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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: 5.6 feet below 1925. Temp: 56-57 degrees. Clarity: Clear. Bass: Guide Eric Welch, of Welch’s Guide Service, reports, “Fishing has been good. With the warmer weather, the water temps are rising, and the fish are trying to move up for the spawn. This is my favorite time of the year to fish. I will start my mornings out around mid lake, fishing long, clay points and pebble-rock banklines. The baits I fish the most in these areas are a 3.5-inch tube and a Ned rig. I’m targeting 6 to 18 feet of water, just casting and slow dragging with the occasional pop of the lure. There are so many banks that the spotted bass spawn on. Sometimes you will find a stretch that may have up to 10 fish on a 70-yard area. Sometimes it makes it hard to leave these areas, but once the sun gets up good, I’ve…
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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 spotted bass are feeding heavily in January, eating shad and herring. They follow the same wintertime patterns as Lanier spots, and you can catch them on ditches and rocks. There is also a good largemouth bite at Chatuge after a heavy rain stains the rivers and creeks. Chatuge is a good choice…
Fishermen can honor our veterans and those on active duty while enjoying a day fishing on Lake Chatuge for big money and prizes. The Lake Chatuge ‘Reelin’ It In For Vets’ fishing tournament will be held Nov. 2. The team event entry fee is $200 per team, which includes tournament entry, Big Fish pot and…
There is a secret in the north Georgia mountains. Few anglers are aware that Lake Chatuge is full of 6- to 8-lb. hybrid bass. They are hungry, they are in tight schools under baitfish right now, and you can catch 30 to 50 of them in a few hours all summer long. Filled in 1942,…
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
Level: 1.1 feet above 840. Temp: 67 degrees and rising. Expect it to be around 70 by Saturday, April 20. Clarity: Clear. Bass: Tournament angler Matt Driver reports, “This weekend will be a great weekend. The topwater bite is firing up due to the warm week. The shad spawn is in the beginning stages, and the bass are keying on shad. Typically, you will see shad spawning on the surface, especially on rip-rap, boat docks and even on red clay banks. This surface activity should go on for the first hour of the morning. My favorite baits for this bite is a jerkbait and a walking topwater bait, like a Zara Spook.” Three Stages Of Allatoona’s April Bass “There are still a few bass on the bed, but a good bit of fish are already in the postspawn phase on secondary points and blowdowns,” Matt said. “A jerkbait, like a…
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Jonathan Ray considers Lake Lanier his home lake, but the Ball Ground resident likes to venture to Lake Allatoona several times each year. He plans to go to the Stamp Creek section of the lake a lot more in the future. All Jonathan did was what all bass fishermen dream of but what few accomplish.…
Spotted bass, largemouth and shad are all spawning this month on Allatoona, and anglers can catch bass by keying on the different spawning areas for each species. If you want to have fun and catch a bunch of fish, target spots. If quality fish are your goal, look for bedding largemouth. And when the shad…
An estimated 4,000 people drown to death each year in the United States. Of those deaths, more than 50% could have been prevented if those victims had been wearing a life jacket. That’s where Travis England steps in. England, a public affairs specialist at Lake Lanier and a former park ranger at Lake Allatoona, coordinated…
James “Moby” Carney, a popular country music radio DJ with strong ties to the Georgia outdoor community, died Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023, at age 69. Moby had battled stage 4 stomach cancer. The GON Community got to know Moby not just from his morning show on Kicks 101.5 from 1991 to 2012, but also through…
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 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 | 1-lb., 9-ozs. | Dan Huizinga | 05/04/23 |