Lake Oconee Fishing Report – October 2023

Oconee: Level: Full at 435. Temp: 82 degrees. Clarity: As clear as Oconee gets.

Bass: Guide Norris Edge said, “Bass fishing is really slow at the moment, but the good news is that with these cooler mornings, things should be picking up really soon. I am beginning to see a lot of baitfish schools moving into the backs of the coves and the largemouth will be right behind them. Any seawalls or boat docks that you can find in deeper coves will hold some good fish very soon. Shaky heads, Ned rigs and big worms should put good fish in the boat. If you’re throwing a crankbait, I think the smaller ones are better right now.”

Stripers: Capt. Doug Nelms with BigFishHeads Guide Service reports, “Well, the bubble season has come to an end, but we had fun fishing it. The stripers are as fat and pretty as I’ve seen them in a while during this time of the year. I think it’s because of the huge amount of bait that stayed in those bubbles all during the hot summer. So we are back to fishing points and drop-offs, shaking spoons and doing a little bit of trolling, waiting for the gulls to show up so we can start running and gunning after big schools of fish. There has been a little surface activity around mid-lake over the past couple weeks and a huge amount of 1-year-old stripers are putting on a show. They are tiny, less than 12 inches long, but they will bite a popping cork every time you throw one out there. It’s fun customer fishing, and most clients get tired of catching them after a couple of hours, but it has been fun to watch the past couple of weeks.”

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Crappie: Capt. Doug Nelms with BigFishHeads Guide Service reports, “I have moved back to crappie fishing since the bigger stripers and the bubbles have slowed up, and it has been a welcome change. Most of my guides are catching their limit of good fish on just about every trip. We are targeting our favorite brushpiles and deep-water trees. If you are fishing MEGA Live, you know that it is a hoot right now. I think this great crappie bite will easily continue right through October because of the warm temps and just how clear the lake is.”