Lake Oconee Fishing Report – August 2008

Oconee: Level: Full pool. Temp: 85-88 degrees. Clarity: Light stain except for clear in Richland Creek.

Bass: Good. The best bite has been relatively shallow in 6 to 8 feet of water. Early, there is still a topwater bite worth fishing. Use a Pop-R or Rico along rip-rap, seawalls and blowdowns. As the sun gets up, fish a black/blue jig ’n pig under docks in that 6- to 8-foot depth range.

Linesides: Good, said guide Doug Nelms. “In years past this is not a good time to be at Oconee; however, it seems like everything has changed this year,” Doug said. He’s been fishing artificials exclusively, mostly a Norris Rig, which is like a scaled-down umbrella rig with two jigs. Good catches have come from the hayfields just inside the mouth of Sugar Creek, and the Pipeline and Flagpole Point on the main lake. “Normally I have a tank full of live gizzard shad, but the past few times I have only used artificial. I troll my rig about 3 miles an hour using my gas motor and concentrate my efforts over humps coming up in the lake. If you can find a 12-foot shelf, like the one at the hayfields, the rig is just an awesome arsenal to use. I think about any color will do, but I am partial to chartreuse and white. I think these colors show up a little better in the stained water we have at Oconee. I have a strong feeling that these fish may hold right through August and even into September,” Doug said.