Lake Oconee Fishing Report – June 2007

Oconee: Level: Full pool. Temp: 74 to 76 degrees. Clarity: Up the river is stained and down the lake and in the Richland Creek area there is a light stain to clear.

Bass: Good. Bass fishing has picked up as the bass are moving out to their summertime holes, according to guide Al Bassett. A good chance for a quality bass right now and through the first of June is to fish topwater early. Try a buzzbait or Pop-R along main-lake seawalls that are close to deep water. “After your morning bite, fish with a Carolina-rigged watermelon or watermelon-candy Zoom Finesse worm on 12-lb. line with a 24- to 36-inch leader and a 1/2-oz. weight,” said Al “Fish this bait around docks and seawalls. Look for the area where there is deep water nearby. Make sure you come as close as possible to each post on the docks. Al said the better bass are being caught with a jig ’n pig skipped under the docks. He recommends a 5/16-oz. size in black and chartreuse colors. A good summertime cranking bite will heat up along with water temperatures this month. For details, see page 16.

Crappie: Good. The crappie are in their summertime spots on brush and humps in 12 to 20 feet of water, Al said. “A good number of fish are being caught under the Sugar Creek bridge during the day and at night using minnows. Use 6-lb. test P-Line with a No. 6 gold hook with a small split-shot 10 inches up from your hook,” Al said. Also, look for crappie out on main-lake structure. “Look for any underwater hump that tops off at 10 foot of water. Fish live bait around the humps, working your way out into deeper water until you find the fish.”

Linesides: Hybrids are schooling early and late in the day at the mouth of Sugar Creek and on the Pipe Line. A 1/2-oz. Rat-L-Trap or a popping cork with a fly on a 24-inch leader will catch a few fish while they’re chasing shad on top. “Have a popping cork ready all day as these fish tend to surface and go back down at will,” said Al. “ A 1/2-oz. Flex-it spoon on 10-lb. test will work very well at the Hay Field at the mouth of Sugar Creek. Cast the spoon, let it fall to the bottom, lift your rod 6 inches and let the spoon fall back down. When you lift your rod back up, you will feel the fish,” he said.