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Lake Oconee, Madison Georgia
Capt. Doug Nelms
May 6, 2003
Lake Oconee - Freshwater Fishing Report
Hybrid Bass/Crappie
Water Temp 74.5
What a blast we are having on Lake Oconee! It seems the spawn has been really late this year and anglers have been taking advantage of the nice weather and hungry fish. The hybrids are still up the Oconee River and some of them have still not spawned out yet. According to my trusty fishing logs they should be finished their false spawn and headed back to deeper water, but alas, it seems my logs are only as good as the year I write them.
What I do know is the nighttime fishing trips we are taking have been exciting, fun and really productive. Except for the occasional snafu when GA Power attempts to drain the lake, our night trips have produced some real nice stringers of crappie and white bass. Some of the docks we are fishing produces fish almost every cast. Last week we caught 30 off one dock in 20 minutes and there were some crappie over 1 ˝ pounds.
The pattern for this type of fishing is pretty simple. If you can find docks, off the main lake channel, with plenty of water under them, and good lighting, there is a great chance you may load up your cooler with really nice crappie, white bass and even hybrids.
On a particular trip last week a client asked me what color artificials should we use? After looking into my tackle box he said, “well there is white, white and oh…here some white ones. I think you get the picture. White curly tail grubs fished on 1/24-ounce jig heads are a tough combination for any hungry fish to turn down. I think I may venture out of my paradigm this week and try a chartreuse color for a few casts.
This kind of fishing will continue until around June when the water gets really warm and the fish become lethargic. Until then it is going to be red hot and fast. I am booking a lot of these “run and gun” trips right now and my clients are having a blast. A lot of guys are coming out and getting the hang of it, then using their boats to chase em at night. I know this for a fact due to the occupied docks I pull up on each night and the friendly greetings I get from my favorite customers. That is so cool and it is what fishing is all about!
The hybrids are still at the dam, though not as many numbers as before, but you still can catch a late spawner here and there. The largest one we have boated this year has been over 10 pounds and I was actually thinking that someone might break the lake record this year. It has been that kind of year for all of us. If you are interested in a trip go to my web site and check out the awesome promotion for the month of May
Tight Lines
Doug Nelms
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