Jimbo's Lake Lanier and Lake Hartwell Guide Service Fishing Report: 9/8/2013

Hey Gang - It is great to see the sun back consistently! It has been awesome to finally have some beauty days out there to enjoy. The fish seem to be enjoying it as well as things are definitely on an upswing on the pond. Over the past week, I have seen a better concentration of fish around and in the brush than I have seen all summer. I attribute this to the pending change of season, ample sunshine, and of course the water release through the week. I noticed yesterday the fish were not as tight to the brush as they had been through the week. It was partly cloudy and no water release. Go figure. There was lots of schooling activity through the week at different points in the day. We focused on brush in 18-25 feet on points and humps. We were also able to bring fish up consistently through the day in these same areas. So, as you can imagine, topwater and swimbaits became our go-to presentations. We really caught and tangled with some big fish this week. I saw the biggest spot I have ever seen in that lake try to get on my customer's gunfish on Friday afternoon. Unreal big. I was not fishing and was just watching - I was at the perfect angle to see it all. It was a heartbreak for him, but he recovered nicely with some good fish making it to the boat. I have also been experimenting with the latest version of swimbait from Sworming Hornet Lures, The Snack Sized Herring. It is the smaller brother of the Bite Sized Herring and will be out in stores like Hammond's and Oakwood soon. It is very balanced and runs very true for such a compact presentation option. I love it! When things got boring, LOL, we would move to the drop shot, which seemed to be working much better than anything right on the bottom this week. Casting the dropshot is particularly effective right now as well as the typical vertical presentations. Areas with a ledge close to deep water seemed to produce our bigger bites on the DS. Wackem worms in Lanier Candy, LJ's Passion, and LJ's Obsession worked nicely. On other fronts, I am excited to report the addition of another new sponsor to Jimbo's Guide Service - Trokar Hooks. I really look forward to working with Brian Evans and his team with Trokar/Seaguar. Seaguar has been a long time relationship that is also growing for me in working with Brian. Both of these products have outstanding reputations in the market and I am both pleased and honored to represent them. Finally, a Big Thank You to everyone that came out and braved the weather for the Blackshear Place Baptist Church Sportsman's Feast back in August. What a great event, and as always, I really enjoyed presenting and hosting a booth there. The main message of the evening was very powerful, and 79 people made the decision for Christ that night. What a Blessing to be part of such an awesome event. I have the following dates remaining in September: 10, 12, 13, 17, 24, 30. I am also booking for the first week of October on Lanier with a few dates still open that week. As far as tournament preparation goes, I am at capacity for Camp Sunshine and BFL preparation trips, but still have one slot open for anyone practicing for the Skeeter Challenge Event the first weekend of October. The off limits for all participants in that event starts on September 29th, so please plan accordingly. Also, the Hartwell bite is picking up well and Rick has had some great trips out for me on Hartwell and Burton over the past couple of weeks. He has some dates open still in September and you don't want to miss the action on these super lakes. Give me a call to set a date with Rick or I and let's go fish!! For fishing reports on other Georgia Lakes, please visit: www.havefunfishing.com Thanks to all, and May God Bless - Jimbo

Jimbo's Lake Lanier and Lake Hartwell Bass Fishing Guide Service Fishing Report: 8/16/2013

Hey Gang - I have taken some time off over the past couple of weeks as my family and I are in the process of moving up to the lake. I am looking forward to shorter commutes as I have been driving 50 miles a day for trips. That should be cut down to about 5 miles now! Hooray! I have also been running a few trips every week, both live bait and artificial. The lower lake is somewhat inconsistent right now. The bait and the fish are spread out with all the cloudy weather, and some of the bigger fish are starting to suspend out over deeper water as they usually do this time of the year. We are still finding fish around the brush in 18-30 ft. We have had success with the new Chattahoochee Jigs, a drop shot rig with Wackem plastics such as the Big Sissie in Cotton Candy, crankbaits, as well as a chug bug, and of course, spot tail minnows. LOL. I also been fishing up north in the Chestatee River and Little Hall area. I have found a good shallow to mid-depth bite up there on Davis shaky heads and Chattahoochee jigs. Topwater baits have also been productive up there in the mornings very shallow. It has been fun up there on most days and I have enjoyed the change of pace. If you have not fished up north on our lake much, this is a good time to try it out. The cold front that has came dropped the water temperature a couple of degrees as of yesterday and I look for it to be in the high 70's come Monday when I am back on the water. I am looking for a stronger shallow bite to develop with the condition changes upon us. More to come on that front. Please plan on coming out to Blackshear Baptist Church next Thursday, August 22nd for their annual Sportsman's Feast. They have another great evening planned with some outstanding giveaways and raffle items, and some great speakers as well. I will be there with a booth and will be doing a presentation during the program. In addition, I will be giving away a free trip for 2 people as part of the event as well as a Tackle Pack at my booth. The show starts at 5 PM at Blackshear Baptist Church in Flowery Branch. Y'all C'Mon! I have Tuesday and Friday open next week. Rick is available on Hartwell next week also and is on some good shallow fish up there with a Topwater Frog! That is fun fishing! 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

