Jimbo's Lake Lanier Guide Service Fishing Guide Report: 6/1/2014

Hey Gang - It has been a long week and I am grateful to have another one ahead of me this week. So, just a quick report tonight for y'all that might be getting out sometime this coming week. My clients enjoyed another great week of fishing. The Sworming Hornet Bite Sized Herring swimbait was responsible for the majority of our big fish. They are just pounding these baits. Rocky shoals and up from the brush in 20 feet or so have been the best locations for these fish. A Fish Head Spin, Topwater and a jig account for the other main producers this week. A shaky head still works well too, we have just kept the swimbait and topwater in our hands for the most part. The brush is really holding fish and they are beginning to get agressive. The traditional Lanier topwater/swimbait bite over the brush is stregthening daily and will make for some very fun fishing in the weeks ahead. I want to put in a quick plug for Randy, one of my regular customers who came out with me this week. He was using his own jig on our trip- a "Randy's Biggins" Jig, and popped some really nice fish that day, like the one he is pictured with above. Nice work Randy! Also, Rick Steckelberg will be fishing in the BFL All American this week over at Lake Wilson in Alabama. Rick tells me he is on 'em strong. Please join me in wishing Rick the best of luck in this big tournament. Go Win It Rick! I only have Wednesday, June 4 open this coming week and then here is what I have open for the remainder of June: 9,10,11,12,13,24,26,30. Next week is wide open and then only 3 days the rest of the month. The full moon is coming the week of June 9th and I look for the topwater bite to be outstanding that week. Give me a call and let's get out there! Thanks to all and May God Bless - Jimbo

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

Jimbo's Lake Lanier Fishing Guide Service Fishing Report: 4/27/2014

Hey Gang - The weather has been great the last few days - the warm, stable weather seems to have really helped the bite. We have been enjoying some very good days for both size and numbers. The spawn continues to progress with the warm weather. They have been coming up in waves as usual, however, I think the largest contingency of the spot spawn is yet to come. I am led to believe that based on the health of the big fish we have been catching. Most are in perfect condition - no spawning sores at all. The next month should bring the masses to the beds as the water temperature is finally right and should stay right given the extended weather forecast. Which, of course, is always accurate. LOL. As far as the number's go, look to the "grass"/weed stalks you see growing up in pockets and creeks around the lake. You will find plentiful buck bass in those areas. We have had several 25-30 fish days running this pattern. A 1/8 Davis Shaky Head Screw Lock HBT Series and a Zoom 4" Dead Ringer in sand color has been killer on those fish. Don't expect a bunch of big fish, but it is fun. The shallower docks that have the grass/weed cover growing around them have been good also. The docks have been giving up some good fish as well. A fluke is working well right now and that too is just a fun pattern. Watching them come up and hit the fluke is a treat. In addition, we have been fishing main lake points and humps for some big bites. A Fish Head Spin has been great on these fish which are often around the brush or shallower. When they are not as fired up, a Davis Shaky Head and worm combo has worked well to catch them. Also, don't hesitate to drop on the fish you see on your graph with the shaky head - they will eat it. The wake bait bite has just started to materialize over the past week. We caught a few on it this morning and missed a couple of hammers. Look for that to get better as we move into May. Rick tells me the bite on Hartwell is strong also and he has been running trips up there for me and doing a great job. He has some dates open in the near future, so give me a call if you would like to fish Hartwell with Rick Steckelberg. I have had some cancellations for this week, and I currently have Wednesday, Thursday and Friday open this coming week. I also have some dates open next week and throughout May. The fish are biting, and it's time to fish! Give me a call and let's get out there! Thanks to everyone,and May God Bless - Jimbo

Jimbo's Lake Lanier Fishing Guide Service Report: 4/13/2014

Hey Gang - Well, the recent warm weather has certainly done alot for the fishing as you can see from the attached. We have been busting some Monster Swamp Donkeys this past week including several spots over 5 pounds! It has already been a lot of fun with much more to come... For the bigger fish, we have been working the main lake. Main lake points and humps are holding these toads right now. The depth at which you find them varies with the daily conditions. We have caught them in 12 to 30 feet over the last week. Stay flexible with your approach and check shallow to deep. Deeper docks have also spit up some of these pigs, so check your favorite docks with deep water nearby. Cover around the dock is a plus also. As far as presentations, our most reliable presentations have been a Shaky Head worm with a number of different types and styles of worms. Again, it just depends on the day. Vary your plastic selections from lighter to darker colors and longer to shorter styles until you find one that works. If you are getting bites and no fish, downsize and/or change color. When the wind is up and the fish are moving, jerkbaits and spinnerbaits have worked well. Again, let the conditions dictate your choices. We have also found a good "numbers" pattern up shallow. A shaky head worm up around the old weed lines is working well right now. We have also been casting a dropshot to these fish when they present as more finicky. A fluke is starting to work in these areas as well and should only get better as the water continues to warm and the spawn continues. A fluke around docks is too fun! Focus on creek arms and pockets as well as main lake pockets for the best activity. If you have been waiting for the bite to get "easy", it is here! Time to book your spring trip! I wanted to share that I have been working with the Trokar line of hooks recently, and I have found their drop shot and worm hooks to be unreal in both sharpness and performance which equals more caught fish! If you have not tried these hooks, I encourage you to try these or any presentation specific hooks you need. Trokar is the real deal! Hammonds, Oakwood, and Sherrys all have a good supply so check 'em out. I am booked this coming week and only have the following days left open for April: 22, 25, 29, 30. I am also booking for May so give me a ring and get your date on the books as soon as you can. With the cold winter, I have alot of customers making up for lost time so dates are going fast! Thanks to all, and May God Bless! Jimbo For fishing reports on other GA Lakes, check out: www.southernfishing.com

