Lake Oconee Fishing Report October 2013

Oconee: Level: 0.3 feet below full pool. Temp: 78-80 degrees. Clarity: Stained up the rivers and clear on the south end.

Bass: Good. Tournament fisherman Aaron Batson reports, “Early morning can produce a topwater bite or two. Try a Bass Hound Prop Bait, a 1/2-oz. Buzzerbaits buzzbait or a Storm Chug Bug around seawalls and rip-rap. Pay attention to baitfish on the electronics or by watching for activity. Work these areas with a small square-billed crankbait or a 3/8-oz. Ol’ Nelle spinnerbait. Good colors are white and chartreuse. Look for baitfish in the backs of major creek arms. Also work any visible cover with a 3/8-oz. Net Boy Baits Flippin’ Jig in black with a brown chunk. Dip the trailer in clear JJ’s Magic to increase the number of bites.”

Linesides: Guide Mark Smith reports, “As the water cools during the month of October, the striper/hybrid fishing will get better and better. I tell my customers when the guns start for deer season, the lineside fishing will be in full force. If we have an early fall, then it will be sooner. I start looking for the fish to show up first in the Riverbend area. Look for large schools of bait, and the fish will be close by. I will start with live shad fished on downlines dropped into the schools. You can also use Capt. Mack’s umbrella rig to locate the schools. I fish the rig 100 feet behind the boat at 3 mph. If you like to use artificials, a spoon dropped into the school will also produce good catches.”

Crappie: Guide Mark Smith reports, “Crappie fishing is good and will only get better as the water cools. The fish are in the timber anywhere from 10 to 20 feet deep in the tops of the trees. As the water cools, the fish will start to move to the mouths of the major creeks. A live minnow dropped into the schools will fill a cooler. Use your Lowrance to locate the schools in the timber, and then drop your minnow down to the fish. We have been catching good numbers and size of crappie all summer, and it is only going to get better as we move into fall.” Guide Al Bassett reports, “Crappie fishing is currently good as the fish are still over brush and drop-offs in 10 to 15 feet of water. By the end of the month, they will start to move with the shad into the backs of the creeks. During this time of year, some bigger fish will start to show up in these areas. I have been catching fish as shallow as 5 feet where the brush or drop-off is in as much as 15 feet. These fish are moving up and down in depth over this type of structure. Use your Lowrance HDS and LSS-2 unit to find the fish before you start fishing. The bites may be very light, so use light line, and be a line watcher. Using live bait in the brush is your best bet. By the end of the month, fish should be starting to show up in the backs of the creeks around the lake. They will only be there for a very short time. The month of October should be a very good month to catch a limit of fish during the day.” Guide Jody Stephens reports, “Fish are going into the early stages of the fall pattern now and can be caught using livebait in brushtops and trees in 20 to 30 feet of water. The aggressive bite and size of the fish is on the rise.”