Jimbo's Lake Lanier Spotted Bass Fishing Guide Report: 5/25/2015

Hey Gang - Happy Memorial Day to everyone! I hope y'all have enjoyed time with family and friends, and more importantly, taken special time to remember our fallen heros who have, over many years, paid the ultimate price for the continuing freedoms we enjoy today. God Bless our Service Men and Women, both past and present. Now, onto fishing. In a word, the fishing on Lake Lanier has been AWESOME the past couple of weeks! While there are several patterns working, the only one that matters to me is topwater! LOL. It's just hard to beat watching a big spot, or any fish for that matter, crush a topwater plug. Fishing at its finest. Check out the top set of pictures - those are just a few of monsters Tom D and I hammered this past Friday - all on topwater. Too much fun! It was Tom's best day on Lanier and maybe his best day of fishing ever. He said I made him feel like a HERO! LOL. I was honored to be able to provide that experience for him. Tom has been coming out with me all year, and I think this was his 6th trip so far. He has learned a bunch and been able to apply it to fishing on his own to really improve his catch rate. We has booked another trip for next week to enjoy some more topwater fun. Great day and super job Tom!!! We have been fishing flat rock, humps, and points with brush for most of our topwater action. The depth has varied from very shallow all the way out to 25 feet or so. Again, it just depends on the day and time of day as to where you will find the best action. Several different baits have been working, it just depends on the day as to what bait they prefer. A list of some of the top producers: Spook, Gunfish, Chug Bug, Redfin and a G-Splash just to name a few. For the periods when the fish are not active, a drop shot and a Davis Shaky Head/finesse worm combo have been great options. We are fishing the same type areas as noted above and just going down to them when they won't come up. A swimbait has been working on some days also, as well as a spinnerbait, especially on the windy days. The bottom line is that several fish have gotten past their post spawn funk, and they are strapping on the feed bag! It is a great time to be fishing on Lake Lanier! My June open dates have shuffled around a bit, so here is the latest list of what I have open in June: 9, 10, 11, 18, 22, 29, 30. Don't miss this great season of topwater on Lake Lanier. It is an experience like no other. Give me a ring and let's go bust 'em!! Thanks to all, Happy Memorial Day, and May God Bless - Jimbo

Jimbo's Lake Lanier Spotted Bass Guide Service Fishing Report: 5/11/2015

Hey Gang - My apologies for the delay since my last report. You guys have been keeping me VERY busy, and I am grateful. Thank you! Other than Mother's Day and my little junket to Guntersville a few weeks ago, I have been on the water every day. I am going to switch to only half days on the weekends at this point as the lake has became quite busy in the afternoons as I am sure you can imagine. The fishing has been excellent over the last couple of weeks. There are plenty of patterns working and lots going on, so you can take your pick. First and foremost, the herring spawn has started and offers some great early morning action. Look for shallow, flat rock or sandy areas to be holding the herring best. A variety of baits will work on these fish - spinnerbaits, wakebaits, swimbaits, flukes, jerkbaits, and the list goes on. Pick a moving bait and throw it. A spinnerbait is the best search instrument. If you have herring following your spinnerbait back on the retrieve, you are in the right place! The action on these fish only lasts about the first hour or so of the day. Get out early and enjoy! There are still plenty of spots on the bed, and a few left to go. You can catch these spawning fish with, among other things, a 4" worm on a 1/8 oz Davis Shaky Head. Move the bait very slowly. Drag it, don't hop it. Sandy pockets and the areas near them seem to be best for this bite right now. Lot's of fun and plenty of fish if you have the patience. There are some post-spawners showing up as well. The topwater bite has been getting better on these fish. Rocky points as well as brush piles have been holding these fish. Topwater poppers and walkers of all sorts have been productive, along with the wakebait as well. This bite can go throughout the day with some wind. A big swimbait has been working well out over the brush when the wind is really up. A medium steady retrieve seems to be working best. We have been catching some big pre and post spawners on this for several weeks now. This and the topwater bite should only get stronger in the weeks ahead. Late May and June should offer an excellent topwater bite. This is not to be missed! You haven't lived until you have seen a wolf pack of 4 pound spots chasing your topwater bait! Off the chain baby! If you have not yet, take the opportunity to make your qualifying GLoomis and Shimano purchases so you can qualify for the big owners tournament out of Little Hall on June 6th. This will be an awesome event with lots of great prizes, don't miss it! See the fine folks at Hammond's Fishing or the Dugout for details. Upcoming I have May 20, 21, and the 27th available for full day trips. I have May 28 and 30 available for half days as well. My June is filling up quickly with the anticipation of the coming topwater bite. Call me soon to get a date, this bite is incredible!! Thanks to everyone and May God Bless - Jimbo

