Hey Gang – No question about it, the pond is heating up and so is the fishing! My customers enjoyed a very good week and some great results. Thursday and Friday were particularly good, with Thursday being the best. I am excited to share two big announcements before getting to the fishing report for this week. First, Jimbo’s Guide Service is EXPANDING to include Lake Hartwell! I am happy to report that Rick Steckelberg of Sworming Hornet Lures has came on board with Jimbo’s and will be my lead guide on Hartwell. Rick is a very accomplished angler as most of you know, with several major tournament victories to his credit. He now lives near Lake Hartwell and I know he will provide fantastic results to my clients up there as he knows the lake well. Rick has been a long-term sponsor of mine, and I am tickled that we are in a position to grow our relationship further. Please contact me directly to book a trip on Hartwell, and there will be much more to come in the near future regarding this development. Welcome Rick!! Speaking of Rick, he and I got together on Thursday afternoon on Lanier to test prototypes of his latest creation, the Sworming Hornet Bite Sized Herring Swimbait. One of these gems is pictured above hanging from the face of a donkey that fell victim to its tantalizing action! I was impressed with these baits and absolutely loved the movement and size – it is the perfect solution as it’s total weight is around an ounce and therefore very user friendly. Big swimbait rods are not required to toss this little jewel. We went out Thursday afternoon just after my morning trip and jacked an 18 pound sack in short order, with Rick’s new swimbait being the main contributor. These 3-Joint Swimbaits are 5 inches long and will be offered in both Floating and Fast Sink models, and will come in 3 colors: pearl, blue back herring, and gizzard shad. You can order one of these baits on TackleWarehouse.com immediately, and they will be available locally at Hammond’s Fishing and Outdoor Depot soon. I will also be selling these directly to my customers as well. You need to get you one of these beauties!! OK, now onto fishing for this week. We ran points and humps with brush in 20-25 feet most of the week and focused on pulling fish up from the cover. This pattern by far produced our biggest bites. There are some monsters out there willing to eat topwater and swimbaits right now – we had 2 of the biggest spots I have seen out there pull off on topwater this past Friday. Heartbreak! As I mentioned, topwater and swimbaits were the best offerings for the bigger fish. Also, when the fish were not willing to come up, they ate a Fish Head Spin and a shaky head worm pretty well around the same type of cover. We caught a mixture of pre and post spawn fish this week. There are several post-spawners starting to show up, particularly in the creeks. It would not surprise me to see a big wave hit the beds on this full moon coming up next week – particularly the main lake fish. For all of those that have been calling asking about the timing of the topwater bite on Lanier, it is here and should only get better. It’s time to book your trip with Jimbo! The herring spawn is also starting down south and will be getting stronger as the days progress. I am booked all 5 days next week on Lanier, but Rick has some open days on Hartwell if anyone wants to make a trip up there. He tells me the herring spawn is in full swing and the fishing is fantastic. I understand some new cover is about to make its way into the lake as well. LOL. My only days left on Lanier in May are the 29th and 30th. I am also booking for June and starting to fill quickly. Make your reservation now for the June topwater and swimbait bite – it is shaping up to be a great one. Give me a call for Lanier or Hartwell! For Fishing Reports on other Georgia Lakes, make sure to visit: www.havefunfishing.com Thanks to all and May God Bless! Jimbo — Jim “JIMBO” Mathley Spotted Bass Fishing Guide – Lake Lanier [email protected] Mobile – 770-542-7764 www.jimboonlanier.com