# Smallmouth Bass In GA



## harmainiac (Mar 30, 2015)

Anyone know of any place in Georgia to catch a smallmouth? Its on my bucket list along with walleye. I hear Blueridge and Chatuge have them. Are they abundent enough to expect to catch one at any of these two lakes?


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## The mtn man (Mar 30, 2015)

Chatuge use to be an awesome smallmouth fishery 20 years ago, but after folks got the spots started there are no more smallmouth in chatuge, the last time I heard of a smallmouth being caught out if chatuge was about 5 years ago at the dam, it was a biggun too, sure is a shame. Chatuge has a few walleye, the NC state record was caught out of chatuge, I have caught walleye at the mouth of hog creek before, but no one targets them, apparently they don't multiply very well in chatuge.


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## thedudeabides (Mar 30, 2015)

I'd head to Tennessee


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## harmainiac (Mar 31, 2015)

Thanks for sharing. I was researching online and found that blue ridge was best chance in Georgia. Thinking of trying there before heading out of state. Any tips for blue ridge or areas of lake where I should start?


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## croaker (Mar 31, 2015)

The Savannah River Rapids near Augusta has Small mouth Bass.


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## NCHillbilly (Mar 31, 2015)

If you don't do any good in north GA, western NC is full of smallmouth and walleye both. Smallmouth are in the rivers and most of the lakes that haven't been stocked with those durn spots.


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## The mtn man (Mar 31, 2015)

NCHillbilly said:


> If you don't do any good in north GA, western NC is full of smallmouth and walleye both. Smallmouth are in the rivers and most of the lakes that haven't been stocked with those durn spots.



Hillbilly, I think spots are in most all our lakes now, hiwassee still has some smallmouth, Fontana still has good smallmouth, not sure if the spots will be the demise of the smallmouth in those lakes like they have in chatuge, only time will tell,


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## NCHillbilly (Mar 31, 2015)

cklem said:


> Hillbilly, I think spots are in most all our lakes now, hiwassee still has some smallmouth, Fontana still has good smallmouth, not sure if the spots will be the demise of the smallmouth in those lakes like they have in chatuge, only time will tell,



Yeah, I still catch good smallmouth in Fontana, but seems like you catch more spots all the time. Bear Lake used to be a great smallmouth lake, but they're almost gone now, and it's slap full of 10"-12" spots. They need to cut out the size and creel limits for spots on more lakes like they did on Santeetlah. The spots are overpopulated, and they're great eating out of the mountain lakes, but you don't catch many that will pass the 14" bass size limit, except on the bigger lakes like Fontana.


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## jzFish (Mar 31, 2015)

I have lived in Georgia my whole life and didn't catch a small mouth until I went to Hawaii a few years ago.  Yes, you read that correctly.  I have heard Blue Ridge is your best shot in Georgia for one.


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## GrumpyOldMan (Mar 31, 2015)

If you are looking for big smallies and don't mind a drive, head up to Dale Hollow in north central TN.


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## harmainiac (Mar 31, 2015)

Thanks I appreciate the imput. I probably will go to Blue Ridge first and if I can't get one there I will look into a guided trip out of state. Blue Ridge looks like a beautiful lake I want to try it ASAP. Spots are  a problem on the chattahooche too from West Point down to Eufala . I'm 52 and the largemouth are not near as plentiful as I remember in the 80s . There is not a size limit on them (spots)in any of the Chattahoochee  chain of lakes as far as I know. I know they encourage people to keep them on most of the lakes. Maybe GDNR should shock them and remove spots and stock more largemouth and smallmouth depending on what lake.


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## Cletus T. (Mar 31, 2015)

Go Fish Blue Ridge…….there’s a good population of smallies up there!!!

Good luck!


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## turkeyhunter835 (Mar 31, 2015)

My vote is for blue ridge to


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## jeremyledford (Mar 31, 2015)

If you go to Blue Ridge PLEASE keep the spots. If you don't eat them, you probably know someone who will.


