Lake Oconee Fishing Report – May 2022

Oconee: Level: 0.2 feet below 435. Temp: 68-72 degrees. Clarity: Near the dam there’s some stain but you can see your bait 3 feet down, but as you go north, the water really stains up and the rivers are muddy.

Bass: Tournament angler Karl Pingry reports, “Michael Lynch has been on the water a lot this week on Oconee. Special thanks Michael for sharing the following information. Bass are shallow. The bass really hit the beds this past week/weekend. You need to be halfway back in the pockets and fishing the shallow sides. There’s a lot of bass bedding or guarding nests, but they are almost impossible to see with the stained water. Look for the docks to be a strong pattern with all the fry in the water: bass, crappie, shad and soon bluegill fry. Finesse worms on a shaky head will get a lot of bites, whether near the banks or docks, but the bigger fish are coming on a lizard or jig. The shad spawn has started, but there’s not a lot of bass feeding on them yet, nor is there much of a topwater bite, according to Michael. All that will change in the next 10 days. On the shad spawn, target seawalls, rock banks, rip-rap and docks with a spinnerbait, ChatterBait or squarebill crankbait in the first hour. Topwater baits to use include a buzzbait, frog, Trick Worm or Pop-R. Expect a lull after the shad spawn dies down. Michael will start targeting docks after 9:30 using a variety of baits, such as shaky heads, jigs, Texas-rigged creature baits and wacky-rig Senkos. Look for the mayflies to also start soon. They are already appearing on Sinclair. The next full moon will have a bluegill spawn as well as a few late bass spawners. A buzzbait, swim jig, shaky head, frog or Devil’s Horse will work well if you find the bugs. May is a great month to be on the lake on Oconee.” 

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Crappie: Capt. Doug Nelms with BigFishHeads Guide Service reports, “May is the start of brushpile and treetop fishing. The spawn is over and the fish have started into their summertime areas. This can make for some really exciting crappie fishing. The first thing you need is a really good set of electronics. On my boat I use the Humminbird Solix 12 SI, which gives such great clarity that you can almost count how many fish will be attached to a tree. It’s really unbelievable, and I love the tech that Humminbird has brought to the game. When I find a tree loaded up with crappie, I will drop down a live minnow right to the very top of the tree. Most of the timber on Lake Oconee was cut to about 12 foot below the surface, which seems like the perfect depth for our fish, and your depth is hugely important. Drop your offering just at the top of the tree and hang on. There are some days I can spend a half-day trip on just one spot and leave the fish still biting. I use a 12-foot ACC Crappie Stix rod and 10-lb. braided line. On the terminal end I attach a 1/2-oz. finesse weight and about 16 inches of 8-lb. fluorocarbon. A No. 2 gold aberdeen hook completes the setup. This is absolutely my most favorite way to catch crappie in the late spring and summertime season.”