Ronnie Garrison
Well-known member
Haven't posted in a while - no decent catches. Plus I am not sure how much interest there is in lakes I fish.
Congrats to Sunshine for her first place co-angler at the WBT!
Spalding County Sportsman Club tournament - Lake Oconee - June 24
Water temp low 80s and a little stain - sunny and very hot. Start time 6:00 AM,
stop at 2:00 PM - 14 inch size limit. Some current early from pumpback but it
stopped by 10:00 AM
I talked with several people that had fished Oconee in the past couple of weeks -
two in a local club that fished a week before us, a guy that placed third in a couple’s
tournament there with his wife two weeks before, and a local guide, Al Bassett. All
said the topwater bite was good early then go to docks and brushpiles with plastics.
At blast-off I ran to a main lake point with riprap and docks where the channel
swings by. Al had told me that was a good topwater spot. First pass I got a 13 inch
throwback on a Rico popper then turned and on the second pass got three more.
They were all in close to the rocks - fun but no keepers. My partner caught one
short fish on a jig and missed several other bites.
Next stop was a similar point a club fisherman said he caught several keepers on the
week before. There was a boat on it so I kept going to my favorite point, a big
point between a major creek and the river. I started on a wood sea wall with riprap
and deep water - no bites. After working around a pocket where many mayflies
were hatching I got worried - nothing was eating them but some birds, including two
beautiful red, white and black woodpeckers. They would fly within feet of the boat
chasing the mayflies. But we didn’t even see any bream hitting on top, a bad sign.
The next rocky point on the other side of the cove my partner missed a fish on a
Sammy - twice. I thought it might be a hybrid since it missed. I started to leave
but decided to work down the seawall a little further even tho the water was getting
shallow. On a cast that fell within inches of the seawall a 15 inch fish slammed the
Rico as soon as I moved it - fought good and I put it in the livewell - finally a keeper
at 6:45.
I fished to the end of the seawall and turned back. I told my partner I was seeing a
pattern - most of my bites on the first place and the one here came within inches of
the bank. I said that as my plug hit within a few inches of the seawall and a bass
slammed it before I could even move it. This one was a solid 16 inch fish - two in
the livewell at 6:50 AM
We jumped across the cove mouth and started on the point we first stopped on,
going the other way. After fishing about 150 yards down it without a bite I started
to leave again since we were entering a cove and all the fish seemed to be on the
outside. But in this cove I had caught some good fish, especially in May, so I kept
going. It was somewhat in the shade from the rising sun, too.
On a rocky bank half way into the shallow cove a fish sucked the Rico under and I
thought it was a small fish, until it got near the boat and ran under it. Got the fish to
the net and it was another solid 16 inch keeper. Three in the boat at 7:20.
Just ahead of us was a small wooden dock with five boat slips, a community dock
for the nearby houses. I have caught good bass off that dock and my first cast with
the Rico a bass sucked it under right at the corner of the first slip. Again I t thought
it was small but then it turned and I saw it was much bigger than thought - turned
out to be my biggest of the day, just under 3 pounds. Four in the boat at 7:25. It did
not fight hard which was lucky, it was barely lip hooked by one back hook on the
plug. All the fish I had caught up till then had the whole plug in their mouth and I
had to use pliers to unhook them. This one just fell off the hook.
My very next cast to the next boat slip produced another hit on the corner. My
partner and I both saw the fish come up and suck the Rico in - and saw the plug
come out as it fought. We could see the fish good - another one around 3 pounds.
That broke my heart - could have filled my limit at 7:30 with a good fish.
My partner had been throwing a jig and a Little Critter Craw the whole time and
getting bites, but no fish. I had offered him a Rico but he stuck with what he was
using. Did not throw topwater even tho he had gotten two bites on a Sammy.