Jimbo's Lake Lanier Spotted Bass Guide Service Fishing Report: 4/15/2015

Hey Gang - Well, I got a "snow day" today with all the rain this morning. My customer hit the "abort" button just before we launched, and I can't say that I blame him. Apparently, we have entered the monsoon season here in Georgia. We decided to depart from the ramp and forge ahead on the matters at hand - he went to build an Ark, and I went to gather animals two by two....LOL. Even with the rain, however, the bite has been steadily improving and there are lots of techniques working right now. If you like to bed fish, there are LM bedding all over the lake right now and have been for a couple of weeks or more. There are some spots bedding now as well, but I look for a greater progression to the beds over the next couple of weeks. It's hard to beat a 1/8 oz Davis Shaky Head for numbers right now. Focus on points or docks on or near rocky areas that have a spawning flat somewhere adjacent. Steeper areas seems to be better, but the flatter stuff is starting to work as well. We have been fishing this rig on a GLoomis NRX 822 Shaky Head Rod. It is super-sensitive and really lets you feel those light bites. A weightless fluke around the fresh pine blow downs (from the ice storm) has been good for some fun too. When the wind is up, a 1/2 oz Davis Spinnerbait with white blades has been a good offering, as well as a Spro Little John MD in the Cell Mate color. Focus on those same rocky points mentioned above. A jerkbait or a swimbait over the brush has been spitting up some donkeys lately, as evidenced above with Craig proudly 'splaying Spotzilla (2nd from right) - she weighed 6 flat on the digitals - heckofa fish Craig! I believe she was a round as she was long... Another quick reminder about the upcoming GLoomis Owner's Tournament on June 6th out of Little Hall. Make $300 worth of qualifying purchases in the GLoomis/Shimano line at fine local tackle stores like Hammond's Fishing or the Dugout, and you are in! Visit the stores for details! I was tinkering with the idea of holding another seminar in May, but honestly I am too busy running trips to create and deliver a quality product to everyone, so I have decided to wait until August for my next round of seminars. I will have the dates confirmed and be ready to take sign ups shortly. The August seminars will focus on Fall and Early Winter fishing on Lanier. As before, we will have a range of topics to cover in that arena. Techniques, locations, Lowrance Screen Shots, proper rod and reel set ups, and much more will be covered. I am looking forward to seeing everyone again for a great learning experience and some fun fellowship! I will announce the dates and location soon. In April, I only have the 23rd open, as well as the afternoon of the 29th. Here is what I have for May right now: 6, 7, 11, 12, 16, 20, 21, 22, 26, 27, 28 and 30. Lot's of fun bites to come during that time including topwater! Give me a ring and let's go get 'em! Thanks to all, and May God Bless! Jimbo

