Lake Oconee Fishing Report September 2014

Oconee: Level: 0.2 feet below full pool. Temp: 85-88 degrees. Clarity: Light stain.

Bass: Good. Tournament fisherman Aaron Batson reports, “There has been a decent mayfly hatch on some mornings. Try a Buzzerbait buzzbait around seawalls and grass. Look for stuff very close to main river channels. Also work a small 1/4-oz. Net Boy Baits Flipp’n Jig in brown/black around the mayfly hatch. Once the sun gets high, fish can move deeper. Look for brushpiles in 10 to 12 feet of water. Also, a good many fish are suspended out over the standing timber. Work a Texas-rigged Wackem Crazy Baits 5-inch Pointy Tail worm over the branches of the timber to catch these fish. Late this month, fish will move toward the mouths of pockets and shallow coves. Yo-yo a 3/4-oz. Rat-L-Trap over these areas to catch some good numbers.”

Crappie: Excellent. Guide Doug Nelms reports, “This is the best month for summertime crappie fishing. The fish will be thick in the trees, and it is like catching fish in a barrel. On most trips it is not uncommon to boat 40 to 50 fish on a half-day trip. I will be concentrating in the middle part of the lake downlining minnows over structure. There is so much submerged timber in Oconee, and all you have to do is find the trees, and the fish will be in it.” Guide Jody Stephens reports, “Crappie fishing has been good on Oconee if you find the right trees holding fish. They are concentrated when you find them, so take your time and scan timber well with your down-imaging electronics. Live bait has been the best on downlines as crappie are tighter to structure. Look for the fish to be feeding more aggressively in late September as water temps begin to cool.” Guide Al Bassett reports, “Crappie fishing is currently good as the fish are over brush in 10 to 15 feet of water. They also can be found over the sharp drop-offs around the lake. The bite has been very light, so you need to keep an eye on your rods. The fish should stay in these types of areas for the rest of the month before they start their move to shallow water. First, is to locate the fish on the drop-offs or brushpiles using your depthfinder, like a Lowrance HDS unit before you start fishing. Use a live minnow, and fish right over the brush or drop-off where you have located them. Using a drop-shot rig with a minnow is a good way to also locate fish on the drop-off. In most cases, when you find one fish you have found a school of fish, so work the area well. If Georgia Power is moving any water, these fish may move up in the water column as shallow 5 feet.”

Linesides: Guide Doug Nelms reports, “The hybrids and stripers will be slow this month, but you can still run all the way up the Oconee and find fish in the deep holes.”

Catfish: Guide Chad Smith reports, “Over the last few weeks the catfish bite has been good catching 20 to 25 fish a morning drifting flats in 12 to 15 feet of water. Best baits have been cut chunks of gizzard shad and cut bream. Look for this bite to stay strong through September. My drift speeds have been 0.5-1.1mph. Use your Humminbird electronics to find the flats around the lake, and drift back over those areas and hold on.”