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## CustomBaitPainter (Mar 31, 2015)

harmainiac said:


> Thanks I appreciate the imput. I probably will go to Blue Ridge first and if I can't get one there I will look into a guided trip out of state. Blue Ridge looks like a beautiful lake I want to try it ASAP. Spots are  a problem on the chattahooche too from West Point down to Eufala . I'm 52 and the largemouth are not near as plentiful as I remember in the 80s . There is not a size limit on them (spots)in any of the Chattahoochee  chain of lakes as far as I know. I know they encourage people to keep them on most of the lakes. Maybe GDNR should shock them and remove spots and stock more largemouth and smallmouth depending on what lake.



Just to clarify, there is a size limit on one of the Chattahoochee Lakes, Lanier is 14" minimum. All other lakes throughout the state have no minimum on Spotted Bass to keep


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## Hammer Spank (Mar 31, 2015)

It is so sad what has happened to Blue Ridge.  I'd love to meet the idiots that dumped spots in there.


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## The mtn man (Mar 31, 2015)

Hammer Spank said:


> It is so sad what has happened to Blue Ridge.  I'd love to meet the idiots that dumped spots in there.



Same as chatuge, although I have a pretty good idea which group of pro wanna be bass fishermen that tossed them out of their live wells from other lakes.


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## jeremyledford (Mar 31, 2015)

cklem said:


> Same as chatuge, although I have a pretty good idea which group of pro wanna be bass fishermen that tossed them out of their live wells from other lakes.



Makes me sick.


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## thomasb (Mar 31, 2015)

I fished blue ridge last year and caught only spots and talked to a couple locals and they all told me I had a very slim chance of catching a small mouth. One guy said he caught one all year and fished like 3 days per week 
Good luck


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## The mtn man (Mar 31, 2015)

jeremyledford said:


> Makes me sick.



It's not that spots aren't fun to catch and good eating, I just don't get why anyone would introduce an invasive species in an already great fishery, I can understand if they were introduced to a dead fishery, I use to catch small mouth years ago, and was happy to release them, now I keep every spot I can get a hook in, chatuge is full of spots, they are some good fun when you get into them, they eat good too. I enjoy going after smallmouth more though.


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## harmainiac (Mar 31, 2015)

I already keep any spots I catch to eat. I always throw back large mouth even the biggest one I ever caught went back she was 8.5 which used to be nothing fishing boat dock lights at night on Lake Harding. Spots have become dominant  there too I got one over 3lbs one night and it was in the fryer that week. I have noticed alot more Stripers and not hybrids that I catch there now wonder if those big guys are eating all the largemouth. I wish I hadnt lost my phone I had a pick of a 35 inch striper carcass  that washed up on shore there with a crappie hung in its mouth that would have went 2.5 lbs. The crappie dont seem to be affected there still a good lake for those. I ll post a pick if I get that smallmouth


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## wncslim (Apr 1, 2015)

Fontana still has good smallies at times but you have to head towards the dam to get more smallies than spots. Had some days last spring when we caught 50 smallies and no spots but that is a real exception. Last couple of days this week customers have caught 20-30 fish each with one true smallie in the bunch, maybe 10 hybrid spot/smallie crosses. Headed to the dam area tomorrow to see if there are some purebreds down that way. Walleye aren't doing well with the spots increase either. Good thing spots taste so good or I would be really mad with their introduction.


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## NC Scout (Apr 1, 2015)

harmainiac said:


> Anyone know of any place in Georgia to catch a smallmouth? Its on my bucket list along with walleye. I hear Blueridge and Chatuge have them. Are they abundent enough to expect to catch one at any of these two lakes?



If you don't care to wade fish, I've not caught a ton of them but caught some good smallies fishing Toccoa River.



NCHillbilly said:


> Yeah, I still catch good smallmouth in Fontana, but seems like you catch more spots all the time. Bear Lake used to be a great smallmouth lake, but they're almost gone now, and it's slap full of 10"-12" spots. They need to cut out the size and creel limits for spots on more lakes like they did on Santeetlah. The spots are overpopulated, and they're great eating out of the mountain lakes, but you don't catch many that will pass the 14" bass size limit, except on the bigger lakes like Fontana.



Lake Santeetlah and its tailrace Cheoah River are good smallmouth water.  Tapoco studied Cheoah at one time and considered making it a trophy smallmouth river but sadly decided it was too warm.


