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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
The striper on Carters Lake are getting big. About a year and a half after a new mark was set for the Carters Lake striper record, the bar has been raised again. Angela Hawes, of Fairmount, landed a 36-lb., 42-inch striped bass on Aug. 22, beating the old record by a little more than 5…
If you like topwater action, June is a good month to throw your favorite bait early and late. And if a good chance of hooking a 5-lb. spotted bass turns you on, plan a trip to Carters Lake this month. Carters is about an hour north of Atlanta and is a pretty lake with steep…
Fishing on Carters Lake in the wintertime can be summed up into one word — cold. However, those who brave it can reap hot striper and hybrid action as a result of being on the water this month. It may be freezing outside, but “the lake is absolutely on fire,” said Carters Lake striper guide…
If you have spent any time at all on Carters Lake, I’m sure you have developed the same love-hate relationship most all of us have for this spotted-bass sanctuary. There’s no other place I know where an angler can position his boat in 80 feet of water and actually be fishing 18 feet deep in…
The state record for yellow perch, held jointly between Lake Burton and Clarks Hill for nearly 20 years, has been tied again, and from an unlikely location: the Savannah River. On Feb. 24, Larry Poole of Martinez was on the river below the Clarks Hill dam fishing for yellow perch with Albert Moody, who operates…
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 |