Jimbo's Lake Lanier Guide Service Fishing Report: 10/29/2012

Hey Everyone - I was out every day last week on trips, and then took the weekend off for some family events, and then a trip to "Perry's Pond" on Sunday. One of many big results of the trip to Perry's is shown above right. Thanks for the invite Perry - what a blast! Last week was the a classic junk fishing week on Lanier. We caught fish from 5 feet to 50 feet and on almost any lure you can think of - topwater, swimbait, jig, shaky head, and drop shot seemed to be the most consistent of all the choices. As far as what type of stuff we fished, there was almost as much variety there as well. We fished deep in timber around creek ditches, pockets, points, humps...the bait and fish were spread out last week and you could go from shallow to deep on alternate casts and catch fish on both presentations. Things changed from day to day. Most of the spots we fished were either in deep water or had deep water close by however, which was a key. We found some good schooling activity early in mornings last week, and then randomly through the days with some days being better than others. I fished North a good bit last week, as the south end is turning which contributed to the inconsistent bite down there. When conditions were right, however, those fish did bite. Once the wind gets out of here, I expect the fishing to be little more predictable over the next few weeks. The cooler weather should concentrate the bait a little better and make the fishing more consistent. I heard the weekend fishing out there was great with the pre-front conditions. Look for the jerkbait bite to really pick up in the near future. I postponed my early week trips due to the high winds. I am full the rest of this week and then have Mon, Tues, and Friday(Nov 5, 6, 9) open next week. The week following, I have Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday (Nov 14, 15, 16) open. Give me a ring if you would like to get out. Should be alot of fun and good fishing in the weeks ahead. Thanks to all and may God Bless! Jimbo

Jimbo's Lake Lanier Guide Service Fishing Report: 9/30/2012

Hello Everyone! I had trips almost every day over the past 14 days and what a great time we have had. We continue to pursue the topwater and swimbait bite and my customers continue to whack some big sacks of monster spotted bass! We are still having success over brush in 18-25 feet on humps and points on the main lake and in the mouths of creeks as well as timber edges in 35-40 with the topwater and swimbait bite. We slow down every now and then and get some fish on a Davis Shaky Head or Jig, we have found some of these fish as shallow as 10-15 feet. We have also caught some fish on a straight retrieve jerkbait as well as burning a spinnerbait, but most of the time we are running and gunning with topwater and swimbaits. What a blast! Yesterday, I had the pleasure of guiding 11-year old Aidan. Aidan, for his age, is quite the young stick. It was quickly evident that this kid has spent countless HOURS out in his back yard practicing the use of a bait caster, and yesterday, it paid off. We fished topwater and swimbaits all day long, and Aiden put a hurtin' on 'em! I often just lined him up on a spot and let him go to work. His grandfather and I didn't fish much. This kid did not need any help! A great sack for him on a day with a bunch of tournaments out there. Great work Aidan, I am proud of you brother! I am filling up quickly for October. I have the following dates left for October: 4, 5, 15, 16, 20, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, and 29. Give me a call if you would like to reserve a day and go bust on some Toads!!! 770-542-7764 For fishing reports on other Georgia lakes, please visit: www.havefunfishing.com Thanks to everyone! May God Bless! Jimbo

