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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: 0.5 feet below 435. Temp: 69-75 degrees. Clarity: Mostly clear. Bass: Guide Nick Knapp, with Elite Guide Service, reports, “During the month of November, look for the largemouth to be moving from the points and humps toward the backs of pockets and coves. Water temperature has drastically decreased with the cooler nights we have been having. Some spots I would try in November are the small pockets in Lick Creek. My go-to bait this time of year is a squarebill crankbait early, followed by a 1/2-oz. black/blue or green-pumpkin flipping jig. The water clarity for the most part is clear right now, so natural colors have been working for the crankbaits.” Stripers: Capt. Doug Nelms, with BigFishHeads Guide Service, reports, “November is the month the gulls and terns return on Lake Oconee. They will spend the winter feeding off the tons of tiny shad that live here. We…
Read MoreLake Oconee Articles
James McClain, of Watkinsville, his son Dylan, 13, and nephew Brandon, 10, of Athens, were jugging at Lake Oconee on May 18 when they hooked a giant flathead catfish. “On this particular morning, we had set about 20 jugs, and when we pulled up next to one of them, the jug went under,” said James.…
Lake Oconee is renowned for having large quantities of big bass. With its abundance of timber, chunk rock and offshore structure, Oconee is a prime destination for many Georgia anglers. Unfortunately, this year’s strange weather patterns have made catching Oconee bass downright tough. As the chill of early fall begins to bring us a much-welcomed…
Lake Oconee’s 22-year-old largemouth record was broken the morning of May 14 when lake-resident Bill Brantley caught a 12-lb., 14-oz. fish on a Texas-rigged lizard. Bill and his wife Pam, both of Buckhead, were dragging 6-inch, watermelon-chartreuse lizards off a brushed-up ledge in 15 feet of water. Bass were packed in tight on the ledge,…
Fishing can be great in November. As the water cools, the bass get very active. They are feeding heavily to get ready for the winter, and fish can be caught a variety of ways. Lake Oconee is one of the best lakes in Georgia to take advantage of this fall feeding spree. Lake Oconee is…
For fishing guide Doug Nelms, February is one of his two favorite months of the year. The other is March. While that might seem to be an odd selection, the reason can be summed up in one word. Crappie. Doug is a devoted crappie angler, and these two months consistently provide the best action of…
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 |