Jimbo's Lake Lanier Guide Service Fishing Report, Pictures, and Fishing Training Class Announcement: 12/14/2014

Hey Gang - We have had some cold mornings and beautiful afternoons over the last week. I trust everyone is enjoying a great holiday season and hopefully you have had a chance to get out and enjoy the great December weather. Two Notes of Interest to Start: 1. Christmas is just around the corner. A guided trip makes a great gift. Consider the gift of Jimbo this year! I have already sold several gift certficates and would love to prepare one for you as well! Contact me directly for your professionally prepared certificate. 2. I will be running two classes next month, one on Saturday, January 17 and second on Saturday, January 31. The classes will be from 9 AM until 12:30 PM and will be held at at the Dekalb Office Conference Room, which is located off of Exit 12 on GA 400. 1320 Ridgeland Parkway in Alpharetta. This is a top end, state-of-the-art facility that Daniel W has helped me secure. Thanks Daniel! These trainings will be intensive, Lanier-focused sessions to include detailed information on some of the following popular topics: Winter fishing to include ditch and timber fishing - how to find the best areas and how to fish them and with what, identifying and fishing productive ledges, tournament fishing pointers to include developing a gameplan as well as managing the mental side of fishing, matching tackle to techniques, reading and understanding electronics and processing the information you see to make better fishing decisions, establishing seasonal patterns, and much more. There will be a generous time slot allowed for an open forum/question answer period, as well as time for one-on-one questions after the training ends. The first session will be more winter focused, and the second session will address prepping for the winter/spring transition which will start in February. Each class will have a short morning break as well to include refreshments. If you register and pay in advance, prior to January 14, 2015, the price structure will be as follows: $69 for one training, $99 for both training sessions. Day of/at the door price will be $85 for either session. Space is limited so I highly recommend making your reservations in advance ASAP. There has already been a great deal of interest expressed from many people, so spots will go fast. You can call me at 770-542-7764 or email me at jim@laniermapped.com. You can also send me a message through my website. Payment forms accepted include: cash, check, credit card, and paypal. Please note that all electronic transactions will have a $7 processing fee added. This is going to be a very detailed and information-filled training. Don't miss this opportunity to improve your fishing on Lake Lanier! I will have a flyer out soon with a specific agenda and course topics for each class. Now, on to fishing. The bite has been good through the week with several different options out there still. At daylight, we have been working a crankbait, jerkbait, and Fish Head in the backs of pockets and creek arms. There have been some big fish very shallow early back in those areas. In addition, rocky points and bank lines have been productive early in the day. A crankbait worked slowly in these areas has been good for some big bites as well. A deeper diving model works best - make sure you maintain contact with the bottom during your retrieve. A jig has worked well in these areas too at times. Stay flexible. As the day progresses, we have been moving out to the standing timber in the creek ditches. A jig, a Shaky Head worm, and a spoon have been our choices out deep. The spoon bite has been very good for numbers and an occasional big fish over the last week. The jig and Shaky Head has been a good producer as well. The timber edges in 40-55 feet have been our main target. Slow is often the key with the jig and worm. SLOW. This is very important. Keep it on the bottom and slow. This will be even more important as the water continues to get colder. Lastly, here are the dates I have left open in December: 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 28, 29, 30 and 31. This time offers a great opportunity to learn ditch and deep timber fishing. I would love to work with you and teach you. Give me a call and let's fish! Thanks to all and May God Bless! Jimbo For reports on other GA Lakes, please visit: www.southernfishing.com

