Lake Oconee Fishing Report May 2014

Oconee: Level: Full pool. Temp: 63-71 degrees. Clarity: Stained on the north end; clearing near the dam.

Crappie: Guide Doug Nelms reports, “The crappie will be in the treetops, and there will be huge numbers, too. The crappie bite will continue all summer, and the hotter it gets, the better the bite will be.” Guide Jody Stephens reports, “Pulling Jiffy Jig Super Grubs in silver flake and blue, acid rain, wildcat and bubble gum with 3/32-oz. heads has been very productive in main-lake channels. Shooting docks on the main lake with 1/24-oz. Jiffy Jigs in black/white/yellow combo has also produced good numbers.” Guide Mark Smith reports, “Crappie fishing will go through the biggest change during the month of May. The fish will leave the shallow spawning areas and move into the deep-water timber. Now is the time when good electronics like the Structure Scan on the Lowrance unit will help you locate the schools in the deep timber. Once you locate the schools, drop your live bait into the school, and you should be able to fill your cooler.” Guide Al Bassett reports, “Fish have moved back into deeper water over brushpiles, standing timber and deep drop-offs. Water temp will be moving into the upper 70s by the end of the month. The key is to use your Lowrance HDS and LSS-2 to find the fish before you drop your bait into the water. Use live minnows, and fish right over the brush or drop-offs. Mark your area with markers, and then cast to the area using Jiffy Jigs. Once you find the fish in these areas, work it very good as you most likely have found a school of fish. This will likely last all summer long. Night fishing with lights off the side of the boat in the timber or under the bridges is also working well.”

Linesides: Guide Doug Nelms reports, “The umbrella-rig bite will be going off for stripers in the south part of the lake. It is not unusual to catch 30 stripers and hybrids in a half-day trip. I use the Capt Mack’s hybrid rigs that are 3-oz. arms with 3/4-oz. jigs. They work really great, and some of my favorite colors are blue, white and chartreuse. The fish will range from 4 to 7 pounds with a larger striper coming every so often.” Guide Mark Smith reports, “The striper and hybrid fishing will remain strong through the month of May. As the water temperature increases, the fish will start to leave the dam area and move up the lake staging on the main-lake humps. At the start of the month, you will still be able to catch fish with shad. The best location to catch the shad will be the bridges at Sugar Creek and Lick Creek. After you have a bait-tank full of shad, head to the lower lake humps. Use your Lowrance to locate the schools, and then drop your shad down to the fish. Stripers and hybrids only feed up, so keep your bait above the fish. As the water temperature reaches the mid 70s, the Capt. Mack’s umbrella rig will be the best way to put a lot of fish in the boat. Again, use your Lowrance to locate the schools on the humps from the pipeline to the dam. I pull my umbrella rigs 100 feet behind the boat at 3 mph.”