Ocmulgee PFA Bass

Some anglers pay hefty fees to join a trophy bass pond for a chance to reel in a 10-lb. plus bass. But for the price of a fishing license, Georgia anglers can drop a line in Ocmulgee PFA, near Cochran, and have a chance to reel in a trophy bass of a lifetime.

However, no one is saying it’s easy. Big bass are smart bass, and they are difficult to catch, especially in an environment where they have plenty to eat and they get to see a wide variety of lures cast at them on a regular basis. 

WRD Fisheries Biologist Tim Bonvechio with the giant 13-lb. largemouth that was shocked up during sampling at Ocmulgee PFA. Amazingly, this fish was only 4 years old. A post on WRD’s Facebook page on March 5, 2020 says, “The fish was born in March 2016 at Richmond Hill Hatchery and stocked in the lake in March 2017 as a 3/4-lb. and 11 inch, 1-year-old bass. This fish was recaptured last year in the spring as a 3-year-old fish that weighed 7.82 pounds and now today as a 13-pounder! This bass has grown 5 pounds in the last year with an average growth of 3.25 pounds per year. All bass at Ocmulgee PFA are catch-and-release only. So this bigun is back in the water waiting for anglers.”

Ocmulgee PFA is a 106-acre lake that is intensively managed to provide the optimum environment for anglers. The lake has had a challenging recent past as it developed leaks into the limestone foundation that let the water seep into the ground. Many years ago, the lake site was the bottom of the ocean, and the remnants of that ancient sea formed a soft, porous and erodible lake bed foundation that was not obvious near the surface. The pressure of the water in the lake created fissures in the soil that grew and let the water escape. The lake got too low for safe navigation back in 2012, and it was closed for repairs.

Before the lake levels went down, it was producing excellent trophy bass fishing. In April 2012, the first teen-sized bass was certified from the lake. The 13-lb., 4-oz. largemouth was caught and released back into the lake during survey work conducted by Senior Fisheries Biologist Tim Bonvechio, who works out of the WRD Waycross Office.

“Angler surveys from February and March in 2012 alone reveal that 46 bass over the 8-lb. mark were caught and released, with 10 bass exceeding 10 pounds, including a 12-lb., 4-oz. monster caught by Jason Byram, of Milledgeville, on Feb. 22,” said Tim.  

At that time, Tim said, “The strategy of stocking a lower density of female-only bass in combination with a strict catch-and-release regulation has worked really well to meet the intended objective of providing excellent trophy bass fishing. Of the bass surveyed this spring (February, March and April 2012), just under 10% exceeded the 10-lb. mark.”

Now it looks like the lake is back on track to repeat that earlier success. To repair the lake, Peed Bothers Construction Company, of Butler, placed a very large stabilization fabric in the bottom of the lake and covered a 24-acre area with 2 feet of red clay. Then, the lake was refilled with water and reopened in October 2017. 

The bass fishing could be even better in the rejuvenated lake. All brood stock bass that produced the fish stocked in Ocmulgee PFA were collected from Georgia waters, and they have a Florida gene variant that varies from 70 to 100%. WRD carefully selects their brood stockfish from fast-growing, healthy populations of largemouth bass to produce the best results for Georgia waters. The lake was stocked with only female bass, and they were stocked at a low-fish-per-acre ratio, approximately 20 per acre, to maximize fish growth, says Tim

Plenty of forage fish were stocked to feed the bass in the form of threadfin, golden shiners, lake chubsuckers and bream, so the bass always have plenty to eat. The lake is also limed and fertilized on an as-needed basis to keep the water in prime condition.

The trophy bass management plan is already paying good results after the lake was repaired. According to WRD’s website, the current lake record stands at 10-lbs., 10.56-ozs. caught by Orville Newlin, of Bonaire, back in May 2020 while he was fishing with his 3-year-old son, Xander.  Tim and his staff have now electrosampled four fish in the last two years that weighed above the current lake record, including a 13-lb. specimen and three others that weighted 12.75, 11.50 and 11.12 pounds! So, a new lake record is out there waiting to be caught. 

In recent months, Steve Watson, a retired Warner Robins fireman, has had great luck at Ocmulgee PFA. On one trip, he caught a 9-pounder and an 8-pounder within three minutes. His favorite Ocmulgee PFA lure is a Bomber model 6A in the Tennessee shad color. Other good colors are firetiger and pearl white. The model 6A is a medium-depth runner that gets down 6 to 8 feet. 

Steve also uses a deeper-diving Bomber crankbait, like a Fat Free Fingerling, to bump the bottom. This will attract a reactionary strike, but he says it’s easy to get snagged on the bottom. A a good lure-retriever rig is always a good thing to have in the tackle box. 

