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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: 1.5 feet below 340. Temp: 76-77 degrees. Clarity: Muddy to stained until you get to the dam. Bass: Karl Pingry reports, “Ed at Lakeside Chevron says recent weights at tournaments have been impressive—27, 22, 19 and 18 pounds winning these last couple of weeks. Ed thinks that most of the bass have spawned, but there will be a few more with the next full moon that will be deeper in the water column. The shad spawn is still ongoing with the biggest concentration up the Oconee. It will end soon with the warm temps and no rain the last week of April. However, the mayflies will continue to be emerging along the banks for the next several weeks. The shad spawn will be first thing in the morning. Target rocks, grass, dock pilings and seawalls where you see shad throwing themselves up on the banks. A spinnerbait is…
Read MoreLake Sinclair Fishing Articles
Chuck McClendon has a passion for fishing. He started off catching bream and bass in small ponds before a fateful day over three decades ago. “A friend of mine took me crappie fishing and started what has become a life-long passion,” Chuck said. Chuck chases crappie in lakes across middle Georgia and for his money,…
July 17: Valley Sportsman, West Point The fishing was pretty slow at the Valley Sportsman tournament at West Point. Twenty-two boats decided they’d try to beat the heat and fish, and in the end it was Martie Murphy and Mike York who won with 15.46 pounds. Second went to John Pearson and Trey Rhodes with…
All of us have experienced those rare, sweet moments when something good happens to people we know. You know the feeling, that warm inner glow you get, a swelling of pride that something that ought to have happened, some special reward or recognition, has been bestowed on one of the good guys. It happened recently.…
We had run the boat for only a couple of minutes, scarcely reaching above idle speed as Jerry McClure rounded a bend into a pocket, the back of which ran along a road. Jerry dropped the trolling motor and maneuvered the Ranger into water that seemed too shallow for such a big boat. “This used…
On Friday, March 11, members of the Macon Pro Casters bass-fishing club were on Lake Seminole for a weekend outing. Club President Tony King was across the state on Lake Sinclair, preparing for a tournament in the Bulldog Division of the Wal-Mart BFL. Nobody knew that the day would turn tragic for a seasoned boater…
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., 11.6-ozs. | Kelsey Helms | 12/07/24 |
| Bluegill | 1-lb., 8-ozs. | Duke Campbell Jr. | 03/31/15 |
| Shellcracker | 1-lb., 13-ozs. | Ben Bell | 05/29/22 |
| Blue Catfish | 62-lbs., 15.2-ozs. | Kevin Carey | 01/12/25 |
| Bowfin | 7-lbs., 6.016-ozs. | Benjamin Hammock | 07/24/23 |