first trip to Oconee

Went Friday and put in at Sugar Creek ramp at daybreak. My truck was the only one in the lot. I've never fished here before, and have only just begun to learn to long-line. I just got the Driftmaster rod holders put on the day before. I decided to just use jigs this trip. I fished in the creek near the ramp, generally meandering south under the bridge. The water was very stained, almost muddy, and there was a lot of debris and some big logs floating around. I had been warned by numerous folks to watch out for submerged stumps and timber, and pay attention to the hazard buoys, so drove slow and cautiously. I have Navionics+ card in my FF and these areas were pretty well marked on the mapping, but I need to learn a lake a bit before I start gadding about at higher speeds.

I caught a small crappie and a white bass before moving on down the lake. I went under 44 bridge and fished around a couple coves, as well as down the road bank. I was marking a lot of fish, but most weren't biting. I started trolling a cove north of Lick Creek and started catching a few, mostly small. I wasn't keeping fish today, but few were over 10" anyway. I was using Charlie Brewer and Southern Pro curly tails on a double jig rig with a 1/8 and a 1/32 jig head, trolling in about 20-25' of water. I lost a lot of jigs on snags when I would get much shallower.

I never did get down to Lick Creek, but I'll explore farther next time. I'm already looking at the weather channel to plan my next trip. Here's a couple pics:
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Thanks for the report. Good job!

Not bad for your first trip!!! Good report

Not as good as your results on the same day, Jim. Wish I'd been where you were!

That’s muddy water. Nice catch


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