Lake Oconee Fishing Report – June 2022

Oconee: Level: Full at 435. Temp: High 70s to low 80s. Clarity: There’s a little color up the Oconee River, otherwise fairly clear down to the dam. The rain this week should muddy up the rivers.

Bass: Tournament angler Karl Pingry reports, “Michael Lynch has been on the water a lot this month and was nice enough to share what he’s doing. The bass are shallow. There’s still a shad spawn, but it is not everywhere. If you find a seawall or rocky bank with shad spawning on it early in the morning, throw a double willowleaf spinnerbait or a white Chatterbait. Best topwater baits to use now through the month of June are a buzzbait, frog or Pop-R. There was a bluegill spawn on the full moon, and there will be one on the full moon in June. Along with aforementioned topwaters, Michael will use a double prop bait in bluegill color. Other baits to use are a bluegill-colored swim jig and a shaky-head worm. The mayfly hatches are also occurring on the lake. Use the same lures you would use for the bluegill bed fishing. I am partial to a brown frog, bluegill-colored swim jig and a shaky head in green pumpkin with a chartreuse tail. Michael’s favorite way to fish Oconee is to flip docks as the sun gets up. If you’re looking for a lot of bites, a shaky head with a finesse worm is the way to go for the next month. If you’re looking for a big bite, a monster worm, a Brushhog or a jig is what Michael suggests. In stained water, use dark colors such as black or junebug. In clear water, use green pumpkin, watermelon seed or light hues with glitter in it. Michael did warn that the best bite is early in the mornings until 9:30 and later in the evening after 6. You can catch fish in between those times, but the bite is slower and not as consistent. Be careful during the holiday weekend.”

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Crappie: Capt. Doug Nelms with BigFishHeads Guide Service reports, “I think it is safe to say the summertime crappie fishing is fully underway. As you well know, we have been experiencing record high temperatures over the past couple of weeks, and it has pushed the crappie in the trees. This is such a fun fishing time because if you can find them, you can catch them. It’s really that easy, too, but you’ll need some good electronics. I used Humminbird Solix and after using just about all of them, I can honestly say the Bird is my favorite. It really makes finding the structure the fish live in so easy. I suggest that just before the season gets really underway that you go out and scout. Take your boat up in coves that maybe you have never fished in before and look for those treetops and brushpiles. That part is as rewarding as finding a brand-new snapper fishing reef in the Gulf, and the reward for finding a tree that no one else knows about is just as rewarding. Once you begin catching fish off it, you can go back just about every weekend and you’ll be surprised how it will get reloaded with fish. I am using live minnows this time of year on a ACC Crappie STIX jigging pole with 10-lb. braided line, a 1/2-oz. sinker and about 15 inches of 8-lb. fluorocarbon and finally a No. 2 Tru Turn hook finishes my setup. Drop your offering at the top of the tree to begin with. It will not take long for you to know if you’re at the right spot, especially if you see the ‘fish tornado’ on your electronics. When I see it (lots of fish up top and it thins out as it goes down the tree like the shape of a tornado), I know we are in for a big time. After all the top fish bite, drop you line down another 2 feet or so and pick off the next ones, and keep the pattern going. There are times when I start at 12 feet and don’t move off the tree until we have dropped all the way down to 20 feet or more. When you have worn out your welcome, pull up and go to your next site. My customers love this type of fishing because it is action packed and on many days they are surprised at how so many big fish can come off one tree. This bite will continue right through the summer into the fall.”