Jimbo's Lake Lake Lanier Fishing Guide Report: 11/28/2011

Hey Gang -

I was out on Friday and Saturday with Dr. T, the singing dentist, who came all the way from Kentucky to catch some spots. I'm pretty sure he wasn't sorry he came! He is coming back in 3 weeks, and he is already looking forward to the trip!

We had great days both Friday and Saturday. We caught more numbers on Friday, but Saturday was a great big fish day. We caught several in the 3 pound range with a few better ones, including the 5 lbs, 3 oz spot pictured above middle. Doc had never caught a spot over 4 pounds, so he was absolutely thrilled with this pig. Pictures went out immediately to family and friends and then his phone blew up with calls from back home - it was fun to watch the whole thing - he was stoked! Doc was just an awesome guy to fish with - thanks for a great couple of days Doc - see you in December.

Both of Doc's fish pictured above left (fish on far left weighed 3 lbs, 12 oz) were caught on a Vision 110 Jerkbait. And this was not just any Vision 110, it was a jerkbait custom-painted by Daniel Truit in a blue back herring pattern. Daniel is a good buddy of mine and has been fishing the lake for years. He is an outstanding craftsman, and I am sharing this specific information with everyone to help him out as well as everyone else - he is a super guy and these baits will help your fishing. I can put you directly in contact with Daniel or you can reach him through Hammond's Fishing. He can paint any lure you have, most for $10. Tell him Jimbo sent ya' and he will take care of you!

We also caught fish on Friday and Saturday with shaky head worms and jigs. Most fish were shallow near rock - 10 feet of water or less. Creeks and main lake were both productive. Steve - just saw your post - nice work out there brother!

I have some days open this coming week - give me a ring or drop me a note if you would like to get out.

Thanks to all, and may God Bless -

Jimbo

Jimbo's Lake Lake Lanier Fishing Guide Report: 11/20/2011

Hey Everyone -

I had some great trips last week with some great people. Some were entertaining customers, some were prepping for tournaments, and some were just learning the lake and different techniques. I particularly enjoy weeks like this and the diversity of the clients - it challenges me to approach each day a bit differently, and I love it. Thanks to everyone for putting their trust in me.

On Wednesday, I was out with Art and his customer Jerry. We had a great morning before the storms rolled in - the bite was solid that morning pre-front and we caught some good fish and tangled with some real pigs that didn't quite make it to the boat...lol.

Thursday, I was out with Russell - he was prepping for a tournament today (Sunday). He popped his first spot over 4 pounds with me and was ecstatic! We had about a 17 pound sack that day with 2 four's and several in the 3 lbs range. He texted me early this AM to let me know he and his grandson already had two good fish in the box (a 4 pounder and 3 pounder) on the stuff I showed him - a very happy guy!

On Friday, I had the pleasure of taking out long-time Lanier angler Marty. We had a fun day and really enjoyed being out together. Marty is a great angler, he just needed some fine-tuning as well as an introduction to some other concepts and techniques to improve his catch rate - we achieved that and then some! Congrats on a great day Marty - they were on fire that morning.

We have been starting every morning throwing a crankbait and catching quality fish in the creeks - very shallow. We have followed that up with jig and worm fishing around key docks and in cover up to 18 feet of water in certain creeks as well as main lake. Sometimes the fish are pulled up in 5-10 feet, sometimes a little deeper. The rain last week piled quality fish up in certain areas and it was on like Donkey Kong in those areas.

Lastly, I want to throw a HUGE congratulations out to my good buddy Scott Barnes. Scott won the Hammond's Tournament yesterday with a 20.5 pound sack of spots - way to go brother - awesome catch!!

I have Wed and Fri open this week if you would like to get out, as well as a couple of dates the following week. Give me a ring or shoot me a note.

Thanks to all, and may God Bless!! Happy Thanksgiving!

Jimbo

Jimbo's Lake Lake Lanier Fishing Guide Report: 11/10/2011

Hey Everyone -

I have been out on trips every day this week and the fishing has been very good.

I was out Monday with Paul for an afternoon trip. We fished until dark and had some great success. Most of our fish came on the shaky head. We caught fish from 6 feet - 25 feet deep. Some main lake, some in creeks. Paul spends most of his free time on Hartwell, but because the lakes share some similarities, he is working with me to learn Lanier techniques that he can apply to his fishing on Hartwell. The Shaky Head was our technique for this trip. We worked on electronics and drop-shot during our first trip back in August.

