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Bartletts Ferry

Bartletts Ferry, also known as Lake Harding, is a 5,850-acre reservoir on the Chattahoochee River north of Columbus and south of Lake West Point. The lake was built in 1926 and now owned by Georgia Power. Bartletts offers good fishing for spotted bass.

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Bartletts Ferry Records

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Bartletts Ferry Fishing Report – January 2025

By GON Staff | December 25, 2024

Bartletts Ferry: Level: 1.2 feet below 521. Temp: Upper 40s to low 50s. Clarity: Stained with an 18-inch visibility. Bass: Tournament angler Tyler Morgan, with Summerland Outdoors, reports, “January is all about rocks and cranking, with jigs for dessert. Fish a red Frittside or Spro RkCrawler crankbait on rocks, like rip-rap and boat ramps. Keep your boat in about 10 feet of water, and a 45-degree angled bottom is better than a flatter bottom. As the day progresses, pick up a green or green-pumpkin 3/8- to 1/2-oz. Untamed Tackle jig with a matching chunk trailer. The chunk is better since cold water calls for less action. Fish bigger rocks in the creeks. Always keep a Flash Mob Jr. A-rig ready to throw around bait, especially on bluff walls with current. Put 1/8-oz. heads with 2.8 swimbaits and tie the rig to 60-lb. braid. Although the Flash Mob Jr. is not…

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Archived Fishing Reports

Bartletts Ferry Fishing Articles

Shallow Power Fishing For May Bartletts Ferry Bass

In May, hungry postspawn female bass—both spots and largemouth—feed heavily in shallow water at Bartletts Ferry, and anglers can have a lot of fun catching them. Head to Bartletts this month and go to the mouths of spawning pockets to land numbers of bass, as well as quality fish. Bartletts Ferry is an old Georgia…

Bartletts Ferry November Bass With Kyle Welcher

Bass are following shad into creeks and coves right now on Bartletts Ferry. In late October and November, you can catch all the keeper-size spotted bass you want to eat by finding them suspended under balls of baitfish. But if you want quality fish and more largemouth, stick with shallow structure and cover like seawalls,…

54-Pound Grass Carp Sets Georgia Bowfishing Record

Sometimes when you are shooting fish with a bow from the front of the boat, things are moving fast. The action can happen in a flash. That was the case the evening of June 30 for a group of bowfishermen at Bartletts Ferry, also known as Lake Harding.  J. D. Bond, of McDonough, saw a…

Storm Clark’s All-American Plan For Bartletts Ferry Bass

As late May bleeds into June, many Bartletts Ferry bass transition to summer holes and feed in deeper water. Bass set up on predictable places and can be caught on a variety of baits. But as always, there are shallow fish to be caught every day. Bartletts Ferry, also known as Lake Harding, is downstream…

Bass Found Deep On Bartletts Ferry For Fishers Of Men Tourney

It was awesome to get our Fishers of Men Georgia South Division season started on Jan. 29. After rescheduling from the prior weekend as a result of COVID and a potential winter storm, it was good to get the season going. We had a great Friday night with Brent Janney being the speaker. I had…

Bartletts Ferry Records

Striped Bass36-lbs., 5-ozs.Matt Faircloth04/21/05
Hybrid Bass9-lbs., 12.8-ozs.Chris Brackett04/26/05
Black Crappie3-lbs., 1.44-ozs.Mickey Peacock04/17/20
Yellow Perch10.88-ozs.Joey Pippin05/07/07
Shoal Bass8-lbs., 5-ozs.Matt McWhorter12/23/21
Shellcracker2-lbs., 1.28-ozs.Courtney Cannon08/05/24