Jimbo's Lake Lake Lanier Fishing Guide Report: 3/26/2012

Hey Gang -

Wow. What a week on the pond this week! I have to begin by apologizing for not getting a report up here sooner. I have gotten "the business" from a bunch of you for not keeping up on my reports! I have been on trips every single day this past week with another one coming up this afternoon. So, after sleeping in a bit and spending some family time this morning, I am finally catching up on my reports!

The fishing has been fantastic. There are many different things working right now in a number of different places. You can throw a Davis Shaky head/worm combo dipped in JJ's Magic along with a trick worm or fluke around rocky pockets/banks/docks and catch as many as you want to right now. We did that some this week and had between 30-50 fish a day doing that. However, we have found a much more active bite on the main lake and mouths of creeks with topwater, swimbaits, jerkbaits, and spinnerbaits. That was the real fun this week and this pattern definitely produced some consistently bigger fish and more action. We focused on rocky points and shoals for this pattern, as well as some rocky pockets.

There are also some early post-spawn females showing up under very shallow docks. Throw a fluke or trick worm around these shallow docks for some very nice surprises in the form of largemouth and spots.

I had a great group of clients this week, some long-time customers and some new ones along with some tournament anglers. Thanks to everyone for coming out with me - a great time was had by all! I have included some pics of this week's action - no shots of the tournament guys but plenty of nice fish! My regular main man Johnny Pond is pictured with a double above - he also had a nice largemouth that day that did not make the photo cut - not enough space for quality photos of everything. Also of note, Scott and Jimmy from NC were out with me this week - they come down every year and we always have an excellent time together - this week was no exception - thanks guys! Lastly, a call out to Richard who is pictured above in the white shirt. Richard had never bass fished before in his life, and this guy came out with me and put it on them! He is a champion skeet shooter, and was able to translate his excellent hand-eye coordination into the use of a rod and reel quite quickly. It was a real treat to see him pick it up so quick and catch some great fish!

I have Thursday and Saturday (3/29 and 3/31) open this coming week. I am booked the first week of April, but I have Mon, April 9th and Thur, April 12th open the following week.

Call me or drop me a line if you would like to get out - it is an absolute blast out there now!

Thanks to everyone and may God Bless! Jimbo

Hey Everyone -

We have had a very fun week this week and have caught some monster largemouth all week long. Our week culminated with a 3rd place finish in today's Hammond's Winter Trail Classic. My customer and now very good friend, Jimmy Cagle, came to me last fall and asked me to fish the Hammond's Winter trail with him. He hired me to learn the finer points of tournament fishing, as well as specific techniques and approaches to finding and catching fish in a tournament situation. We worked on many different things through the season and I was able to provide Jimmy some insights and really help him grow as an angler - so says Jim anyway. It was awesome to see us really gel today as a team and to see him really put it on them. He has worked hard all season, and he is a tremendous partner. I personally have never met a finer person - Jimmy is just good people and I am proud to know him - thanks Jim and excellent work this year!! I am proud of you brother!

Our day started with me popping two pigs on a jig up shallow early, and then Jim took over and caught 5 fish in 7 casts with a crankbait and we were culling by 8:36 AM. We caught 3 limits through the day, then I popped one more pig at 2 PM, and we finished with 18.10 and 3rd place in the Classic. We weighed a bag of 4 heads and 1 spot. Congrats to Matt Willbanks and Travis Clark for yet another victory with a 22 + pound bag of largemouth. Matt is absolutely on fire. My good buddies Steve Gerbig and Matt Springer edged us out by a couple ounces for second - well done guys. Just a great day and a great end to a super season. A big thanks to Tim at Hammond's for all his hard work in putting together a super tournament trail - the Hammond's tournaments are always professionally ran and attract the lake's best sticks - very nice job to Tim and the gang at Hammond's.

As you can see from the pictures, the heads have been our focus this week. It is so awesome to see these fish making such a strong comeback on Lanier, and as I predicted, these fish have been ruling the tournament scene of late, and today was no different. My clients had an absolute blast catching the lips this week - I offered them all the choice of what to do, and they wanted to catch LM on Lanier - so that's what we did!

We have been working shallow pockets and the backs of creeks for most of our fish. Jigs, jerkbaits, crankbaits, and the FHS have all been producing well for these big fish. It just depends on the day which one is best - today, it was the jig and crankbait.

We will see what next week brings - it should be good! I have Wednesday and Friday open if anyone would like to get out. Give me a ring or drop me a note.

Thanks, and May God Bless -

Jimbo

Jimbo's Lake Lake Lanier Fishing Guide Report: 3/6/2012

Hey Everyone -

I am finally back again with more information and pictures.

You guys have been keeping me very busy out there - thank you!! I have had trips every day over the last 10 days including a guide trip I did on Hartwell yesterday for a good customer of mine who lives up there and has fished down here with me several times. I went up and we launched from his dock (man that's nice). We fished with all the FLW pros up there prepping for their upcoming tournament. We stayed out of their way, but we still managed a good day in the wind. Crankbaits, Jerkbaits and worms all produced fish for us yesterday - that is a fun lake and I look forward to fishing it more in the future. I also helped set up Paul's new Lowrance HDS electronics and structure scan - he is set to go and will continue catching them good up on Hartwell - thanks Paul!

