February 5, 2003
Water temperature: 47-50°F
The lake is stained up the main river channel and 49 degrees. The main creeks are light stained and 48-50 degrees. The east side of the lake is clear and 47-49 degrees.
Bass fishing has been slow. Look for several warm days in a row to improve your catch. Until the water staballizes above 50 degrees, things will be tough. Some fish can still be caught in 20-30 foot of water on jigging spoons and bucktail jigs, mostly in clearer water. There are some shallow aggressive fish late in the day in stained water. Look for sunny, rocky, red clay banks in these areas and work a big slow rolled spinnerbait in chartruese color. You can also pick up a few jig fish by working wood in 5-8 foot of water. Black jigs with a few strands of chartruese will be best with a black swimming chunck. Firetiger #7 shad raps are also working on rip-rap areas on I-20 and Hwy 44. Some good fish are also being caught north of I-20 in steep banks with chart/pearl DD22 digging the bottom with a really slow retrieve.
February 20, 2003
Water temperature: 45-48°F
Water is stained up the rivers and down to Lick creek where it begins to clear some. Water on the east side of the lake is even stained in the backs of the creeks.
Bass fishing is fair to good with fish still scattered from deep to shallow. Late in the day is best for shallow fish as they pull in to feel the sun. These fish can be caught on several baits from spinnerbaits, lip less crankbaits, and flipping soft plastics. The stained water about halfway into the creeks is best after 2 p.m. in the afternoons. Cover lots of water untill you run across concetrations of bass with a chart/white spinnerbait or blue/chrome Rat-l-trap. Then work around dock post and stumps with a junebug Zoom lizard on a 1/8 oz texas rig. The soft plastic will catch the better fish. Flip the bait up to the structure and let it fall, bites are even coming as the bait lays on the bottom.
Deeper fish can be caught in 15-25 foot of water on spoons still, but it won't last much longer. A slow rolled 3/8 lead head with a Zoom fat albert grub will catch these deep fish. Some fish are also being caught on secondary points with brush on carolina rigged pumpkin seed lizards.
These fishing reports were prepared by Aaron Batson and Jerry Whitlock from current personal fishing trips on Lake Oconee. Copyright © 2002-2005 fishoconee.com.
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