Lake Lucas Fishing Update

Monte Walters with a spotted bass caught at Lucas Lake a few weeks back.

Lake Javor Lucas, the 581-acre water reservoir for the Macon Water Authority (MWA), is now celebrating its 20-year anniversary of offering some fishing opportunity to the public. The lake was built back in the 1990s after river flooding from Hurricane Alberto knocked out the pumping station on the Ocmulgee River near downtown Macon, so government officials sought a more protected source of water. The water is still pumped in from the close-by Ocmulgee River, but now the water goes into the man-made Lake Lucas.

So how is the fishing in Lake Lucas doing today? Let’s take a look.

On May 11, my good friend Monte Walters and I visited the lake, and after we checked in with Andre at the security booth, we headed down to the boat ramp. Monte is one of the best fishermen I know, and he has honed his skills on just about every major lake in Georgia while competing in several bass-tournament trails. He currently fishes tournaments close to home, including Berry’s and ABA, while he works as the utilities director for the city of Warner Robins.

It was a mild and calm day with little wind, so we looked forward to a good chance to catch some fish. We started casting to some blowdown trees as we headed along the shoreline. Monte was casting a Sebile Magic Swimmer swimbait. The jointed bait  was a Carolina herring/chrome color and looked identical to a swimming baitfish. Monte fishes the slow-sinking bait with a steady retrieve 2 to 4 feet deep but mixes it up with a stop-and-go retrieve to imitate an injured baitfish.

I was fishing a Zoom Trick Worm in redbug on a No. 4 bass hook and a 1/4-oz. bullet weight. I was casting to a small point when I got a strong strike and quickly set the hook on a feisty 2-lb. largemouth. After a couple of photos and admiring the healthy fish, I slid it back into the lake.

Monte’s top lures for Lucas in June (from top): Spro Little John 50, KVD Sexy Dawg, Pop-R, Zoom Fluke, Sebile Magic Swimmer and a Zoom Trick Worm in red bug.

Shortly after, Monte had a few short strikes on his swimbait and decided quickly to change up the retrieve, and his stop-and-go presentation turned the trick, and soon Monte was hooked up with a fish that didn’t want to come to the boat. We thought it might have been a hybrid because of its strong runs, but its appearance on the surface revealed a nearly 3-lb. spotted bass. Although it’s an invasive fish in the lake, Monte says pound for pound, they outfight a largemouth and eat just as good, so we took a few home for the frying pan.

Michael Clarke, a former Georgia DNR employee who now works as a private fisheries biologist, has been consulting with the MWA and says that recent electroshock surveys have shown that spotted bass outnumber largemouth in the lake by a three-to-one ratio. That ratio is not likely going to change unless anglers target the spotted bass and remove them from the lake, says Clarke.

Monte and I continued to cast toward every exposed stump or fallen tree, but surprisingly, we didn’t get much action from shoreline structure. Paul Cumbess, an MWA employee who often fishes Lake Lucas, advised us to concentrate on the main-lake points, and he was right, as that’s where we caught the majority of our fish.

We continued to get a few strikes as we moved close to the dam and caught a few fish, all spots. I’ve had good luck casting up to the rip-rap on the dam in the past, but it’s a long cast of 30 yards as we were held back by a buoy line. However, on this day the fish ignored our offerings. On the northern corner section of the dam, there is a big pile of old concrete construction debris that normally holds a good population of catfish and spots, but nothing took our bait this day. I even tried some shrimp on the bottom that I had dipped in some of Monte’s garlic juice to lure in a catfish, but no luck! In previous years this location was a great one for catfish, but catfish have not been stocked in recent years, and the catfish population is on the decline. A recent electrofishing survey showed that flathead catfish are now present in the lake.

The author managed this Lucas largemouth during his trip. Recent electroshock surveys have shown that spotted bass outnumber largemouth in the lake by a three-to-one ratio. That ratio is not likely going to change unless anglers target the spotted bass and remove them from the lake.