I have had some great trips on Lanier over the past week. We have caught several big Largemouth and Spots over the week - the fish are biting and it has been fun out there. It was different every day, but with some work, we got on good fish each day. I had some tournament anglers out last week, so no pics of them, but I will say I was out with one on Saturday, which was one of our better days, and we absolutely whacked fish all day in the creeks - just a blast.

It is tough to claim a "best bait" over the last week - some days it was the jerkbait, and some it was the fish head spin. The cranks have also made a comeback over the last week or so. We have been focusing on creek pockets mostly and our fish have been shallow for the most part - 10 feet of water or less. On sunny days, many fish have been around the docks as well as other shore-line cover. In cloudy weather they are roaming much more and the bites are a bit more random. The spots are mixed in with the LM in the creeks right now. Friday, we caught almost all LM, but Saturday, the spots ruled in the same type of places - very cool to have that mix and see the LM coming back so well. The LM will continue to play a big part in the tournament scene out there this spring. They are up and active and it makes sense to target them in many scenarios - again, it's just great to see. For fishing reports on other Georgia lakes, make sure to check out: www.havefunfishing.com

I am booked the rest of this week - again, thank you to everyone. I have had so many new customers of late, and I truly appreciate your business!

I do have some open dates the week of March 12th - give me a ring if you would like to get out and have some fun out there - what a great spring we are having! Give me a call and let's go fish!! 770-542-7764

Thanks to all, and may God Bless -

Jimbo

Jimbo's Lake Lake Lanier Fishing Guide Report: 2/28/2012

Hello Friends -

It has been awhile since my last report. I have been on the water with trips for the past 10 days or so and took today off to recharge the batteries a bit. It has been awesome out there with many big fish being caught and I have had the pleasure of hosting several new clients in the last week or so - thank you all so much for your business and for keeping me so busy!!

The predominant pattern for us over the past week has been focusing on pockets both off of the main lake and in creeks. There are still several fish in the creek ditches as well. During times when they are active, they can be found shallow in those creek ditches - the average depth we have caught them in is 8-12 feet. There are still fish deeper in the creek ditches as well and can be caught there. Look for these fish to continue to move up and appear in wolf packs during high activity periods as the water continues to warm.

We have also tracked down some big largemouth over the past week. Most have came off of docks or in the very back of creeks - the skinny water! Make casts to water so shallow you can't believe it would hold a fish and you may get your arm broke! The sunny pockets work best for the lips - with the full moon coming on March 8, the next few days can be a great time to pop a huge largemouth.

The tactics we have used to maximize our catch during the past week have varied based on the weather and water conditions. I prefer the sunny weather this time of year, but they can still be caught in the cloudy weather too. The Fish Head Spin has been our most consistent bait daily, with the jerkbait coming in a close second. Davis Shaky Head worms, jigs, and swimbaits on a Swarm have also produced good results.

I only have Thursday open this week, and then only Friday next week. Give me a ring or drop me a note if you would like to get out one of those days and catch some pigs!

Thanks to everyone for your support and kind words when I see you around the lake. Good luck to all and may God Bless!!

Jimbo

Jimbo's Lake Lanier Fishing Guide Report: 2/19/2012

Hey Gang -

I was out on trips all this past week and we had some great success through the week, particularly with the big girls.

We worked creek ditches, secondary points, and pockets for the majority of our fish. However, I will say that there are a few choice main lake points that produced some of the pigs pictured above. We also found some creeks holding big fish, particularly in the ditches. These fish were in or near a ditch holding next to cover in water less than 15 feet deep. Some of the big fish we caught were full of eggs too, so you know what is around the corner. The fish we caught were big enough to be over 6 pounds by the look, but upon further examination, the extra bulk was produced from roe, not muscle. Thus many of the fish weighed just over or just under 5 pounds. Still, they are great fish and very healthy.

The jerkbait and jig produced many big fish this week, along with the Davis Shaky Head tipped with a trick worm. We also caught several solid fish on the FHS and a crankbait - it just depended on the day. I was out today on a full day trip as well - even in the cold and rain, we pounded a good sack and had around 20 fish. Everything today was on the jerkbait - I will include pics from today's trip and some more from this week in my next post.

I am also pleased to report that one of my recent customers won the Co-Angler side of the BFL yesterday - awesome work Seth! We worked on the FHS and jig and where/how to use them from the back of the boat. His confidence grew and he was able to best the field with his new-found confidence in these baits. He has promised me a picture with his trophy soon - I will share once I receive it!

I am full this entire week through next Sunday, but I do have a couple of dates open the week of Feb 27th. Give me a ring if you would like to get out and hammer the hogs!!

Best of Luck to everyone, and may God Bless -

Jimbo

Jimbo's Lake Lake Lanier Fishing Guide Report: 2/12/2012

Check out my newest video!!

