Lake Oconee Fishing Report – March 2019

Oconee: Level: 0.6 feet down. Temp: 54-56 degrees. Clarity: Apalachee and Oconee rivers down to Lick Creek are heavily stained. The rest of the lake is stained or moderately stained, including Richland creek to the dam.

Bass: Tournament angler Karl Pingry reports, “Special thanks to Morgan Arnold for taking me fishing while my boat trailer is out of commission. The fish are finally able to be patterned, but expect the pattern to change almost daily. Bass are on shallow points at the mouths of the pockets or the first drop on that point in 3 to 7 feet. Bass can also be found from there to the first secondary point. I think deep water nearby helps, and rock structure is the current key. No. 5 Shad Raps and Rat-L-Traps in 1/4- and 1/2-oz. sizes are creating reaction strikes. Shaky head magnum worms are also catching bass in the same locations. Expect the Carolina rig to start working, as well. If three days of warm weather happen, I think some bass will try to bed. I caught a female over 7 pounds on Feb. 24 that was ready to lay her eggs. The full moon in March should see a major wave of bass bed if the weather cooperates. Pockets that get the afternoon sun and offer wind protection from north winds are the places to target first.”

Crappie: Karl Pingry reports, “Crappie are still in the channels and in the mouths of certain pockets where pushing or pulling jigs are the best methods. They will also move toward the shallows and try to spawn soon.” Guide Doug Nelms reports, “The places this month to look for fish are as follows: Rocky Creek, Sandy Creek, Richland Creek, The Oconee, The Apalachee, Lick Creek, Sugar Creek and River Bend. Jiffy Jigs are my absolute favorite lure this time of year, and it is because you can get them in so many colors, but here are the main ones I use: Black/blue glitter/black, the sexy red bug, The Doug bug and The Weiss Lake killer. I like using the 1/16-oz. jig with the bigger hooks simply because the fish are running much bigger this time of year. I use 16-foot Tightline specials, but I think any long rod will work fine. We are fishing 12 rods, all out the front of the boat.”

Linesides: Guide Doug Nelms reports, “The fish are on the south end of the lake. Live bass shiners are the ticket right now, but don’t give up on the artificial lures either. Capt. Mack’s Mini Macs have become a big hit here. You can troll them behind your boat with your gas motor or on planer boards. Casting jigging spoons and Sassy Shads are also excellent choices. Concentrate on areas like Rocky Creek, Double Branches, Great Waters and Little Stone Mountain. We already have a 10-lb. plus fish that was weighed in our BigFishHeads Derby, and we expect to see bigger fish very soon.”