Jimbo's Lake Lanier Guide Fishing Report: 9/23/2012

Hello Friends and Sponsors! The fishing out on Big Sid has been great for us all week, and we have been busting some big sacks. We have stayed with the topwater and swimbait bite and ran it each day. By far, those baits have accounted for most of the big fish in our sacks this week and last. We have also picked up a few good fish on a jerkbait fished with a steady retrieve as well as a jig when the fish are not as active, but the swimbait/topwater was the way to go this week for big fish in general. That being said, we did lose an absolute donkey on Friday with a jig early in the morning, that would have pushed our sack of spots to the 24+ pound mark that day. Some pics of that day are attached as well as pictures from all of my trips these past few days. As far as baits, we have been using the Blue Back Painted Farley Bait a good bit this week, as well as the Daniel Truitt Custom Painted Sebiles in blue back color. The spook has been good to us on top this week. The Spro jerkbaits have produced on a steady retrieve, and a brown jig with a cinnamon pepper trailer gave us some nice fish in the slower periods. We have focused on fishing the brush in 18-25 feet of water on both humps and points, with a concentration on the humps. Things are starting to shift however with the weather change, and I expect some tactic and location tweaking will be necessary to stay on them in the coming days. More to come on that as the week progresses. I am back on the water this coming Monday for another 6 day week starting with 2 half day trips tomorrow and then full days the rest of the week through Saturday. I do have most of the first week of October open, so give me a ring and let's go bust some toads!!! I then have scattered days through October open as well. This is a great time to fish, so call me today to book your trip! 770-542-7764 For fishing reports on other Georgia Lakes, make sure to check out: www.havefunfishing.com A SPECIAL NOTE: My good buddy Kurt Dove, who is a Professional Tournament Angler and Guide on Lake Amistead in Texas, also produces a talk show for Bass Edge (www.bassedge.com). On his September show, Kurt talks with the top two finishers in the FLW Cup on Lake Lanier, Jacob Wheeler and Scott Canterbury. They discuss some great tips and tactics regarding how they approached fishing our pond here in Georgia, and they offer some very interesting insights. Make sure to check out the Podcast on iTunes under the following address: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/bass-edges-the-edge/id214330677 Thanks to all and May God Bless - Jimbo

Lake Lanier Fishing Report from Jimbo: 9/8/2012

Hello Friends! The fishing on Big Sid has been awesome the last few days! We really got on a FUN bite with Swimbaits and Topwater this past week and my clients had a blast! We worked Topwater baits and Swimbaits over brush in the 18-25 foot range daily for some violent strikes. We fished both humps and points in the lower lake throughout the week. We have focused on mostly main-lake features as well as a few areas inside the mouths of creeks. A gunfish and a Sebile have been our most effective baits in their respective categories. We also got a few good bites on a spinnerbait this week, especially when the wind was up. We did not drop shot much, but when we did, we used the Wackem Big Sissies in the Bruised Tomato color. A jig also got us some strikes fished in and around the brush. The above pattern seems to really kick-in around 10 AM in the morning. Prior to that, I think your time will be best spent looking shallow for a big Largemouth bite. Focus around docks in the back of creeks as well as pockets off of the main lake for your best chance at a big lip. Also, start throwing a buzzbait around rock bluffs first thing in the morning for some good bites from both spots and largemouth as well. A special shout out to Noah and Will who came out with me on separate trips this week and both did very well. Will and Noah are in the same photo montage sporting some of their big catches. Both of these young men are outstanding young anglers and I am honored to be a mentor for them both. Their fathers are joining forces to start a Youth Bass Club in the Lake Lanier area and have already made some great progress. If you are interested in getting your young men or women into this club, please let me know and I will get you in touch with Steve or Richard. I expect this great topwater bite and swimbait bite to continue for a few weeks. With that being said, I only have a few dates left for the month of September. The soonest I have availability is this coming Monday and Tuesday, September 10 and 11. After that, I only have the following dates available in September: 15,17, 22, 25, 26, and 27. Call me today to book your trip and get in on this great fall surface action!! 770-542-7764 For reports on other GA Lakes, please visit: www.havefunfishing.com Thanks to all and may God Bless! Jimbo

