Jimbos Lake Lanier Guide Service Spotted Bass Fishing Report: 5/24/2014

Hey Gang - Well for the first year in a great many we did not make the trek up to Indy for the 500. Things just didn't work out this year. I will miss it tomorrow for sure. The good news is that I have had plenty of time to fish! I ran 8 trips this week over 6 days on the water, including #8 this morning. It was starting to get nuts out there when we took out at 11 AM. Be careful if you get out on the water this weekend - I recommend out early and in early. LOL. My clients and I enjoyed an excellent week of fishing on Lanier. I am way backed up on posting pictures here as well as on Facebook - I am working to catch up. The above are just a few of the many - more to come soon. The spawn is definitely wrapping up as we have been catching several post-spawn females. We have been doing well on a number of different patterns this week. I am on a very strong bite at daylight and we have stroked them at first light every day. Wake baits, topwater, swimbaits, spinnerbaits, fish head spin - if it moves they eat it. We have often started the day with a 15 pound sack in the first 10 minutes and then built on it through the day with some studs mixed in. Rocky humps and points have been the key for this bite and the fish have been SUPER shallow - often in a foot or less as they focus on the remnants of the herring spawn. After the early morning bite dies, we have found a decent schooling bite through the day. A fish head spin along with a gunfish have been our best offerings for these fish. It seems the fish head works best for the schoolers as you can really launch it a long way into the action. A Davis Shaky head and worm combo has been good when the wind dies. We have been using the Screw Lock HBT Series in the 3/16 oz size along with a variety of green worms. The SL HBT Series has become my favorite Davis Shaky Head of the many they offer. Our best approach for the big fish through the day has been throwing the Sworming Hornet Bite Sized Herring Swimbait on points and humps. The key for this bite has been a slow retrieve. Get the right speed and they crush it. Brush is not necessary but can help - look in 15 feet or less for this bite. Still not a ton of bites on this, but the ones you get are hammers. Over the next couple of weeks, I have the following dates open - Thursday and Friday May 29 and 30, and then Wednesday and Thursday June 4th and 5th the following week. The topwater bite will be getting better and better and the swimbait bite will get stronger as well as the post-spawn fish move into replenish mode. Looking further into June, the spot tail minnow bite should be coming on soon as the fish lock into the brush. This is great fun for kids and adults alike. Bites are guaranteed! Finally, as we celebrate this Memorial Day with friends and family, I ask that we all take a minute to remember our fallen heros, who through their ultimate sacrifice have made the freedoms we enjoy in this country possible. And also a big thanks to all of the service men and women, both past and present, who work or have worked hard to defend this great country of ours every day. Salute! May God Bless - Jimbo

Jimbos Lake Lanier Guide Service Fishing Report: 5/8/2014

Hey Gang - We have had a great week on Lanier and the fishing has been good. I have lots to share, so let's get started.... I want to begin by congratulating Matt Jones and Eli Huggins on an outstanding performance in Saturday's FLW High School State Championship. The boys, who were representing the West Forsyth High Wolverines, finished 3rd out of 52 boats with a weight of 15 lbs, 11 oz. A fluke and wakebait were the main weapons that contributed to their creel. I had an opportunity to work with the boys in advance of the tournament as well as be their boat captain for the event. Matt and Eli both are awesome young anglers with a great future ahead in the sport. Because they finished in the Top 5 of the field, Matt and Eli qualified for the FLW Regional HS Championships which will take place in September on the NickaJack in Tennessee. Congratulations again boys and good luck on the 'Jack! Great job!! On Monday of this week I took a day off and enjoyed a very informational electrofishing trip with Lake Lanier biologists Patrick O'Rouke and Christopher Looney. This is something I have been wanting to do for quite some time and was grateful to have been presented the opportunity. We shocked 4 different "stations" around the lake. We collected a number of species of fish to include both Largemouth and Spots. We measured and weiged all the fish, collected fin/scale samples, and returned most of the fish to the water. They did keep a few of the fish, which is normal, for further disection and research which will aid with identifing growth trends along with other critical insights. I garnered SO MUCH information from this process that it would be difficult to share everything in this forum. Let me sum it up by saying that we are all blessed to have a very healthy fishery! I look forward to sharing all the nitty gritty details with my clients during trips in the weeks ahead. I was able to address some of the "myths" that circulate around the lake and get the true scoop. Another thanks to Patrick and Chris - they are both very knowledgable and professional - we are lucky to have them as a resource for our lake! The fishing has been very good this past week. In the mornings, we have been focusing on the herring spawn, working a fish head spin, a spinnerbait, and topwater baits around shallow rocky and sandy areas. A swimbait has also been working well on these fish, particularly when they are as fired up as they were this morning. There was a nice breeze at daylight and man the fish were chewing. We saw lots of schooling, which we are starting to see more and more of around the lake. Topwater is also working throughout the day, as is a fluke, and of course, the Davis Shaky Head and worm combo. Reef poles are a good bet right now as is still the weed/grass lines in the pockets and creeks around the lake. There are still fish on the main lake brush as well, and some areas are loaded with pre-spawner and some post spawners also. It seems the larger wave of the spotted bass are ready to commit to the beds and are in the process. Look for a big push with next week's full moon. I forsee for some awesome fishing through the week next week if history repeats itself in terms of timing with the full moon phase. I am booked through the weekend, but have Mon, Tues, Wed, and Thur open next week. Give me a call and let's get out there. Should be an incredible week of fishing! Thanks to everyone, and May God Bless! Jimbo