Lake Oconee Gets First Spotted Bass Record

Austin Skinner didn’t finish in the money in the Berry’s Tournament Trail event on Lake Oconee, nor did he come that close for big fish. But he did get a pretty good consolation prize that caused quite a buzz with WRD biologists.

Austin was fishing a Carolina rig with a Zoom green-pumpkin lizard when he caught a nice bass that he immediately recognized as a spotted bass. He and his partner weighed the fish on hand-held scales.

Austin Skinner with the 5.20-lb. spotted bass that surprised Fisheries biologists and set a new Lake Oconee record.

“We knew it was close to 5 pounds,” Austin said. “I’ve fished, I don’t know, six or seven tournaments on Lake Oconee through the years, and had never caught a spotted bass there. I didn’t know there were any in there, really.”

At the weigh-in, Austin’s 5.20-lb. spot was the big fish for awhile, but it eventually gave away to some 6- and 7-lb. largemouths. He and his partner also watched with disappointment as their total catch weight slid down on the leaderboard until they were out of the money.

“After the weigh-in, my partner and I were curious what the lake record was for spotted bass, so we got online,” said Austin, who is the manager of a concrete plant. “We saw there was not a lake record, so I called DNR. They were shocked. They said they knew there were some spots on the Oconee River, but no one had ever tried to establish a record on Lake Oconee for spotted bass.”

The tournament scales were certified, so Austin didn’t have that hurdle. Photos of the fish showed that it was a spotted bass, so it was certified by WRD as the new lake record. The fish was released, and Austin plans to have a replica made to commemorate his catch.

Giant 12-14 Oconee Largemouth Tops 22-year-old Lake Oconee Record

WRD Fisheries Biologist Chris Nelson, who works in the Social Circle area, said spotted bass are not native to the Oconee drainage system, but WRD is aware that they exist in both the Oconee River and Lake Oconee. Lake Sinclair, located just below the Lake Oconee dam, saw its first-ever spotted bass lake record established last May.

“We do not stock spotted bass because they are not native,” Chris said. “We know that there is a larger population of spotted bass way upriver above the Barnett Shoals Dam. We’re guessing that the spotted bass in the Oconee originated there. Of course, the way fishermen move fish around, those fish may have come from other places, as well.

“Our sampling and anecdotal evidence from fishermen have provided us with one or two cases of spotted bass being in Lake Oconee through the years, but it hasn’t been extensive.”

The fishery biologist warns anglers of the pitfalls of moving non-native fish to other bodies of water where they can’t be found naturally.

“History has shown us that any time spotted bass have been introduced into bodies of water with largemouth bass, the largemouth bass population has declined,” he said.  

Lake Oconee Records

See all of GON’s official Georgia Lake & River Records here.

Requirements For Record Fish

• Fish must be caught legally by rod and reel in a manner consistent with state game and fish regulations.

• Catch must be weighed on accurate Georgia DOA certified scales with at least two witnesses present, who must be willing to provide their names and phone numbers so they can be contacted to verify the weighing of the fish.

• Witnesses to the weighing must be at least 18 years old, and they must not be members of the angler’s immediate family nor have a close personal relationship with the angler.

• Catch must be positively identified by qualified DNR personnel.

GON’s records are compiled and maintained by GON, to be awarded at GON’s discretion. Additional steps may be required for record consideration.