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Lake Chatuge
Lake Chatuge is a TVA reservoir on the Hiwassee River that was created by the construction of Chatuge Dam, which was completed in 1942. The dam is located in western North Carolina, and the lake extends southeast into Georgia around the city of Hiawassee.
Lake Chatuge Resources
Chatuge: Level: 1.2 feet above 1925. Temp: 75-77 degrees. Clarity: Clear. Bass: Eric Welch, of Welch’s Guide Service, reports, “Fishing has been good. The topwater bite is picking up. On cloudy days, I like throwing a natural color, like bone or olive; on sunny days, I like pearl or chrome. My choice of baits are: Berkley 110 Cane Walker, Strike King Sexy Dawg Jr., Lucky Craft Gunfish and an Ima Stix. Areas that I’m going to be working these baits on are long points, main-lake flats and main-lake humps—areas that have access to deep water. Lake Chatuge fishes a lot like Lake Lanier, so you need to always keep a couple of topwater baits on the deck of your boat. There are a lot of offshore humps, brush and ditches where I will throw a shaky head, drop shot and Texas rig. Yes, if you’re using forward-facing sonar, the minnow baits…
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Lake Chatuge’s future and those of the small-town economies that depend on it are currently under heavy discussion. The talks involve the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), the lake’s 82-year-old spillway, and how making the area as safe as possible could cause serious issues for local businesses and homeowners, ones that will impact the area long…
It seems counterintuitive to go north in the winter to catch bass, but Lake Chatuge largemouth and spots are moving from winter holes to prespawn structure and cover, and they offer great catching opportunities. February is a good month to land your personal best largemouth or spot on Chatuge. Chatuge is a 7,000-acre, 13-mile-long TVA…
Lake Chatuge spotted bass are moving from spring spawning areas toward their summer holes. Also in late May and throughout June, the herring are finishing up spawning. The presence of these baitfish can stimulate feeding frenzies. You can intercept the spotted bass as they move out and have great catches if you hit it right.…
A high-school senior from Ellijay drowned when he tumbled overboard while duck hunting on Lake Chatuge just across the Georgia-North Carolina border on Nov. 18. Authorities said 18-year-old Trenton Daniel Johnson, a student at Gilmer High School, was attempting to retrieve a downed duck when he toppled headfirst into the water. His hunting partner, Carson…
A black crappie that weighed 2 pounds on the dot has set a new record for Lake Chatuge. Howard Stimis, of Hiwassee, was fishing on Chatuge April 6 when the big slab bit a 2-inch Hot Grub made by Crappie County Bait & Tackle that Howard purchased at Hammond’s Fishing Center near Lake Lanier. “I…
Lake Chatuge Record Fish
| Largemouth Bass | 16-lbs., 11-ozs. | David Presely | 03/27/1976 |
| Smallmouth | 7-lbs., 2-ozs. | Jack Hall | 03/28/1973 |
| Spotted Bass | 6-lbs., 13.8-ozs. | James Dean | 10/11/03 |
| Hybrid Bass | 25-lbs., 8-ozs. | David C. Hobby | 05/01/1995 |
| Walleye | 9-lbs., 4-ozs. | Carol Owenby | 04/07/1991 |
| Black Crappie | 2-lbs., 3-ozs. | Dillon Phillips | 03/31/24 |
| Rainbow Trout | 2-lbs., 8.5-ozs. | Walker Ross | 06/23/2012 |
| Yellow Perch | 1-lb., 2.24-ozs. | Mark McClure | 04/19/2021 |
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Lake Allatoona
Lake Allatoona is a 12,010-acre reservoir in the north Atlanta suburbs located primarily in Bartow and Cherokee counties. The major tributaries are the Etowah and Little rivers and Allatoona and Stamp creeks, although numerous other creeks flow into the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers impoundment. Allatoona is known as a good lake for catching numbers of spotted bass, and it's also known for good striped bass and hybrid bass. Allatoona is a very busy lake for recreational boaters during the summer, when many bass anglers opt to fish at night.
Allatoona Links
Temp: 74-80 degrees. Clarity: 5 feet. Bass: Tournament angler Matt Driver reports, “To me, it seems like the water temperature is a little slow to warm compared to most years in the past, likely due to rain and a few cold fronts. We’re now at the tail end of the shad spawn. The bass are on the move, and shad is the primary forage. Bass are holding on main-lake points, and later in the month, brush will be the key to finding better size. I’m using a three-fold approach: a jig, a jerkbait and a jig-head minnow with FFS. Where I find fish positioning on brush or rocks depends on which approach I’m taking. We’ve been seeing fish scattered on cloudy days and buried up in the brush on sunny days. A jerkbait and jig-head minnow are what I’m typically using on overcast days. As they bury up in the brush on…
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There’s a new family on Lake Allatoona, and I’m not talking about the Johnsons from Cincinnati who just bought that cottage in Yacht Club Cove. This family is more like the one on the Sopranos, but without the track suits, pinky rings and certainly without the penchant for hurting people. Putting the hurt on Allatoona…
In the world of sports the NCAA basketball tournament dominates the month of March. This tournament, tagged “March Madness” steals virtually all of the sporting news and provides basketball zealots with a great deal to talk about. Well, that is all behind us for another year, but the month of April is upon us with…
On a blustery Friday, January 19, with the water stained red following a recent downpour, it was a testament to Stewart Wright’s know-how that we were able to put more than 40 crappie in the boat. And — as I was informed by another angler with only one fish in the livewell at the boat…
For years Allatoona had the reputation of being the “Dead Sea” when it came to bass fishing. Sometimes I suspect local bass fishermen promoted that image to keep others from finding out just how good the fishing on Allatoona can be. October is one of the best months of the year to find feeding largemouth…
Summertime, weekend fishing tournaments have been banned from corps facilities on Lake Allatoona, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Meanwhile, a $50 special-use permit fee will be implemented at Allatoona next year, and any tournament held out of a corps facility is required to have 100 percent payback. The special regulations do not…
Allatoona Lake Records
| Largemouth Bass | 16-lbs., 9-ozs. | Greg Rymer | 08/31/82 | ||
| Spotted Bass | 7-lbs., 11-ozs. | George Clark | 11/18/74 | ||
| Hybrid Bass | 13-lbs., 9.5-ozs. | Danny Alsobrook | 02/07/90 | ||
| Striped Bass | 42-lbs. | Clint Hight | 02/15/02 | ||
| Black Crappie | 3-lbs., 7.36-ozs. | Corey Harmon | 03/05/22 | ||
| White Bass | 3-lbs., 2-ozs. | Darrell Baxter | 05/15/94 | ||
| Flathead Catfish | 35-lbs., 10.88-ozs. | Sandy Sanders | 06/20/08 | ||
| Blue Catfish | 52-lbs., 1-oz. | Aaron Churchwell | 10/27/20 | ||
| Tiger Trout | 2-lbs., 12.8-ozs. | Bob Geresti | 02/01/18 | ||
| Yellow Perch | 1-lb., 1.44-ozs. | David Brewer | 12/02/23 | ||
| White Crappie | 3-lbs., 4.24-ozs. | Cody Hopkins | 02/10/22 | ||
| Longnose Gar | 27-lbs., 4-ozs. | Caleb McClure | 06/24/23 | ||
| Shellcracker | 2-lbs., 5-ozs. | Dan Huizinga | 04/20/24 | ||
| Redbreast | 10-ozs. | Dan Huizinga | 08/03/24 |