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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

Lake Chatuge Fishing Report – June 2025

By GON Staff | May 28, 2025

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 Fishing Articles

Update: TVA Timeline For Decision On Chatuge Spillway Repair, Drawdown

Lake Chatuge locals will have to wait at least 18 months for the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) decision on how it will handle potential spillway repairs and how long any drawdown will last. The TVA tells GON that it will be 2027 before it makes the final call. “The Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) evaluating…

Potential 8-Year Lake Chatuge Drawdown Causing Alarm

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…

Lake Chatuge Mountain Bass In February

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…

Catch Hungry Lake Chatuge Bass In June

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.…

Gilmer County Teen Drowns While Duck Hunting On Lake Chatuge

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…

Lake Chatuge Record Fish

Largemouth Bass16-lbs., 11-ozs.David Presely03/27/1976
Smallmouth7-lbs., 2-ozs.Jack Hall03/28/1973
Spotted Bass6-lbs., 13.8-ozs.James Dean10/11/03
Hybrid Bass25-lbs., 8-ozs.David C. Hobby05/01/1995
Walleye9-lbs., 4-ozs.Carol Owenby04/07/1991
Black Crappie2-lbs., 3-ozs.Dillon Phillips03/31/24
Rainbow Trout2-lbs., 8.5-ozs.Walker Ross06/23/2012
Yellow Perch1-lb., 2.24-ozs.Mark McClure04/19/2021

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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

Allatoona Bass Report: June 13, 2025

By Taylor Rampley | June 13, 2025

Level: 0.4 feet above 840. Temp: mid 70s. Clarity: Clear Bass: Matt Driver said the water temps on Allatoona are about two weeks behind. Temps are in the mid 70s because of the overcast skies and plentiful rainfall we’ve been having. The herring spawn is coming to an end, and bass are starting to school up. Don’t expect to see any action looking for shad. Matt said the bass are in a transition period from chasing shad as they move more offshore. Twelve to 24 feet of water is where you’ll find them. The bass aren’t at their deepest yet, but they are working that direction. “The (spotted) bass will transition into their summer patter once the water temps get into the low 80s and we get closer to July,” said Matt. The largemouth are around, but Matt is catching about 20 spotted bass to every one largemouth. Topwater lures…

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Lake Allatoona Fishing Articles

5-Foot Allatoona Gar Almost Breaks State Record

The record for longnose gar on Lake Allatoona was smashed last week by angler Caleb McClure. The huge fish was just shy of 5 feet long and weighed 27.25 pounds. Caleb caught the gar while fishing with his friend Trent Hall. “We were fishing right next to Sweetwater Campground in an area that we knew…

Allatoona Gar Record Set By Youth

Little more than a month after Seth Shoults, of Cartersville, set two Etowah River catfish records in one night, he guided his nephew into the Lake Allatoona waterbody record books. On the evening of April 21, Seth established the new blue catfish and channel catfish waterbody records on the Etowah River. He caught a 7-lb.…

380 Buttonbushes Planted In Lake Allatoona

On Feb. 4, fishing club members of the E3 Bassmasters, the Marietta Bassmasters, Lake Allatoona USACE volunteers, the Lake Allatoona Association and the Georgia DNR conducted another planting as part of an ongoing habitat enhancement project on Allatoona Lake. The fishing club members belong to the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society, as well as the local…

Blueback Herring Now Legal Bait For Lake Allatoona Anglers

It is now legal to possess and use blueback herring as bait on Lake Allatoona. The new regulation went into effect earlier last month. DNR approved the change after a public comment period in which some fishermen expressed wishes for the change and others expressed concern, Lake Allatoona WRD Fisheries Biologist Jackson Sibley said. Blueback…

Allatoona Tournament Benefits Families Of Slain Cobb Officers

A bass fishing tournament this Saturday, Oct. 29 at Lake Allatoona will provide proceeds and donations to benefit the families of two Cobb County deputies shot and killed while serving an arrest warrant on Sept. 8. The tournament will fish out of the Blockhouse Ramp and will begin at safe light until 3 p.m. The…

Allatoona Lake Records

Largemouth Bass16-lbs., 9-ozs.Greg Rymer08/31/82
Spotted Bass7-lbs., 11-ozs.George Clark11/18/74
Hybrid Bass13-lbs., 9.5-ozs.Danny Alsobrook02/07/90
Striped Bass42-lbs.Clint Hight02/15/02
Black Crappie3-lbs., 7.36-ozs.Corey Harmon03/05/22
White Bass3-lbs., 2-ozs.Darrell Baxter05/15/94
Flathead Catfish35-lbs., 10.88-ozs.Sandy Sanders06/20/08
Blue Catfish52-lbs., 1-oz.Aaron Churchwell10/27/20
Tiger Trout2-lbs., 12.8-ozs.Bob Geresti02/01/18
Yellow Perch1-lb., 1.44-ozs.David Brewer12/02/23
White Crappie3-lbs., 4.24-ozs.Cody Hopkins02/10/22
Longnose Gar27-lbs., 4-ozs.Caleb McClure06/24/23
Shellcracker2-lbs., 5-ozs.Dan Huizinga04/20/24
Redbreast10-ozs.Dan Huizinga08/03/24