Jimbo's Lake Lanier Fishing Guide Service Report: 8/29/2012

Hello Everyone - Hope y'all are doing well and enjoying what is hopefully the last few weeks of the Cruiser wakes - LOL! It shouldn't be long until that traffic diminishes... We have had some average and above average days on the water over the last week or so. When the topwater/swimbait bite is there, we chase it and have caught some good ones doing that over the past few days. If the fish are not coming up, we have been using a 1/2 oz Fish Head Spin with a prototype trailer from the Davis Bait Company over the brush that has proven to work very well. More info on that as we get closer to launch. Stay tuned, you are going to like it! We have been dropping when the fish won't hit the moving stuff. We have had great success with a new color that Wackem will soon have out in stores - Bruised Tomato. The deep fish really seem to like this color and we have had some great success with it. I got my hands on a few this week and they were gone in about 15 minutes. I did manage to find a few more though. LOL. As far as locations, we have been working the 18-30 foot range with the top water and fish head spin, and the better dropshot fish seem to be in the 25-32 foot range for the most part, with some deeper around the timber lines. Some days the fish are in the brush, and some days just around it - look for the sunshine to dictate the position of the fish as usual. The higher and brighter the sun, the tighter to brush you should find them. Work with the Fish Head Spin in terms of the depth at which you present it. Some days, we have found they like it near the bottom, and on other days, it seems just a 10 count down or so works best. Work your topwater baits fast and sloppy to bring the fish up. Once they are up, have a big swimbait handy to throw into the wolf pack for a great chance at catching a big one!! In terms of the topwater, we have had our best success of late on either a Gunfish 95 or a Repo Man. For the swimbait, try a Bull Shad or a Farley Swim Bait. The First Annual Wackem College Open was held this past weekend out of Laurel Park. The guys from Wackem Crazy Bait did an outstanding job in putting this event together. It was very well ran and attended. A big congratulations to Bryant Corral and Alex Posey from Kennesaw State for bringing home the Gold with a little over 24 lbs for 2 days of competition. Also, congrats to Brad Rutherford and his team from Young Harris who came in a close second. Look for this event to be even bigger and better next year with even more national attention. Way to go Wackem!! I have Friday open this week if anyone would like to get out. Next week, I have Thursday morning Sept 6th, and all day Friday and Saturday, Sept 7th and 8th, available for trips. Give me a ring or drop me a note if you would like to go fish! 770-542-7764 For Fishing Reports on other lakes, make sure to check out: www.havefunfishing.com Thanks to all, and May God Bless! Jimbo

Lake Lanier Spotted Bass Fishing Report: 8/19/2012

Hello Friends and Sponsors- Thanks to everyone that visited our booth at the FLW Expo this past weekend. It was great to see y'all out there and I enjoyed speaking with each of you. Our booth stayed very busy with traffic, and I was able to get my sponsors products in the hands of 17 new customers that booked trips with me during the show. A big thanks to Davis Shaky Heads, Wackem Crazy Baits, Daniel Truitt Hand Painted Custom Baits, Sworming Hornet Lures, and JJ's Magic for their contributions and support this weekend. It was a team effort, and we had a blast together - what a fun show! Also, a special thanks to Mr. Will Hankins for all of his help at the Jimbo booth during the show - couldn't have done it without ya bud!! STAY TUNED FOR AN EMAIL ANNOUNCING THE WINNER OF THE 1/2 DAY TRIP with JIMBO!! As I mentioned in a previous post, I had the pleasure of taking out 3 young men in the younger age bracket preparing for the National Guard Tournament in Wahoo/Little River that took place in conjunction with the FLW Cup. Matt Christopulos and Ryan Mikels both won their divisions in the 14 and under class on Friday, and then Matt went on to place 2nd in the finals on Saturday. He had a solid 4 lbs, 12 oz bag on Saturday, which is awesome for up there. During our time together, I found that Matt was very talented at skipping and pitching around docks, so that is the game-plan we prepared him for and he did very well. A big congratulations to Matt, Ryan, and all the youth that participated in this great tournament. Well done gentleman! Now onto fishing this week. It has been good for us out on the pond as the cooler weather seemed to help. The lake did not fish like August for us this week. We found a good topwater and big swimbait bite and stayed with it for some solid August sacks. We found often that the bigger, more active fish pulled shallower and were relating to brush in 20 feet or so (and even shallower) and would come up with a fury in wolf-packs similar to the May and June bite. Friday's bite was really good as we had action on almost every hole with some big ones caught, and some really big ones lost, LOL. The Sworming Hornet Dude also produced for us this week, as well as the drop-shot of course. The drop shot bite is getting tougher. Experiment with turning off your electronics once you have positioned over the fish. Also experiment more with casting your dropshot at known piles rather than sitting on top of the brush and dropping straight down. The fish often get very finicky in August, so remain stealthy in your approach. I even ran a spot-tail trip for a half day earlier this week after a morning of artificials, and surprisingly enough, the artificials out-performed the spot-tails. It seems the cloudy weather had the fish scattered out and tougher to target with the spot-tails. I have Wednesday AM, and full days on Thursday and Friday open this week if anyone would like to get out. The cooler weather is forecast to remain, so the fun-stuff bite should continue. Give me a call if you would like to get out and throw the fun stuff! 770-542-7764 For fishing reports on other Georgia Lakes, please check out: www.havefunfishing.com Finally, if you do not wish to receive my fishing reports via email in the future, please respond with "REMOVE" and I will take you off my distribution list. Thanks to all, and may God Bless - Jimbo

