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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
It’s getting hard to keep up with who is the lake record holder for hybrid bass at Carters. Since 2009, the record has changed hands four times. All of those fish were caught in the month of May. The newest record holder is Dick Neubert, of Hiawassee, who caught his 13-lb., 5.4-oz. hybrid with a…
For many Georgia anglers walleye might seem like some obscure gamefish that’s only found up North. Contrary to that notion, north Georgia is dotted with lakes that have fishable walleye populations. There aren’t many folks fishing for them, and those who are aren’t likely to talk about it. You see, these tasty fish are one…
Christmas is over, but the weather outside is still frightful. Forget the delightful fire, you have a place to go. The spotted bass in Carters Lake are huge, and they seem to bite better the colder it gets. You can catch some big spots on Carters right now. Located between I-75 and I-575 near Ellijay,…
It really is a simple fishing lure. It doesn’t require a high degree of skill to make a fish eat one, and right now — with a strong postspawn bite happening on most Georgia waters — it can be one of the most productive and versatile weapons in your arsenal. It will catch bass…
With lake records falling last year for striped and hybrid bass, Carters Lake anglers are anxiously awaiting the start of the annual spring run of fish to the upper end of the lake and into the Coosawattee River. In May 2009, Jake Wheeler set the new lake record for hybrid bass with an 11-lb., 4-oz.…
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 |