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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 Lake Fishing Report – April 2025

By GON Staff | March 26, 2025

Carters: Level: 0.3 feet above 1074. Temp: 62 degrees. Clarity: Stained. Bass: Guide Robbie Linginfelter, with Carters Lake Guide Service, reports, “Shad and spot spawns are the key. Fish rocky, main-lake points early with topwater, jerkbaits and spinnerbaits around shad and bass hitting them. Move fast until you find activity. After the sun gets up and stops the shad spawn, target clay and rock banks with nail-weight stick worm for spots in all stages of the spawn. Fish slowly and carefully. Details and good spots for both patterns are in this month’s Map of the Month article.” Walleye: Guide Eric Crowley, of Lake And Stream Guide Service, reports, “With the walleye spawn wrapping up in the river, we are focusing our walleye efforts back on the main lake. Early morning the toothy fish are up shallow feeding on the shallow bait. These fish will get back to depth after sunrise,…

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Carters Lake Fishing Articles

Carters Lake Boat Ramps Closed

Georgia’s worst drought in more than 100 years is beginning to take its toll on lake levels. In an unprecedented move, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has “temporarily” closed all boat ramps on a Georgia lake due to low water levels. On Friday, September 7, the corps issued a press release announcing the closure…

Carters Lake June Bass On Blue-Rock Banks

“I wanted to try some topwater stuff this morning, but this wind is too much,” Billy Lambert said as we sat in his bass boat on Carters Lake, the morning sun barely cracking through the sky. “I think we’ll do good with spinnerbaits today.” Billy, a wholesale-carpet salesman from Calhoun, has fished Carters his whole…

Pull Trout For Carters Lake December Stripers

I met Mike Maddalena and Bill Young, both from Cumming, at the Jasper Waffle House at 5:30 a.m. on a recent morning. We were headed to Carters Lake to chase stripers, something the two men have been doing together as part of the North Georgia Striper Club (NGSC) for years. “The club tournaments are a…

Summer Nights Are Right For Carters Spotted Bass

All across north Georgia, there has been an explosion of big spotted bass in lakes where blueback herring have been introduced. The spots have taken to these open-water baitfish and have grown fat and heavy. Carters Lake was one of the first to see this change, and it is still one of our best lakes…

Carters Lake Planer-Board Winter Stripers

At mid-morning on November 16, Buddy Callihan and I motored halfway back into Worley Creek at the upper end of Carters Lake. As Buddy lowered the trolling motor into the water a striper surged on the surface — twice, chasing shad. “That is what we want to see,” said Buddy, as he set about rigging…

Carters Lake Records