Lake Oconee Fishing Report – September 2006

Oconee: Level: Down 1/2 foot. Temp: 84-88 degrees. Clarity: Mostly clear; light stain in the backs of some of the creeks.

Bass: Fair, according to guide Al Bassett. “The bite is still slow but is better when Georgia Power in pumping water.” Al recommends using a large crankbait or Carolina-rigged worm fished on the long points and humps. “A couple of areas to fish are the pipeline and the area called the bull-hole. Fish the areas where the water makes a sharp drop in water depth. Use your depthfinder to check for baitfish before fishing these areas. Flipping a Zoom Mag II worm under docks where deep water is nearby is still working for a few bites, and these fish have been good fish,” Al said.

Crappie: Fair using live minnows straight-lined right next to the trees in the standing timber. Vary your depth until you start to get bites. Al says fishing over brushpiles in 10 to 15 feet of water with live bait can produce, as can fishing the drop-offs where the water depth drops from eight to 10 feet to 20 or more feet deep. “Work the drop-offs from the shallow water to the deeper water until you find the fish,” Al said. “Make sure you have a marker to use when you catch your first fish. Then thoroughly fish the area.”

Hybrids: Fair. “When Georgia Power is moving water, there are some schooling fish on humps around the lake,” Al said. “The fish schooling on top are small fish, so use a spoon or a big crankbait to get down under the smaller fish. There are also some schooling fish in the same areas first thing in the morning and just before the sun sets.”