O'Kelley Lake Fishing near Comer, Georgia

• Overview

  O'Kelley Lake is a Madison County water, Georgia side. It sits in dry hill. At roughly 7 acres, the whole thing is within casting reach of a single walk. Our Madison County list holds plenty of bigger water. For a base, Comer sits 5.2 miles out. The big place round here is Athens, 15 miles distant. Others close at hand: Woods Lake at 1.6 miles, Stoehr Lake 2.4 miles off, Sasnett Lake at 2.8 miles, Reservoir 64 3.9 miles off and Reservoir 29 at 4 miles. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on O'Kelley Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. Levels move with the draw rather than the rain on water like this. Points where the flooded channel swings in are the reliable ones. Records collected within a few miles name snail bullhead, blackbanded darter, brown bullhead, flat bullhead and margined madtom. Records come from public data, not from a stocking programme. The near bank of O'Kelley Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 79°F, with January the cold end at about 42°F. Winter is the comfortable season here rather than the difficult one. Heat pushes fish deep from June onwards, so start early. April and May are the settled weeks, with October close behind. It holds true on O'Kelley Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. For the catfish, fish bottom baits into the deeper holes and let them sit. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. For a change of water, Woods Lake is 1.6 miles distant. Confirm before you fish O'Kelley Lake.