Lake Oconee Fishing Report – February 2025

Oconee: Level: Full at 435. Temp: 38 degrees above I-20 and 46 in the mid lake. Clarity: Stained, but clearer than normal.

Bass: Guide Nick Knapp, with Elite Guide Service, reports, “The month of February can be some of the toughest fishing all year. With all the cold weather we have had, the water temperatures have plummeted. The bass are very lethargic right now. Smaller squarebill crankbaits have been bringing some bites, but it’s a tough bite to get. You may have to throw to the same spot over and over again to get that bite. The 3/4-oz. mop-style jigs have been getting some bigger bites for me lately. Work those baits around rocks and wood. The rocks and rip-rap have been holding better fish. The water clarity is really clear for this time of year. Natural colors have been working better.”

Stripers: Capt. Doug Nelms, with BigFishHeads Guide Service, reports, “February on Oconee is when we begin to see the big stripers show up, and I would like to talk about trophy fish in this report. We guides don’t get to ‘trophy fish’ very much because it’s kind of like trophy hunting. You might see one and you may not, and most customers don’t want to sit on a boat all day watching rods with little action. However, there is nothing more exciting than watching a monster slap a live bait out of the water in February and March. In last year’s 2024 Oconee Derby, Chad Wammock weighed in the largest striper we have ever seen in the tournament at 26-plus pounds, only missing the lake record by about 3 pounds. For the past 10 years in The Derby, we have seen our stripers get bigger every year. Georgia Power added oxygen lines during the summer, and a lot of anglers have gotten on board with the DNR on how to make Oconee a better striper fishery, and it is working. This could be the year when the lake record gets replaced and the first 30-lb. striper comes to the scales. Wouldn’t that be something… and the way to do it is with big gizzard shad. That is a lot easier said than done. Most of the trophy striper fishermen on Oconee are out of bed in the morning, throwing their nets long before most mortal’s alarm clocks go off. And they throw the net a lot… I mean a lot. Oconee is not like Lanier, where you can just pull up to a local tackle shop and buy shad. No one on the lake sells gizzards or threadfins, so if you want bait, you gotta catch them. Some of the great places to throw your net for big gizzards and threadfins is around the Highway 44 bridge, Sugar Creek bridge and the two bridges in Lick Creek. If we get a good sunny day and the water warms a little, look in the shallow mud flats. If you’re luck enough to catch them, I have just the ticket to keep them happy in your livewell for days. Blake Jones makes the best Oconee bait tank additive around called Shad Magic. You can easily find him on Facebook, and he will create individual bags that is the right amount for your bait tank. You just tear a single bag open and dump it in your tank, no muss no fuss. Here’s another tip. When you’re throwing your net and you pull up a gizzard shad that you think is too big, it’s probably the perfect size. I am amazed at what the stripers are eating on Oconee now, and the axiom is true that big baits catch big fish. Finally, most of our trophy fish will come from the south end of the lake as we get closer to March and April, so concentrate your efforts there. You don’t have to hug the barrel line at the dam and fight traffic. In fact what we have found out is the bigger fish are loners and are caught out in the middle of no where! The Oconee Derby starts this month on Feb. 22 and will run for six weeks this year. Go to www.oconeederby.com to see all the information about it. If you have never fished The Derby, you don’t know what you’ve been missing. We have a blast and always have a lot of fun doing a lot of good. If you plan on chasing crappie or stripers this spring, the Oconee was made for you, and we would love for you to be a part of it.”

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