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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: High 70s to low 80s. Clarity: Clear. Bass: Guide Nick Knapp, with Elite Guide Service, reports, “During the month of June, it is transition month. I look for the fish to move from the banks on the periodic shad spawn that has been going on. Docks this month are going to be great. I like to flip docks with a D Bomb with a 1/2-oz. weight pegged. As the month continues on, I like to get off the points with a Carolina-rigged green-pumpkin Trick Worm and work it slow on tapering points in Richland Creek. As the water warms, it’s time to slow down a little bit.” Stripers: Capt. Doug Nelms, with BigFishHeads Guide Service, reports, “June will put us in the middle of the summertime striper and crappie bites, and us guides are pretty excited about it. Yep, I said striper! Stripers used to…
Read MoreLake Oconee Articles
“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,…
Don’t you just love May? So many things go on this time of year that it’s hard to figure out just what to do on a sunny day. How about getting up before daylight, pulling the boat to Lake Oconee and being on the water, lights on and ready to catch bass as the first…
Anchored up at one of Wayne Loyless’ honey holes for the white-bass run on the Oconee River, a jonboat idled past, and we were hailed with the customary greeting. “Catchin’ anything?” the man in the front of the boat hollered over the drone of the outboard. “A few,” was Wayne’s remarkably honest reply. We had…
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 |