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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: 1.4 feet below 340. Temp: High 70s. Clarity: The lake is heavily stained north of the Highway 441 bridge and clear south of Nancy Creek. Bass: Karl Pingry reports, “Ed at Lakeside Chevron says most of the bass are in the backs of the pockets in the stained water. Docks are the main cover working at the moment. Bandit 200 cranks in chartreuse/white and black retrieved down the sides and fronts of the docks is a hot pattern. Old standbys, such as an Ol’ Monster worm in black emerald or plum apple, as well as skipping a blue/black jig, are catching some big bass. For topwater, a black buzzbait over the hydrilla in Island Creek and up the Oconee is the bait to throw. On the south end, a No. 6 X-Rap in pearl or glass ghost is working, as well as a chrome Rat-L-Trap. Last, a merthiolate…
Read MoreLake Sinclair Fishing Articles
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…
Dennis Johnson and his crew won first place and a check for $7,500 in the 100% payback Brandon Key Catfishing Tournament on Lake Sinclair June 10-11. The 8th annual tournament is a fundraiser for 30-30 Ministries, a 501c3 non-profit organization youth ministry whose mission is to use hunting and fishing as a platform to share…
About twice a month, James Rowland likes to go to Lake Sinclair with his fishing buddy so they can stock their freezers with good eating-size catfish. The Hartwell native never imagined that he’d ever catch a single blue cat that would seemingly feed half of his hometown. James is the new Lake Sinclair record holder…
Flint Davis, of Leesburg, caught a five-bass limit weighing 20 pounds even last Saturday, May 20, to win the Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Sinclair, presented by Brown Oil Company. The tournament was the fourth event of the season for the BFL Bulldog presented by Mystik Lubricants Division. Davis…
Catch a limit of bass cranking points early, and then fish grassbeds and docks the rest of the day for bigger fish at Lake Sinclair. That is Matt Henry’s recipe for a March tournament on Lake Sinclair, and his methods will work for you this month. Georgia Power’s Lake Sinclair on the Oconee and…
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 |