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Lake Nottely

Lake Nottely is a deep, clear mountain lake of 4,180 acres that offers good fishing for a variety of species, but Nottely is probably best known for its trophy striped bass. Nottely is one of many reservoirs built by the Tennessee Valley Authority. It is located entirely in Union County. Formed in 1942 by the damming of the Nottely River, Nottely Reservoir extends 20 miles upstream to Blairsville. Approximately 70 percent of the shoreline is owned by the U.S. Forest Service and undeveloped.

Lake Nottely Resources

Lake Nottely Fishing Report – June 2025

By GON Staff | May 28, 2025

Nottely: Level: 2.4 feet over 1775. Temp: 64-67 degrees. Clarity: Clear. Stripers: Guide Jeremy Seabolt, reports, “Fishing has been off the charts. We have been on some big schools of fish. We have been catching lots of fish on planer boards and freelines. Fish are still scattered from Point 1 to Point 11. May was a fun time to fish with the herring spawn going on. You can catch lots of fish and can catch them a lot different ways. If you are not pulling boards, you can throw Red Fins or flukes or about any kind of wake baits and catch fish. So far the hybrids and stripers look really healthy. Going into June, it can be a little aggravating. You need to need stay kind of open minded when it comes to catching fish. They can be in 5 feet of water one day and be hanging out…

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Lake Nottely Articles

Lake Nottely Record Striped Bass

On April 28, 2002, 13-year-old Christopher Hampton, of Blairsville, was fishing for striped bass on Lake Nottely with his dad Randy when he hooked-up with a huge striper. Even with the boat in hot pursuit with the trolling motor on high, the fish nearly stripped 240 yards of 12-lb. test line off Christopher’s reel. The…

Lake Nottely Record Smallmouth Bass

A Nottely smallmouth weighing 6-lbs. even set a new lake record in 1993. James Miller, of Blue Ridge, caught the trophy smallmouth on Jan. 30.

Lake Nottely Record Fish

Largemouth Bass12-lbs.Sonny Evans07/30/75
Spotted Bass7-lbs., 2-ozs.Robert Kincaid03/08/72
Smallmouth6-lbs.James Miller01/30/93
Striped Bass53-lbs., 12-ozs.Christopher Hampton04/28/02
Hybrid Bass11-lbs., 5.6-ozs.James Beise03/21/17
White Bass3-lbs., 10-ozs.John Ledford08/06/88
Black Crappie3-lbs., 1.28-ozs.Anthony Tritt04/04/14
Yellow Perch1-lb., 2-ozs.Harold Underwood04/01/85
Flathead Catfish51-lbs., 15-ozs.Hoyt McDaniel06/02/69
Blue Catfish12-lbs., 8-ozs.Denise Dean06/26/86
Walleye8-lbs., 15.2-ozs.Dwight Dilbeck02/24/07
Brown Trout11-lbs., 7.52-ozs.Jonathan Lewis03/16/10
Channel Catfish17-lbs., 12-ozs.Micah Garrison08/20/21