Lake Oconee Fishing Report – January 2022

Oconee: Level: Full at 435. Temp: 55 degrees in Sugar Creek on the morning of Dec. 20. Clarity: The lake is clear, even up the Apalachee River. Only the Oconee River above I-20 is stained.

Bass: Guide Norris Edge reports, “Bass fishing on Lake Oconee is getting better every day, but there are still days when it can be a little slow. The fish are biting jigs, shaky-head worms and spinnerbaits, and the majority of the fish are on the south end of the lake. Look in Rocky Creek, Sandy Creek and Richland Creek. If cranking is your thing, Shad Raps are doing well around boat docks and points with heavy rip-rap.” Tournament angler Karl Pingry reports, “The bass fishing is really good for numbers, but it’s the size that varies. Michael Lynch recently fished the ABA on Oconee and has been on the lake several times a week during November. His go-to bait has been a white-and-chartreuse spinnerbait with a willowleaf and Colorado blade. He is fishing it high in the water column or fishing it just out of eyesight. Let the fish tell you which one they want on a given day. Michael says the bass have been right on the seawalls in the morning. He said if you cast 2 feet from the wall, you are not going to get bit. So make sure you’re putting that bait right on the bank or wall. His other two go-to baits are a shaky head paired with a green pumpkin/red glitter Trick Worm and a jig under the docks and walkways after 1 p.m. He says the docks that have bluegill under the docks are the best. He is seeing the bluegill with his polarized sunglasses. Fish the posts and the darkest parts of the docks and watch your line. The bass have been eating the bait on the fall this week. Michael expects the bite to continue to be good for most of December. Recently that bite has been in the front third of the pockets. Expect the bite to remain near the fronts of the pockets and eventually the main lake, unless there is an extended warm spell. Watch for bait activity on the surface and your graph indicating the depth of the bait to dictate how far in the pockets you fish. If there’s bait, there is bass—a good rule of thumb this time of year. Also expect the crankbait bite to really pick up as the water temps continue to drop. Bandit, Spro, Rapala and squarebill crankbaits covering water from 2 feet to 10 feet will be his choices.”

Linesides: Capt. Doug Nelms reports, “Our local DNR has the hybrid/striper population in excellent condition on Lake Oconee, and I personally believe it is as good as it has been in years. We are going out and putting 30 fish in the boat on average every half-day trip. Start looking mid-lake, across from the Great Water Boathouse and all the way to the south end of the lake in sight of the dam. The humps that are closer to the river channel will normally produce more fish than the tiny, isolated ones. I like to target water depths of 30 to 45 feet for the best jigging spoon fishing. I also keep a spinning rod rigged up with a pearl Super Fluke to cast into schooling fish. Historically this activity will be at its peak around the middle of January, but I will continue fishing this way until the end of March. Be aware of the seagulls, and when you find a flock of them concentrated in one place, be sure to look over it good. There’s a 99% chance the fish are there.” For more on Doug’s January linesides fishing, here is a feature article from the January 2022 issue of GON.