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Lake Burton Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The Georgia mountain original: Burton's deep coves grow the state's biggest spotted bass and trout-fed giants under Appalachian ridges.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Water temp
~73 F est.
Air / High
92 / 92 F
Wind
ESE 2 mph

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

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 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.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Lake Burton offers the kind of conditions this water was made for. Today brings clear skies, wind ESE around 2 mph, rising pressure near 1015 hPa and a high of 92. Water sits around 73 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Smallmouth bassGood

Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Northern pikeGood

Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

Rainbow troutGood

Prime dry-fly and hopper season. Match the hatch morning and evening; nymph the seams midday.

Largemouth bassFair

Prime chasing season. Work moving baits on points and pockets: spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and squarebills, with a stick worm behind for followers.

Tomorrow: Similar at 95 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

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.

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~73 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp92 F
High / Low92 / 68 F
WindESE 2-6 mph
Pressure1015.0 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain2% cloud, 13%
Sunrise / Sunset07:09 / 19:56
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~73 F est.

Bite planner

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

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Overcast, 92/68 F, wind 6 mph, rain 13%

Fair or better. Calm and stable: plan around the solunar majors at dawn and dusk.

Species guide

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

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: May-Oct

Current and rock. Finds gravel flats, boulders and drop-offs, and fights far above its weight. Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: spring and fall

The headline act on most American reservoirs. Relates to cover: docks, brush, grass edges and points. Prime chasing season. Work moving baits on points and pockets: spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and squarebills, with a stick worm behind for followers.

Northern pike illustration

Northern pike

Best: spring, early winter

The ambush predator of weedbeds and cabbage edges. Aggressive, big and always worth a wire leader. Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Best: Apr-Jun, Sep-Oct

The workhorse of western rivers: riffles, seams and dry-fly eats. Prime dry-fly and hopper season. Match the hatch morning and evening; nymph the seams midday.

When to come: the Lake Burton 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
Smallmouth bass
Largemouth bass
Northern pike
Rainbow trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 73 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~73 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 Lake Burton today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 90 F, wind to 6 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Smallmouth bass led the card at good. High of 92 F, wind to 4 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Smallmouth bass led the card at good. High of 90 F, wind to 4 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. Spotted bass no minimum (cull ethics local); trout stamp for feeder creeks: check GADNR.

Access

Murray Cove, Timpson Cove GP ramps, LaPrade's marina.

About this water

2,775 acres heading the Tallulah chain, Rabun County, GA. The mountain trophy-spot original.

Fishing Lake Burton: the full guide

The chain's crown

Burton heads Georgia Power's Tallulah chain: 2,800 deep, clear mountain acres ringed by boathouse estates and Appalachian ridges. The fishery outweighs the acreage: state-record-class spotted bass (the 8-pound register fell here), walleye remnants, and trout washing in from stocked feeders to fatten everything.

Spots of consequence

The blueback-and-trout forage grows Georgia's heaviest spots: winter's jerkbait-and-damiki game on the bluff ends, herring-pattern topwater at dawn all summer, drop shots probing the 25-45-ft standing timber. Every point can hold the fish of a Georgia lifetime: locals fish it accordingly.

The cold-water margins

Stocked trout from the Wildcat and Moccasin feeders cruise the creek mouths (a bonus fly-and-spinner game spring and fall), walleye linger from old programs for the dusk trollers, and the bream-and-crappie coves keep camp families busy. LaPrade's marina history anchors the culture.

Rabun practicalities

Georgia Power ramps serve the public (Murray Cove, the dam): summer's boathouse traffic peaks weekends (dawn rules): and winter drawdowns (10-plus feet) expose the structure and concentrate the spots: the connoisseur's season. Clayton's restaurants close the day properly.

Common questions

How big do Burton spotted bass get?

The 8-pound class: Georgia's records cluster here on trout-and-blueback calories. Winter's bluff-end suspension game hunts them best.

When should I fish Lake Burton?

November-March for the trophy spots (drawdown, jerkbaits, empty water): summer dawns for the topwater show before the boathouses wake.

Is fishing good at Lake Burton right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Lake Chatuge14 miChattooga River15 miChatuge Lake17 miLake Nottely27 miNantahala River28 miLake Hartwell31 mi
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