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Carters Lake Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Carters Lake: Georgia's deepest reservoir, a 3,220-acre Corps lake on the Coosawattee River known for Alabama bass, stripers and walleye.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Water temp
~74 F est.
Air / High
73 / 73 F
Wind
SSE 2 mph

Sources: Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Carters Lake offers the kind of conditions this water was made for. Today brings clear skies, wind SSE around 2 mph, steady pressure near 1022 hPa and a high of 73. Water sits around 74 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 10:14 AM-12:14 PM and 10:42 PM-12:42 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Striped bassExcellent

Use electronics to find shad schools in open water, and watch for birds working over bait.

Largemouth bassGood

The main feeding season after the spawn: work moving baits along weed edges, points and wood, and follow up with a soft plastic where a fish swirls.

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

Spawning season from late May into summer: Iowa DNR suggests drifting bait under a float along riprap and snags where males guard nests in cavities.

WalleyeGood

Summer pattern: nightcrawlers and leeches on rigs or jigs near bottom, trolled crankbaits to find scattered fish, and the shallows after dark in clear lakes.

CrappieFair

Early in this band crappie are spawning in protected coves; afterward they move to docks, brush piles and standing timber near deeper water.

Tomorrow: Similar at 73 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made β†’

Before you go

Georgia requires a fishing licence from age 16, from $15.00 for residents. What a Georgia licence costs and where to buy it β†’

Chasing largemouth bass here? Check the size and bag limits with GA DNR before you keep anything. The season dates for Georgia, read off the agency, are on the Georgia seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~74 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp73 F
High / Low73 / 45 F
WindSSE 2-6 mph
Pressure1021.8 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain1% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:51 / 18:54
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~74 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Carters Lake this week

The best day on Carters Lake this week looks like Saturday Oct 24, at 5 out of 5, against 3 today.

Best day this week: Saturday, Oct 24 β€” excellent at 5/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 β€” Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
10:14 AM-12:14 PM and 10:42 PM-12:42 AM
Minor period
4:36 AM-5:36 AM
Sun
07:51 to 18:54
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Clear, 8 mph
Rain chance
0%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

The species that matter on Carters Lake: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: the spring pre-spawn and the fall feed

A warm-water sunfish of lakes, reservoirs, ponds and slow river backwaters that holds tight to cover: weeds, logs, rock ledges and docks. In Texas, TPWD surveys rank it "by far" the freshwater fish anglers most want to catch. The main feeding season after the spawn: work moving baits along weed edges, points and wood, and follow up with a soft plastic where a fish swirls.

Striped bass illustration

Striped bass

Best: spring and fall inland; on the coast, during the seasonal migrations

The largest of the temperate basses, a sea-run fish of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts that now also lives in reservoirs across much of the country after hatchery stocking. Inland, it follows schools of shad and herring through open water. Use electronics to find shad schools in open water, and watch for birds working over bait.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Year-round, best at dusk and after dark

Three big catfish share most of the country's rivers and reservoirs: the channel catfish, the most widespread; the blue catfish, the largest; and the flathead, which hunts live fish. All feed mostly on or near the bottom. Spawning season from late May into summer: Iowa DNR suggests drifting bait under a float along riprap and snags where males guard nests in cavities.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: the spring spawn; summer around docks, brush and the thermocline

Two slab-sided panfish, the white crappie and the black crappie, that gather around submerged timber, brush piles, docks and bridge pilings in lakes, reservoirs and slow river backwaters. Texas Parks and Wildlife counts crappie as the state's most popular panfish. Early in this band crappie are spawning in protected coves; afterward they move to docks, brush piles and standing timber near deeper water.

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: spring and late fall, around dawn, dusk and night

A cool-water perch of large lakes, reservoirs and rivers whose reflective eyes are built for low light, so it feeds most at night and in murky water. The Missouri Department of Conservation ranks it among the continent's most important freshwater game fish. Summer pattern: nightcrawlers and leeches on rigs or jigs near bottom, trolled crankbaits to find scattered fish, and the shallows after dark in clear lakes.

When to come: the Carters Lake calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Largemouth bass
Striped bass
Catfish (blue, channel)
Crappie
Walleye
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 74 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~74 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Carters Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 75 F, wind to 10 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 73 F, wind to 8 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Largemouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 72 F, wind to 7 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Georgia requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Georgia license. Georgia rules (updated August 27, 2026): striped, white and hybrid bass 15 a day combined, only 2 of them 22 inches or longer; black bass 10 a day; largemouth 12-inch minimum; no minimum for spotted (Alabama) bass; walleye 8; crappie 30.

Access

Corps lake; ramps Georgia DNR names include Doll Mountain, Ridgeway and Woodring Branch. Carters Lake Marina & Resort is the only marina.

About this water

3,220-acre Corps of Engineers reservoir on the Coosawattee River in northwest Georgia; the state's deepest lake.

Fishing Carters Lake: the full guide

Deep and steep

Carters Lake impounds the Coosawattee River between Calhoun and Ellijay. Georgia DNR calls the 3,220-acre reservoir Georgia's deepest, with steep bluff banks and an undeveloped shoreline. DNR, the Corps and volunteers have built 55 fish attractor sites in the lake.

Alabama bass, not spotted bass

DNR's genetic work confirmed that Carters' dominant black bass are native Alabama bass, which grow larger than Kentucky spotted bass. DNR expects most to be 12 to 14 inches, with fish over 5 pounds still abundant. Largemouth make up only about 5% of the black bass, mostly in the backs of coves.

Stripers, hybrids and walleye

DNR stocks stripers and hybrids every year. Many of the large stripers come from 2013 and 2014 stockings and now exceed 30 inches and 15 to 25 pounds; DNR lists the Doll Mountain ramp area, Fisher Creek, the Woodring Branch cove and the Big Island in the Coosawattee arm as perennial striper areas. Walleye are also stocked yearly, mostly 16 to 22 inches, and run up the Coosawattee arm above the Ridgeway ramp in February and March.

Other fish and facilities

Channel catfish outnumber flathead and blue catfish, and black crappie are scarce but of good size, especially in the timbered cove behind the Ridgeway ramp. The only marina is the privately owned Carters Lake Marina & Resort; the Corps project office (706-334-2248) posts lake levels, boating and camping information.

Common questions

Are Carters' 'spots' really spotted bass?

No. Georgia DNR's genetic testing showed they are native Alabama bass, which grow larger than Kentucky spotted bass.

Is Carters stocked?

Yes. DNR stocks striped bass, hybrid bass and walleye every year.

How deep is Carters Lake?

Georgia DNR calls it the state's deepest reservoir.

Is fishing good at Carters Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Toccoa River26 miBlue Ridge Lake28 miLake Allatoona33 miHiwassee River41 miLake Nottely43 miLake Lanier46 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 34.6140, -84.6681 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 8, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 8, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.