Georgia River Fishing Information

Lower Ocmulgee River

The lower Ocmulgee River is large and sluggish with many meandering bends and some oxbow lakes. The river offers a variety of fishing opportunities, and anglers can look to the Ocmulgee's lower portion for bass, bream and catfish.  

Guide to Fishing and Floating the Lower Ocmulgee River [1]  in PDF (2.33MB).  This document contains access and fishing tip information and a color map with river-mile designations.

Prospects and Fishing Tips

Best Bets

REDEAR SUNFISH, CATFISH, BLUEGILL & LARGEMOUTH BASS

Largemouth bass
Prospect	Expect bass catches slightly below average, with most averaging 12-16 inches, but be prepared for the occasional lunker in the 7 to 10-pound range.
Technique	Crankbaits, spinnerbiats, plastic worms and lizards are popular lures.
Target	Target oxbow lakes and slack-water areas containing overhanging willows and woody structure, especially during spring. In the summer, try fishing eddy pockets, the downstream end of sandbars and heavy cover along the banks.

Catfish
Prospect	Expect decent numbers of channel and flathead catfish catches this year. Most channel cats will average 1/2 - 2 1/2 pounds. Anglers are encouraged to harvest catches of flatheads. Late winter to late summer is considered the best time to target flatheads.
Technique	Utilize heavy-duty sporting tackle on limb or trotlines. Live baits work best; try fishing shiners, bream or Louisiana pinks.
Target	For flatheads, target areas around snags in the deep holes along outside bends of the river channel during the day.

Bream
Prospect	Bluegill, redear sunfish and redbreast sunfish all are present in the lower section of the river. Expect lower numbers of bream due to the low water levels that have persisted in the Ocmulgee throughout 2011.
Technique	For bluegill: Popular baits include crickets and catalpa worms fished near the bottom below a light cork. For redbreast sunfish: Fishing crickets or worms are most popular. Try fishing your bait suspended below a float just above the bottom or straight-lined on the bottom. For redear sunfish: Favorite baits are red wigglers or crickets fished near the bottom under a cork.
Target	When targeting bluegill try pitching bait around cover along the shoreline of oxbow lakes, sloughs, slack-water areas or eddy pockets. Target redbreast in flowing water around structure along creek and river channels. Also try the head and tail ends of sandbars. In late summer, target redear sunfish around woody debris and overhanging vines along the riverbank. In the fall, try fishing around flooded grasses and vegetation near mouths of oxbow lakes and creeks.

Best Fishing Times Key

Excellent:       Good:     Fair: