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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: 52 degrees, which is above the 38- to 46-degree water temperature reported just 10 days ago. Clarity: Stained. Stripers: Capt. Doug Nelms, with BigFishHeads Guide Service, reports on the afternoon of Feb. 5 that there is a “huge” striper bite right now from Safe Harbor Marina to River Bend. “Trolling regular Mini Macs (without any extra weight) and even umbrella rigs will bring a lot of fish into your boat,” said Doug. “Over the past week, there have been terrific numbers of fish coming in, and with the full moon coming, it should just keep getting better. With your gas motor, the trolling speed has been from 2.5 to 3 mph. If you find birds, troll right though where they are working.” Doug says if numbers of fish isn’t your thing, now is a good time to chase a trophy striper, “There is nothing more exciting than watching a…
Read MoreLake Oconee Articles
When a few warm days finally hit, the fishing at Oconee should bust loose. But as of the Round 3 Lowrance Eliminator Series event on March 5, it had not happened. As it turned out, the eight boaters competing at Oconee for a coveted final-four spot only need to catch a single keeper bass to…
There are a few anglers who it seems can slap a big sack of bass on the scales tournament after tournament this time of year. As much as some would like to believe it’s luck, the guys who consistently wow the crowds are using no magic, but time-tested, methodical approaches to catching quality fish during…
At Oconee the shad are moving into the pockets, and the bass follow and feed aggressively. If you are a bass fisherman, you have to love November. The weather is usually decent for fishing, the bass are shallow and feeding, and there are few other fishermen and pleasure boaters on the water. All that leads…
Friends of Dr. Al West would be pleased to recall a recent Saturday on Lake Oconee, and more similar Saturdays to come. Dr. West had a special interest in helping those with special needs and was particularly fond of taking these special people fishing. When Dr. West passed away, many of his friends thought…
Crossroads Baptist Church held their latest “God’s Great Outdoors Ministries” event April 24-25 at Lake Oconee. In an effort to share God’s word in the great outdoors, they hosted “Jugging For Jesus,” a youth catfish jugging trip, where 30 kids caught more than 400 catfish. “The success of this jugging trip was absolutely incredible,” said…
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 |