On Tuesday, I had the pleasure of taking out Gene and his son Joe for an AM trip. This is a great father-son team that has been with me before. We had a blast together and they caught some solid spots through the morning. We started early back in a creek and caught some good ones then worked our way out to main-lake later in the day. We caught them shallow in the early AM on a crankbait, then transitioned to the shaky head. One of Gene's fish pictured above came from 35 feet, and the other one came from about 2 feet of water on a point. Just shows you that quality fish are everywhere right now.

I took out Chuck yesterday on a full-day trip. We caught several fish up to 3 pounds, but nothing picture worthy. Crankbait was our weapon for our best fish yesterday - most were very shallow. Chuck lost a BIG fish on a crankbait toward the end of the day, we saw the fish swirl after it grabbed the bait up shallow - it was a monster, but only became a legend of fish tales unfortunately. Chuck and I still had a great day of worship together enjoying good fishing and God's beautiful creation.

A quick plug - I have been dipping my plastics in JJ's Magic dye, and I truly believe it makes a big difference. I soak the whole bag in clear dye for a day or so, then dip the tips in chartreuse before they go in the water. I get more bites and the fish hang on longer. The bottom line is that JJ's Magic delivers more bites and more fish. Just the facts!

I am back out on a full day trip tomorrow, and then I have 2 pending trips on Sat and Sunday. I have Monday, Tuesday and Friday open next week if you would like to get out.

Good luck to all, and May God Bless -

Jimbo

Jimbo's Lake Lake Lanier Fishing Guide Report: 10/27/2011

Hey Everybody -

It has been a very enjoyable week for me so far. For the last 2 days, I have been out with Steve S. Steve is from Richmond, VA and he called and booked me because he wanted to catch some spotted bass - which he had never done before. He is an avid angler, but has always focused on the largemouth and smallmouth, but never the spots.

As you can see from the pictures above, he has not been disappointed with his trip! We have caught some PIGS over the last 2 days - it has been a blast. We caught over 25 yesterday, and 16 today. Steve is with me for one more day, then back to Virginia. He has already made plans to come back in December, and again next spring for multiple day trips each time. He is an awesome guy and a great angler - a true pleasure to have in my boat. We are both looking forward to our last day tomorrow - it will be fun to see what the weather change will bring. For Wed and Thur, Steve and I have caught fish on jerkbaits, FHS, shaky head, and topwater baits.

Also pictured above is one of my best customers, John. John has been out with me several times this year, and we are scheduled for 1 trip a month for the next 12 months. John is a semi-experienced angler, but has employed me to get him tournament-ready in a year. I have charted a detailed training plan for him by month to include specific techniques as well as lake knowledge. I work with him as a coach during each of our trips. We fish from his boat, and I instruct him on boat positioning and information analysis while on the water (electronics, water conditions, wind, etc.) I think I am more excited than John is about our next year together - I love to teach and John is very receptive to my instruction. He made great strides during our recent trip, and learned the jerkbait quickly. He pegged the nice largemouth above on his 3rd cast with the bait. Nice work John! Next time, big spots!

Finally, a very special thank-you to my newest sponsor, Mashburn Marine. Paul and his crew there do awesome work for me - they work their hardest to get me back on the water quickly, and their chief mechanic, Terry, has 35 years experience working on all major outboard models. They recently got me back on the water very quickly as I had some issues with my fuel pump diaphrams. They ordered the parts immediately and got me squared away in 3 days. Hard to beat that kind of service. Next time you need your boat worked on, consider Paul and his crew at Mashburn Marine - great people and great labor rates compared to the market. They are located right off Browns Bridge Road near the entrance to Charleston Park. Tell 'em Jimbo sent ya!

I have a couple of days open next week. Give me a ring if you would like to get out and catch some PIGS!

Thanks, and may God Bless!

Jimbo

Jimbo's Lake Lake Lanier Fishing Guide Report: 10/9/2011

Hey Everyone -

We have had another good week on Lanier - plenty of topwater and swimbait action.

I was out today with Greg and his son Jett. We had a good day, even with the wind. Greg and Jett were in learning mode, so we ducked back into some pockets to fish. We worked on casting and presentation of a shaky head and various topwater baits. Jett was the star of the day - he is posing above with his dad holding a very solid spot - nice job Jett!

