Lake Oconee Fishing Report December 2012

Oconee: Level: 1.7 feet low. Temp: 54-58 degrees. Clarity: Light stain.

Bass: Fair. Tournament angler Aaron Batson reports, “Look for fish to begin moving out to deeper water along with the baitfish. They will set up on winter locations in 18 to 24 feet of water. You can catch these fish several ways. Drop a 3/4-oz. jigging spoon down to fish that you have located on the graph. You will catch several bass, striper and even a few crappie with the spoon. If you want to target largemouth only, use a drop-shot worm in these locations. The best drop-shot bait is a Wackem Crazy Baits Little Sissy worm in watermelon or tomato colors. If you get a warm, sunny day, look for the bass to move up shallow on red-clay or rocky banks. You can catch them on the VIP Lures crankbait called a Tight Wad. It perfectly mimics the 2- to 3-inch threadfin shad or crayfish the bass are looking for. Good colors are grey ghost and rootbeer. Once you cover the location with the crankbait, turn back around and work the same area with a 3/8-oz. Net Boy Baits Finesse jig with a Wackem Crazy Bait Tator Bug trailer. Good colors are green pumpkin and pumpkinseed.”

Linesides: Guide Mark Smith reports, “Striper/hybrid fishing on Oconee is good to very good. As of this writing, the fish are showing up all over the lake. The water quality is so good they are everywhere from the backs of the creeks to the main lake channels. Over the past two weeks I have been fishing in the River Bend area of the lake and doing well on live bait fished on downlines and flatlines. If the fish move out of the area you are fishing, start trolling a Capt. Mack’s four-arm u-rig in the main channel to locate the fish, and then drop live bait to them. As the weather cools later in the month, the birds will show you where the fish are. When you see the birds diving, you have located a school of stripers/hybrids. Drop the live bait down, and hang on. This pattern will hold all month.”

Crappie: Guide Jody Stephens reports, “Crappie are semi-scattered right now with the bite being fair to good. Spider-rigging jigs tipped with minnows over tree tops seem to produce the best fish. We have boated many fish in the 1 1/2- to 2 1/2-lb. range over the last couple of weeks. Sugar Bugs crappie jigs and Rozier’s custom jigs with light-wire hooks in white/yellow, green/white and pink/white have been the biggest producers. Fish are holding near structure in 15 to 30 feet of water, and you need to get your bait as close to the cover as possible. I expect the fish to start getting tighter packed in shallower water near structure over the next month.”