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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: 2.4 feet below 1074. Temp: 63-66 degrees. Clarity: 6 to 8 feet. Bass: Guide Robbie Linginfelter, with Carters Lake Guide Service, reports, “The colder weather that will extend through December started the week before Thanksgiving, with steadily dropping temperatures. December is a great month to get out on the water for numbers and size. There are two main ways to catch bass this time of year. There will be fish on bait on the main lake and some others moving into the ditches following bait. Bait is the key to your December fishing. Fish your favorite cold-weather techniques, like spoons, drop shots, jerkbaits and underspins, but my go-to is a 2.8 swimbait on a jig head around balls of bait. Swim it under the balls of bait where the bass hold.” Carters Lake Page: Archived Articles, News & Fishing Reports Walleye: Guide Eric Crowley, of Lake And Stream…
Read MoreCarters Lake Fishing Articles
“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…
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…
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…
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 has long been known for its trophy spotted bass. Spots of five pounds and more are not uncommon on this deep north Georgia reservoir north of Atlanta off I-575. The habitat in Carters is simply perfect for this feisty fish, and the catches over the years are a great indication of that fact.…
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 |