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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

Lake Sinclair Fishing Report – January 2025

By GON Staff | December 25, 2024

Sinclair: Level: 1.6 feet below 340. Temp: Low to mid 50s. Clarity: The rivers are stained as are the backs of most pockets. It is clear near the dam.   Bass: Karl Pingry reports, “It’s taking 18 to 19 pounds to win the club tournaments. Ed at Lakeside Chevron confirmed that our fishing forecast in November was fairly accurate. The bass are still in the backs of the coves that are stained. Crankbaits are the hot bait right now. A Bandit 200 in black or chartreuse/pearl or a jointed No. 7 Shad Rap in clown or chartreuse/white were recommended by Ed. If you’re fishing rocks, fish the ones with sun on them. A chrome/blue Rat-L-Trap is still the bait to throw. Ed added one more pattern that he learned from Junior Collis: throw a crankbait anywhere you see a sweetgum tree on the bank. Long ago, Junior told Ed the…

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Lake Sinclair Fishing Articles

Sinclair Bass On Mayfly And Shad Spawn

Ahhh, springtime in Georgia… is there a more glorious (or fickle) thing on earth? Temperatures had been in the upper 70s and early 80s for two weeks, but when I had arranged to meet Mark Denney, of Bonaire, at Lake Sinclair, it had been cold and windy for three straight days. It had been just…

Fatal Boat Collision Claims Two Lives On Lake Sinclair

The body of a 25-year-old man killed in a boat wreck on Lake Sinclair was found at about 7:10 p.m. Tuesday, June 19 near the scene of the June 9 collision. After 10 days in the water and about 2,000 man hours dedicated to the search by DNR personnel, the body was spotted floating in…

Skeeter Eliminator Series Sinclair And Oconee Results

Several anglers said their stomachs were tied in knots. Thoughts of fishing a four hour tournament against one other angler was fresh, new; it was something that most weren’t sure how to prepare for. Go for a quick limit or look for one or two really good bites? Here’s a look at how the 64…

Dodging Linesides For Sinclair Crappie

For Richard Saunders, any time he can be on the water is the best time to be crappie fishing on Sinclair, but through the winter months, while he is trolling heavy jigs in deep water, he is thinking about March, when the water temperatures begin to rise and the crappie move shallow. His favorite way…

Sight Fishing For Sinclair Bass In January

I like deep-diving crankbaits and hard-thumping Colorado blades on spinnerbaits. So… when I got wind that my latest GON fishing assignment would include a lesson on how to catch Sinclair largemouths on a drop-shot rig, I found myself looking more forward to the company than the means we’d be using to sling fish in the…

Lake Sinclair Record Fish

Largemouth Bass13-lbs., 2-ozs.Jimmy Edge02/10/90
Hybrid Bass10-lbs., 7-ozs.David Phillips11/27/98
Striped Bass42-lbs.Mike Wicks-
White Bass2-lbs., 7-ozs.James Borders Jr.07/12/92
Black Crappie2-lbs., 11.5-ozs.Brent Moye01/22/00
Channel Catfish21-lbs., 5-ozs.Kenny Durden05/02/07
Longnosed Gar15-lb., 3-ozs.Dustin Turk08/18/09
Flathead Catfish39-lbs.Tommy Spell07/19/22
Blue Catfish79-lbs., 8-ozs.Guy Covington04/27/2024
Yellow Perch15.04-ozs.Eric Phillips02/09/22
Spotted Bass3-lbs., 9.76-ozs.Larry Cason05/10/21
Warmouth12-ozs.Christopher Leverette02/22/23

Oconee River Below Sinclair Record Fish

Largemouth Bass10-lbs., 3.2-ozs.Tracey Jackson03/26/17
Channel Catfish32-lbs., 6-ozs.Rick Leitheiser04/07/96
Flathead Catfish62-lbs.Brian Estes06/13/99
Striped Bass63-lbs.*Kelly Ward05/30/67
Black Crappie1-lb., 11.6-ozs.Kelsey Helms12/07/24
Bluegill1-lb., 8-ozs.Duke Campbell Jr.03/31/15
Shellcracker1-lb., 13-ozs.Ben Bell05/29/22
Blue Catfish62-lbs., 15.2-ozs.Kevin Carey01/12/25
Bowfin7-lbs., 6.016-ozs.Benjamin Hammock07/24/23