Jimbo's Lake Lanier Spotted Bass Fishing Guide Service Report: 4/6/2015

Hey Gang - It has been a busy few weeks for me. I just wrapped up my second 5-boat corporate trip of the week today, and we had a blast! I have been blessed to work with some really great people and today was no exception! I'm not sure if its a good thing, but I was on the water every day in March. Every day. I had a couple of days off....and fished anyway. LOL. I just can't seem to get enough. Its just too much fun. A huge thanks to everyone for keeping me so busy. I love it and please keep it coming! The fishing has improved a bunch in the last few days. The warm sunny days we had before today really made for a great bite out there. Above Browns Bridge has been more consistent, but the south end has had its days and is improving steadily. We have been focusing on pockets of late. There are large schools of blue backs hanging in the backs of several pockets, and some big fish are there chasing them. The bait and the fish have both been very shallow. often in 5 feet of water or less. Docks in those same areas have been productive as well, much more so when the sun is high. The fresh pine blow downs from the ice storm in these pockets are also holding fish on many days. We have caught a few fish on the points, but they just don't seem to be holding the quantity or quality of the fish the pockets have yielded consistently in recent days. As far as bait choices, in the mornings, a McStick, a War Eagle spinnerbait, and fluke have been best. As the day progresses, pretty much the same baits have been effective, particualarly on the fish chasing bait in the backs of the pockets. The fluke bite around the docks, when the sun is up, is really starting to improve as well. The Davis Shaky Head HBT Series with a trick worm or senko has been a good bet around the docks and the blow downs as well. Of course, the weightless senko is always a good bet around the docks throughout the spring. There were several fish starting to bed before the cold front hit, and I look for a good wave to go on bed with the upcoming full moon, particularly the largemouth. I look for the south end to get consistently good over the next few days, and look for some more big sacks, like the one Scotty and I are sporting above, to show up. Don't forget about the upcoming G-Loomis/Shimano Owners tournament coming to Little Hall on June 6th. $300 in qualifying purchases and you're in! See the folks at Hammond's or the Dugout for details. For April, I only have the 22, 23, and the afternoon of the 29th open. Other than a day off on Easter, I am booked solid. My May is starting to fill up quickly as well, so please let me know as soon as you have a date in mind. Thanks to all, and May God Bless - Jimbo

Jimbo's Lake Lanier Bass Fishing Report: 3/23/2015

Hey Gang - Well I think Spring has finally "Sprung" as they say and the fish are moving after that tough February. I hope you have all had the opportunity to get out and enjoy the great weather. The bite has been improving steadily. We have had some good days lately and I expect them to get better. We have mostly been fishing creek arms and pockets the past couple of weeks looking for that faster warming water. Docks have been a great target for us within those places, although the areas around the docks and open areas without any docks have been productive as well. We have started most days with a Spro or Megabass Jerkbait and a rattle trap. These baits worked on flats in the back of creek arms have been productive for some early morning bites. We have then been shifting to the deeper creek arms and focusing on steeper banks with the jerkbait. Once the sun gets up, the docks have been very productive. We have focuses on docks that are in 20 feet or less. Some days the deeper docks are better, and some days the shallower docks seem to be more productive. You can definitely find more largemouth consistently around the shallower docks near the back of the creek arms, but the spots are back there on some days too. The deeper docks are a better bet in terms of consistent spot production. As far as bait selection, a jerkbait, a fluke, and various plastics rigged on a 3/16 oz Davis Shaky Head HBT Series Screw Lock Head have all been very good producers. Trick worms, finesse worms, and creepy crawlers skipped around docks are all working well right now. Experiment each day to find what the fish prefer. We have had some decent days on a jig as well, but I look for the jig bite to become a staple soon. I recommend stocking up on your favorite Chattahoochee Jigs now! I have mainly been fishing up North, but the lower lake is starting to come around and you will find me below BB much more often over the next few weeks. Look for the main lake bite to heat up soon and some big sacks to come from down south. It's just time for that to happen. Any day now... If you haven't heard, make sure to mark Sunday, March 29th on your calendars for the Lowrance Lake Lanier Mapping Party and Big Bass Bash. The event will be held at Little Hall Ramp that day and will include food, prizes and giveaways, as well as free Lowrance instruction and seminars. Catch the biggest bass that day and win a FREE Lowrance HDS 7 Gen 2 Touch! Also, there is an ongoing Lake Lanier Mapping Challenge that offers an HDS 9 Gen 2 Touch as its grand prize (March 6-28). Check out all the details by clicking HERE. A special congrats to my man Bo Pierce who is pictured above in the 2 photographs on the right. I had Bo out on a trip with me earlier this week while he was having his brand new HDS 9 Gen 3 Touch units installed by Tim at Hammond's Fishing. We caught a good sack the day we were out, and I was able to show him a few things he could apply on this own during future trips (Pic 2nd from right). The picture on the far right is the result! I met up with Bo on the water at the end of one of my trips later this week to tune his units he had installed on Wednesday, and was happy to celebrate his results with him. I love to teach and Bo was an outstanding student! It was very gratifying to me that he took what he learned and was able to immediately apply it to his fishing. Congrats Bo! I have Thursday and Friday open this coming week (March 26 and 27). I also have Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, March 30th, 31st and April 1st open as well. After that, my first open days are April 13, 14, and 15 as I am fully booked the first 2 weeks of April. I anticipate some excellent fishing over the next few weeks. Give me a call and book your dates now! Let's go catch'em!! Thanks to all and May God Bless - Jimbo

