Lake Oconee Fishing Report – August 2009

Oconee: Level: Full pool. Temp: 87 degrees. Clarity: Clear at the dam and in Sugar and Richland creeks; moderate stain elsewhere.

Bass: Fair during the day, better at night. “The key to catching fish is Georgia Power moving water,” said Al Bassett. “Most of time they are finished pumping back by early morning, so being on the water early can be a key. Two good topwater baits are the Pop-R and Ol-Nelle double-blade buzzbait in white/chartreuse. Work the main-lake docks where you have deep water nearby.” During the day, fish deep and find baitfish, and once you do, try one of three techniques. “First, use a Carolina-rigged worm fishing the deeper ends of long points or underwater islands,” Al said. “Second, fish a Norman Deep Diver 22 in the glimmer shad. You want the bait to bump the bottom. The third pattern is flipping docks that are near deep water with a Zoom U-tail worm in the red-shad color.”

Crappie: Fair. “Fishing at night with lights is a way to beat the heat and catch a few fish,” Al said. Use live minnows under a bridge or in the standing timber. “During the day, fish over brushpiles in 10 to 15 feet of water. Also, fish the drop offs where the water depth makes a sharp drop from 8 to 10 feet of water to 20 or so feet deep.”

Linesides: Good. Guide Doug Nelms reports, “The fishing on Oconee has changed dramatically, to the point that it has surprised me and many other anglers. We have been hauling in catches of 10 to 20 fish for half-day trips. The bait is everywhere and usually can be caught by throwing the net one time, and the fish are hungry. Even though the water is hot, you can find fish schooling in the afternoon when Georgia Power is generating. Throw a 3-inch Sassy Shad into the melee. The weird thing is, the fish are not showing up in the places they historically have been. Areas like flagpole point and the hayfield have not held the fish as in years past. We are finding them up the river, in Richland Creek and other places you typically would not look.”