Lake Oconee Fishing Report June 2018

Oconee: Level: Full pool. Temp: Low 80s. Clarity: Stained.

Stripers: Guide Doug Nelms reports “This is the month of early morning bites for our stripers and crappie. There will be a lot of traffic on the lake by 10 a.m., and I really believe it has an effect on the fish. Luckily Georgia Power should start a really hard pumpback in the early hours of the morning, which will have the fish stirred up by the time the sun comes up. You want to look down on all the humps on the south end of the lake. A 4-inch threadfin shad on a flatline is something the Lake Oconee stripers just can’t resist. Try it out on light spinning equipment. If you can find current flowing over any hump (like at the pipeline or East Bank Hump), get on the upcurrent side and float a threadfin into the bait. Make sure you are holding on to something. There also should be a really good u-rig bite this month. Target areas like the Sugar Creek hayfield, the gas line at Great Waters and rocky islands up the Richland Creek side. Water movement is the key to loading the boat this month.”

Crappie: Guide Al Bassett reports, “Crappie fishing is currently very good. Fish are holding in deeper water over brushpiles, standing timber and deep drop-offs. Night fishing under the bridges and in the timbers has started to pick up and will be good all though the summer months. The water temperature should rise to the upper 80s by the end of the month. The fish will be in schools over trees, under docks and drop-offs. Using live bait is the best way to catch a fast limit of fish. Casting a Jiffy Jig Super Grub around these areas will also work great. When you catch a fish, work the area good, as you most likely found a school of fish. Having and knowing how to use good electronics is a key during this time of year. Find the fish before you start to fish. Make sure you take care to keep your bait lively, and if keeping fish, have ice to put them on once you catch them.”