Lake Oconee Fishing Report – September 2017

Oconee: Level: 0.5 feet below full. Temp: Upper 80s to 90. Clarity: Summer stain.

Crappie: Guide Jody Stephens reports, “Brushpiles, select trees and dock shooting will put you on the crappie now. Expect the trolling bite to pick up when water temps cool to 82 or below. Lowrance Down Scan and Side Scan and Navionics chips are your  best friends this time of year.” Guide Al Bassett reports, “Crappie fishing is currently good as the fish are over brush in 10 to 15 feet of water. They are also being found over the sharp drop-offs around the lake. The fish should stay in these types of areas for the rest of the month before they start their move to shallow water. First locate the fish on the drop-offs or brushpiles using your depthfinder, like a Lowrance HDS unit, before you start fishing. Look for the brushpiles in 10 to 15 feet of water, or look for sharp drop-offs where the river channel is very near a flat. 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. Trolling over treetops is also working very well. Spend a little time with your Lowrance unit to see where fish are holding before you start to fish.”