When I was a kid, my grandfathers would often say when the dogwoods bloom the crappie are biting and the turkeys are gobbling. Since that time, I have learned there is some nuance to that. At Lake Oconee, for instance, when the Bradford Pears bloom, the crappie are biting. Here’s a springtime fishing report and a few tips for you.

Crappie – The bite is good and, from what I can gather, the spawn is over. People are catching fish using many different techniques right now. On sunny days, the dock shooting is still good. Livescope fishing the standing timber and creek mouths are still good. Live baiting while pushing or (spider) rigging is producing fish as well. If you want big fish, though, the Livescope is the way to go. Jigs with light line, and pay attention to how the fish react to your bait to determine how they are biting. Lots of times, they will chase bait right now, but in between fronts you still have to force-feed them it seems.

Bass – Bass are starting to bite VERY well! Honestly, pick your favorite springtime technique and have at it. Long gravel and sandy points are producing fish on shakey heads and Carolina rigs. Downed timber on the banks are producing fish to anglers with shallow cranks thrown in them or a spinnerbait/chatterbait. If you want to use cranks try Rapala DT-6, the Crush 50, or 100 by 6th Sense. Ned Rigs are working around docks and on points as well. All my guide friends are having 25-plus fish days right now and it’s taking more than 20 pounds to win a tournament on both lakes.

Striper/hybrid – The spring bite has kicked off. Fish are at the dam right now and the south end of the lake. If you can find a technique, you can catch them right now. Mini-Macs trolled around 1 ½ to 2 miles an hour about 120-plus feet behind the boat are working, down lines with bass minnows (this will change as the shad spawn hits), free lining live bait, slow trolling crankbaits, and when you are lucky tossing flukes, rat-l-traps, and shad raps into schooling fish works! Keep an eye out in the early mornings around the pump back area on the lake and check the pockets around the south end to see if they are chasing bait up against anything yet.

Turkey season opens April 2statewide with the weekend before being a youth season. Turkeys are already gobbling folks and I’m betting that the season is going to be tough with the hunter numbers we have. Couple of tips for you. One- No matter whether you are hunting public or private land be very careful out there. Be aware of your surroundings and be sure of your targets. Not only be aware of other hunters but be aware of what you are shooting. Two- Turkey numbers are down and we need all the hens we can get laying right now. Three-If you haven’t learned to use a wingbone call, try one. It’ll add a depth of realism to your calling that will entice another bird or two into range this year!

For all you vegetable garden people remember this: We will probably see one more frost. Ever heard of Blackberry Winter? This term is referring to a frost in late spring when the blackberries are in bloom. There’s a reason a lot of old-timers waited until May to plant. For our family, we follow the pattern of waiting ‘til at least Good Friday to plant. Seeing all the tomato plants and feeling the sun’s warmth is exciting and hard to resist. Be patient though or be prepared to protect those young veggies. One day soon I’ll relay the story of the demon-possessed tiller to you.

Outdoors columnist James Pressley can be reached at pressleyoutdoors@gmail.com