Lake Oconee Fishing Report (GADNR)

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This report is from the GADNR website.

LAKE OCONEE IS FULL, 50'S BY CAPTAIN MARK SMITH, REEL TIME SERVICE
Lake Oconee is full, the water temperature is 52 to 57 degrees.  Over the past week we have had a lot of rain.  With all the rain and more to come this weekend the lake is very dirty.  That's the nice way of saying there is a lot of trash floating as well as mud.  Up the rivers it is just red mud, all the way to the 44 bridge, then it is heavy stain until river bend.  After river bend it starts to clear a little.

Bass: Bass fishing is slow.  The best bite this week has come on the spoon fished on the humps and road beds on the south end of the lake.  Use your Lowrance to locate the fish on the sides of the humps and then drop a spoon into them.  You can also find some fish in the river bend area of the lake just of the river channel.  These fish will take a spoon also.  They will be as deep as 30ft.  Some of the bigger fish have come in this area.  Some fish are starting to show up under docks in the middle of the major creeks, like Lick Creek.  They are coming on jigs fished up under the docks very slow.

Striper: Striper fishing is fair.  The best fishing has been in the middle of the lake and in the afternoon, from Lick Creek to River Bend.  Use your Lowrance to locate the schools and you can catch them with spoons and live bait.  Some fishermen are using bass minnows but shad will also work.  The Lick Creek area of the lake is heavy stained and the bite is a little slower in the heavy stain.  As of this report the fish have not shown up at the dam yet.

Crappie: Crappie fishing is good.  The fish have started to move into the creeks.  Spider rigging has been putting the fish in the cooler.  Match your color jig to the water color. Tip your jig with a minnow.  The big fish bite is here; now is the time to catch a 2+ pound fish.  Long lining has not been as productive as the spider rigging.