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Lake Oconee, Madison Georgia
Capt. Doug Nelms
February 6, 2002
Lake Oconee - Freshwater Fishing Report
Cold Water Crappie
What happened? After a week of warm beautiful weather old man winter has rolled in again, and put a grip on Lake Oconee. However, the crappie are still here and if you know what you are doing you can still fill your stringer!
I have noticed alot of locals up the Apalachee River around what we call "the powerlines". I marked alot of fish in the channel the other day and managed to actually catch a few! The crappie you will be catching right now will be really nice. Fileting size! The method for catching them will hold for the next 8 weeks or so. Using "cane poles" or crappie rods, 10 feet in length or more, slow troll over the channels with minnow tipped hal flys. Go slow because the bite will be really light. The more your boat looks like a spider on the water, the more fish you will probably catch. It is not unusual to see guys fishing with 14 or more rods. I have only been able to master about 8 at once, but some of these guys have managed to work it into an art and it is an absolute pleasure watching their heads bob from side to side as they man their arsenal.
The color of the Hal Fly is really not important, but the darker ones may work some better. Over on the other side of the lake, up the Oconee river, there's a great place for anchoring and downlining minnows. In the sticks just across from the Redlands, you will find a channel about 22 feet deep. Anchor on the shelf and swing your boat over the channel. Fish straight down with light lines and minnows and it if GA Power is pulling the water it will not take long to fill your icechest. I watched a gentleman last year catch his limit in about 2 hours before sunset. Everyone of those fish were over a pound.
It is just going to get better from here. Keep checking in and I will let you know when it gets red hot. I will also be running trips at night for anyone interested.
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