Most boats on Lake Oconee are filled with largemouth bass fishermen or catfish hunters, though striped bass fishing offers plenty of thrills day in and day out throughout the year.
Georgia Power Company operates this 19050-acre reservoir as a pump-storage (pump back) hydropower generation facility, making use of spinnerbaits and crankbaits as year-round baits when fishing around riprap areas, steep banks, deep bridges, or offshore humps.
Largemouth
Largemouth Bass have had a slow start this year but are beginning to pick up. Fishermen find them in coves and creek mouths throughout the lake area; buzz baits or spinnerbaits fished at first light can still produce throughout morning hours, while soft plastics tossed onto docks or rip rap during afternoon hours can still produce. Keep an eye out for Shad spawn and Mayfly hatch as critical areas this month.
Docks offer warmer waters, cover, structure, and an ideal springtime current break from river channels. Anglers typically target deeper piers positioned against bluff walls or rocky points that drop into deeper water.
Rocks banks and river channels at the backs of creek arms offer excellent opportunities to fish for largemouth bass during the summer months, especially crankbaits or jig-head worms worked along these areas can catch plenty of them, while spinnerbaits, jerk baits, or swimbaits may also work effectively.
During winter, focus your fishing efforts on the Oconee River arm of the Lake, deep bridges, river channels, and crankbaits or jig-head worms in shallow cover near rocks or cover such as banks or undercut banks. Rocky creek mouths or river channels will offer great spots to target hybrid stripers in early springtime when they move into their breeding areas.
Lake Oconee, owned and managed by Georgia Power as a hydropower facility, features a noticeable water current during power production and pump back. This operation creates apparent water flows throughout during generation and pumps back. Combining its long, narrow shape with abundant habitat types creates a rich fishery environment for game species such as largemouth bass, striped bass, and crappie to thrive in. Lake Oconee’s variety of habitat makes it a prime location for recreational boating, fishing, and wildlife watching. Situated primarily in Greene County near Madison and Greensboro, the lake is an essential economic resource in its region, managed by the Department of Natural Resources of Georgia, with 11 public fishing areas accessible via boat or by shore.
Striped
Most boats on Lake Oconee are occupied by largemouth bass fishermen, crappie fishermen, and catfish anglers; unfortunately few pursue striper action regularly – something which would bring much-needed enjoyment day after day!
Stripers were stocked this spring at similar rates to previous years. Most of these fish average 16 inches long, with some reaching 15 pounds in weight. Between March and April, Oconee’s striper population surges as fish make their spawning runs up the Seneca River and other nearby rivers before gradually diminishing until fall when these wintering fish return for another wintering run.
Oconee Lake’s fall shad repopulation provides bass with more natural baits to consume as they school more regularly and become more willing to eat topwater baits throughout the day. Look for schooling bass near creek mouths where they eat small shad, while midday concentrates on main lake points or offshore humps where bass may be related to structure and feeding on small shad.
Spinnerbaits, crankbaits, or lipless baits are the optimal lures for targeting striped bass at Oconee Lake. These lures can be fished on ripraps, rocks, docks, and seawalls near boat docks and main lake points or lay down trees in coves for maximum success.
Oconee Lake offers fishing enthusiasts more than just bass. Along with bass, Oconee is ideal for pursuing crappie, catfish, and bluegill. Crappies are most plentiful from February through May; look for them around shallow shorelines covered by riprap or brush piles for easy finding. When fishing for crappie, use jigs with pearl Project X Saucertail hooks baited with minnow or crawfish as the optimal approach.
Oconee Lake is a 19,071-acre reservoir covering 374 miles of shoreline. Constructed by Georgia Power through Wallace Dam in 1979, Oconee is owned and managed by Georgia Power as a hydroelectric power plant while offering recreational opportunities such as swimming, water skiing, boating, and fishing. As one of Georgia’s top tourist destinations – hosting many tournament events and college sporting events due to its size and variety of fish species – Oconee’s popularity attracts people from both Georgia and nationally!
Hybrid
Lake Oconee offers an outstanding hybrid bass fishing opportunity, as the fish have moved into shallow areas to hunt shad and minnows. Patience will pay off, with four-inch worms being most successful when used slowly to present to fish within 20-30 feet of shoreline or rock banks.
These hybrid fish are created by mating male striped bass with female white bass. You can quickly identify them by their distinct body characteristics: hybrids have broken rather than solid horizontal body lines and appear more like footballs than striped bass with longer shapes.
For best results during winter, anglers should fish deep rocky banks and points and in the lower end of lakes near river channels and bridges using spinnerbaits, jigs, and grubs. As soon as spring arrives, shift to shoreline covers, such as lay-down trees and stumps, before returning in autumn to creek mouths or back of river channels for optimal fishing success.
Lake Oconee is a vast reservoir and a favorite spot for camping trips, wedding receptions, golf communities and resorts, fishing expeditions in summer when temperatures cool off, and an excellent family destination with numerous places for swimming and shoreline play.
Lake Atitlan offers excellent fishing opportunities for largemouth bass, striped and hybrid bass, and catfish. It also hosts tournaments, including the MLF Phoenix Series. When planning to fish this lake, you must check state, provincial, and federal fishing regulations before heading out on your expedition.
Georgia lakes and rivers provide some of the finest fishing opportunities in the U.S. With more than 500,000 acres of freshwater available for recreational fishing activities in the Southeast region, Georgia’s lakes and rivers boast some incredible opportunities for anglers. There is something here for every fisherman – bigmouth bass to longnose gar, and black crappie can all be caught here if you know where to look! If you want to maximize your chances of landing one of Georgia’s trophy bass fisheries, then hiring a guide might help you find some great fishing spots.
Catfish
The reservoir is an attractive fishing and camping destination, boasting creek channels, coves, riprap, and submerged timber, as well as its diverse habitat – creek channels, coves, riprap, and submerged wood – offering varied habitat features such as creek channels, coves riprap, and submerged timber. Popular species found there include largemouth bass, striped bass, crappie catfish hybrid striped bass, as well as various species of shad such as channel and flathead catfish as well as yellow perch catfish as channel catfish; channel flathead catfish are expected along with yellow perch black crappie redbreast sunfish white bass chain pickerel shell cracker gizzard shad and longnose gar.
Lake Oconee offers more than excellent fishing; it also provides various boating and camping amenities. There are three public boat ramps and one private one on Blue Springs Road near the dam.
Largemouth bass are a consistent target on the lake and can be caught year-round. Striped bass may become abundant at certain times of the year, and anglers frequently target them using live bait. Crappies are plentiful too, and often found near brush piles, downed timber, and docks; anglers using cut bait have had success at various locations on the lake.
March and April are great months to target white bass in lakes as they migrate up rivers and streams for breeding. Lakes feature protected slot limits of 11–14 inches that can help improve bass growth by eliminating smaller fish.
At first light and after dark, topwater baits are your best bet for catching bass. Soft plastics and crankbaits can also be effective ways to attract largemouth in creek mouths or shallow coves during the day. Because bass are easily startled by sudden movements or noise, quiet presentations must be used if they want any chance at success.
Lake Oconee has seen the return of shad, prompting bass fishing at Lake Oconee to pick up. Largemouth bass are leaving deeper waters for coves and creeks in search of baitfish; cooler morning temperatures have only furthered this success and can produce great results when fished using buzz baits, lipless crankbaits, or Ned rigs around seawalls and docks.