On Friday, I had the pleasure of taking out 91 year-old Bob B. and his grandson Chris. We were out on a full day trip - Bob could really hang in there and still fish very well - you could tell he has done this before a time or two! We had a blast - we caught a good mix of spots and largemouth, and all of our fish came on topwater in or near the wind - most of the fish were in 15 feet of water or less. My instincts were pretty good, and I turned on the video camera just before Chris hooked the largemouth pictured above. I have published the video on my YouTube channel - check it out when you can - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdg78_sW6_A&feature=youtube_gdata. (just copy and paste the link above in your browser)

Overall, the fishing is good on Lanier right now. This past week, we have caught fish on: topwater, swimbaits, jerkbaits, worms, and of course, the FHS. Some fish have came very shallow (1 foot or less) and some have come as deep as 30 feet around brush. The fish have been changing every day - so, start with a clean slate when you get out and just go fish. If you are graphing fish in the upper levels of the water column, throw topwater or the jerkbait. You may have to hit several holes before you find the active fish, but you can pretty much chase an active topwater/swimbait bite all day if you want to run and gun. If you would prefer, you can also catch fish on a shaky head worm. Look for fish in and around brush and bottom locked - that is a good time to slow down and fish the bottom.

I am happy to report that I am booked everyday next week and weekend through Sunday, with the exception of Thursday. So please give me a ring if you would like to get out either on Thursday, or I have a couple of dates open the following week if you prefer. This is really a fun time to fish.

Thank you to everyone who has been out with me and those who continue to come - I am grateful and very blessed.

Best of Luck to everyone out there, and may God Bless!

Jimbo

Jimbo's Lake Lanier Fishing Guide Report - October 1, 2011

Hello Everyone -

We had another very good week on Lanier - lots of topwater and swimbait action this week and some nice fish to be had.

The lake is 8.8 feet down and has a 74 degree surface temp. The fish in the lower lake are schooling well right now at the mouths of creeks as well as on the main lake. We have been focusing on these fish all week and have had some great success.

Most of the fish are on and around off-shore structure as well as rocky points throughout the lower lake. There are also many fish roaming and relating strictly to the bait - you often see these fish busting in the channel or over very deep timber as they focus on the movement of the blue backs. These fish can be caught if you are in the area and can cast to the activity. Fish are also positioning over brush and other cover and can be called up on topwater and swimbaits. We have also had good success on a FHS as well as a jerkbait.

I have included a picture of a couple of toads from the tournament today. We had a good turnout with around 25 boats and really helped a great cause. Tim from Hammond's along with others hauled off an entire van full of toys for the Salvation Army. The cold front hurt our schooling bite for sure, but there were still some good ones to be had on top. Lots of short strikes and pull-offs today for us though, but still a bunch of fun. Thanks to all that participated.

I have Wen and Thur open next week if anyone would like to get out and get in on some of this great fall schooling action.

Thanks, and may God Bless -

Jimbo

Lake Lanier Fishing Report: September 10, 2011

Hey Everyone -

A quick fishing report, and then I will get onto the giveaway. I was out a couple of days this week - my Monday trip postponed due to the weather - too bad because the bite on Monday was awesome with the ultra-low barometric pressure we had as a result of the tropical storm.

Save Monday, the bite has been decent this week. I have continued to focus in the mouths of creeks on rocky areas for my fish. We have caught fish this week on crankbaits, topwater, drop-shot, jigs, spinnerbaits, and jerkbaits. The fish have been suspending up in the water column and have been moving shallower. However, there are still some studs out over the timber in deep water - I was out with Emory D. yesterday afternoon, and he had a MONSTER Spot hung and to the boat over 75 feet of water - my net was locked in my rod box, which didn't prove helpful! A great marketing opportunity missed! Sorry Emory - next time my friend!

Now, onto the important stuff. As we remember 9/11 this weekend and salute all of those affected by this tragic event, I would like to specifically honor our service men and women (active duty or retired) as well as our police officers, firemen and women, and all other positions who by doing their jobs sacrificed their lives that day 10 years ago - as well as those in all the days since that have continued to put their lives on the line daily for our freedom and well being.

Hence, I am doing a drawing for a Free Full Day Trip for 1 or 2 people to honor our country and those who serve it. The entrants for this drawing must fall in one of these categories: military (active duty or retired), firefighter, police officer, paramedic, or associated service position. You may enter yourself, or you may nominate someone that you know. ALL ENTRIES MUST BE MADE THROUGH THE "CONTACT US" FORM ON THE BOTTOM OF MY HOME PAGE ON MY WEBSITE. Fill in your first and last name, email address, and in the "Your Message" portion, write the name of the person you are nominating along with their contact info. If you are entering for yourself, just write "Self" in the "Your Message" section.

Deadline for entry is 7 PM on Wednesday, September 14, 2011. I will do a drawing afterwards and announce the winner on this blog as well as my Facebook page and Twitter page. If you don't already, you can follow me at Jimbo On Lanier for both Twitter and Facebook to get updates.

Finally, a BIG "Thank You" to all my sponsors that support me and allow me to fish for a living: JJ's Magic, Hammond's Fishing, Denali Rods, Sworming Hornet Lures, LanierMAPPED.com, and Slong's Fishing Lures.

May God Bless,

Jimbo