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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
There are few things better than the bass fishing Lake Oconee offers throughout the fall months. Not only are the thousands of summer pleasure boaters a thing of the past, but there’s something special happening at this very moment. As you’re reading this article, millions of shad are making their annual migration to the backs…
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…
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 |