Lake Oconee Fishing Report November 2015

Oconee: Level: 0.2 feet below full pool. Temp: 69 degrees. Clarity: Light stain.

Crappie: Good. Guide Doug Nelms reports, “November always gets us a little giddy, because we know it is not far off from catching those big Oconee slabs! I spend an ample amount of time up the Apalachee and the Oconee, looking for fish that are coming into the lake. If I am pushing, I am using minnow-tipped Jiffy Jigs in 1/16-oz. in black/blue, black/purple and red sexy bug. Last year I requested a brand new color that may be better than the sexy bug. Mr. Brantley at Jiffy Jigs made me a chartreuse/ice blue/chartreuse tail jig that I fondly call the Dougbug. It was a huge hit as I think these big crappie are always looking for something different on the lake. I will be concentrating in areas like Lick Creek, Redlands, Sugar Creek and typically anywhere that has suspended timber.” Guide Jody Stephens reports, “Crappie are activity feeding, and good catches can come from longline trolling or using your Lowrance Downscan unit to locate fish in brushpiles 15 to 30 feet deep. Expect these fish to move shallower in the next few weeks prior to any drastic cold weather.” Guide Al Bassett reports, “Currently the bite is extremely light. There are lots of fish in the brushpiles and drop-offs around the lake, but trying to catch them may be a challenge. Using live bait and fishing right on top of them will be a way to catch a few. Find these fish using your HDS and LSS-2. Make sure you see the fish before you fish that spot. With the colder weather coming in, this will slow down some. More fish will start to show up in the mouth of Sugar Creek, Lick Creek, Sandy Creek and Rocky Creek. These fish will follow the baitfish into the backs of the main creeks for a short time. Trolling slow using Jiffy Jigs tipped with minnows will be good bet. Keep an eye on your depthfinder to see what depth they are holding at. Good colors to start with are red/green/yellow or black/bubblegum/chartreuse. You will still be able to catch some good fish holding in the brush and on drops during the first part of the month until they start moving into the creeks.”

Linesides: Guide Doug Nelms reports, “This is the month the gulls will begin to return, and we start chasing the fish with spoons and artificials. The stripers and hybrids will start piling up in the lower end of the lake, and they will become very easy to find on electronics. We will throw 3-inch Sassy Shads on 1/4-oz. heads to schooling fish, and drop 7/8-oz. War Eagle Spoons to the fish that are below. They seem to love white, silver and gold (on cloudy days), and War Eagle’s special color of cole slaw is one of my favorites. You can get them at Sugar Creek Marina. The fish should run in the range of 4 to 6 pounds during this time, but there is always a great chance to catch a fish more than 10 pounds. There are several humps down at the dam, and when generation is going on, the fish will come right up on top of them. When you find the humps, and see the fish on them, it will be an accident not to catch one.”