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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
It was a Friday in January that felt for all the world like a Friday in April. However, in just a few hours, a bad-looking storm that had barrelled through the Great Plains was supposed to rip across Georgia, bringing heavy rains, cold temperatures, gale-force winds and a chance of snow with it. This is…
The small hand-held scale registered 24 pounds. The battle was over, and I had won… sort of. The fish, a typical hard-charging lineside, never gave up, fighting all the way to the net and winning my admiration. It’s hard to not like the striper, the biggest, fastest and strongest of Georgia’s reservoir fish. Stripers, which…
Carters Lake has a good population of big spotted bass, and December is a great month to land one over 5 pounds there. The cooler water seems to turn them on, and they are feeding heavily on shad, getting ready for the cold weather to come. If you want a bragging-sized spot, now is the…
To catch bass in Georgia in February usually means one of three things — hope for a warm spell, head south, or look for clear water and spotted bass. If you live in northwest Georgia, the first two are tough, but you have Carters Lake near you which has clear water and a great population…
For the past 10 years anyone wanting a big spotted bass in Georgia headed to Carters Lake. Reports of 5-lb. plus spots from Carters were common. The hot fishing has cooled just a little, but the lake still produces a lot of quality spotted bass — and May is a great time to catch them. Carters…
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 |