Lake Oconee Fishing Report – October 2020

Oconee: Level: 0.5 feet low. Temp: Mid to high 70s. Clarity: The rivers are muddy, and the mud has made its way to the Highway 44 bridge. The pockets above 44 are stained, with visibility about 6 inches to a foot as you work your way into the long pockets. It’s clear down at the southern end, but that may change as Georgia Power pulls water.

Bass: Tournament angler Karl Pingry reports, “Tournament fisherman Michael Lynch says the fish are still scattered. After the big rain, Michael was finding his fish near the backs of the pockets in 4 to 6 feet of water. He can’t generate a topwater bite and says the fish are tight to the cover. He recommends a crankbait that is really grinding the bottom. He is also finding that a jig ’n pig is drastically outperforming plastics or shaky heads right now. Michael says to focus on the pockets during October and follow the shad. He credits his current pattern to the heavy rain and the severe water temperature drop. That being said, he expects those bass to transition back out to the fronts of the pockets and then follow the shad as the shad migrate toward the backs as the water temperatures continue to fall. He has more confidence in smaller topwater baits like the smaller Zara Spook, Pop-Rs and small buzzbaits during October. His arsenal will include a squarebill crankbait, a crankbait that dives 4 to 8 feet, a ChatterBait, a jig ’n pig and a shaky head. He will also have a spinnerbait tied on to fish heavily stained water.”

Crappie: Guide Jody Stephens reports, “Expect the crappie to move back into submerged timber and open water as fall approaches. These fish are catchable longline trolling with Curtis Hobbs Litewire jig heads and Tex Maxwell jigs that can be found at Sugar Creek Marina. Some fish will stay on brushpiles and can be caught downlining minnows.” Guide Al Bassett reports, “Crappie fishing is currently fair to good as the fish are still over brush in 10 to 15 feet of water and on drop-offs, 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 units to find the fish before you start fishing. The bites may be a very light, so use light line and be a line watcher. Using live bait or casting a Jiffy Jig Super grub in the blue/silver/chartreuse or white/pearl/chartreuse patterns will work. By the end of the month, fish should be starting to show up in the backs of the creeks around the lake.  Trolling in the backs of the creeks will last a short time, but if you hit it at the right time, you should catch some good fish.” Capt. Doug Nelms reports, “October is historically when everything starts back up. The crappie leave the tops of the trees and brushpiles, and the stripers having survived the low oxygen levels of the summer start their fall pattern feeding. This month we will break out our longline trolling rods for crappie. I get asked a lot whether it is necessary to troll double jigs. The aggravation those things bring with tangles and twists just gives me a headache, but for some reason, the crappie just bite them much better than singles. I wish the opposite was true. Double 1/16-oz. jigs are the normal go-to for me in the fall. You can troll slower and get them deeper or do the opposite, but it is always a great combination to go to. The grub color will be huge as the storms roll in and the water color changes. I think dark colors with bright chartreuse tails are the best offering this time of year. At the time I am writing this report, the water at I-20 looks like rusty chocolate milk, and that mud will make its way down the lake until it settles or gets flushed out. We will be spending a lot of time in Richland Creek because normally it doesn’t get too bad. You want to start looking in the large patches of timber and deep cove pockets for the fish. You’ll know them when you see them. They’ll be hanging 8 to 10 feet from the bottom and will show up like individual marks, close together and sometimes right on top of each other. The more you see, the better the fishing will be. Then plan on sending your jigs about 2 feet above the main group of fish. I troll from 0.8 to 1.1 mph. When I find the speed they like, I put it on cruise control and keep making passes.”