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## o2bfishin (Apr 1, 2015)

Jocassee in SC is good for smallmouth. It's an hour and a half from Jackson Co.  A three day non-resident is $15 I think, annual is $40.  It also has spots and big redeye, but for whatever reason the smallmouth population is maintaining. Maybe because it's not a very fertile lake and the overall bass populations are low. But very good quality. I made three trips there last year in pre-spawn targeting smallmouth and landed a good many with three in the 4 lb range. If you make the trip PM me.


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## ShoalBandit (Apr 1, 2015)

With a canoe/kayak you have a few more options available without going out of state. Alabama bass (formerly Alabama spotted bass) are moving up the Toccoa River from Blue Ridge Lake but it still has a catchable population of native smallmouth (for now). You can also wade this stream from public access points along the Toccoa River Canoe Trail. Georgia also has native smallmouth in a few streams that drain north into the Tennessee River between Ringgold and the Alabama state line. You can wade most of these streams in the summer if you don't have a boat. Good luck!


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## FARMS100 (Apr 1, 2015)

I think lookout crk near trenton has small mouth it is a cold creek.  It runs north from rising fawn up to the 
tenn river, never been that far north yet. Some day will
start up there and come south. I fish south of trenton
a small dam backs water up 1 1/2 south.


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## The mtn man (Apr 1, 2015)

When I lived in Maine , the small mouth fishing was just plain crazy, nobody up there fishes for them much, if anyone wants to go, I can give you some good direction, and I might just try to go with you it's so worth the trip. If you like to fish smallies.


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## bvi (Apr 2, 2015)

What is special of smallmouths vs Alabama Spotted bass?
Similar behavior, similar taste, both rarely exceed 3 lb range.


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## o2bfishin (Apr 2, 2015)

bvi said:


> What is special of smallmouths vs Alabama Spotted bass?
> Similar behavior, similar taste, both rarely exceed 3 lb range.



1 - For me, the challenge. Specifically where I fish for them. There's few places around here to catch one.  

2 - Very appealing visually. Beautiful fish.

3 - It's not uncommon for a smallmouth to clear the water 3 or 4 times during a fight.

4 - Who doesn't like catching something they haven't had the opportunity to before? I'm sure a Lanier magnum spot would be special to the guy in Michigan who has caught thousands of smallmouth in his lifetime.


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## NCHillbilly (Apr 2, 2015)

bvi said:


> What is special of smallmouths vs Alabama Spotted bass?
> Similar behavior, similar taste, both rarely exceed 3 lb range.



Plenty of both around here, and I greatly prefer to fish for smallmouth. I like to watch those acrobatics for one thing. Plus, they're native here. I've caught thousands of smallmouth, and quite a few spots, and they don't seem to be very similar in behavior at all to me. There just ain't nothing in the bass family quite like a smallmouth.


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## GrumpyOldMan (Apr 2, 2015)

Smallies are more scrappier than a Spotted bass, IMO.


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## Klag (Apr 2, 2015)

o2bfishin said:


> 4 - Who doesn't like catching something they haven't had the opportunity to before? I'm sure a Lanier magnum spot would be special to the guy in Michigan who has caught thousands of smallmouth in his lifetime.




This.  I rarely eat fish, just catch, picture, release.  Never caught a smallie and would love to just so I could send a picture to my dad


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## harmainiac (Apr 2, 2015)

Lots of good information! I can always count on GON and its Forum


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## BCPuma (Apr 2, 2015)

*Real shame about Chatuge*

Me and a friend used to catch tons of them years ago.  Then slowly fewer and fewer, replaced with more and more spots.  One winter, ran in to the DNR doing electroshocking and creel surveys. The DNR said the smallmouth days were over (almost 15 yrs ago). The spots effectively replaced the smallies in < 5yrs. 

Not sure who the homegrown do-it yourselfer biologist was who thought spotted bass would be an upgrade.  My guess is they weren't good enough fishermen to catch smallies consistently and put in the easier to target spotted bass.   

Also miss the big hybrids the lake used to give up too!  And Spots in Blue Ridge.  Hopefully, there's still a chance to turn that lake around. It's like introducing weeks in fine burmuda.


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## Hammer Spank (Apr 2, 2015)

NCHillbilly said:


> Plenty of both around here, and I greatly prefer to fish for smallmouth. I like to watch those acrobatics for one thing. Plus, they're native here. I've caught thousands of smallmouth, and quite a few spots, and they don't seem to be very similar in behavior at all to me. There just ain't nothing in the bass family quite like a smallmouth.




