Oconee On The Fly

BY CAPTAIN WAYNE MOORE – USCG LICENSED

Now is the time!

Forecast for Fall / Winter 2021 (Fly Fishing)

I always look back at the past year for what were my best trips and why. Starting in the end of October and all the way through the first week in December were fantastic for stripers and hybrids. Trolling for crappie was good as well.

The main reason was that the water temperatures were in the 60-degree range. Also, there were many mornings that Georgia Power pumped water up from Lake Sinclair. This stimulates the surface bite and for the fly fisherman it’s a beautiful thing.

I’ll always advise my fly-fishing customers of the conditions before the trip. If you spin fish too, that’s a great back up plan.

Hybrids / Stripers (spinning tackle) – This is a great time of year to get on some big hybrids. We deploy many different methods. Long lining bass minnows is easy, productive, and we can cover a lot of water. We also down line minnows and this gives the angler an opportunity to get more numbers of fish.

Finally, my favorite way to catch hybrids and stripers this time of year is following the birds (gulls). Once we see them dive bombing the bait fish we approach carefully from a distance and make long casts with spoons, jiffy jigs, and top water lures.

Here is a Atlanta Falcons cheerleader with a nice Hybrid taken November 21st last year!

Crappie –

From now through Christmas, long lining for crappie should be good mid lake. This is my favorite way to catch crappie. I like to troll double jigs in a June Bug color. This method produces good numbers of fish. If the water temperatures drop, I will get out my long “Pushing” poles. I set up two anglers in the front of the boat and push (very slowly) hal fly type jigs out of the front of the boat. This method generally produces bigger fish.

Final Words

Book your trip well in advance. I am extremely busy this time of year. If you want to fish this fall / winter bite, please call 404-317-9556 or e-mail me at wmoore1700@outlook.com or and lock in your dates.

Tight Lines,

Captain Wayne

Big News! Accepting weekend and weekday bookings beginning March 2021

That is right! For the past three years I have been guiding primarily on the weekends. After 40 years, I have retired from my day job selling software to physicians and I can now accommodate trips during the week.
All trips are $300.00 half day for up to three anglers. You can add a fourth angler for an additional $50.00. If the fourth angler is 16 years old or younger this is waived. All tackle, bait, light snacks, and soft drinks are provided. You just need to have a fishing license and to show up!

E-mail the dates you want to wmoore1700@outlook.com , text or call 404-317-9556.

Forecast for April 2021

Hybrids / Stripers (spinning tackle) – April is the beginning of the top water bite for stripers and hybrids. No matter what type of fishing you like to do, it is one of the best months to fish Lake Oconee.

We will begin the month long-lining bass minnows from mid lake to the dam and up the Richland Creek Branch all the way to the Ritz. The set up is simple and its a fun way to fish. I use medium / heavy spinning rods spooled with 12 lb. test. On the business end is a swivel to keep the line from twisting, a leader of 10 lb. fluorocarbon, and finally a #4 circle hook. This a small hook for our quarry, but it allows the minnow to swim freely. I run 4 of these rigs off the back of the boat and troll between .05 to .09 mph. When a fish hits, the rod will double over and the fight is on!

Hybrids / Stripers (fly fishing) – Early April, fly fishing will be hit or miss. The bite will be for the first hour after day light and the last hour before sunset. The best fly fishing here occurs when Georgia Power pumps water up from Lake Sinclair. They do this when power demand is high, usually in warmer temperatures. They do not publish a generation schedule. I recommend doing a combo trip (fly fishing and spin fishing) so if the fly bite is off, you can still have a great day. The shad spawn usually occurs towards the end of April. This will provide a good opportunity for fly fishermen at first light as the hybrids and stripers move shallow to feed on the spawning shad.

Here are some pics from trips in April over the last three years:

Crappie –

There are several good options in April for crappie fishing. If the fish are bedding, I like to “beat the banks.” One method is to cast a 1/24th jiffy jig under a weighted bobber to the shoreline; no minnow needed. Work it slowly back to the boat jiggling the rod tip slightly. When you hit an area with a bed, you can load up. Of course, the traditional minnow under a bobber method will work well if you do not cast into the bushes along the bank.

The other method is to use a 5-weight fly rod. You can use the same 1/24th jiffy jig under a strike indicator. Better yet, try the new micro game changer fly. Its looks just like a small shad.

If the fish are not on the bed, long lining jigs behind the boat is a tried-and-true method. It allows you to cover a lot of water and be adjusting the weight of the jig you use; you can target fish at various depths.

Here are some pics from crappie trips in April over the last three years:

Book your trip early and enjoy the great fishing on Lake Oconee!

