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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: 1.8 feet above 1074. Temp: 70 degrees. Clarity: Clear. Bass: Guide Louie Bartenfield, with Carters Lake Guide Service, reports, “The spawn phase was in full swing in April. As May approaches, look for fish to start moving a lot more, especially with the herring spawn in full force. Flukes, spinnerbaits and topwater all work on flat points with wind early in the morning. The threadfin shad will start spawning any day now with gizzard shad shortly thereafter. May is topwater time. Get out and throw baits that stay high in the water column that mimic the baitfish that everything is chasing.” Walleye: Guide Eric Crowley, of Lake And Stream Guide Service, reports, “The spring walleye bite has been great with numbers and big fish. The fish are feeding pretty shallow at night and holding nearshore after sunrise. Targeting the 25- to 50-foot range has been most productive for…
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 |