Jimbo's Lake Lanier Spotted Bass Guide Service Fishing Report: 12/5/2014

Hey Gang - I hope everyone enjoyed a great holiday season and y'all are geared up and ready for Christmas. We have decorated outside and inside in super-duper Clark Griswold fashion, and we are ready. Not really ready but sort of ready. LOL Fishing has been good the last few days. The warm weather and warming water temps have got the fish spread out quite a bit. There are fish up very shallow, mid-depth, and deep right now. The shallow fish contingent seems to be getting stronger each day with the warm weather. We have been starting shallow each day on rocky points or in creek ditches, and then rotating all the depth ranges as we go through the day to look for the most productive bite. As long as the water temps stay in the mid 50's range, look for the spread of fish to continue. Each day brings different condtions and therefore different fishing situations and best approach, so stay flexible until you dial in the day. A crankbait worked up shallow early on windy rocky points and pockets has been hard to beat. These are often very good fish that are positioned very shallow and are agressive. Don't expect a ton of bites, but definitely some good ones. A Chattahoochee Jig worked up shallow on the rocks has been productive also. You can pick those jigs up around the lake at Hammonds Fishing, Oakwood Bait and Tackle, the Dugout, and soon the Bait and Tackle Store at Buford Damn Road. They are hand-tied jigs on the display racks at the front of the store, but packaging has arrived so look for them on the main racks soon. I trail these jigs with either a Yamamoto Twin Tail or a Zoom Twin Tail Grub. We have also found a good bite deeper on rock points around 30 feet with the Chattahoochee Jig. This has been consistent location and depth recently with the cloudy weather. Some days the brush is important to this bite and some days they are just sitting on the rocks. In addition, we have found a good spoon bite out in the timber on most days. 40-50 feet around the timber edges has been the target depth and location for these fish. A jig and a worm have worked well also at times out there as well. It all just depends on the day and the prevailing conditions. Overall, the more wind we have, the longer I am going to stay shallow, particularly when we are looking for the bigger bites. As we all know, and as I have already mentioned, Christmas is coming. A guided trip makes an excellent Christmas gift for the fisher man or woman in your life, in my humble opinion anyway. LOL. Consider the gift of Jimbo this year for Christmas! Call or email me and I will be happy to mail or deliver a professional and festive looking gift certificate promptly. Right now, I have Tuesday, Thursday and Friday open next week. This is a great time to learn how to pattern these unpredictable late autumn fish and maximize your catch in different conditions. Give me a call and let's fish! Also, as I mentioned in a previous post, I was very busy over Thanksgivng week. I ran 8 trips in 7 days, including Thanksgiving Day. I expect the same for the weeks around Christmas and New Years. If you are having family in or have some down time and want to fish, please call me early to reserve those dates as they will go fast! Thanks to all, and May God Bless! Jimbo

Jimbo's Lake Lanier Guide Service Spotted Bass Fishing Report: 11/26/2014

Happy Thanksgving Everyone! I hope you all are enjoying this time with family and friends, all while taking time to reflect and offer thanks for the many blessing you enjoy - like this incredible lake we get to fish! The lower lake temps are right around 56 degrees in the morning, and right now the lake sits at 3.52 feet below full pool, which is about a half-foot up from Sunday prior to the rain. I have been slam packed with business. I am very thankful for that. Save last Sunday in the rain, I have been on the water every day for the last 9 days, and I am full through the weekend, including a morning trip tomorrow on Turkey Day. I am blessed! My wife finally let me guide on a holiday. She has already told me Christmas is out! LOL. The fishing has been very good for the most part. The rain we got Sunday definitely spread them out a bit more than they had been. Prior to Sunday, there were several dependable patterns out there. They are all still there, just a little more looking around to find them. There have been some very shallow fish, some mid-depth fish, and some fish in 35-50 feet around the timber edges. All have worked well at one time or another every day. In the mornings, a spinnerbait and a crankbait on windy, rocky points has been very good for some big bites. In the mid to late morning hours there have been some good spooning opportunities out in the timber. In the afternoons, we have been working a jig and a shaky head around rock in 5 to 30 feet of water. There are some variations to this protocol, but this has been our normal schedule each day. The ditch bite with the fish head was coming in very nicely last week, but has since disipated some. I am guessing we can thank the rising water for that as well as the fish and bait moving around a bit more. They should get settled down and deeper as things stabilize and the water continues to cool. Look for the timber bite to strengthen and the bigger fish to be out deep more consistently. This is a great time to learn the timber bite with a spoon and a jig or shaky head out deep. Again, this should only get better. I am hopefull the fish head bite will return in strength as well. The ditch bite on Lanier is key to some big stringers this time of year. Bait choices this past week have included a Strike King 6XD crankbait, a white spinnerbait, a Chattahoochee Jig, a Davis Shaky Head, and a War Eagle spoon in nickle. I still have Saturday morning available this week if anyone is interested. I am pretty open next week as it stands (starting Dec 1), but with the warmer weather forecasted, I expect to fill up quickly. This is a great time to learn the ditch bite and the timber bite (which are often one in the same, just at different depths) so give me a call and let's go bust some donkeys! Thanks to all, Happy Thanksgiving, and May God Bless! Jimbo

