Advertisement

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 – April 2025

By GON Staff | March 27, 2025

Nottely: Level: 9.8 feet below 1775. Temp: 45 to 55 degrees. Clarity: Most all creeks and the river is muddy. Stripers: Guide Jeremy Seabolt, reports, “We are back to fishing most every day. Fishing has been good when pulling large herring on boards. We have lots of nice hybrids showing up in big numbers, and it’s also that time year to catch a trophy-size fish. We will start following fish to their spawn grounds. Going into April, we will start pulling big baits as we look for the bigger fish. We will also start throwing on shallow points and humps with Red Fins. It can be fun as the herring start running the banks in the middle April. Crappie fishing has also been off the charts. To me, April is the best time to catch big crappie on Nottely. Minnows have been catching the most fish so far. Lake Nottely Page:…

Read More

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