Hey Everyone -

I hope everyone is well and enjoying life! It has been a fantastic week on Lanier for us this past week. I was out on trips everyday this past week and we experienced some awesome results. I have highlighted some of the week's action below.

On Tuesday, I was out with the "Unknown Angler". Unknown and I had an awesome day together and caught some great fish through the day. Our main baits included the Davis Shaky Head, Truit Jerkbaits, and the FHS. We caught fish shallow through the AM in creek ditches and then transitioned out to cover in 18-22 feet on the main lake for our fish in the afternoon. Our best 5 went 17 pounds for the day. Great job to the unknown! See you again soon!

On Wednesday, we had a stellar day. Bob and his buddy John came up from the Vidalia, GA area to catch some spots. I did not disappoint!! Bob and John drilled 30 bass that day, with their best 5 going a Whopping 20 pounds and 3 ounces. We threw crankbaits, worms, spoons, and the FHS for the majority of our fish. We started shallow and stayed shallow most of the day in creeks and on the main lake. John had bragging rights for the day with a 5 pound, 5 ounce TANK of a spotted bass - great fish John! Looking forward to seeing you guys again soon!

On Thursday, I had the pleasure of taking out Sam B. Sam and I met at Bass Pro and firmed up a trip at the Great Southern Fishing Show. Sam wanted to learn a little more about the lake and understand strategies for patterning and catching spotted bass in early spring. We worked on a couple of specific strategies. During our short afternoon trip, we caught fish on a Davis Shaky Head and a jig. The fish were in the 20-25 feet range and all were very good fish. We worked main lake points and secondary points for our fish. Sam picked up the use of the Shaky Head very quickly - he was a quick study!! Together, he and I hammered an 18 pound sack of spots. He is pictured above with 4 of these awesome fish. Nice work Sam - great day on the water and looking forward to next time. And yes folks, the pics are of different fish - they were just all studs!

I wanted to end this report with an email that a recent customer sent me, unsolicited, regarding a trip on my boat in late January:

"I flew from East TX to spend a day on Lanier with Jimbo and my breaux-n-law, Phil. When we booked the trip, we were expecting 60 degree Spring weather, what we got was a 15 mph North wind, cold front passage, rain in the a.m. and bluebird skies in the p.m. Not the best fishing conditions, but Jimbo pressed on throughout the day to make sure we were on fish and taking our best shot at big spots. No pics of my 3.9 personal best, (a Texas thing), but I had a great time and felt that Jimbo was the hardest working man on the boat. A note on equipment: Jimbo's ZX250 Skeeter provided a great ride and stable platform on rough water. He provided super smooth Shimano Chronarchs and Sahara spins on GLoomis/Denali rods. No short cuts in quality for this guide's clients. Super trip, Jimbo! I will be back with some other Texas boys, soon." Kirk M. Lake Fork, TX.

Kirk - thanks for the kind words - looking forward to our next trip!

I don't have any open dates until the week of February 20th. Please call me or drop me a line if you would like to get out the week of the 20th. I am filling up for Spring very quickly - make sure to book your trip soon!! 770-542-7764 Thanks to everyone for the recent calls - I appreciate your business very much!

For Fishing Reports on other GA Lakes, make sure to visit: havefunfishing.com

May God Bless -

Jimbo

Jimbo On Lanier - Jimbo's Spotted Bass Guide Service
Call: 770-542-7764
Website: www.jimboonlanier.com

Jimbo's Lake Lake Lanier Fishing Guide Report: 2/5/2012

Hey Everyone -

We had a very good week on the pond last week. I was out on the water everyday (thanks to everyone for the calls - I am grateful!!) and our worst day was 15 pounds for our best 5.

I found the lower lake to be inconsistent, so we went North and found a very solid pattern for spots that we ran every day last week. My clients enjoyed some very consistent catches of 15 pounds plus daily with great numbers as well. We also searched the likely areas for big largemouth daily but could only catch the bucks when we tried. The females will be there soon without question, especially with the weather we have forecasted in the coming days.

While the areas did not change much for us from day to day, the preferred bait certainly did. We focused on ditches in shallow water early, then transitioned to cover in those same ditches, as well as to main-river points and sharp drops with cover in 15 - 32 feet of water.

The Fish Head Spin was our main weapon, and the supporting cast included: jigs, Davis Shaky Heads, spoons, crankbaits, and jerkbaits. There was one day the jig just ruled from start to finish, but the other days it was the FHS and one or two of the above.

I only have Friday and Saturday open this upcoming week. I have Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday open the following week. Give me a ring or drop me a line if you would like to get out and enjoy some of this fantastic action! Call me TODAY! 770-542-7764

For Reports on other Georgia Lakes, check out www.havefunfishing.com

Thanks to all and May God Bless!

Jimbo "When pride comes,then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom." Proverbs 11:2

Jimbo On Lanier - Jimbo's Spotted Bass Guide Service
Call: 770-542-7764
Website: www.jimboonlanier.com