Lake Oconee Fishing Reports – December 2023

Oconee: Level: Full at 435. Temp: 62 degrees. Clarity: The water is about as clear as it gets on Oconee now, and Richland Creek has about 3 feet of visibility.

Bass: Guide Norris Edge reports, “The bass fishing is slowly getting better, but when tournament anglers can win with less than a 15-lb. creel, that kind of explains everything. While fishing a couple of days ago, I got one bite on a spinnerbait and did catch one close to 4 pounds, but on most days, it’s just a grind out there. There is no place any better than the other to catch fish right now, and I would try throwing your favorite offering. I have always felt that if you have confidence in your lure, you will probably catch more fish on it. Of course the docks, seawalls and rip-rap will always hold most of your fish. If you were on the boat with me right now, a shaky-head worm would be our target bait.”

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Linesides: Capt. Doug Nelms with BigFishHeads Guide Service reports,  “This is the month the stripers get settled into a pattern on Oconee. Last December was the beginning of a four-month stretch of nothing but great fishing for me. The white bass, hybrids and stripers will be schooling from mid-lake all the way down to the dam, and it doesn’t take long to find them and get them to bite. The gulls have started arriving, and they will show us the way. As most of you already know, I love shaking spoons this time of year. To be honest, I love shaking them any time of year, but for the next four months it is like Christmas on every guided trip. Look for the fish from 25 to 50 feet deep and especially off the big-water humps and drops down closer to the dam. When you get one to bite, stay on them. I feel like once a school begins to feed, they will not swim very far away and you can bring them back under the boat by a little love tap or even leaving a fish in the water while your friend drops down to hook them up (like mahi fishing). The fluke bite on top will be really good, too, this month and some bigger fish can come on topwater. This is the month when we historically land some of our largest fish on Oconee.”