by Ken Sturdivant
Lake Oconee is full, the water temperature is 83 to 85 and the lake is clear except up the rivers.
Things are starting to change from the dog days of summer. With the shorter days the water temperature has stopped rising. Bass have started to move out of the deep water and a few are chasing bait into the coves and creeks all over the lake. A buzzbait at first light will still produce for the first hour of daylight. Soft plastics fished under docks and around wood structure in the mouth of the coves mid-lake will produce during daylight hours. Crankbaits fished around bridge rip-rap will also produce when Georgia Power is pulling water in the afternoons.
Striper fishing is poor. The early morning pump back bite at the dam is the best thing going, and it is only fair at best. Spoons, live shad, small crankbaits and popping corks are all working. This bite will work as long as Georgia Power is pumping back into the lake. The only other bite going on is with the umbrella rig fished off the usual location on humps and points from the pipeline to the dam.
Crappie fishing is fair to good. Some days you can catch big slabs and other days only the small fish will bite. Long lining (trolling) will produce some nice catches. Run jigs about 10 to 12 feet deep. Down lining crappie minnows into tree tops and on ledges on the main lake at 12 to 15 feet deep will also produce a lot of fish. Use your Lowrance to locate the fish in the tree tops and then drop your bait down to the fish.