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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: 0.1 feet below 435. Temp: 65 degrees. Clarity: Clear. Bass: Guide Nick Knapp, with Elite Guide Service, reports, “During the month of December, I look for the fish to be toward the backs of pockets with bait in them. December is a good month to target fish shallow around rocks. With the cooler water, the fish will be a little slower, so slow down the presentation. I like to slow-roll a 1/2-oz. white spinnerbait this time of year. Check the areas around 44 bridge and south to Old Salem. Look for bait on the shallow secondary points with rock. The largemouth won’t be far away. I also like a green-pumpkin jig with a junebug trailer. It seems to get the bigger bites this time of year. It’s wintertime—slow down and use bigger-profile baits for bigger bites.” Stripers: Capt. Doug Nelms, with BigFishHeads Guide Service, reports, “It’s the most…
Read MoreLake Oconee Articles
The recent carp die-off occurring at Lake Oconee has many homeowners and visitors alarmed and worried. According to WRD, approximately 2,000 carp have been found floating. However, this type of die-off involving carp seems to be a common occurrence during the late spring. The DNR states that similar carp die-offs have been experienced in other…
Local law-enforcement teams are asking sportsmen and anglers to share any information that could help bring justice to a recent murder case on the banks of Lake Oconee in Putnam County. The double murder of an elderly couple, Russell and Shirley Dermond, has gained national attention, and law-enforcement officials are still looking for clues to…
Chris Wilson, of Madison, will be eating catfish for a while after catching a 50-lb. flathead catfish from Lake Oconee at 6 p.m. on April 13. “I caught ’em on cut mullet,” said Chris. Chris was “jug” fishing when he caught the beast. The giant cat had traveled about 600 yards with Chris’ float and…
If you’re anything like me, you’ve been slowly losing your ever-loving mind for the past few months. This winter’s bass-fishing action has been subpar at best, and Mother Nature has been throwing us one John Smoltz-esque curveball after another. We saw 80-degree temperatures the week before Christmas and just recently battled vicious statewide ice storms…
After a long summer, fall is finally here, and with the dropping temperatures, the crappie action is heating up in reservoirs all across the state. Lake Oconee is no exception. This impoundment between Atlanta and Augusta on Interstate 20 is well-known as an excellent fishery, and the crappie population is responsible for a good portion…
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 |