JImbo's Lake Lanier Spotted Bass Guide Service Fishing Report: 3/29/2014

Hey Gang - Man it has been awhile since my last report. I apologize for the long delay. Up until March, business had been pretty slow due to the weather and I had only been fishing sporadically, and therefore only had limited information to report. March hit, our first big warm front came, and I have not slowed down since. I have been out on 5-6 trips a week over the past few weeks, rain, shine, or cold. It has been awesome and I am so grateful for all of my faithful customers - Thank You! Most of my business lately has been comprised of tournament anglers, so I am somewhat thin on photos, but I have shared a few recent ones above. Out of respect for those individuals with whom I have been working and their upcoming derbies, I am going to keep the specifics in this report to a minimum. I think all of you that know me understand that rather than sharing inaccurate or misleading information in any situation, I will always share truthful information, albeit sometimes brief and more general in nature, as is the case here. Now, onto the fishing portion of our broadcast.... I have been focused on the south end for the most part over the past few weeks. I have ventured up north a few times with some success, but have mainly been south of Browns Bridge. We have been hitting both creeks and main lake and found productive patterns for both. The fish are definitely behind where they should be right now due to the cold water temps. There are some good fish to be caught right now, but you have to work for them. There has been a good jerkbait bite for big fish as well. If you aren't catching them, stay with it and change locations. My other productive baits have been a Fish Head Spin and a Shaky Head worm, and sometime a jig. Yesterday, in the rain, we enjoyed an excellent day. We hammered fish on a worm from 11 am - 4 PM. Our smallest was 2.5 and our biggest was close to 4, and we caught 15 or more in that range, with several over 3 pounds. The previous two days had been a predominant morning bite, but yesterday proved true to the conditions and the current moon phase, and they bit mid-day. We have been sacking up some good largemouth as well. We have found 3 pounders very shallow consistently over the last week. The bigger ones for us have been more in the mid-depth ranges around docks and hitting a jerkbait pretty well. That should all change with upcoming warming trend. If the 10-day forecast holds, look for the lake to bust wide open in the next couple of weeks. I am booked up for March, and only have the following dates remaining for April: 7, 11, 15, 24, 25, 28, 29, 30. My April dates have been going fast, so give me a call and let's go get 'em! Winter is finally over. It's time to fish. Also, Rick says Hartwell is heating up, so let me know if you would like to spend a day with the Fish Head Spin Doctor... Thanks to all and May God Bless - Jimbo

Jimbo's Lake Lanier Spotted Bass Guide Fishing Report: 2/19/2014

Hey Gang - I have been out a few days over the past couple of weeks. Obviously, the weather, until recently, has not been overly cooperative...LOL. The fishing has been kinda tough to be honest. We have had some days that the bite is decent and you can put together a nice limit. I was out with young William, pictured above right, a little over a week ago. I worked with him first on throwing a baitcaster, and then on fishing a jig with a baitcaster. He did great and popped three good fish on the jig that rounded out a nice limit for our boat that day. I also had a 4 pound largemouth out of 40 feet of water that day...go figure. The jig has been our best offering of late. Timber lines in ditches from 30-50 ft, steep rock, and deeper docks have been the key for us. The fish on the steep rock still come very shallow at times, often 15 feet or less. Moving around alot right now is important. If you are going to get bit in an area, it will happen in the first few casts. If you don't get bit, move on. The warming trend we are in now should move some fish up shallower back in the creeks, and should also strengthen the rock bite as the sun really helps that bite. I will be heading to the BassMasters Classic Expo tomorrow in Birmingham and will be there through the weekend. I am fortunate enough to be representing Shimano and G Loomis during the show. If you are heading over, please make sure to stop by and say hello. Lastly, I want to put in a plug for Jeff Blair. Brandt, one of my good customers and friends, invited me to go crappie fishing on a charter he had booked with Jeff. What a blast! Thanks to Jeff's clicker he uses to keep count, we caught over 180 crappie that day! We are pictured above with our limit, which is 120 for the four of us. I dare you to count them. LOL. Jeff did, and we were right on the money. All the crappie were released alive and well after a day in Jeff's oxygenated live well. If you are looking to catch some Crappie, make sure to look up Jeff - lots of fun! I am at the Classic through Sunday, but I am open most weekdays next week, but booked next weekend. I know the bass will start moving with all this warm weather and will be getting where they need to be...let's go catch 'em. This is a great time of year to catch a monster spot. Thanks to all, and May God Bless - Jimbo