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Upper Ocmulgee River Fishing

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Sandbar and wooded banks along the Ocmulgee River at Macon

Photo: Dsdugan, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The Ocmulgee River begins at Lake Jackson, where the Yellow, South and Alcovy rivers meet. From Lloyd Shoals Dam it flows southeast through 36 miles of Piedmont shoals, crosses the Fall Line just above Macon, then widens into a meandering Coastal Plain river on its way to Hawkinsville.

That split gives central Georgia anglers two very different rivers within a short drive of Macon, Warner Robins and Perry: shoal bass and redbreast in the rocky water above Macon, and big largemouth and catfish in the snag-filled bends below.

New size limit: Largemouth bass must be at least 12 inches to keep on the Ocmulgee from Macon’s Spring Street bridge downstream to the Oconee River confluence.

Upper Ocmulgee Fishing Forecast

These prospects come from Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division fisheries biologists. DNR also publishes a free guide to fishing and floating the Upper Ocmulgee, with access points and river miles.

Shoal Bass

Prospect: Introduced in the 1970s, shoal bass now thrive here. Most run 12 to 16 inches, with the occasional 20- to 22-inch fish, and plenty of 11- to 13-inch fish promise good years ahead. Best in May and June and again in fall.

Technique and target: Small to medium swimming minnows, spinnerbaits, poppers and soft plastic worms; fly anglers should bring woolly buggers and poppers. Wade the shoals or drift in a canoe or kayak. The alternating shoals and flats between Highway 16 and Wise Creek may be one of the best river trips in Georgia, but any shoal from Lake Jackson to Macon holds fish.

Largemouth Bass

Prospect: The main black bass below Macon, with good numbers of 12- to 15-inch fish and plenty of smaller bass coming up. Above Macon they run a little smaller.

Technique and target: Work a lightly weighted plastic worm or lizard tight to snags, or spinnerbaits, medium crankbaits, jerkbaits and topwater plugs. Below Macon, fish calm water along snag-lined banks; above Macon, try the flatwater between Lloyd Shoals Dam and Highway 16.

Spotted Bass

Spots stocked into Lake Jackson by anglers in the 1990s now range from the lake down to Hawkinsville. Most are 6 to 10 inches, with fair numbers of 12- to 14-inch fish and the occasional 20-incher. Fish moderate current near Lloyd Shoals Dam, the Highway 16 to Wise Creek shoals and the Highway 83 area.

Striped & Hybrid Bass

Stripers and hybrids escape from Lake Jackson and Lake Juliette, and more come upriver from restoration stockings in the lower Altamaha. Stripers average 4 to 5 pounds and can reach 30; hybrids grow to 6 to 8 pounds. Cast big jigs into fast water or fish live shad in deep holes in the quarter mile below Juliette Dam and just below the weir in the Lloyd Shoals tailrace. Early spring is prime time.

Catfish

Channel catfish are everywhere, and flatheads, introduced in the 1970s, are especially common below Macon, where a 103-pound flathead was caught several years ago. Use rod and reel, trotlines or bush hooks with liver, crayfish or prepared baits for channels; flatheads want live bait such as a redbreast or bluegill. Fish deep holes with structure in the meandering river below Macon.

Bream

Redbreast average about 5 inches, bluegill 5 to 6 and redear 8 to 9. Numbers dipped during recent dry years, and more normal flows should bring better bream fishing. Crickets, small spinners or small fly poppers work for redbreast and bluegill in swift to moderate current; fish worms on the bottom for redear. The half mile below Lloyd Shoals Dam is a standout, and May and June are best below Macon.

American Shad

Shad averaging 20 inches and just over 2 pounds run below Juliette Dam from March through May, peaking with the April spawn. Use shad darts or small jigs on medium spinning tackle, or small streamers on a 6- to 8-weight fly rod, within half a mile below the dam.

Photos

Bridge over the Ocmulgee River above Juliette Dam in Monroe County Above Juliette DamMonroe County
The Ocmulgee River from the Blair Overlook at Amerson River Park in Macon Amerson River ParkMacon
Boardwalk on the river trail at Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park River Trail BoardwalkOcmulgee Mounds, Macon
Stone steps leading down to the Ocmulgee River at Amerson River Park River AccessAmerson River Park

Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Lee Coursey, CC BY 2.0; Michael Rivera, CC BY-SA 4.0; Dsdugan, public domain; Michael Rivera, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Map of Georgia showing the course of the Ocmulgee River
The Ocmulgee River runs from Lake Jackson through Macon toward the Altamaha.

Sources we checked

Facts in this guide were checked against the agencies and operators that run these places:

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