We hit the cove hard since there had been three good keepers there and I caught
several 13 inch bass on top. Even got a nice bluegill off the rocks where I had
caught the third keeper. Partner got a bluegill on his Little Critter Craw. We backed
off this bank and I drug a Carolina rigged Baby Brush How in Green Pumpkin with
Chartreuse tail along it - that bait has worked good for me where bluegill were
schooled, but never got a bite.
Time to head up the lake - sun was high and it was getting hot already at 8:30. I ran
up a shady bank but did not stop - several boats fishing it. We ran several miles to a
place another club member said he got several keepers the week before. It was a
main lake point with rocks and riprap - but the sun was on it. We fished it anyway.
On the upstream side was a little pocket lined with riprap and some shade. I threw
the Rico just off the rocks in the shade and got hit - another 16 inch bass. Five in the
livewell at 8:30 - probably had close to10 pounds. Time to relax and try to catch
some to cull.
I told my partner to choose what to do - he still had not caught a keeper. We went
to a nearby bridge and fished the shady side riprap for a while - bunch of bream hits
but no bass. I told him another bridge was a few miles away and Al and some of
the club members had caught fish there this week and it was where the couple came
in third. We ran to it.
Another club member was already there. He had a limit, too, on top earlier down the
lake. That made me think everyone would have a lot of fish. We went to the other
side of the riprap and fished down it, me throwing the Rico and my partner trying
some other stuff. No bites.
The guy that told me about the spot where I got my fifth keeper told me about a
brush pile just off the riprap here and we kept probing for it. I had picked up a 3/16
ounce W-3 Tackle Tip Up Jig head with a black Trick worm on it. I cast it to the
corner of the riprap and a fish picked it up and started off with it - When I set the
hook I knew it was a good fish but I was using a lighter outfit than the topwater. I
was throwing the Rico on a six foot med-heavy Lightning Rod Pistol Grip,
Ambassadeur reel and 15 pound Xtra Tough P-Line. The jig head outfit was on a 7
foot St. Croix med action with light tip, Pflueger reel and 12 pound P-Line
Fluorocarbon.
This fish fought hard and jumped way out of the water twice. I did land it - solid
2.5 pound 16 inch fish. A few minutes later another fish started out with my
jighead worm and I caught a twin to this one - I had now culled my two 15 inch fish
and everything I had was better than two pounds.
My partner got in my jig box and tied on a similar jig head and got one of my Trick
worms. We fished the riprap for a while longer and I got one more 15 inch bass -
didn’t help me any at all. Partner never got a hit.
We noticed the current had quit moving at about 10:00 - Oconee is a pumpback lake
and they pumpback water each morning and create a current. When there is no
current the bite on riprap is pretty dead.
I tied on a 10.5 inch Zoom Old Monster worm with a 6/0 hook and 3/16 ounce lead
and told my partner I was looking for a kicker fish. We started hitting deeper brush
piles and docks. I caught a 13 inch bass off the first one we hit, then got a 14 inch
keeper - but no help.
Heading back down the lake we hit several deep docks and brush. On one I threw
the big worm to the dock and it started moving off - I set the hook and landed a bass
that was just the same length as the worm when they were held up together. My
partner finally got a 16 inch bass on one of my jig heads off the nearby rocky point
and I caught some more 13 inch bass.
Just after noon we headed to one of my deep holes near the dam - one that often
produces I sit in 27 feet of water on top of a river ledge and throw deeper - there is
brush along the drop and on top. There was no current, a bad sign, and nothing hit
so we decided to spend the last hour fishing nearby deep docks - I caught five more
throwbacks on the big worm and my partner got a couple of short fish.
At weigh-in I culled my nine bass by looking at them - four were definitely bigger,
then there were two about the same size and two more definitely smaller. I had
12.27 pounds - good for third. Second was the guy I saw at the riprap - he had
12.42. I wish I had culled closer now, using a balance beam or scales! He had one
decent kicker fish. First was 13.76 and he had a 4.68 pound big fish. I was happy
with my catch but disappointed with my place. It took only 6.39 for fourth and only
the top three had limits.
