The Georgia Wildlife Resources Division (GWRD) that manages the fishery at Lake Oconee has not yet completed their fishery forecast for 2014 but several actions are already planned for the lake’s fishery this year. The fishery forecast made each year by the GWRD results from gill netting and electroshocking during the previous year and allows the fisheries biologist at GWRD to forecast how each fish species in the lake will do in the following year.

Last year, downstream from Lake Oconee at Lake Sinclair a number of grasses and algae appeared over as large portion of the lake. Fisheries biologists for the GWRD believe that the expansion of the grasses in Lake Sinclair last year may have been related to the flush of nutrients from surrounding watersheds due to all the rain we had in the area last year. That could again spell trouble for Lake Sinclair due to the heavy rains we have seen over the last few months.

Many reservoirs in Georgia also saw grass problems during the late summer and fall but Lake Oconee for the most part was not impacted by the influx of grass and algae. There were a few isolated cases but none like those that occurred in Lake Sinclair. Only time will tell once warmer temperatures arrive whether Lake Oconee will have any significant grass problems this year.

Let me quickly say that when discussing grass and algae, I am referring to problem grasses and not native grasses like water willow which has major benefits to the lake and its fishery. The GWRD plans to continue the planting of water willow in Lake Oconee.

“We do plan to continue planting and transplanting native water willow this summer at Lake Oconee,” said Chris Nelson, GWRD fisheries biologist.

The water willow plantings in Lake Oconee over the last several years have occurred around uninhabited areas and around lake islands. In some areas the planted water willow has strived but in some areas it has not done well due to boat traffic. Water willow is native to the Oconee River basin and was actively growing along the area of the Oconee River that was flooded when Lake Oconee was constructed.

The GWRD has placed fish attractors in Lake Oconee for the last few years and has plans to continue that project.

“We plan to fabricate (artificial and natural) and install fish attractors this spring and summer,” said Nelson. I should soon have GPS locations for those attractors that have been previously placed in the lake by GWRD and will announce their availability in a future article.

Regarding the Lake Oconee fishery, it continues to change with a growing population of flathead and blue catfish. There will continue to be fewer channel catfish as those two species expand in the lake. In a recent article, I stated that surely someone would break the flathead catfish record of 44 pounds an 10 ounces and sure enough a new record was established back on April 16 of last year when Claude Spires reeled in a 45 pound and 12 ounce flathead.

The GWRD plans to continue stocking striped bass and hybrid bass this spring and has shifted to stocking more hybrid bass and fewer striped bass in the lake. The striped bass have not done well in Lake Oconee and there is a growing number of anglers who target the somewhat easier to catch hybrid bass. Last year 290k hybrid bass and 97k striped bass were added to the lake. The stocking of striped bass and hybrid bass continues to be controversial with some anglers who pursue largemouth bass. Some of those anglers believe that striped bass eat largemouth bass. However, all the studies that I have seen debunk that theory. Studies indicate that the majority of the fish eaten by striped bass and hybrid bass are shad. They might occasionally eat other fish but there main meal is shad.

The slot limit covering largemouth bass in Lake Oconee may change in the near future. The GWRD has been studying the slot limit over the last calendar year.

“As far as the slot study goes, we have made progress,” said Nelson. “We just have a bit left to do.”

Nelson went on to say that the GWRD would like to try and obtain angler input and/or opinions regarding the slot limit. The GWRD is continuing to work on a process for getting angler input on the slot limit. “The final step of the process will be to host a public input meeting and/or public hearing to gather additional information and to possibly change the regulation,” Nelson said.

As soon as GWRD completes their fishery projections based on last year’s electroshocking and gill net surveys, I will pass that information along in a future article. In the meantime the weather is warming so get out there and catch some fish. Good fishing and see you next week.

Bobby Peoples writes a weekly outdoor column. Send email to him at brpeoples@windstream.net.