A Zoom tequilla-sunrise colored worm behind a  1/8-oz. bullet weight is another staple in Steve’s tackle box. 

Another excellent big bass fisherman, Chris Bailey, of Perry, likes a 1/4-oz. Arkie jig dressed with a blue/black pork rind. Either of these rigs slowly eased across the lake bottom through the timber is likely to get hit hard by a big bass.

Steve Watson, of Warner Robins, is a regular at Ocmulgee PFA and has caught many bass in the 8- to 10-lb. range from the lake. On a recent trip he caught this 9-pounder and then an 8-pounder within three minutes.

Anglers going after Ocmulgee’s big bass should use heavier tackle to ensure that a trophy fish doesn’t break off. The anglers I’ve spoken to recommend mono line of at least 20 pounds and braided line with a test strength of 50 pounds, matched with a medium-heavy rod and reel. Make sure your drag is properly set to withstand a quick pull of maximum strength without the line breaking. 

Since these are some of the biggest bass you’ll encounter, it’s a great idea to put the landing net in the boat with you, as well.

Channel catfish were stocked years ago, but they were not stocked when the lake was repaired. The catfish were big competitors for food, so fewer whisker fish should help the bass grow even more, but a few yellow cats have survived from the upper pond and worked their way into the main lake. 

As mentioned, the lake was stocked with only female bass to maximize growth rates, but Tim says that a few male bass have worked their way into the lake from upstream, so the “genie is somewhat out of the bottle.” 

Thus, in time the female bass will reproduce with the few males, and their growth rates may be reduced, as in natural populations since some of their energy will go toward egg production verse adding body weight. The male bass will also increase the numbers of bass in the lake and increase competition.

Whether you’re fishing from the bank or from a boat, the lake provides an abundance of crappie, largemouth bass, bluegill, white crappie and redear sunfish. Andrew Laney holds the current lake-record crappie record at 2-lbs., 2-ozs., but Tim says bigger fish have been shocked up in the lake and are waiting for you to reel them in. Jiffy Jigs, Hal Flys and live minnows are worth trying. Fish around the timber or troll the main lake, but you are limited to two poles. 

Bream are numerous in the lake and hot spots are around the submerged structures or near the shoreline vegetation. Worms or crickets will help you fill the stringer.

Remember that Ocmulgee PFA is strictly catch-and-release for bass. If an angler believes they have caught a trophy largemouth bass in excess of 10 pounds, there is a release cage on the floating dock and the hotline numbers are on sign at the cage on the dock. Once the angler calls the hotline, a WRD staff member will check the bass for size and weight as soon as possible before it is released back into the lake. 

All of the bass stocked in the lake have an implanted chip (i.e. pit tag) about the size of a grain of rice embedded under their skin. Tim and his staff use a scanner to individually identify each bass by number. That allows WRD to track how individual fish are growing.

Anglers who catch and put a 10-lb. plus bass into the holding cage are eligible to receive an Anglers Award certificate. Anglers who catch and place a bass exceeding 13 pounds into the holding cage will receive a life-sized fiberglass replica of their fish, if they carefully follow the application process on the WRD website. 

Tim strongly encourages anglers to carefully handle their bass and to keep it in a livewell prior to placing it immediately in the holding cage. 

This is especially important in hot weather as a stressed big bass can die if kept out of the water too long. Also, anglers should carefully unhook the bass to ensure the fish is not wounded, especially in the gill area. A pair of long-nosed pliers is handy to release those deeper hooked fish.

Also, Tim suggests anglers carefully weigh their bass with quality scales to ensure that the bass is truly a 10-pounder before placing into the holding cage.

Andrew Laney with the lake record 2-lb., 1.97-oz. white crappie caught Aug. 28, 2019.

“Good guesses” often result in 7- to 9-pounders being placed in the holding cage, which are not desired for the study. For more information on the Angler Award Program go to: https://georgiawildlife.com/fishing/anglerawards.

As well as being a trophy-bass destination, Ocmulgee PFA provides a perfect place for families to enjoy a safe, outdoors environment and develop an appreciation of some fantastic natural resources.

The lake has numerous coves and points, creek channels, standing timber and submerged humps for attracting fish. The deepest point at the dam is about 30 feet. Facilities include a boat ramp, two fishing piers, a fish cleaning station and ample parking. Fishing is allowed 24/7, and live bait is allowed. 

A hunting license, a fishing license, or a lands pass is required to visit the PFA, but a fishing license is required to fish in the PFA. The hunting or fishing license is $15 each and allows WRD to qualify for matching federal funds, while the lands pass is $30. The DNR will be conducting angler creel surveys at the lake in the near future to determine fishing success.

For additional information and maps, go to https://georgiawildlife.com/ocmulgee-pfa. Daniel Stout is the new PFA manager, and the local number is 478.783.2557. Catch a big one!