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Page C6
Lake Oconee News
Friday, December 11, 2015
The fall to winter transition
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All species of fish in Lake
Sinclair and Lake Oconee
go through a transition
when fall weather gives way
to winter. You cannot look
at the calendar to get an
answer to when this tran
sition will occur. The tran
sition relates to water tem
perature and its impact on
where the fish are located.
As the water cools and
turns cold, most of the fish
will move to deep water.
The first day of winter
occurs every year on
December 22 but do not look
for the fish to react one way
or the other on that date.
Some years colder weather
sends water temperatures
plummeting even in early
November and other years
like the present one where
colder weather may not
arrive until late December
or even January. We also
have some years when sig
nificant cold weather never
arrives.
Last year the immediate
area saw a very mild winter
and many of the fish never
really transitioned to their
normal wintertime deeper
locations. This year, the fish
have continued to remain
in relatively shallow water
due to the mild weather.
We have seen a few nights
already when the air tem
peratures have fallen to the
freezing mark but then we
have an immediate warmup
and there was little impact
on the water temperature.
Water temperatures have
remained in the middle to
low 60s and those tempera
tures will keep the fish in
shallow water longer.
When the water tem
peratures fall into the low
50s and upper 40s the fish
seek out deeper water where
they remain until a signifi
cant water warming occurs.
Until those colder water
temperatures arrive the fish
have no reason to leave the
shallow water. The shad
that the fish like largemouth
bass, hybrid bass, striped
bass and crappie feed on are
also still shallow.
However, once the
baitfish react to colder water
temperatures and move to
deeper locations, the other
fish that feed on shad will
also follow along to feed.
Now let me quickly point
out that not all of the fish
will move to deeper water. I
think some largemouth bass
(especially bigger bass) stay
in relatively shallow water
all year. Many wintertime
fishing tournaments are
won by anglers casting a
jig around docks when the
water temperatures may
be in the upper 40s. Those
anglers may only get a few
strikes but usually those
strikes produce big fish.
Even after a majority
of fish move to deeper
water, they will still move
to relatively shallow water
on warm days to feed on
shad that have also moved
shallow. Shallow water will
warm quickly and the fish
react to those conditions.
Anglers have to be savvy
about water temperatures
and weather conditions
each time they go fishing
during winter.
As an angler who loves
to fish during the winter,
I prefer the water tem
peratures to drop into the
middle/upper 40s and stay
there for a good length of
time. That usually insures
that the fish gather in deep
water and can be caught on
my favorite winter lure: the
jigging spoon. Often large
mouth bass, hybrid bass,
striped bass and crappie can
be caught in the same loca
tions when the fish school in
deep water.
If water temperatures
don’t drop into the upper
40s to low 50s, the fish will-
remain scattered in both
shallow and deep water.
Then, the fish can be hard to
locate and catch consistent
ly. I would rate last year’s
wintertime angling on
Lakes Oconee and Sinclair
as an off year due to the very
mild winter. A colder winter
will produce much better
angling because the fish will
congregate in large schools.
All the weather forecasts
I have seen are predicting
another mild winter, so it’s
anybody’s guess if we will
see water temperatures fall
into the 40s this year.
Anglers right now are
catching several species in
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GSU
Continued from Cl
no longer dominated. Army,
Illinois and Texas shared
the title that year.
In 1917, Georgia Tech
became the first team to win
the title outright since Yale
had done it 1909.
On and on it goes with all
sorts of teams awarded titles
Welcome to the Briar Patch
\0Till
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Jfr&tantim illessettger
100 N. Jefferson Ave. Eatonton, GA 31024
706-485-3501
Lake Oconee News
1106 Market St. Greensboro, GA 30642
r- . vA. At.
LAKE CONDITIONS - The main lake is moderately stained
up the rivers with slight stain elsewhere except in Richland
Creek which is clear.
LAKE WATER TEMPERATURE - 58-64
LARGEMOUTH BASS - FAIR - The fish are in the coves
and the creeks. The docks, seawalls, rocky banks and
shoreline woody structure will produce fish on crankbaits
that imitate shad. Spinnerbaits and jigs have been best but
small crankbaits have also been good. A number of other
baits will catch fish now as the fish feed up on shad. With
the heavily stained water chartreuse continues to be the
best color.
CRAPPIE -GOOD -The crappie are in the brushpiles and
underwater timber that is in or near the mouths of coves.
Anglers trolling over timber at the mouths of larger coves
and in the coves are catching fish. Chartreuse jigs have been
the best color.
HYBRID/STRIPED/WHITE BASS - GOOD -The fish are
in the coves and creeks feeding heavily on shad. Jigging
spoons and live bait are the best choices now.
CATFISH - NO REPORT.
shallow water where the
shad are located. When I tell
my wife we need some cold
weather for better fishing,
she just shrugs her shoulder
and gives me a “who cares”
look. My wife does not like
cold weather, but I tell her
she can always throw on
another blanket or throw
another log on the fire.
The winter fishing
season can produce great
fishing. For consistently
catching crappie nothing
beats trolling crappie
jigs and minnows during
cold weather. Other good
lures for catching large
mouth, hybrid, striped and
white bass include jigs, an
Alabama rig, an umbrella
rig and deep diving crank
baits. Live bait also works
very well in both lakes.
I would rate the overall
winter fishing on Lake
Oconee better than Lake
Sinclair. The birds really
work Lake Oconee better
than Lake Sinclair, and
they can lead you to some
great fishing. Lake Sinclair
no longer has the warming
effects of Plant Branch and
that is a negative for Lake
Sinclair. I hope old man
winter will cooperate and
give us some cold weather
but don’t tell my wife I said
that. Good fishing and see
you next week.
by all sorts of organizations
with no end to the arguing
in sight
Colorado and Georgia
Tech shared the title in
1990 even though Colorado
had lost a game and should
have lost another when of
ficials gave them five downs
against Missouri. But it does
no good to bring that up.
The Associated Press was
more impressed by Colorado
beating Notre Dame in the
Orange Bowl than Tech’s
win over Nebraska in the
Citrus.
But now we have a playoff
so no more sharing. We shall
have one champion and
everyone else can go suck
eggs.
Or else that’s the theory.
But it will never completely
eliminate the arguing.
In 1951, six teams were
undefeated at the end of the
regular season, including
Tennessee, Michigan State,
Maryland, Illiniois, Georgia
Tech and Princeton.
How would the playoff
committee chose between
those six? beef.
It is unlikely that my
alma mater will ever win a
national championship, but
I’m not concerned about
that.
So as sports editor of the
Lake Oconee News, I hereby
make the following known
to our readers:
Whereas, Georgia Tech
stunk it up this year and
won only three games and
lost to Georgia; and
Whereas, Georgia had
to go to overtime to beat
Georgia Southern while
my Panthers spanked the
Eagles 34-7.
Now, therefore it is pro
claimed by T. Michael Stone
and the Lake Oconee News
that Georgia State Univer
sity is awarded the Georgia
College Football Champion
ship for the year 2015.
In witness whereof, I have
hereunto said all that and
won’t say no more!
You are entitled to
disagree.
BRING THE KIDS TO
SEE SANTA!
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