Jimbo's Lake Lanier and Lake Hartwell Guide Service Fishing Report: 8/1/2013

Hello Friends and Sponsors - Just another quick report and some more pictures to share. Everyone deserves their time in the spotlight. LOL. The topwater bite was strong through last Thursday, but has slowed a bit since. We are still getting them up, but it has been an afternoon thing down south. A late afternoon thing at that. In the mornings, particularly when the wind is up, swimbaits such as the Sworming Hornet Bite Size Herring and crankbaits such as the Spro DD have been the lures of choice, fished shallow on rocky points, islands, and humps. Through the day, a Sworming Hornet Dude or Fish Head Spin has been working, along with a skirted green and brown Chattahoochee 3/8 oz. jig, and a drop shot with Wackem offerings such as the Big Sissie in LJ's Passion and Obsession. I still have some days open next week, so give me a ring to book a trip before the kids go back to school. I have only done 3 or 4 this year, but I do remember how to throw a cast net for spot-tails, so don't hesitate to call me for a live-bait trip! LOL. Also of note, my September is filling up quickly. I am helping folks prepare for some of the many different tournaments coming up on the lake this September and October. Some of these events, such as the Skeeter Challenge, have a week-long off-limits period on the lake prior to the event for all participants, so make sure to plan your date requests accordingly. Thanks to everyone for a great summer. You have kept me very busy and I am grateful! Looking forward to your calls for next week. For fishing reports on other Georgia Lakes, please visit: www.havefunfishing.com May God Bless - Jimbo

Jimbo's Lake Lanier and Lake Hartwell Fishing Guide Service Report: 7/27/2013

Hey Gang - I hope everyone is enjoying a great summer and going fishing as often as you can. It has been awesome out there the last 2 weeks with this week being particularly good for topwater down south. The pictures attached are from last week up until last Saturday. I ran a trip out of Laurel Park last Saturday during the Poker Run and we actually did quite well with several good largemouth like Ryan is holding in the attached pictures along with some nice fat spots too. The topwater and jig bite was on up there. I also have a ton of pictures from this week from which I will post a few in my next report. I spent the entire week this week below Browns Bridge on artificial trips. The topwater bite was outstanding this week, particularly in the afternoons. A chug bug over brush in 18-25 feet was our best offering - no surprises here. The sunny days we had this week definitely helped this bite. When we did have clouds, Rick Steckelberg's Bite Sized Herring Swimbait produced some nice fish when retrieved over the brush, as well as shallower on rocky points and islands. We also got on a very good crankbait bite this week that seemed to be best during cloudy, windy conditions later in the day. We caught some studs up shallow (less than 12 feet) on a Strike King 5XD crankbait in Sexy Blueback color. Lot's of fun this week, and with moderate temperatures for this time of year in the forecast for the next 10 days, no reason it should go away. I don't have any dates available this coming week, but I do have some dates open the week of August 5th. Also, Rick is available on Hartwell and has been helping me on Lanier as well. If you need a guide this week or anytime, give me a ring! And yes I know I still owe you guys a Hartwell report. It has been good up there too, and its coming. My guide schedule has been crazy of late working 6 days a week and I have had to back-burner some things. Trust me though, I am not complaining - I LOVE what I do! Thank you for the calls and your business! I am very grateful! For fishing reports on other Georgia Lakes, please visit: www.havefunfishing.com Have a great week, think boating safety, and may God Bless - Jimbo

