilities are top-notch with a beautiful, spacious break room and outstanding conference space. If you register and pay before January 14, 2015 the price is $99 for both classes or $69 for one. The pay at the door price will be $85 per class, if space is still available by then. Refreshments will be served, and there will also be Vendor/Sponsor tables and we are working on a raffle as well. I encourage you not to miss this wonderful opportunity to learn more about fishing our awesome lake in the winter time, as well as enjoy some great networking opportunities with your fishing peers. The fishing since my last report has been good. Aside from the few days around Christmas, I have been out on trips every day. Thank you all for keeping me so busy! I love it! The fish have been spread out with a good concentration of fish deep, as well as mid-depth ranges and even shallow. We have been starting our mornings in the back of creek arms/pockets and fishing 20 feet deep or less. We have had several 10-12 fish stops on our first hole, often accumulating a 13-15 pound sack and then moving out deeper for some bigger bites. We have been working an underspin, a jerkbait, as well as a Chattahoochee Jig and a Shaky Head worm in these areas for our bites. As the day progresses, we have been moving out to the ditches with timber and working a Chattahoochee jig, Shaky Head worm, and a spoon for our catches. Fishing the baits slowly is key. There are some big girls out deep right now, and I look for the fishing to improve out there as the weather gets colder later next week. This should concentrate the bait and fish a bit more in the deeper water. Isolated timber in 40-45 feet has been most productive for us of late, but there are fish along the timber rows/edges as well. Rock bluffs have been a good option as well on some days. The key here is chosing areas that have deep water close. The fish may be 15 feet or less in some situations, but there is always deeper water very near. Again, work the bait slowly, particularly on those areas with ledges combined with steep drops. This coming week, I have Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday open (Jan 5, 6, and 7). With the full moon phase and a cold front coming later in the week, these should be good fishing days. Give me a call or drop me an email and let's go get 'um!! Also of interest, I will be presenting at the 2015 Atlanta Boat Show again this year. I will be on the Bass Tank at 5:30 PM on Friday, January 16 and again at 3:30 PM on Saturday, January 17th. I will be demonstrating some principles that I will be covering in my fishing seminars, so come on down and join me for some fun and learning at the 2015 Atlanta Boat Show! Thanks to everyone, and May God Bless! Jimbo Jimbo On Lanier - Jimbo's Spotted Bass Guide Service Call: 770-542-7764 Website: www.jimboonlanier.com