Lake Oconee Fishing Report – September 2020

Oconee: Level: 0.3 feet low. Temp: Mid 80s to 90. Clarity: It is stained up both rivers and the back of Richland due to recent heavy thunderstorms.

Bass: Tournament angler Karl Pingry reports from a conversation with Tony Couch. “According to Tony, the fishing is really slow. What fish are being caught are along the seawalls on topwater in the morning. The other way to catch a few bass are on soft plastics flipping docks and some blowdowns. Part of the problem is there are baitfish that are anywhere from half an inch to 4 inches long, so matching the hatch is tough to do. Tony said September has always been one of the toughest months on Lake Oconee. Expect to fish for only a few bites, so be patient. After heavy rains, try the incoming water flow with topwater and shallow-running baits in the morning. Later in the day, work the docks with plastics or try to target points with brush. Work the brushpiles with a Carolina rig, shaky head or a drop-shot worm. A pattern that does show up in September is skipping a frog under the docks, but it is not consistent. Right now, there seems to be a pumpback early in the morning, then there is water getting pulled down the lake between 9-11 a.m. Georgia Power will pull the water down again either late afternoon or the last hours of daylight. Shallow and offshore fishing will both work during the time current is present, so pick the pattern you have confidence in.”

Crappie: Capt. Kevin Alexander reports, “The crappie fishing has been hit or miss this month. For me, the cloudy days and when Georgia Power isn’t generating seem to be the best. With the water temps in the mid to high 80s and a light stain, it has pushed the crappie deep and tight to structure. I have been catching them by dropping a No. 2 gold aberdeen hook and a minnow down into the trees and brushpiles throughout the lake. I like to use my side scan and down scan to locate new trees that are not fished by everyone. The more well-known areas get fished hard, and the crappie are running a little smaller on those trees. If September brings us some cooler weather and cooler water temps, we should start to see the longline trolling bite pick up, and the quality of the fish we catch should improve.”

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