Lake Oconee Fishing Report June 2013

Oconee: Level: Full pool. Temp: 78-82 degrees. Clarity: Lightly stained.

Bass: Good, according to tournament pro and guide Aaron Batson. “This is a big month for change. The shallow postspawn fish have already begun their move to deeper summer patterns. Look for bass to stage on points at the mouths of spawning coves, and expect them to be in 12 to 15 feet of water. Try a Carolina-rigged Wackem Crazy Baits 5-inch Pointy Tail worm in watermelon or green-pumpkin colors. Also deep-diving crankbaits like a 300 Bandit or Normans DLN in shad colors will catch some good fish. Try to find cooler water up the rivers this summer, and work any available cover with 3/8-oz. Net Boy Baits jigs in brown or greens. Tip the jig with a Wackem Crazy Baits Crazy Craw.”

Crappie: Guide Jody Stephens reports, “Oconee docks are loaded with fish. Fish mid morning, and by later you may have to cull through a bunch of little guys to get a good fish. Sugar Bug Jigs in black/white/yellow and white/chartreuse have been really good. Shoot that jig back in the shade, and let it fall back to you.” Guide Al Bassett reports, “Crappie fishing currently is very good. Fish are holding in deeper water over brushpiles, standing timber and deep drop-offs. Night fishing under the bridges and in the timber has started to pick up and will be good all though the summer months. Use your Lowrance HDS and LSS-2 to find the fish on the brushpiles or the deep drop-offs before you start fishing. Mark the area where you find the fish holding with a marker, and either use live bait or cast to the area using Jiffy Jigs Super Grubs. When you find the fish, work the area very good as the fish will school up in big schools during this time of year. Some of the schools of fish you will find will be big enough to get a good limit of fish. During the summer months, you can find big schools of fish over these areas, so spend time looking before you start to fish. If you plan to keep fish, make sure you have plenty ice on hand to keep your catch from spoiling.”

Linesides: Guide Doug Nelms reports, “June is the month of the big numbers. The hybrids and striped bass will be on the humps, and live bait and umbrella rigs are the ticket. Water release is crucial, and typically the afternoon bite is so good because of the generation. It is not unusual to catch two and three stripers on one rod while fishing u-rigs and other various trolling rigs. Look at the dam, pipeline, Sugar Creek or just about anywhere deep areas transition into humps. Also the bite is really great in the tailrace this month, as stripers make their way from Lake Sinclair to the base of Wallace Dam. They are looking for oxygen-rich water, and the tailrace is the place to find it. I throw a 3-inch Sassy Shad into the boils, and on many afternoons it can be a fish per cast. A word of caution: It can be very dangerous down there when Georgia Power is in full generation. If you have never fished there, I advise to first go with someone who understands how to fish in fast-moving water.” Guide Mark Smith reports, “June is the month for trolling. The trolling rig I will use most is the Capt. Macks four-arm, nine-jig rig, and I will troll it at 100 feet behind the boat at 3 mph. The rig will be running 15 feet deep. As of this writing, there are big schools of fish on the humps from the dam to the pipe line. The shad bite is still going on, but it will slow down as the water heats up during the month. The month of June is also a good time to pick up white bass on the north end of the lake. When Georgia Power is pulling water, the white bass will pull up on the humps from Sugar Creek north. Drop a spoon into the schools you find on these humps. This is a fun way to catch a lot of fish on a hot afternoon.”