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Lake Oconee
Lake Oconee is an excellent fishing lake located in central Georgia on the Oconee River near Greensboro, the real Buckhead and Eatonton. Oconee is known for very good bass fishing, great crappie fishing for huge slabs, and very good fishing for linesides and catfish. The lake was created in 1979 when Georgia Power completed the construction of the Wallace Dam on the Oconee River. Lake Oconee runs through Georgia's Morgan, Greene, and Putnam counties and is separated from its sister lake, Sinclair, by Wallace Dam. Lake Oconee is home to a number of golf communities, including Reynolds Plantation, Cuscawilla, and Harbor Club.
Lake Oconee Resources
Oconee: Level: Full at 435. Temp: High 70s to low 80s. Clarity: Clear. Bass: Guide Nick Knapp, with Elite Guide Service, reports, “During the month of June, it is transition month. I look for the fish to move from the banks on the periodic shad spawn that has been going on. Docks this month are going to be great. I like to flip docks with a D Bomb with a 1/2-oz. weight pegged. As the month continues on, I like to get off the points with a Carolina-rigged green-pumpkin Trick Worm and work it slow on tapering points in Richland Creek. As the water warms, it’s time to slow down a little bit.” Stripers: Capt. Doug Nelms, with BigFishHeads Guide Service, reports, “June will put us in the middle of the summertime striper and crappie bites, and us guides are pretty excited about it. Yep, I said striper! Stripers used to…
Read MoreLake Oconee Articles
A new blue catfish record on Lake Oconee was set on Sept. 16 by Wayne Tatum, of Tennille. The monster blue weighed 69-lbs., 7-ozs. and was caught around 10 a.m. Friday morning about a mile up the lake from the dam. The giant fish smashes the old Lake Oconee blue cat record by more than…
A new blue catfish record on Lake Oconee was set on Sept. 16 by Wayne Tatum, of Tennille. The monster blue weighed 69-lbs., 7-ozs. and was caught around 10 a.m. Friday morning about a mile up the lake from the dam. The giant fish smashes the old Lake Oconee blue cat record by more than 22 pounds. This is…
Sam Collis, of Eatonton, broke the flathead catfish record at Lake Oconee with an almost 50-pounder he reeled in Friday, Sept. 9. Sam had originally planned to put his boat in early that morning at Waterfront Marina in Lick Creek, but after some boat trouble, his fishing time was pushed back until after lunch. Around…
Everybody gets excited about March Madness, but for bass fishermen it has nothing to do with basketball. Big bass move shallow this month, and March is an excellent time to catch a lot of bass with a good chance at a personal best. Lake Oconee is one of your best bets in the state for…
Keith Hoston holds the current longnose gar record with an 18-lb., 13-oz. fish he caught on Nov. 10, 2015.
Lake Oconee Record Fish
| Largemouth Bass | 12-lbs., 14-ozs. | Bill Brantley | 05/14/12 |
| Hybrid Bass | 14-lbs., 4-ozs. | Jan Allen Ward | 04/03/91 |
| Striped Bass | 29-lbs., 14.9-ozs. | Fred Worthy | 05/10/96 |
| Black Crappie | 3-lbs., 12-ozs. | Edward Rhodes | 02/10/97 |
| Channel Catfish | 34-lbs., 8-ozs. | Jonathan Clifton | 05/31/98 |
| Blue Catfish | 70-lbs., 2-ozs. | Koob Moua | 03/22/23 |
| Flathead Catfish | 62-lbs., 10.4-ozs. | Rob Allgood | 03/11/23 |
| White Bass | 3-lbs., 6-ozs. | Tony Couch | 04/02/93 |
| Longnose Gar | 20-lbs., 13-ozs. | Dustin Turk | 10/05/19 |
| Chain Pickerel | 1-lb., 2-ozs. | Terry Brice | 03/05/17 |
| Spotted Bass | 5-lbs., 3.2-ozs. | Austin Skinner | 03/19/22 |
| Shellcracker | 1-lb., 14.56-ozs. | Randy Smith | 04/23/22 |
| Yellow Perch | 11-ozs. | John Moore | 02/16/23 |