Tight Lines,

Captain Wayne

June brings great opportunities to catch hybrids and stripers on U-rigs, spoons and live bait!. All trips $300.00 half day for up to 3 anglers (add a fourth angler for $50.00)! E-mail the dates you want to wmoore1700@outlook.com or call 404-317-9556.

Hybrids / Stripers – Fishing in June is productive both early morning and in the afternoon. It’s best to start your morning trip at first light. It’s a wonderful experience to be on the lake and watch the sunrise with hardly any other boats on the water.

We will start the trip looking for hybrids and stripers feeding on the surface. If you like to fish spinning rods, we will be throwing popping corks, sassy shads, and even small spoons. If you are a fly fisherman, we use a wiggle minnow for topwater bites and a Cowen’s “Somthin Else” fly for sub surface fish. Nothing beats the rush of catching a hybrid or striper on the surface!

For an afternoon trip, we break out the umbrella rig and fish humps near the dam. Spoons work great at this time as well and is such an easy way to catch these strong fighting fish.

If it is hot, Georgia Power will likely be pulling water. Moving water really gets the fish biting!
Here are some pics from an afternoon late May last year:

Crappie – Long line trolling for crappie over submerged timber is producing good numbers early in the day. As we move closer to June, brush pile fishing is the ticket. We look for submerged timber in fairly deep water. Once we find the structure, we use the spot lock and “jog” feature on the Minn Kota Ulterra trolling motor to position us near (but not over) the brush pile. Then just drop minnows down to catch those slabs.

Book your trip early and enjoy the great fishing on Lake Oconee!

Tight Lines,

Captain Wayne

It’s our time of year! Recreational boaters are all but gone, it is cooler, and the bite will just get better through the fall and winter. Come on out for stripers, hybrids, or crappie fishing! All trips $300.00 half day! E-mail the dates you want to wmoore1700@outlook.com or call 404-317-9556.

Crappie – The long line bite has finally taken off. However, right now they are in submerged timber. I use Curtis Hobbs jigs with lite wire hooks so the hook will easily bend off when you get hung up on a tree. This is a great trip for 3 anglers and an easy way to fish. Trolling 8 rods out of the back of the boat, clients can just relax and reel in the crappie! As we move into November and beyond, I’ll be pushing jigs out of the front of the boat. This is a great trip for 2 anglers, and you have the opportunity to catch some very large crappie. I push 8 14-foot rods on millennium rod holders and two very comfortable millennium seats. All the angler has to do is lift the rod and put the crappie on ice!

Hybrids and Stripers / Spin Fishing – As of this writing the temperature is finally beginning to drop and as we move into late fall and winter hybrid / striper fishing will pick up significantly. This is the time of year when we can long line live shiners and crank baits for larger fish. There is also often a topwater bite and throwing white rooster tales or sassy shad jigs to the rising fish is a blast!

Hybrids and Stripers / Fly Fishing – In late October, if we are blessed with water being is pumped up from Lake Sinclair early in the morning, fly fishing will be good. In November when the gulls show up, I will be chasing the birds and throwing a Cowen’s “Somethin Else” fly on sink tip. In December, there are times when the fly rod will out produce other methods of fishing.

Book your trip early and enjoy the great fall and winter fishing on Lake Oconee!

Tight Lines,
Captain Wayne

Fall and winter is the best time of year to come fish Lake Oconee and customers are pre-booking for September through December 2019 now. Hybrid and striper fishing, top water bite will be good and crappie trips, excellent. All trips $300.00 half day! E-mail the dates you want to wmoore1700@outlook.com or call 404-317-9556.

Looking back at Spring / Summer 2019 – We had some great trips this Spring and Summer. Even all the way through mid-June we enjoyed a solid bite with some trips that were off the charts. Just before Father’s Day I had the pleasure of taking a gentleman and his two grandsons out for a morning trip. The 5-year-old landed an 8- pound, 9-ounce striper. This was followed by a triple catch where 3 rods doubled up at once; all with hefty Hybrids:

Fall Forecast / Hybrids and Stripers / Fly Fishing – As soon as the temperatures begin to drop, the bite will pick up. This means that for light spinning tackle anglers, we will be long lining shad and bass minnows. Fewer boats on the water and much more comfortable weather is great for the fish and the fisherman.

In late October, the gulls will arrive and thus our best shot as fisherman begins. We simply follow the birds, approach as quietly as possible, and make long casts to the rising fish. Looking back at my logs for 2018, December was the most productive month for fly fishing.

Fall Crappie Fishing – In the Summer, the crappie are in deeper water and often hundreds congregate around a single tree. As Fall approaches and the water cools down they will begin to scatter. In early fall they will be plentiful in the mouth of Lick Creek. As it gets colder they will move further North and we will begin to push jigs out of the front of the boat for extremely large crappie.