Congrats to Sunshine for her first place co-angler at the WBT!
Spalding County Sportsman Club tournament - Lake Oconee - June 24
Water temp low 80s and a little stain - sunny and very hot. Start time 6:00 AM,
stop at 2:00 PM - 14 inch size limit. Some current early from pumpback but it
stopped by 10:00 AM
I talked with several people that had fished Oconee in the past couple of weeks -
two in a local club that fished a week before us, a guy that placed third in a couple’s
tournament there with his wife two weeks before, and a local guide, Al Bassett. All
said the topwater bite was good early then go to docks and brushpiles with plastics.
At blast-off I ran to a main lake point with riprap and docks where the channel
swings by. Al had told me that was a good topwater spot. First pass I got a 13 inch
throwback on a Rico popper then turned and on the second pass got three more.
They were all in close to the rocks - fun but no keepers. My partner caught one
short fish on a jig and missed several other bites.
Next stop was a similar point a club fisherman said he caught several keepers on the
week before. There was a boat on it so I kept going to my favorite point, a big
point between a major creek and the river. I started on a wood sea wall with riprap
and deep water - no bites. After working around a pocket where many mayflies
were hatching I got worried - nothing was eating them but some birds, including two
beautiful red, white and black woodpeckers. They would fly within feet of the boat
chasing the mayflies. But we didn’t even see any bream hitting on top, a bad sign.
The next rocky point on the other side of the cove my partner missed a fish on a
Sammy - twice. I thought it might be a hybrid since it missed. I started to leave
but decided to work down the seawall a little further even tho the water was getting
shallow. On a cast that fell within inches of the seawall a 15 inch fish slammed the
Rico as soon as I moved it - fought good and I put it in the livewell - finally a keeper
at 6:45.
I fished to the end of the seawall and turned back. I told my partner I was seeing a
pattern - most of my bites on the first place and the one here came within inches of
the bank. I said that as my plug hit within a few inches of the seawall and a bass
slammed it before I could even move it. This one was a solid 16 inch fish - two in
the livewell at 6:50 AM
We jumped across the cove mouth and started on the point we first stopped on,
going the other way. After fishing about 150 yards down it without a bite I started
to leave again since we were entering a cove and all the fish seemed to be on the
outside. But in this cove I had caught some good fish, especially in May, so I kept
going. It was somewhat in the shade from the rising sun, too.
On a rocky bank half way into the shallow cove a fish sucked the Rico under and I
thought it was a small fish, until it got near the boat and ran under it. Got the fish to
the net and it was another solid 16 inch keeper. Three in the boat at 7:20.
Just ahead of us was a small wooden dock with five boat slips, a community dock
for the nearby houses. I have caught good bass off that dock and my first cast with
the Rico a bass sucked it under right at the corner of the first slip. Again I t thought
it was small but then it turned and I saw it was much bigger than thought - turned
out to be my biggest of the day, just under 3 pounds. Four in the boat at 7:25. It did
not fight hard which was lucky, it was barely lip hooked by one back hook on the
plug. All the fish I had caught up till then had the whole plug in their mouth and I
had to use pliers to unhook them. This one just fell off the hook.
My very next cast to the next boat slip produced another hit on the corner. My
partner and I both saw the fish come up and suck the Rico in - and saw the plug
come out as it fought. We could see the fish good - another one around 3 pounds.
That broke my heart - could have filled my limit at 7:30 with a good fish.
My partner had been throwing a jig and a Little Critter Craw the whole time and
getting bites, but no fish. I had offered him a Rico but he stuck with what he was
using. Did not throw topwater even tho he had gotten two bites on a Sammy.
We hit the cove hard since there had been three good keepers there and I caught
several 13 inch bass on top. Even got a nice bluegill off the rocks where I had
caught the third keeper. Partner got a bluegill on his Little Critter Craw. We backed
off this bank and I drug a Carolina rigged Baby Brush How in Green Pumpkin with
Chartreuse tail along it - that bait has worked good for me where bluegill were
schooled, but never got a bite.
