LAKE OCONEE IS FULL, 80’S BY CAPTAIN MARK SMITH, REEL TIME GUIDE SERVICE 404 803 0741 [email protected]


Lake Oconee is full, the water temperature is 85 to 89.


Bass fishing continues to be slow. The lake is full. Stained up the rivers, the main lake is clear. Richland creek is clear. Carolina rigs with long leaders and large worms in dark colors fished off the humps on the south end of the lake along with large crank baits fished off the side of the humps in 15 feet of water will produce some fish. The buzz bait bite is producing the first hour of daylight as well as the last hour in the evenings. White/chartreus seem to be the best all around color. Frogs will also produce on the south end in the grass flats early in the mornings.


Striper fishing is slow. 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 crank baits, popping corks are all working. This bite will work as long as Georgia Power is pumping back into the lake. The only other bite is going on with the umbrella rig fished on the usual locations on humps and points from the pipe line to the dam. The O2 levels in the lake are dropping fast and the fish are heading up the rivers for the summer. Don't look for much improvement in the striper fishing until fall.


Crappie fishing is fair to good. This is the best fishing on Oconee during these dog days of summer. Some days you can catch big slabs and other days only the small fish will bite. Long lining (trolling) will produce some nice catches. You will need to run your jigs about 10 to 12 feet deep. Down lining crappie minnows into tree tops 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.

Ken Sturdivant, Lowrance pro staff will be have a FREE! BASICS OF ELECTRONICS class on Saturday, September 15, 2018 at 2pm. This class covers the basics of the current technology and everyone is welcome.


LOWRANCE TIPS: Current electronics can run the units in AUTO DEPTH RANGE and AUTO SENSITIVITY and this will work very well on all current machines. Learn this and more in one day during our ON THE WATER ELECTRONICS SCHOOL in one day. 770 889 2654.


We have all the details for our On the Water SONAR School on our web SCHOOLS page. We have the LOWRANCE CARBON and LOWRANCE GEN 3 Touch and the game changing technology in the NEW 3D Lowrance Technology on our boat. Bring any HDS machine only to Lake Lanier and learn it ALL in one day. Call Ken for details. See our Southern Fishing Schools page for the latest screen shots of the LOWRANCE 3D technology. See bass over a ladder in 10 feet of water 158 feet from my boat. www.lowrance.com


Ask for a free sonar set up sheet by sending me an email to [email protected]. Please tell me what model machine you have.


Call Brian Leiva at www.bbgmarine.com 888 570 0916 for all your Lowrance and other technology.


We have these books for sale BASS FISHING ON WEST POINT LAKE BASS FISHING LAKE RUSSELL BASS FISHING WEST POINT LAKE and BASS FISHING LAKE HARTWELL. These books have lots of bass fishing and covers every week of the year. Each book $39.00. If you would like a sample of any book send us an e mail to [email protected].


We offer these waypoints for sale. You get the coordinates and you load them into your GPS unit for Lake Allatoona for $99.00 Lake Lanier for $99.00 Lake Oconee for $99.00 Lake Weiss for $99.00 Lake Hartwell for $99.00 WAYPOINTS ARE NOT REFUNDABLE


Ken Sturdivant will be hosting FREE! Fishing classes at 4 Forsyth County Library Branch’s. Anglers do not need to pre-register. Please come to the event 30 minutes prior to start time.