Lake Oconee Fishing Report – July 2007

Oconee: Level: Full pool. Temp: 80-84 degrees. Clarity: Mostly clear, except for a light stain in the backs of some creeks.

Bass: Good, said guide Al Bassett. “Look for the mayflies first thing in the day. Any bushes or trees that hang over the lake, check them for the mayflies. Use a buzzbait or a Pop-R,” Al said. If there’s no mayfly hatch, head to the summertime, main-lake patterns. “Fish long points where you have deep water nearby, and fish main-lake dock areas. Fishing a Carolina-rigged worm in the watermelon seed or watermelon candy colors with a 24-inch leader will be a good bait to use when the water is moving. A big crankbait fished on these points will also bring you a few bites. Another good area to fish is the underwater islands, where the top part of the island is in 10 to 12 feet of water. Cast your bait to the top part of the island, and work your bait to deeper water. There are some real good fish being caught with a jig ’n pig under docks. Look for the docks in which there is deep water nearby. Work all areas of the docks to see where the fish are holding. A Texas-rigged worm fished on light line around the rip-rap will also bring a few fish. Most of these fish are small, but there have been a few real nice ones The main key is when Georgia Power is moving water,” Al said.

Crappie: Good. “Night fishing under the lights has started to pick up and will only get better as we get deeper into the summer months,” Al said. “Fishing over brushpiles in 15 to 20 foot of water will catch a few. There are some fish being caught around the bridges during the day. Fish are also being caught on underwater islands. Use a drop rig with the weight on the bottom and a No. 6 gold hook 12 to 18 inches up from the weight. Cast a live minnow on 6-lb. test line to the top of the island, and work it down into deeper water. When you catch your first fish, you should be in a school of fish so work this area real good.”

Hybrids: Good. “When Georgia Power is moving water, there are some big schools of hybrids coming up,” Al said. “Look for long points and underwater islands where the hybrids are running shad up to the top of the water. Use a popping cork when they are on top, then switch to a Flex-It spoon when they go down. Live bait is working well down the lake near the dam,” he said.