Time to head up the lake - sun was high and it was getting hot already at 8:30. I ran
up a shady bank but did not stop - several boats fishing it. We ran several miles to a
place another club member said he got several keepers the week before. It was a
main lake point with rocks and riprap - but the sun was on it. We fished it anyway.
On the upstream side was a little pocket lined with riprap and some shade. I threw
the Rico just off the rocks in the shade and got hit - another 16 inch bass. Five in the
livewell at 8:30 - probably had close to10 pounds. Time to relax and try to catch
some to cull.
I told my partner to choose what to do - he still had not caught a keeper. We went
to a nearby bridge and fished the shady side riprap for a while - bunch of bream hits
but no bass. I told him another bridge was a few miles away and Al and some of
the club members had caught fish there this week and it was where the couple came
in third. We ran to it.
Another club member was already there. He had a limit, too, on top earlier down the
lake. That made me think everyone would have a lot of fish. We went to the other
side of the riprap and fished down it, me throwing the Rico and my partner trying
some other stuff. No bites.
The guy that told me about the spot where I got my fifth keeper told me about a
brush pile just off the riprap here and we kept probing for it. I had picked up a 3/16
ounce W-3 Tackle Tip Up Jig head with a black Trick worm on it. I cast it to the
corner of the riprap and a fish picked it up and started off with it - When I set the
hook I knew it was a good fish but I was using a lighter outfit than the topwater. I
was throwing the Rico on a six foot med-heavy Lightning Rod Pistol Grip,
Ambassadeur reel and 15 pound Xtra Tough P-Line. The jig head outfit was on a 7
foot St. Croix med action with light tip, Pflueger reel and 12 pound P-Line
Fluorocarbon.
This fish fought hard and jumped way out of the water twice. I did land it - solid
2.5 pound 16 inch fish. A few minutes later another fish started out with my
jighead worm and I caught a twin to this one - I had now culled my two 15 inch fish
and everything I had was better than two pounds.
My partner got in my jig box and tied on a similar jig head and got one of my Trick
worms. We fished the riprap for a while longer and I got one more 15 inch bass -
didn’t help me any at all. Partner never got a hit.
We noticed the current had quit moving at about 10:00 - Oconee is a pumpback lake
and they pumpback water each morning and create a current. When there is no
current the bite on riprap is pretty dead.
I tied on a 10.5 inch Zoom Old Monster worm with a 6/0 hook and 3/16 ounce lead
and told my partner I was looking for a kicker fish. We started hitting deeper brush
piles and docks. I caught a 13 inch bass off the first one we hit, then got a 14 inch
keeper - but no help.
Heading back down the lake we hit several deep docks and brush. On one I threw
the big worm to the dock and it started moving off - I set the hook and landed a bass
that was just the same length as the worm when they were held up together. My
partner finally got a 16 inch bass on one of my jig heads off the nearby rocky point
and I caught some more 13 inch bass.
Just after noon we headed to one of my deep holes near the dam - one that often
produces I sit in 27 feet of water on top of a river ledge and throw deeper - there is
brush along the drop and on top. There was no current, a bad sign, and nothing hit
so we decided to spend the last hour fishing nearby deep docks - I caught five more
throwbacks on the big worm and my partner got a couple of short fish.
At weigh-in I culled my nine bass by looking at them - four were definitely bigger,
then there were two about the same size and two more definitely smaller. I had
12.27 pounds - good for third. Second was the guy I saw at the riprap - he had
12.42. I wish I had culled closer now, using a balance beam or scales! He had one
decent kicker fish. First was 13.76 and he had a 4.68 pound big fish. I was happy
with my catch but disappointed with my place. It took only 6.39 for fourth and only
the top three had limits.
