Doug Nelms
November 8, 2005
Lake Oconee - Freshwater Fishing Report
Water Temp 68
Lake is clear to lightly stained
We all knew this day would finally arrive; the day the hybes would show back up. I have spoken with countless anglers via phone and email and my response has been the same for the last few months. “Just hang on, they will be back soon.” Well, there’ back!
We have been catching them around the 5 to 6 pound range and by the way these fish are going crazy with the bite, this looks like it is going to be a wild winter bite. Some anglers are trolling crank baits and they are picking up a lot of fish. But if you want the big ones, go with the thread-fin shad. You can find shad in just about any cove right now, and the ones that are 3 to 4 inches long are the bomb!
I had several 5 pound hybes in my live well just a few days ago and they spit up 20 to 30 of those 4 inchers. Keep a big Zara Spook ready to cast as they have been known to start busting up on the water this time of year. Look around Flagpole, Sugar Creek, Bull Hole, and the Big House at Port Armor. You will see the boomerangs on your fish finder. Drop down a live shad and hang on. Or if you want to go out and catch a few with me, give me a call! Happy Days!
Doug has been guiding on Lake Oconee for over 10 years. His specialty is trophy Striped and Hybrid Bass, and huge Crappie during certain months. His boat is a Ranger 2300 Bay Series powered by a 225 Yamaha 4-stroke motor. It is spacious and can fish up to 6 people! Lake Oconee is the second largest reservoir in the state of Georgia with over 18,000 surface acres of water. The lake is heavily stocked each year with Striped and Hybrid Bass. Doug tries to catch all of them!