We continued on around the lake and pulled in a 2 1/2-lb. spotted bass near the pumping station. An old roadbed runs across the lake where you will see white poles sticking up. Usually this is a good location for shellcracker and bluegill, and we did manage to catch a few small bream on worms, but the bass were not to be found. Early in the morning, this is a great spot to catch hybrids or stripers as they herd shad up into the shallow areas.

As we worked our boat to the middle of the lake, we moved over to the water-discharge pipe that is submerged near the bottom about 35 feet down. This pipe brings in water from the Ocmulgee River, where it is held in the lake until needed for treatment and distribution to the public. Water also feeds in naturally from Town Creek, but it is a very small stream. We got to the discharge area right after the pumps stopped running, and we could see dark, stained water, so we tried medium-running crankbaits to see if any hybrids or stripers were in the area. We came up empty, and I also tried a catfish bait on the bottom, but no luck with them either.

Rob Craig, a former Air Force B-1 pilot and currently a commercial airline pilot, says the hybrid and striper fishing has declined with the lack of stocking, and many anglers will be very disappointed at this change in fishing opportunity. He says the large areas of deep water in Lucas used to be ideal for stripers.

If you try to fish this water-discharge pipe, the best time is when the water is flowing in and very early in the morning. To find this spot, look for the black erosion control fabric near the shoreline, which is off a point on the west side of the lake. From that point, go north along the shoreline about 60 yards, then look for churning water about 30 yards off the bank. The GPS bearing is N 32°54.801 – W 83°39.450.

Our last location was up Town Creek where we found lots of shady cover from bank-side trees and expected to get bit, but we didn’t get a single strike! Maybe next trip!

According to Brandon Baker, WRD fisheries biologist from Fort Valley, the state is no longer providing fish management services to Lake Lucas. DNR is not stocking fish in Lake Lucas and has not put in any hybrids or stripers in the lake for the last two years. Andy Tate, a MWA manager who oversees the lake, says they are moving toward a self-sustainable management of the fish population with the primary emphasis being on providing drinking water to the public. The MWA has also sought input from the Biology Department at Mercer University.

Dr. Craig Byron, a Mercer professor who loves to fish, has been using his upper-class biology students to help conduct electrofishing studies of the fish from Lake Lucas and then doing a health analysis of some fish. Their results have been provided to the MWA. There are concerns that there may be too many predator fish in the lake and not enough structure.

Dr. Craig Byron, a Mercer professor who loves to fish, has been using his upper-class biology students to help conduct electrofishing studies of the fish from Lake Lucas and then doing a health analysis of those fish. Their results have been provided to the MWA. There are concerns that there may be too many predator fish in the lake and not enough structure. Discussions are being held about adding old concrete pipes to the lake for fish structure.

The cost for fishing at Lake Lucas is $5 per day when fishing from the shore and $10 per day when fishing from a boat. Season passes are offered for $50 when fishing from the banks and $100 when fishing from a boat. Only boats with electric-powered motors are allowed on Lake Lucas since it is MWA’s primary source for drinking water production and adheres to stricter regulations than recreational lakes.

There is only one boat ramp, so you’ll have to watch the wind and carry an extra trolling battery. You certainly don’t want to run a long distance downwind and then not be able to get back to the boat ramp. I usually carry two trolling motors and three batteries when I’m on the lake, and I always have my cell phone.

Lake Lucas will be closed in July and August. However, fishing will be allowed from May 3, 2024 to June 30, 2024 on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. The lake will re-open on Sept. 7, 2024 for another short window of opportunity. For more information, go to https://maconwater.org/public-information/fishing-at-javors-lucas-lake or call 478.464.5650.

Monte and I had a great time fishing at Lake Lucas and spotted lots of wildlife, like wild turkeys and deer in addition to the fun day of fishing. The lake is located at 150 Broach Lane Macon, Ga. 31211.