There’s something disconcertingly wonderful about seeing the boat rocking gently in its slip on a crisp spring morning, especially to an angler accustomed to the hassle of trailering and launching a boat before daybreak. With a steaming cup of coffee in hand, it’s just a few flights of stairs down to the docks at The Lodge on Lake Oconee. Once you get there, all that’s left to do is fire up the boat and go fishing. And there’s no better time to fish Lake Oconee than the next couple months—no matter what species you’re after.
Largemouth bass should be bunched up and staging for the spawn, which can lead to fast action and the potential for a fish worth taking photos of. Build a strategy around the spawning areas. The fish were already bunched up on the secondary points in February, and they will soon be making their way up onto the beds. Find them feeding somewhere in between, and you’ve found the pattern. It’s hard to beat a crankbait for fish staged on the secondaries. If they’ve made the move a little farther up or as the sun warms the shallows around rock, a jerkbait fished in the 5- to 10-foot channel swings is a good option. Also, it’s always wise to keep a shaky head and a jig on the deck at Oconee. You can almost always pull a few off brush or docks with the shaky head, and if you’re patient, the jig will likely be the bait that produces that pre-spawn kicker fish.
Crappie fishermen are also in for a treat this time of year. Although the famed winter big-fish bite will be tapering off, March is the time to fill a limit quickly on Oconee. Troll the shallows in 3 to 10 feet of water in the backs of the creeks, or head up the Apalachee or Oconee rivers. Spider rigging minnow-tipped jigs is an excellent way to push baits up shallow, but you can also cover a lot of water quickly and pick up a mess of fish longline trolling. If you’re not familiar with the lake, just ride the creeks until you find the other crappie boats. You’ll find the fish as well.
Spring lineside fishing at its best will start in the middle of March, said guide Mark Smith. On Lake Oconee it’s easy to locate stripers and hybrids in the spring. Because of the pump-back system, which pushes water back into the lake at the dam, the fish on Oconee pile up down at the dam on what Mark called a reverse spawning run. Flatlines, downlines, planer boards and balloons, Mark runs eight rods out of his boat in the spring. The best baits will be live shad and shiners, but once the shad spawns start in April, the fish will switch over to eating only shad.
Catfishing will also be at a peak over the next two months as fish start getting ready for the spawn. Guide Chad Smith said channel cats, big flatheads and blues will move progressively shallower up into 2 to 10 feet of water, especially on warmer days. Look for catfish in coves and secondary creeks around structure. Chad said he catches a lot of his biggest fish around docks. Cut bream, shad and shiners will all work, but as we move into April the bite will switch over to more live shad.
At the end of a long day on the water, you’ll likely pull your boat up to The Lodge on Lake Oconee tired and hungry. Grab a bite to eat and then go soak your sore arm in a hot tub overlooking the lake. With The Angler Magazine special rate of just $79, it’d be foolish not skip all the boat hauling and just stay for the weekend… or the week if you want to make a vacation out of it. Reserve your room now at (706)-485-7785, and tell them The Angler sent you.