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Lake Oconee, Madison Georgia
Capt. Doug Nelms
January 2, 2005
Lake Oconee - Freshwater Fishing Report
Water Temp 53 to 48
Lake is stained from I-20 to Wallace Dam
The wintertime hybrid fishing at Lake Oconee is at its best right now. We are producing 15 to 20 fish on a half day trip and most of the fish are over 5 pounds.
During this time of the year you have to think “small bait.” Many anglers make the mistake of throwing huge cranks or using large shad to entice hybrids, but that is not what they are eating right now. What are they eating, you might ask? “Butterbeans!” Not the kind you find in a garden or grocery, but the small one to two inch shad hatch that we call butterbeans. If you ever see one you will know exactly what I am talking about.
When you catch a hybe and put him in your live well after about 5 minutes you may notice an abundance of tiny shad floating around in there with your fish. The hybrids are gorging themselves with these tiny shad and they are known to spit them up when they get caught. So look at the bait and find something in your tackle box that looks like what they are eating. Try using the tiny sassy shad in a white color, or small rapalas or even white roostertails. It is really hard to pull these lures through a school without them getting smacked.
A lot of crappie fishermen are catching hybrids now because of the small bait they are using with their Hal Flies. Take a lesson from those guys and downsize your bait for great success.
The fish are stacked in Sugar Creek and there are also a lot in River Bend. These fish will remain in these areas for the best part of the winter before turning to their usual spawning grounds in the spring. We are seeing a lot of schooling activity with some big fish making appearances. With all the unseasonably warm weather we have experienced over the last few days, the fish are responding really well and we should have some great catches until the next full moon. This is a great time of the year to book a trip and learn how to catch these wintertime hybes. Hope to see you out there!
Tight Lines
Doug Nelms
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