There are several important upcoming events scheduled to take place in the coming weeks and months on Lake Sinclair and Lake Oconee. Those include habitat improvement projects, fishing tournaments on both lakes and a lake drawdown on Lake Sinclair scheduled by Georgia Power on October 26 when the drawdown begins on the lake and then on Nov. 29, when the lake begins refilling. 

The Georgia Wildlife Resources Division (GDNR) that manages the fisheries at both lakes has some ongoing lake enhancement activities that will continue into the cold weather months. That includes planting of native grasses over the summer in Lake Sinclair. 

Some fish habitat structures have been added in Lake Sinclair and more habitat structures will be added this year as time and staff permits. Earlier this year GDNR completed the construction of a weigh facility at Dennis Station Access on Lake Sinclair that can be used by tournament organizations to weigh fish. 

At Lake Oconee GDNR has placed 12 habitat structures and additional structures will be placed in the lake into the late fall. In addition, 1,000 native plants are being planted over the summer months. 

Native plants will provide shoreline erosion protection and a nursery for young fish and other organisms. Those plants are unlike the non-native plants like Egeria and hydrilla that have established invasive colonies primarily in Lake Sinclair. 

GPS locations for habitat structures that have been placed in Lake Sinclair and Lake Oconee up through 2020 by the GDNR are available. If you wish to have a list of those GPS locations just drop an email to me at brpeoples995@gmail.com and I will forward you those lists. 

The extremely popular bass fishing tournaments presented by Berry’s Tournament Trail will continue with the 2020 Bobby’s Fall Series beginning in August on Lake Sinclair and Lake Oconee. Tournaments on Lake Oconee will be held out of Sugar Creek Marina and will be held on Aug. 15, Sept. 12, Oct. 10 and Nov. 7. Tournaments on Lake Sinclair will be held out of the Dennis Station Access and will be held on Aug. 29, Sept. 26, Oct 24 and Nov. 21.

The entry fee for the tournaments will be $120 per boat. That fee includes a $10 Big Fish Pot and an additional $10 goes to an Angler Pot that will be awarded at the conclusion of all the tournaments to the top three teams that finish with the greatest weight for the eight scheduled tournaments. For additional information and to register for these tournaments call Bobby Berry at 770-787-6179.

During the planned drawdown by Georgia Power on Lake Sinclair, if any landowner plans to have work done on their waterfront (new, repair, replacements or excavation work) in the lake, you must submit a request in writing to Georgia Power for a permit. Georgia Power must issue a permit before work can begin. It would be helpful to Georgia Power if landowners would submit those permit requests as soon as possible so that permits can be issued in a timely fashion.

Permit request can be submitted to the Georgia Power Land Management Office via U.S. mail, fax or email. You can obtain a permit request by going to the website www.georgiapowerlakes.com. To contact the Land Management Office call 706-484-7500 and to submit a permit application fax that application to 706-484-7514. If you live in Baldwin or Hancock counties, you can email your application to Jay P. Weems at jpweems@southernco.com and if you live in Putnam County you can email your application to Sandra Hudson at sphudson@southernco.com.

Many activities are going on and/or being planned around the lakes during this hot summer. Good fishing and see you next week.