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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
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…
“This is a pretty good fish,” said Lonnie, grinning and hanging on to a rod bowing sharply toward the water. Whatever was hooked up on the other end of the line surged again, and the rod tip arced even farther as line spooled off the reel. “I love it,” said Lonnie. “These hybrids will try to…
When they’re moving water, the humps and ridges down by the dam on Lake Oconee can provide some seriously hot-and-heavy action on downlines. But sometimes the hybrids just don’t live up to their easy-to-catch reputation. That’s when lineside guide Doug Bowling pulls the ace out of his sleeve to consistently catch fish, even when they…
If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen — and on the water at night. Or fish during the day and dip your cap in the water. Or jump in. Just do something to stay cool while fishing at Lake Oconee this month. The bass are biting, and if you stay home,…
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 |