Jimbo's Lake Lanier Spotted Bass Guide Service Fishing Report: 11/11/2014

Hey Gang - We have had a great past couple of weeks out on the pond. The weather has been gorgeous and the fish have been biting! The water level continues to drop as does the surface temperature. We currently sit at 3.68 feet below full pool and the surface temp in the morning has been around 62 degrees. Things are changing out there right now, as is to be expected with the weather changes. The bait and fish are scattered and can be found in many different areas and types of places. There are fish deep, shallow and all in between. There are fish on rock, brush, flats, humps, points...take your pick. I am actually excited for the upcoming cold weather as it should settle things down a bit and put the fish in much more predictable patterns and consistent locations. "Junk Fishing" is the rule right now as any bait can work on any day and about any place. Over the past couple of weeks, we have caught fish on: jigs, shaky heads, crankbaits, topwater, swimbaits, jerkbaits, spinnerbaits, spybaits, and a drop shot. Right now you can have any or all of these on the deck at any time and catch a fish on all of them. For us over the last few days, the crankbait, spinnerbait and jig have produced the best fish consistently. The shaky head is getting better for numbers. Our best locations have been creek pockets and main lake points in general, although we are fishing lots of different areas. It changes alot out there from day to day, so staying versatile is important. Look for the bait and you will find the fish in most cases. If you are not seeing bait in the area you are fishing, your chances go down. LOL. It's simple but true. We have found some shallow fish in creek pockets the last few days in the mornings. When they are active, a crankbait picks them off pretty well, when less active, a jerkbait or a jig. We have also found some shallow fish early on rocky points and flats that will crush a spinnerbait. Again, look for the bait in these areas. Later in the day, we have been working a jig around main lake and creek mouth brush in 20 feet of water for some good fish. As I mentioned before, a shaky head is a good bet at anytime right now for some bites. I am looking for the cold front to really improve the fishing over the next few weeks. It should concentrate the bait and fish in the ditches and then look for the Fish Head Spin bite to be on fire. The deep jig bite should get alot better as well as we continue to cool down. As the water continues to cool, remember to look more to the rock and slow down your presentations. To close, I wanted to share some information I learned from the lake biologist regarding turnover. Some of you may remember that I went on a shocking trip with the biologists back in April. I took that opportunity to ask several questions on many topics regarding our lake. Turnover was certainly one of those topics. I asked Patrick when this lake turns over. His answer intrigued me. He said, that without fail, this lake turns over each year sometime between Christmas and New Years. I responded " Really? What about all the dirty water, bubbling, odd smells, etc. that occur well before that time?" His explanation made alot of sense, and I wanted to share his response. He stated that through the year, the water warms and the lake stratifies by temperature range. For demonstration sake, lets say the top 10 feet of the water was at 80 at the end of September, the next 10 feet at 70, the next at 60, and so on. Of course the depths I am using are just examples, but it gives you a reference point. Patrick then explained that as the top 10 feet of 80 degree water cools to 70, it mixes with the next 10 feet of water that is already at 70 degrees, and then you have 20 feet of water at 70 degrees. Then, when that 20 feet of water at 70 degrees cools to 60 degrees, it mixes with the layer at 60 degrees. Now you have 30 feet of 60 degree water. This process continues until the temperature of the entire upper portion of the lake, that was previously stratified by different temperatures, all reaches 50 degrees, which is approximately the base temperature of the lake and the temperature that is almost consistently found in the Chattahoochee River that pours through Buford Dam. When the entire upper portion of the water column drops below the base temperature of the lake (again, somewhere around 50 degrees), the lake turns over - top to the bottom and bottom to the top. Until that point, what you are seeing when the water looks black or dingy, etc is the previously stratified layers of water mixing as the upper portions cool. I know that was long winded, but I hope this helps clear up some of the questions regarding turn over on our lake. Thanks Patrick! Here is what I have left open for the rest of November: 14, 17, 18, 20, 24, 25, 26, and 28. Those dates around Thanksgiving normally go fast when we get close to the holiday, and I have had many people ask about that week already. If you have some family coming in or just want to use that down time to fish, please call and reserve soon. Otherwise, be happy about the cold front coming and look for the fishing to really heat up. Give me a call and let's fish! Thanks to all and May God Bless! Jimbo

