Oconee Report

[Ralph Cordell]

Fished this last Saturday and Sunday (March 12 & 1&) in Towns Creek area. Used minnows all along the bank, little cove with dead pine tree, off island. Got skunked on crappie. Water was moderately muddy. Temp was 54-56 on Saturday and 59-60 on Sunday. Tossed a spinner bait w yellow Colorado blades - one strike just off the point by the dead pine. Unlucky 13th - was running in Blue Springs Basin - wind caught a plastic bucket - took it over the side along with my Wally Marshall rod and cardinal spin reel. Oconee now has 4 of my rods - 2 to fish that jerked them in - 3 to stupidity on my part.

[GABoy]

Fished this last Saturday and Sunday (March 12 & 1&) in Towns Creek area. Used minnows all along the bank, little cove with dead pine tree, off island. Got skunked on crappie. Water was moderately muddy. Temp was 54-56 on Saturday and 59-60 on Sunday. Tossed a spinner bait w yellow Colorado blades - one strike just off the point by the dead pine. Unlucky 13th - was running in Blue Springs Basin - wind caught a plastic bucket - took it over the side along with my Wally Marshall rod and cardinal spin reel. Oconee now has 4 of my rods - 2 to fish that jerked them in - 3 to stupidity on my part.

Man....that stinks!!!

I might be going diving in the Blue Springs Basin area....hee hee

[JimmyS]

Man Ralph, You had a rough trip. I know how you feel losing your reel and rod. That was costly.I had a large mouth bass pull one of mine in but I was lucky enough to get it back. The cork poped up about fifty feet out and I tied a deep diving crank bait on my other rod and cast over my line and reeled it in, Man was I happy to get it back. Better luck next time! Jimmy S.

[GABoy]

Man Ralph, You had a rough trip. I know how you feel losing your reel and rod. That was costly.I had a large mouth bass pull one of mine in but I was lucky enough to get it back. The cork poped up about fifty feet out and I tied a deep diving crank bait on my other rod and cast over my line and reeled it in, Man was I happy to get it back. Better luck next time! Jimmy S.

As if fishing isn't already expensive enough with the gas prices these days, huh???

[JimA]

Ralph - Good to see you posting again. Sorry your trip was so crappy -- Not Crappie. My golf game is such that at the end of the day when asked how it went I always replied that it was great -- no one got hurt and didn't lose any clubs. This especially so when playing those best ball company events with lots of cold beverages ! Sorry you lost your clubs !! I've had stumps snatch em and catfish take em over the side and it sure does hurt your feelings ! JimA

[Ralph Cordell]

Thanks for the condolences. I consider it a learning experience. I was not in the navy but am beginning to appreciate some of the things I've heard about basic training. There is no substitute for organization on a boat/ship - whether it be an aircraft carrier or a bass boat. Carelessness will ultimately win out. It also shows that fishing can be rough on fishermen and equipment - just think of those fellows in "The Perfect Storm". Last - one of my new past-times is rod building and this will give me an excuse to build myself a new crappie rod.

Am on vacation next week - hope to spend a lot of time out on Oconee. I keep my boat at Blue Springs - the folks there know me pretty well. My pic is on the wall with a 6' channel cat I caught on an ultralight. Have been mistaken for Santa Claus. I drive an old Chrysler 5th Ave or Buick Roadmonster (wife's car) and a 16' Nitro with a 90hp Merc. If you see me - give me a holler. Will probably be fishing the Oconee area - Town's Creek is one of my favorite spots and I've told my wife she could sprinkle my ashes there when I die. Lord knows I've eaten enough fish from there - payback seems only fair. A viking funeral would be neat too. Just fill the ol Nitro with kerosene and moi, tow that sucker up the Oconee and light it. However, EPA would probably have a fit.

[JimA]

I'm working next week, hope to get there couple days the following week, so be sure to post results. They've got to be right on it any day now - you may hit it just right. I'm going to have to check out that big cat. Good Luck, JimA

[reelcrappie]

Sorry to hear about your loss. I've buried a few at sea also. I'm on vacation next week too. Going to West Point Sunday and come home the folowing Saturday. I'll be camped at Holliday campgrounds so I will fish Veasey, Stroud and wehadkee most of the time. Hope the weather cooperates but I'm going to fish every day all day long no matter what!

[GABoy]

Sorry to hear about your loss. I've buried a few at sea also. I'm on vacation next week too. Going to West Point Sunday and come home the folowing Saturday. I'll be camped at Holliday campgrounds so I will fish Veasey, Stroud and wehadkee most of the time. Hope the weather cooperates but I'm going to fish every day all day long no matter what!

For this past weekend Veasey and Stroud produced pretty well even considering the weather conditions......try to find you a place somewhere about 10ft deep and see if you can spot the fish on the fish finder....I imagine they will be somewhere in that neighborhood.

About 12 years ago or so....my buddies and I were fishing in a little jon boat at night at a lake....we went into a cove and start night fishing....drinking etc.....and one friend got up to use the bathroom and flipped the boat over when he fell......so I think I might have you all beat on that one.....I lost an entire tacklebox.....and about 4 or 5 rods...a coleman lantern......not to mention I had to take my jacket off and my boots off so I could swim to shore.......so they are still around there somewhere too......talk about a mess......

[reelcrappie]

Thanks for the info. That is usually a good area. Unless the weather messes up real bad, cold fronts etc. I would expect them to be shallow and on the beds by the middle of the week. Last year I went on the last week of April and missed the best part of the spawn. Three cold fronts back to back that week, windy,raw and wet but I still managed to catch fish just had to fish hard for them.