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Lake Oconee Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Lake Oconee: Georgia Power's 19,000-acre reservoir above Wallace Dam, known for spring crappie and a growing catfish fishery.

4/5
Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
Flow
161 cfs
Air / High
69 / 73 F
Wind
ENE 9 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 02218300, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

4/5Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Lake Oconee offers the kind of conditions this water was made for. The main inflow is running 161 cfs, falling. Today brings clear skies, wind ENE around 9 mph, falling pressure near 1024 hPa and a high of 73. Water sits around 74 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 10:09 AM-12:09 PM and 10:36 PM-12:36 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Largemouth bassExcellent

The main feeding season after the spawn: work moving baits along weed edges, points and wood, and follow up with a soft plastic where a fish swirls.

Catfish (blue, channel)Excellent

Spawning season from late May into summer: Iowa DNR suggests drifting bait under a float along riprap and snags where males guard nests in cavities.

Striped bassExcellent

Use electronics to find shad schools in open water, and watch for birds working over bait.

CrappieGood

Early in this band crappie are spawning in protected coves; afterward they move to docks, brush piles and standing timber near deeper water.

Tomorrow: Similar at 71 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Before you go

Georgia requires a fishing licence from age 16, from $15.00 for residents. What a Georgia licence costs and where to buy it →

Chasing largemouth bass here? Check the size and bag limits with GA DNR before you keep anything. The season dates for Georgia, read off the agency, are on the Georgia seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings from OCONEE RIVER NEAR PENFIELD, GA (inflow).

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 02218300.

267583900161 cfs09/2310/0310/1310/23

Today’s flow against 49 years of October 23

At 161 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 02218300 (OCONEE RIVER NEAR PENFIELD, GA (inflow)) is at the 9th percentile for the date: much below normal. In half of the 49 years of approved record the daily mean on October 23 was below 458 cfs; the highest was 1,310 cfs and the lowest 79 cfs.

p10 168median 458p90 880

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 02218300; today’s reading is the latest instantaneous value. Classes follow the ones the USGS used on its WaterWatch maps (retired at the end of 2025): below 10th, much below normal; 10th–24th, below; 25th–75th, normal; 76th–90th, above; over 90th, much above.

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp69 F
High / Low73 / 45 F
WindENE 9-11 mph
Pressure1023.5 hPa, falling
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:44 / 18:50
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~74 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Lake Oconee this week

The best day on Lake Oconee this week looks like Saturday Oct 24, at 5 out of 5, against 4 today.

Best day this week: Saturday, Oct 24 — excellent at 5/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 — Good

Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Solunar majors
10:09 AM-12:09 PM and 10:36 PM-12:36 AM
Minor period
4:30 AM-5:30 AM
Sun
07:44 to 18:50
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Clear, 10 mph
Rain chance
0%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

The species that matter on Lake Oconee: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: the spring pre-spawn and the fall feed

A warm-water sunfish of lakes, reservoirs, ponds and slow river backwaters that holds tight to cover: weeds, logs, rock ledges and docks. In Texas, TPWD surveys rank it "by far" the freshwater fish anglers most want to catch. The main feeding season after the spawn: work moving baits along weed edges, points and wood, and follow up with a soft plastic where a fish swirls.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Year-round, best at dusk and after dark

Three big catfish share most of the country's rivers and reservoirs: the channel catfish, the most widespread; the blue catfish, the largest; and the flathead, which hunts live fish. All feed mostly on or near the bottom. Spawning season from late May into summer: Iowa DNR suggests drifting bait under a float along riprap and snags where males guard nests in cavities.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: the spring spawn; summer around docks, brush and the thermocline

Two slab-sided panfish, the white crappie and the black crappie, that gather around submerged timber, brush piles, docks and bridge pilings in lakes, reservoirs and slow river backwaters. Texas Parks and Wildlife counts crappie as the state's most popular panfish. Early in this band crappie are spawning in protected coves; afterward they move to docks, brush piles and standing timber near deeper water.

Striped bass illustration

Striped bass

Best: spring and fall inland; on the coast, during the seasonal migrations

The largest of the temperate basses, a sea-run fish of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts that now also lives in reservoirs across much of the country after hatchery stocking. Inland, it follows schools of shad and herring through open water. Use electronics to find shad schools in open water, and watch for birds working over bait.

When to come: the Lake Oconee calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Largemouth bass
Catfish (blue, channel)
Crappie
Striped bass
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 74 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~74 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Lake Oconee today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Largemouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 76 F, wind to 5 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 76 F, wind to 5 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 76 F, wind to 7 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Georgia requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Georgia fishing license. Georgia rules (eRegulations, updated Aug. 27, 2026): largemouth bass 14-inch minimum on Lake Oconee (12 inches statewide) and 10 black bass a day; crappie 30 a day; striped and hybrid bass 15 a day in a combined temperate-bass limit, only 2 of them 22 inches or longer.

Access

Georgia Power lists six public access points it owns: Lawrence Shoals, Old Salem and Parks Ferry parks (campgrounds, beaches, ramps) and the Long Shoals, Armour Bridge and Sugar Creek boat ramps. That list comes from a relicensing brief prepared around 2014; check current status with Georgia Power.

About this water

About 19,000 acres (Georgia Power) on the Oconee River, Georgia; owned and operated by Georgia Power. River data on this page comes from USGS gauge 02218300, Oconee River near Penfield, the lake's main inflow.

Fishing Lake Oconee: the full guide

The lake

Georgia Power's fisheries brief for the Wallace Dam relicensing gives Lake Oconee 19,000 acres and 374 miles of shoreline on the Oconee River in Georgia's Piedmont; Wallace Dam discharges directly into Lake Sinclair. The larger arms are Richland Creek, the Apalachee River, Sugar Creek and Lick Creek.

The fishery

The brief says the lake is known for spring crappie fishing around standing timber and brush piles, and that a substantial catfish fishery keeps expanding: blue and flathead catfish introduced in recent years now include blues over 40 pounds. Tournament fishing mostly targets largemouth bass. The Georgia DNR stocks striped and hybrid bass, shifting toward hybrids because anglers prefer them.

Common questions

What is the bass size limit on Lake Oconee?

Largemouth bass must be at least 14 inches on Lake Oconee, against 12 inches statewide, and the daily limit is 10 black bass.

Is Lake Oconee good for catfish?

Georgia Power describes a substantial, expanding year-round catfish fishery, with some blue catfish over 40 pounds.

Who stocks Lake Oconee?

The Georgia DNR stocks striped bass and hybrid bass, increasingly hybrids.

Is fishing good at Lake Oconee right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Nearby waters

Lake Sinclair19 miLake Tobesofkee50 miClarks Hill Lake53 miLake Russell57 miThurmond Lake64 miLake Lanier68 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 02218300 — OCONEE RIVER NEAR PENFIELD, GA (inflow)
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 16:00 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 33.4210, -83.2820 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 12, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 12, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.