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Lake Sinclair
Lake Sinclair is in central Georgia near Milledgeville directly downstream from Lake Oconee on the Oconee River. The 15,330-acre lake is operated by Georgia Power. Bass fishing and crappie fishing are very good and quite popular on Sinclair, and the lake is also home to plenty of catfish. The lake's dynamics changed in 2013 when Georgia Power ceased operation of Plant Branch, which created a warm-water discharge near the Highway 441 bridge area. Even the iconic Plant Branch smoke stacks were brought down. Lake Sinclair stretches through the counties of Baldwin, Hancock and Putnam. Lake Sinclair was created in 1953.
Lake Sinclair Resources
Sinclair: Level: 1.7 feet below 340. Temp: 68 degrees. Clarity: Clear. Bass: Karl Pingry reports that Ed at Lakeside says it’s taking 17 to 19 pounds to win the bass tournaments right now. Crankbaits are a hot ticket. A Bandit 200 in black or chartreuse and a No. 7 pearl Shad Rap is working. Ed says to throw this along the dock pilings. A 1/2-oz. size Rat-L-Trap is the one Ed recommends. A Rapala X-rap in CH-Ghost, a Pop-R and a black buzzbait are also hot lures right now. If you want to fish docks and blowdowns, try a jig in dark purple or plum. Shaky-head worms in plum apple, black emerald or junebug red or an Ol’ Monster in the same colors near the backs of the coves are also good choices. The new pattern this month is flipping a ChatterBait along the grasslines. I suggest a grass jig…
Read MoreLake Sinclair Fishing Articles
Bass fishing can be tough everywhere in August, but anglers can head to Lake Sinclair and hit the right docks and points for some action. Tie on a couple of different baits, fish early and late to beat the heat, and enjoy a good catch of August bass. Lake Sinclair is an old Georgia Power…
A lazy, yawning, stretching sun is warm, finally, as it peers across treetops bordering Crooked Creek. Winter’s bite has clung on tenaciously this year. After months of chilling winds, rain and more rain, Lake Sinclair almost feels like home again on this Monday, the second week of April. The old faded vest that has weathered…
Just how big are some of the catfish swimming in the waters of Lake Sinclair? We can confirm right at 80 pounds! A new Lake Sinclair record blue catfish was caught this weekend by Guy Covington, of Social Circle, that pulled the certified scales to 79.5 pounds. And Guy released the beast back into Sinclair…
On the afternoon of Jan. 26, long-time buddies Brandon Pitts and Kenny Scott set out on Lake Sinclair in hopes of wrangling some big stripers. Finding gizzard shad of a suitable size for bait proved to be difficult, forcing the anglers to alter their game plan. Unbeknownst to them, it put them on a path…
Ellaville native Justin Barnes emerged as the winner at the Lake Eufaula ABA-AFT Top 150 tournament after a remarkable turnaround on the second day, June 3. Competing against 117 other anglers, Barnes secured first place with a total weight of 38.16 pounds, earning a prize of $16,400. On the first day of the tournament, Barnes…
Lake Sinclair Record Fish
| Largemouth Bass | 13-lbs., 2-ozs. | Jimmy Edge | 02/10/90 |
| Hybrid Bass | 10-lbs., 7-ozs. | David Phillips | 11/27/98 |
| Striped Bass | 42-lbs. | Mike Wicks | - |
| White Bass | 2-lbs., 7-ozs. | James Borders Jr. | 07/12/92 |
| Black Crappie | 2-lbs., 11.5-ozs. | Brent Moye | 01/22/00 |
| Channel Catfish | 21-lbs., 5-ozs. | Kenny Durden | 05/02/07 |
| Longnosed Gar | 15-lb., 3-ozs. | Dustin Turk | 08/18/09 |
| Flathead Catfish | 39-lbs. | Tommy Spell | 07/19/22 |
| Blue Catfish | 79-lbs., 8-ozs. | Guy Covington | 04/27/2024 |
| Yellow Perch | 15.04-ozs. | Eric Phillips | 02/09/22 |
| Spotted Bass | 3-lbs., 9.76-ozs. | Larry Cason | 05/10/21 |
| Warmouth | 12-ozs. | Christopher Leverette | 02/22/23 |
Oconee River Below Sinclair Record Fish
| Largemouth Bass | 10-lbs., 3.2-ozs. | Tracey Jackson | 03/26/17 |
| Channel Catfish | 32-lbs., 6-ozs. | Rick Leitheiser | 04/07/96 |
| Flathead Catfish | 62-lbs. | Brian Estes | 06/13/99 |
| Striped Bass | 63-lbs.* | Kelly Ward | 05/30/67 |
| Black Crappie | 1-lb., 9-ozs. | Duke Campbell Jr. | 04/01/06 |
| Bluegill | 1-lb., 8-ozs. | Duke Campbell Jr. | 03/31/15 |
| Shellcracker | 1-lb., 13-ozs. | Ben Bell | 05/29/22 |
| Blue Catfish | 50-lbs., 6.4-ozs. | Eli Carey | 04/06/24 |
| Bowfin | 7-lbs., 6.016-ozs. | Benjamin Hammock | 07/24/23 |