Lake Oconee Fishing Report – October 2017

Oconee: Level: 0.3 feet low. Temp: Mid 70s. Clarity: Light stain.

Stripers: Guide Doug Nelms reports, “The water will start cooling down this month, and several things will begin to happen. The bait will begin to congregate in the very middle of the lake, around the River Bend, Flagpole and Pipeline areas. Our stripers that have survived the low oxygen content that summer always brings will be very hungry and following he shad. Your electronics are your best friend this time of year. Trust your machine, and if you don’t see fish, keep moving until you do. They will be pounding live shad, or even large bass minnows during this period. You may see some schooling activity toward the end of the month, but that really happens in November when the gulls will make their annual pilgrimage. I will be downlining live bait and shaking my favorite jigging spoon when I find these fish. Another method to put fish in your boat is simply trolling Shad Raps. Lots of guys will be pulling them with their gas motors, and sometimes they tie a little fly about a foot above the crankbait, just to create a little more action. There will be an armada of fishermen showing up late every afternoon at the Flagpole throwing big Rooster Tails. I am always amazed at the amount of fish they put in their boats. On some afternoons you may see 10 guys hanging around out there, but when the hybrids and white bass move up on that hump, it is fast action until dark.”

Crappie: Guide Al Bassett reports, “Crappie fishing is currently fair to good as the fish are still over brush and on drop-offs in 10 to 15 feet of water, but these fish are on the move.  You will be able to catch a few here and a few there. You will need to move from one brushpile to another.  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. Use your Lowrance HDS and LSS-2 unit to find the fish before you start fishing. The bites have been very light over the past couple of weeks, so use light line, and be a line watcher. Using live bait or casting Jiffy Jig Super Grubs in the blue/sliver/chartreuse or white/pearl/chartreuse will work. By the end of the month, fish should be starting to show up in the backs of the creeks around the lake.”