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Carters Lake
Located in the north Georgia mountains in Gilmer and Murray counties, Carters Lake is the deepest of Georgia's reservoirs. The spotted bass fishing at Carters is nationally known, and the lake also produces trophy striped bass, as well as a unique Georgia fishery for trophy walleye. Relatively small with 3,200 acres and 62 miles of shoreline, Carters Lake has an average depth of 200 feet and is also more than 450 feet deep in places. Carters is a Corps of Engineers impoundment that is unique that there are no private docks or houses along its shore. This lake is fed by the Coosawattee River.
Carters Lake Resources
Carters: Level: 0.8 feet above 1074. Temp: Mid 70s. Clarity: Clear. Bass: Guide Robbie Linginfelter, with Carters Lake Guide Service, reports, “The month of June can be really special on Carters. Fish have moved offshore, and it’s your summertime spotted bass fishing. Go out on those main-lake points and brushpiles in 20 to 30 feet of water and start fishing. Baits can range from topwater to jerkbaits to drop shots. Every day will be a little different, so make sure to adapt with how the fish are acting. Be prepared with a variety of baits, and be ready to change. My favorite topwater bait is a KVD Sexy Dawg, my jerkbait is a 6th Sensa Provoke, and my drop shot is a Big Bite Baits Skinny Stick. Chrome hard baits and green-pumpkin soft baits are hard to beat.” Carters Lake Page: Archived Articles, News & Fishing Reports
Read MoreCarters Lake Fishing Articles
Catch big Carters Lake spotted bass that are eating spawning shad early in the morning, and then target the spots on spawning banks after the sun gets up. That simple plan will offer you some fast action and possibly a personal best spotted bass if you make a trip to Carters in April. Carters Lake…
Twelve-year-old Chandler Watkins, of Ellijay, knocked the old Carters Lake white crappie record clear out of the water with a 3-lb., 4.9-oz. slab he caught on Feb. 28. The old record was a 2-lb. crappie caught in 2019 by Joshua Higgins. Chandler isn’t exactly a stranger when it comes to catching big fish. “We are…
Carters Lake is arguably Georgia’s prettiest reservoir, with undeveloped shorelines, steep hills surrounding the pristine water, rocky shorelines and clear, deep water. But more important for anglers than the beauty are the spotted bass swimming in Carters. As we transition into September, the Carters Lake bass feed more heavily as the water cools, and they…
Ellijay’s new hometown hero is 13-year-old Wyatt Stokes, who recently added his name to GON’s Georgia Lake & River Records listing with a Carters Lake flathead catfish that weighed 41-lbs., 12-ozs. “He was ecstatic. He couldn’t believe it, I couldn’t either, we were both excited,” said Jamie Stokes, Wyatt’s dad. The two were bank fishing…
Carters Lake anglers who fish during the fall and winter for trophy-sized stripers and fat spotted bass should strongly consider making an appearance at tomorrow night’s, Oct. 16, 2019, Gilmer County Board of Commissioner’s meeting at 6 p.m. in Ellijay. A shrinking budget for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers could mean seasonal boat ramp…
Carters Lake Records
| Largemouth Bass | 13-lbs., 1-oz. | Jimmy Dixon | 04/11/87 |
| Spotted Bass | 7-lbs., 3-ozs. | Leonard Lawson | 12/05/92 |
| Hybrid Bass | 14-lbs., 6-ozs. | Hunter Bruce | 04/03/12 |
| Black Crappie | 2-lbs., 1-oz. | Brian Childs | 05/20/00 |
| Striped Bass | 36-lbs., 0-ozs. | Angela Hawes | 08/22/09 |
| Walleye | 8-lbs., 11-ozs. | Gary Hawkins | 03/09/03 |
| Bluegill | 1-lb., 11-ozs. | Jonathon Sutton | 04/12/98 |
| Rainbow Trout | 3-lbs., 12.48-ozs. | Mike Guthrie | 04/28/17 |
| Flathead Catfish | 41-lbs., 12-ozs. | Wyatt Stokes | 05/06/20 |
| Blue Catfish | 17-lbs., 4.64-ozs. | Gary Turner | 08/17/14 |
| White Crappie | 3-lbs., 4.9-ozs. | Chandler Watkins | 02/28/21 |