This!

Only six years ago, Blue Ridge was an unreal fishery and my favorite lake in GA (and I'm a huge striper guy), now, it's only scenic beauty. I don't care to drive there anymore to catch trashy garbage fish.  I'd sooner fish for carp than spotted bass.


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## The mtn man (Apr 2, 2015)

The point of the matter is not that spots are not fun to catch, and it's not that their not great eating, they are an aggressive invasive species introduced to an already fine native fishery. Also I would have to disagree that spots and smallies are close to the same, their similar in size, but as far as personality they are on different ends of the spectrum. A spot is sometimes an ambush predator, sometimes they act like stripers, sometimes they act like crappie, they have multiple personalities, smallies are smallies, 24/7/365. And more important their smallies, there's not many good places in the southeast where you can go after smallmouth, and because someone thought it was a good idea to introduce spots those places are becoming harder and harder to find, for someone to say what's the big deal, is like someone saying, what does it matter that the deer are gone because hogs have taken over great deer habitat.


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## shakey gizzard (Apr 2, 2015)

cklem said:


> The point of the matter is not that spots are not fun to catch, and it's not that their not great eating, they are an aggressive invasive species introduced to an already fine native fishery. Also I would have to disagree that spots and smallies are close to the same, their similar in size, but as far as personality they are on different ends of the spectrum. A spot is sometimes an ambush predator, sometimes they act like stripers, sometimes they act like crappie, they have multiple personalities, smallies are smallies, 24/7/365. And more important their smallies, there's not many good places in the southeast where you can go after smallmouth, and because someone thought it was a good idea to introduce spots those places are becoming harder and harder to find, for someone to say what's the big deal, is like someone saying, what does it matter that the deer are gone because hogs have taken over great deer habitat.



Word!


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## matto113 (Apr 3, 2015)

You could always stumble into one in the hooch in Atlanta. That's how I got my first smallmouth.


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## bvi (Apr 3, 2015)

o2bfishin said:


> 1 - For me, the challenge. Specifically where I fish for them. There's few places around here to catch one.
> 
> 2 - Very appealing visually. Beautiful fish.
> 
> ...



NCHillbilly, o2bfishin

I agree, smallmouth look very beautiful.

I'm for sure not an expert in smallmouths , however when I went last year to Fontana and Santeetlah, I caught several smallmouths and spots basically using same techniques, didn't notice any difference in fight.
All fish been under 2lb though...
I wish we would have lakes like Table Rock where all species of bass (LM, spots, and SM) live in same proportion.


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## NCHillbilly (Apr 5, 2015)

bvi, the smallmouths usually jump about five times before you get them to the boat, they'll tailwalk a lot of times. Spots usually don't do that. And Fontana is pretty much like you described, at least for now. Good populations of all three bass species, plus walleye, trout, white bass, perch, crappie, catfish, and musky.


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## Hammer Spank (Apr 5, 2015)

There are smallmouth in sharpe mountain creek in cherokee and pickens county.  Also spots, red eyes, and largemouth.  They're just all small.


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## TMeadows45 (Apr 5, 2015)

cklem said:


> Chatuge use to be an awesome smallmouth fishery 20 years ago, but after folks got the spots started there are no more smallmouth in chatuge, the last time I heard of a smallmouth being caught out if chatuge was about 5 years ago at the dam, it was a biggun too, sure is a shame. Chatuge has a few walleye, the NC state record was caught out of chatuge, I have caught walleye at the mouth of hog creek before, but no one targets them, apparently they don't multiply very well in chatuge.



This is also true for blueridge, used to be a great small mouth lake but now its getting overrun with spots. They still can be caught tho


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## lampern (Apr 5, 2015)

The Chattahoochee River in Atlanta has smallmouth bass.


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## kayaker1 (Apr 5, 2015)

North Alabama and TN always have good smallie fishing.  I wouldn't waste a trip to blue ridge


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## kayaker1 (Apr 5, 2015)

bvi said:


> What is special of smallmouths vs Alabama Spotted bass?
> Similar behavior, similar taste, both rarely exceed 3 lb range.



Not sure where your catching Alabama spotted bass, but they very much do exceed. 3 pounds, maybe your thinking of the Kentucky spotted bass


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