Jimbo's Lake Lanier Bass Fishing Report: 3/8/2015

Hey Gang - I hope everyone has enjoyed the recent warming trend. It was sure beautiful out there today! It is really great to see Spring arriving as we have all had about enough of old man winter! Who's with me??! I have been out on the water every day since last Saturday, and the fishing has been tough...in the lower lake. I spent 2 days down there last week and determined it was just not worth hanging around anymore. I have not been below Brown's Bridge since. LOL. The water temps are trending much warmer up north as with daytime warming today we found 53 degrees in the back of some pockets. The fish are biting up there as well, and we have had decent limits every day this week. The bite has seemed to get better each day. Don't get me wrong, you have to work your tail off, but the fish are there and will bite with some patience. We have been working jerkbaits, rattletraps, and Super Spins for some good early morning bites. We have mostly been focusing on shallow flats in the backs of creek arms and pockets in 10 feet or less. A 7 second pause on the jerkbait seems to be important for a bite. A Spro McStick and a Vision 110 have been our choices. The trap bite seems best on a steady retrieve for us, vs a yo-yo presentation. We have been working a 1/4 oz Super Spin tipped with either a Super Fluke Jr or a Kitech trailer. A slow presentation of the Super Spin with some hops and pops seems to be best on most days. A chatterbait has also given us a few bigger bites through the day as well. Slow and steady has been the best presentation. Through the day, docks back in creek arms and pockets have been our best bet. We have been working small plastics rigged on a 3/16 oz or 1/8 oz Davis Screw Lock Shaky Head, HBT Series. SLOOOOOOW is the key. And I do mean painfully slow. Move it an inch, make a phone call, drink a soda, move an inch, shake slightly, take a nap, read the paper, return emails, then....tick! The bites are very light and hard to detect. Often you will just see your line start to move after a pause of the bait, if you are not napping of course. LOL. The best docks seem to be in 15 feet or less. Often times, even on sunny days such as today, the fish are not under the docks, but just around them. Work the areas thoroughly and as discussed above, take your time. The DVD's I had produced from my January Seminar on ditch fishing have been selling well. Thank you! I still have a few copies left, and I will mail next day USPS, so you will receive them quickly. Please call me at 770-542-7764 to order your copy or email me at: jim@laniermapped.com The cost is $39. I have recently had a short preview from the DVD produced. Click on this link and take a look: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyIbZMiBMlA&feature=youtu.be I also wanted to share a couple of tournament announcements. I will make a separate post for these tournaments on this forum as well. First, I am excited to report that Shimano/GLoomis will be hosting a series of owner tournaments this year, and one of the stops on the tour is Lake Lanier! Mark down June 6th at Little Hall (SL-3 PM) on your calendars for this awesome event. Entry fee is purchase of $300 or more in qualifying GLoomis, Shimano, Jackall, or Power Pro equipment from your fine local tackle stores such as Hammond's Fishing or The Dugout. Only GLoomis Rods and Shimano reels will be allowed in the tournament. The series covers Lake Lanier, Logan Martin, Smith Lake, and the Classic will be held at Guntersville. This is sure to be a fun and rewarding tournament trail. Make sure to check out the details and buy some Shimano/GLoomis or other qualifying product and come fish!! Also, I wanted to share some info on a tournament being held on Lake Allatoona for a very worthy cause. Fishin' for a Mission will be held on March 29, 2015 out of Gatewood Park (SL- 3PM) and proceeds will benefit Children's Healthcare. I will share the flyer for this event on a separate post as well. Make sure to put this on your calendars and come out and support Children's Healthcare. I am full this week and looking to wrap up a 16 day run of days on the water this coming Sunday. Here are the dates I have open the remainder of March: 17, 18, 19, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 30, and 31. Call for your April dates soon as those have been going quickly as of late. The warm weather this week is sure to get the fish really moving and making their push towards the spawn. The next few weeks are sure to hold some excellent fishing with some STUDS to be caught. Now is the time folks! Give me a call and let's go bust 'em!! Thanks to all, and May God Bless - Jimbo

