Monday, March 23, 2015

Jimbo's Lake Lanier Bass Fishing Report: 3/23/2015

Hey Gang - Well I think Spring has finally "Sprung" as they say and the fish are moving after that tough February. I hope you have all had the opportunity to get out and enjoy the great weather. The bite has been improving steadily. We have had some good days lately and I expect them to get better. We have mostly been fishing creek arms and pockets the past couple of weeks looking for that faster warming water. Docks have been a great target for us within those places, although the areas around the docks and open areas without any docks have been productive as well. We have started most days with a Spro or Megabass Jerkbait and a rattle trap. These baits worked on flats in the back of creek arms have been productive for some early morning bites. We have then been shifting to the deeper creek arms and focusing on steeper banks with the jerkbait. Once the sun gets up, the docks have been very productive. We have focuses on docks that are in 20 feet or less. Some days the deeper docks are better, and some days the shallower docks seem to be more productive. You can definitely find more largemouth consistently around the shallower docks near the back of the creek arms, but the spots are back there on some days too. The deeper docks are a better bet in terms of consistent spot production. As far as bait selection, a jerkbait, a fluke, and various plastics rigged on a 3/16 oz Davis Shaky Head HBT Series Screw Lock Head have all been very good producers. Trick worms, finesse worms, and creepy crawlers skipped around docks are all working well right now. Experiment each day to find what the fish prefer. We have had some decent days on a jig as well, but I look for the jig bite to become a staple soon. I recommend stocking up on your favorite Chattahoochee Jigs now! I have mainly been fishing up North, but the lower lake is starting to come around and you will find me below BB much more often over the next few weeks. Look for the main lake bite to heat up soon and some big sacks to come from down south. It's just time for that to happen. Any day now... If you haven't heard, make sure to mark Sunday, March 29th on your calendars for the Lowrance Lake Lanier Mapping Party and Big Bass Bash. The event will be held at Little Hall Ramp that day and will include food, prizes and giveaways, as well as free Lowrance instruction and seminars. Catch the biggest bass that day and win a FREE Lowrance HDS 7 Gen 2 Touch! Also, there is an ongoing Lake Lanier Mapping Challenge that offers an HDS 9 Gen 2 Touch as its grand prize (March 6-28). Check out all the details by clicking HERE. A special congrats to my man Bo Pierce who is pictured above in the 2 photographs on the right. I had Bo out on a trip with me earlier this week while he was having his brand new HDS 9 Gen 3 Touch units installed by Tim at Hammond's Fishing. We caught a good sack the day we were out, and I was able to show him a few things he could apply on this own during future trips (Pic 2nd from right). The picture on the far right is the result! I met up with Bo on the water at the end of one of my trips later this week to tune his units he had installed on Wednesday, and was happy to celebrate his results with him. I love to teach and Bo was an outstanding student! It was very gratifying to me that he took what he learned and was able to immediately apply it to his fishing. Congrats Bo! I have Thursday and Friday open this coming week (March 26 and 27). I also have Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, March 30th, 31st and April 1st open as well. After that, my first open days are April 13, 14, and 15 as I am fully booked the first 2 weeks of April. I anticipate some excellent fishing over the next few weeks. Give me a call and book your dates now! Let's go catch'em!! Thanks to all and May God Bless - Jimbo

Sunday, March 8, 2015

Jimbo's Lake Lanier Bass Fishing Report: 3/8/2015

Hey Gang - I hope everyone has enjoyed the recent warming trend. It was sure beautiful out there today! It is really great to see Spring arriving as we have all had about enough of old man winter! Who's with me??! I have been out on the water every day since last Saturday, and the fishing has been tough...in the lower lake. I spent 2 days down there last week and determined it was just not worth hanging around anymore. I have not been below Brown's Bridge since. LOL. The water temps are trending much warmer up north as with daytime warming today we found 53 degrees in the back of some pockets. The fish are biting up there as well, and we have had decent limits every day this week. The bite has seemed to get better each day. Don't get me wrong, you have to work your tail off, but the fish are there and will bite with some patience. We have been working jerkbaits, rattletraps, and Super Spins for some good early morning bites. We have mostly been focusing on shallow flats in the backs of creek arms and pockets in 10 feet or less. A 7 second pause on the jerkbait seems to be important for a bite. A Spro McStick and a Vision 110 have been our choices. The trap bite seems best on a steady retrieve for us, vs a yo-yo presentation. We have been working a 1/4 oz Super Spin tipped with either a Super Fluke Jr or a Kitech trailer. A slow presentation of the Super Spin with some hops and pops seems to be best on most days. A chatterbait has also given us a few bigger bites through the day as well. Slow and steady has been the best presentation. Through the day, docks back in creek arms and pockets have been our best bet. We have been working small plastics rigged on a 3/16 oz or 1/8 oz Davis Screw Lock Shaky Head, HBT Series. SLOOOOOOW is the key. And I do mean painfully slow. Move it an inch, make a phone call, drink a soda, move an inch, shake slightly, take a nap, read the paper, return emails, then....tick! The bites are very light and hard to detect. Often you will just see your line start to move after a pause of the bait, if you are not napping of course. LOL. The best docks seem to be in 15 feet or less. Often times, even on sunny days such as today, the fish are not under the docks, but just around them. Work the areas thoroughly and as discussed above, take your time. The DVD's I had produced from my January Seminar on ditch fishing have been selling well. Thank you! I still have a few copies left, and I will mail next day USPS, so you will receive them quickly. Please call me at 770-542-7764 to order your copy or email me at: jim@laniermapped.com The cost is $39. I have recently had a short preview from the DVD produced. Click on this link and take a look: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyIbZMiBMlA&feature=youtu.be I also wanted to share a couple of tournament announcements. I will make a separate post for these tournaments on this forum as well. First, I am excited to report that Shimano/GLoomis will be hosting a series of owner tournaments this year, and one of the stops on the tour is Lake Lanier! Mark down June 6th at Little Hall (SL-3 PM) on your calendars for this awesome event. Entry fee is purchase of $300 or more in qualifying GLoomis, Shimano, Jackall, or Power Pro equipment from your fine local tackle stores such as Hammond's Fishing or The Dugout. Only GLoomis Rods and Shimano reels will be allowed in the tournament. The series covers Lake Lanier, Logan Martin, Smith Lake, and the Classic will be held at Guntersville. This is sure to be a fun and rewarding tournament trail. Make sure to check out the details and buy some Shimano/GLoomis or other qualifying product and come fish!! Also, I wanted to share some info on a tournament being held on Lake Allatoona for a very worthy cause. Fishin' for a Mission will be held on March 29, 2015 out of Gatewood Park (SL- 3PM) and proceeds will benefit Children's Healthcare. I will share the flyer for this event on a separate post as well. Make sure to put this on your calendars and come out and support Children's Healthcare. I am full this week and looking to wrap up a 16 day run of days on the water this coming Sunday. Here are the dates I have open the remainder of March: 17, 18, 19, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 30, and 31. Call for your April dates soon as those have been going quickly as of late. The warm weather this week is sure to get the fish really moving and making their push towards the spawn. The next few weeks are sure to hold some excellent fishing with some STUDS to be caught. Now is the time folks! Give me a call and let's go bust 'em!! Thanks to all, and May God Bless - Jimbo