Jimbo's Lake Lanier Spotted Bass Guide Service Fishing Report: 8/8/2012

Hey Gang - I hope everyone is well and planning to come to the FLW Expo at the Gwinnett Center this weekend. It is going to be a fantastic show with many great vendors, guest speakers, and of course, the weigh-in show daily at 5 PM in the arena. The Expo goes from 10 AM to 5 PM daily Fri-Sun. Make sure to come by my booth located in the Hammond's Block of booths and say hello. I have several great promotions and giveaways in store for everyone, in addition to a few cool surprises! We are making the booth very fun this year, and as part of the many promotions we have going, I am giving away a free tackle pack, a $75 value, to each person that books a trip with me at the show. This tackle pack will include items from many of my great sponsors, to include: Wackem Crazy Baits, Sworming Hornet Lures, Daniel Truitt's Custom Painted Baits, Davis Shaky Heads, and JJ's Magic. This is a great tackle pack and comes in a very nice Jimbo's Insulated Tote, perfect for carrying your lunch to the lake. More to come tomorrow on the our promotions including some special stuff for the kids - stay tuned!! Over a 5 day period, I guided 3 of the competitors preparing for the National Guard Jr. World Championship being held in Little River and Wahoo Creek. I was able to work with each of them to come up with a pattern that allowed them to fish their strengths. I really enjoyed these days of working with these aspiring young anglers. I am honored that they chose me to assist them prepare for the biggest tournament of their life. I took the job seriously and spent alot of time in preparation for these trips. While the fishing in Wahoo and Little River was tough, we managed some good fish each day. We almost always had at least one LM over 3 each day, and on our best day last week, we had 20 fish and about an 11 pound sack, which is gold up there right now during the day. Out of respect for these young anglers, no pics of the competitors and their daily catches or any info on our techniques, but it is safe to say each one has their own pattern and a solid game-plan for their time in the boat. One of the contestant's uncles is pictured above (2nd from right) with a nice spot from up there last week. Also, a big thanks to Phil Johnson for running some trips up there for me as well. I had many calls, but elected to only help 3 total to prevent overlap of information and locations. I deferred to Phil on the remainder of the trips. Down-lake has been up and down over the last week. I have been out 4 of the past 5 days, and we have had some good days and mediocre days. Saturday was one of the good days, and James is pictured above with a couple from his bag that day. I had a mother/son trip today with Sharon and her son Landon who came from WVA to watch the Cup and attend the expo. With the Pro Tournament starting tomorrow, I am going to refrain from specifics for the time being. Given the rule changes this year, the FLW Pro's were not allowed to hire guides during the pre-practice period for the Cup. As a favor to one of my sponsors, I did spend a bunch of time on the phone with 2 of the anglers competing this year. I provided insight and direction on approaches, techniques, along with specific hole information. I hope the information proves helpful for them both. Good luck to all the competitors in the Cup - I wish everyone a successful and SAFE tournament. I hope to see you all at the Expo, and stay tuned for more information on the Jimbo booth coming tomorrow! May God Bless - Jimbo