Jimbo's Lake Lanier Spotted Bass Fishing Report: 1/27/15

Hey Gang! It has been awhile since my last post. I have been busy on some other fishing-related fronts and it has been an awesome January. I hope you all have been out and enjoyed some of the good days we have had recently, when we have had 'em. It is January after all, not all the days are good! LOL As many of you know, I have been running a Seminar Series this month. We held one on January 17th and I have another one coming up this Saturday, January 31st. My buddy Dan W. has graciously offered his company's state-of-the-art meeting facility down at Dekalb Office, where we are holding he seminars. This place is unbelievable and it has been a true pleasure to work with Dan. I can't say enough about his generous hospitality. Thank you Dan - you are the man! The January 17th Seminar was a HUGE success. We had over 90 attendees and discussed some of the particulars of ditch fishing, timber fishing, and tackle set up. In the January 31st Seminar, we will have an in-depth reveiw of electronics - how to read them and interpret them to catch more fish. In addion, we will discuss fishing the winter to spring transition, tournament preparation and game planning, as well as seasonal patterns on Lanier. Thanks to Dan, we have been able to add some additional chairs for this Seminar to meet the growing demand. We sit at 101 attendees, and can grow it to 110. So I have 9 spots left if you are interested in attending. This will be an extremely valuable course as we will help prepare you for fishing the coming months on Lanier. We will welcome you with refreshments such as coffee and donuts, raffles, giveaways, in addition to some great vendors such as Chattahoochee Jigs, SuperSpin by SuperFish, and Spro Lures. Please contact me directly at 770-542-7764 to reserve your spot. First come, first serve of course. Class starts at 9 AM, doors open at 8 AM. Registration is $85 and we will close the class at 110 participants. I hope to see you there for another great lesson on Lanier. I have also been playing in the tournament scene this month. We wrapped up the Hammond's Winter Trail on Saturday with a 16.92 lbs sack and a 2nd place finish in the Classic on a very tough day. My partner Joe and I were further honored to secure 2nd place in the points race for top team of the year. We were fortunate to have fished very consistently all year. Our strengths were planning and decision making, along with execution of course. These are areas that we will be discussing at this Saturday's seminar. A big congrats to Mark Hardin and Chad Spivey for their incredible year and 1st place honors in the trail. Also, a big thanks to Hammond's Fishing for running this highly competitve trail that consistently attracts Lanier's best. Joe and I then rolled into the first H&D Tournament of the year out of Little Hall on Sunday with a 15.74 lbs sack and a solid 6th place finish out of a 61 boat field. Conditions were much nicer Sunday, but the fishing was just as tough. Over the weekend, we focused our efforts in the 45 feet range on timber edges for most of our fish. A Chattahoochee Jig, a Shaky Head, and a drop shot were our main weapons. We did make some deviations on Sunday after we got our limit in the timber as we then went hole hopping for a couple of upgrades on the Chattahoochee Jig. Overall, a fun weekend and a pleasure to be fishing in January! Check out the PIG above that I caught last week on the SuperSpin from SuperFish Baits. This is a fairly new release to the market and in my opinion a great addition to the UnderSpin market. A longer blade arm, bigger eyes and a unique head design highlight the competitive advantages of this bait. The longer blade arm allows for a consistent free spin on the fall which is how I caught spotzilla above - on the fall. I am honored to be working with Kevin Stowers and his team helping to promote this new product. I encourage you to give this bait a try - I think you will like it!! Lastly, I want to announce that I have officially split from Sworming Hornet Lures. I enjoyed my time with Rick and certainly appreciated the opportunity to represent his company. I wish him all the best with his future endeavors. I have Thursday and Friday open this week for guide trips. The weather looks good so let's get out and catch 'em! Give me a call! Thanks to all, and May God Bless. Jimbo