Jimbo's Lake Lanier Spotted Bass Fishing Guide Report: 10/26/2014

Hey Everyone - Just a quick report from this past week as I have been out on trips for the past 6 days. It has been fun, but I am beat! LOL We have been enjoying some awesome weather and good fishing on the pond over the past few days. Even some great fishing as the pics prove. I have had some cool people out recently and it just reminds me how much I enjoy what I do! Thanks everyone! The water continues to cool and is starting to mix on the lower end. The bait and fish are starting to scatter. There are plenty of fish in the 15 foot range around humps, some deeper fish out on the timber edge, as well as fish up shallow. The brush is still holding very well in some areas also, particularly brush that is near a sharp depth break leading to deep water. While the bottom bumping baits such as a worm and jig have been good for a few, the topwater, jerkbait, and swimbaits have still been best for us, especially for the bigger fish. This past week, the sunny afternoons were better for the bite than the mornings in general, although we have been catching some big fish just after daylight on a Sebile and a chug bug. The early AM schooling bite seems to have slowed a bit, but is still there around some keys humps. Just look around a bit, you will see the action. Get in there and have fun when you see them pushing bait! Over the next week I have this Wednesday and Thursday October 29 and 30 open, as well as next Tuesday November 4 open as well. I would love to have you out to enjoy some great fishing and perfect fall weather. Give me a call and let's do it! Thanks to all, and May God Bless! Jimbo

Jimbo's Lake Lanier Bass Fishing Report: 10/20/2014

Hey Gang - Hope everybody is well and enjoying the great weather we have been experiencing. The leaves are changing, the fish are biting, and Lake Lanier is beautiful! The highlight of last week was the Garrison show, as pictured above. This young man had the fishing day of his life on Thursday with me. He smoked big spots and stripers throughout the day on a Sebile. He crushed them! The swimbait was great last week in the pre-front conditions. A spook and a chug bug were also very productive, along with a Megabass jerkbait and a Fish Head Spin as well. There are still fish around the brush, but they are certainly starting to move around as well. I am seeing fish up very shallow as well as out deep. The water appears like it is starting to mix down south which means the fish will be on the move even more. We had found a good schooling bite most mornings around humps, and that remained the case for last week as well. Although I will say that post-front the AM schooling bite slowed a bit post front - it should return in force this week with the more stable weather in store. I have Thursday and Friday open this week if anyone is interested in getting out to enjoy some great fishing and beautiful fall weather. Give me a call and we'll make it happen. Thanks to all and May God Bless - Jimbo

Jimbo's Lake Lanier Guide Service Spotted Bass Fishing Report: 10/12/2014

Hello Gang - We have been enjoying some great fishing the past couple of weeks. My customers have had some fantastic trips, and its only going to get better! Over the past several days, I have had the pleasure of working with Brandon and his lovely wife Sandra - they are pictured in the attached montage with a nice double. This couple recently purchased a boat and hired me to work with them on techniques ranging from trailer backing to dock skipping. We have done a total of 9 trips since they got their boat, and they have came a long way baby! I am so proud of their progress and their ability to now navigate and fish lanier. Still some bumps to work out, but they are off to a great start! In addition to Brandon and Sandra, I have been able to work in some other very successful trips as well. The bite has been strong the last couple of weeks. We had a nice cool front last weekend which put them on the jerkbait pretty good, and then this week's warm-up put them back on the top water and swimbaits. A chug bug and a gunfish have been our main weapons, along with Rick's Bite Sized Herring Swimbait, a Sebile, and the Vision 110 jerkbait. We have found a great schooling bite at daylight almost every morning around some key humps across the lake. The spots are pushing bait on these humps and have been making quite a commotion! Lots of fun but somewhat random for the catches as you need to get into the action to get bit in most cases. As the day progresses, we have continued to work the brush with the baits listed above for some nice sacks of fish. 20-25 feet has been best, but there are some fish/bait moving shallower as well. I hear the bottom bumping baits are good for a few right now, but we haven't played with that bite much. Fish are up and moving most of the day for us so we have been staying agressive in our approach. I have all day Tuesday and Wednesday open this week, along with Thursday and Friday afternoon if you would like to get out. The weather change should kick the bite up a notch and make it even better. The schooling bite is just getting started so this should continue to improve as well. Great weather and great fishing ahead - give me a call and let's go get 'em!! Thanks to all and May God Bless - Jimbo