Lake Oconee Fishing Reports – March 2021

Oconee: Level: 0.1 feet low. Temp: Mid 40s. Clarity: The lake is muddy up both rivers, and the lake is stained down toward the 44 bridge. The stain should continue down the lake to at least Great Waters. The dam is still clear with stain above the Armor Bridge boat ramp.

Bass: Tournament angler Karl Pingry reports, “After a brutal cold and rainy week, the lake is fishing tough. Ironically, by the time of publication, there will be a warming trend that should help the fishing a little. March will be a great month though. The best times will be on the third or fourth day of a warming trend. The bass will want to start moving shallow to spawn as the water warms to the mid 50s to 60 degrees. The full moon in March should be fantastic. On warming trends, target hard bottoms such as rock and red clay banks that absorb the heat from the sun. The bass will start on the points leading into the pockets and will work their way back as the water warms. By the full moon in March, look for the bass to be near the backs of the pockets and on banks that get the afternoon sun. A myriad of baits will work this month. Use crankbaits that run 6 to 10 and even 12 feet deep early this month, and eventually use crankbaits that dive 6 feet or less, as well as squarebills, flat cranks, Rat-L-Traps, ChatterBaits and spinnerbaits. Work creature baits, jigs, Texas-rigged lizards and shaky-head worms on blowdowns, docks and brush. Usually the wind-protected pockets will warm first, but once the water reaches 55, I would focus on windy banks and banks that get the afternoon sun. One of the best baits this month will be a Carolina rig with a Trick Worm or lizard. Use the same rules outlined earlier in this report. Start on the points and expect the fish to migrate farther into the pockets as the water warms. Make sure to watch your line, as the bass will just start to move off with your lizard as the bass set up their nests to spawn. Good fishing!”

Crappie: Capt. Doug Nelms reports, “We have had a ton of rain on Oconee, and the early February bite was hampered by all the fresh water. The fish are stacked everywhere, and I have seen this before. The best way I could describe it is to get ready for the dam to break! By the time this goes to print, I would not be surprised if there hasn’t been an explosion of huge fish and catches coming almost every day. Right now is the time to get out here. Don’t wait, don’t procrastinate, don’t sit at home waiting to get your new fishing line in the mail so you can re-spool your rods. Use the old line and get on the water. The full moon was the last Saturday in February, and the new moon is on the second Saturday of March. This is when I feel there will be a lot of activity going on. If I had my pick, I would reverse the two moon times, but with the warm weather forecasted, we are so close to the spawn that I don’t think it matters. We are over 11 hours of daylight, so there is nothing slowing them up now. Of course I am talking about pushing spider-rig style. On my big Ranger, I use 12 rods, 16 feet long straight out the front of the boat. I fish Jiffy Jigs tipped with minnows just above the marked fish in the channel. If you read my report last month, I shared my favorite colors that you can get from Jiffy Jigs. This month is when we push shallow, really shallow. On some afternoons, I will push those rods up into 2 feet or less of water. The lead weights will be swinging out of the water and the Jiffy Jigs will be 8 inches beneath the surface. My big motor will be trimmed completely up, my Ulterra trolling motor trimmed up just under the water as not to create any cavitation and slow, slow, slowly move through the shallows. This is 2-pounder territory! When they bite, your rod goes sideways because there is no place for them to swim down. Then it’s fast-paced stripping out line, lifting the rod while keeping the fish tight until you can bring it back to the boat to net. It is like a beautiful symphony being played by musicians while sitting on the back of a monster truck! Crazy. Yes, but this is the month when we catch the biggest crappie of the year. This is the last month I fish the long pushing rods. They will go on the wall of the garage and stay there until Thanksgiving when I start fishing up the river. So this is it. March is the month for big crappie. Next month we go hard after the stripers, but right now the sac-su-lait have my undivided attention!”