Jimbo's Lake Lanier Spotted Bass Guide Service Report: 7/14/2013

Hey Everyone - We had lot's of fun last night at the Braves Game - my wife suggested the game and Steve Miller Concert as a "Date Night" - gotta love it when your wife suggests sporting events and concerts as a date! LOL. We had a blast. As far as fishing, it was another great week out on Lanier for Jimbo's - lots of fish and lots of fun had by all! I had trips every day and ran 2 on Friday with Rick Steckelberg coming down from Hartwell to help out. I ran one live bait trip this week, and the rest of the time we focused on the topwater and swimbait bite. We are still starting in the backs of the creeks and pockets each morning and doing pretty well. There remains a good concentration of bait and fish in the backs of certain creeks and pockets, along with some big ones. A prop bait such as the Stanford Cedar Lures offering, has been our best choice. During the day, it has been the same for us - run from hole to hole and pull the fish up with topwater and swimbaits. When it is cloudy and windy, Rick's new Sworming Hornet Bite Size Herring seems to be best. When the sun is out, a topwater of some nature seems to work better. Our topwater offerings his past week included a chug bug, a gunfish, and a spook. This coming week, I only have Thursday morning open (July 18th). After that, the only three dates I have left in July are the 23, 26 (PM), and 27. I am booked the rest of the month. Rick is available on Hartwell this week also, and has been doing well on trips up there as well as Burton this past week. Give me a call to book Lanier or Hartwell - only a few days open in July. For fishing reports on other Georgia Lakes, please visit: www.havefunfishing.com Have fun out there and stay safe! Good luck and May God Bless - Jimbo

Jimbo's Lake Lanier Fishing Guide Service Report: 7/5/2013

Happy 4th Everyone! Thought I would drop a quick report in for those that might be getting out this weekend. In short, the fish did not have a chance this past week - LOL. The fishing was super and I had a bunch of happy customers, including several folks that caught their PB spot. Pretty cool stuff. We have been working the back of creeks and pockets in the early mornings for some big fish. The fish I am pictured with above was one of two the same size I had hooked on the same cast with a prop bait. Crazy. There are some big fish getting up in the right places very shallow. Look for the deeper creek pockets with grass in the backs. There are bait fish staying in the backs of some of these pockets and the big girls that spawned back there have not left. No need to! They have oxygen, food, and cover right there. Why leave? It would be like us getting a free room and board at the Ritz. Would we leave? NO! As the day progresses, we have been working topwater and swimbaits over brush on points and humps in the 18-25 ft zone. The topwater was even good on the cloudy days this week with a chug bug being our best topwater offering over all. Good thing, cloudy days seem to be all we get these days! When the fish won't come all the way up, a weighted fluke and a FHS over the brush has been the ticket for us. Make sure to the let the fluke sink a good long while between twitches. Vary the length of your pause until you find the right cadence. Work the Fish Head Spin (or the Dude) over and around the brush. Vary your depths and retrieve speed until you hit on the right combo. Have fun out there and be safe this weekend. I am taking the weekend off, but I have next Thursday and Friday open for anyone that would like to get out and enjoy the topwater bite. Rick is available on Hartwell also, and the bite is strong up there as well for both spots and largemouth. For fishing reports on other Georgia lakes, be sure to visit: www.havefunfishing.com May God Bless - Jimbo

Jimbo's Lake Lanier Fishing Guide Service Report: 6/24/2013

Hey Gang - Just a quick update for everyone. I have been out every day since last Tuesday through the weekend on trips. We have been chasing the topwater and swimbait bite and it has been strong for us. The right holes will cough up quality topwater fish consistently when the correct baits are presented properly. The topwater bite is more technique specific than in years past, but its there. We have keyed on brush in the 20-25 foot zone on points, humps, and ledges. The gunfish and chug bug have been our best offerings, and a fluke still remains a steady back-up. We have had several doubles like the one I am pictured with above, and some very big fish. The picture of me in the middle is actually my customer's fish - he was just a little camera shy...LOL. I couldn't let her go without a pic! This is really a fun bite and I encourage you all to get out and enjoy it while it is there. I also had other boats out on Lanier and Rick was guiding at Hartwell for me over the weekend. Everyone had great results, with Rick and his trip really spanking them up on Hartwell yesterday. I will be making a separate post to share the results at Hartwell along with pictures later this week. For this week, I still have an opening on Wednesday, June 26th, but am full the rest of the week. For next week, I have July 2, 3, and 5 open for anyone interested in getting out. Rick is also open at Hartwell, and the bite is strong there also. He is on them if you would like to get out up there. Nick is at the Chick this week for the final regular season FLW Event, best of luck to him and Jason Johnson up there for a great tournament. Thanks to all, and May God Bless - Jimbo