Best spotted bass lakes in Georgia
16 Georgia waters list spotted bass (official records or labelled estimates), 1 mapped with survey or official-chart depth data. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality, leading with the waters in our reviewed search catalog — open any water to see exactly where to fish it: depth contours, scored spots with plain-English reasons, seasonal windows and bait picks. The deep-water bass of highland reservoirs. Schools on points and humps chasing herring — always deeper than you think.
- Lake Lanier — 158 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, BluegillWhy #1: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 41 public access sites
- Lake Hartwell — 185 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, CrappieWhy #2: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 49 public access sites
- West Point Lake — 85 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel CatfishWhy #3: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 34 public access sites
- Richard B. Russell Lake — 167 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel CatfishWhy #4: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 17 public access sites
- Lake Allatoona — 145 ft max · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie, BluegillWhy #5: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 22 public access sites
- Lake Nottely — 98 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel CatfishWhy #6: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 10 public access sites
- Lake Chatuge — 144 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, BluegillWhy #7: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 5 public access sites
- Jackson Lake — 94 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel CatfishWhy #8: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 1 public access site
- Lake Burton — 120 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel CatfishWhy #9: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 3 public access sites
- Blue Ridge Lake — 246 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, CrappieWhy #10: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 4 public access sites
- Carters Lake — 450 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, CrappieWhy #11: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 9 public access sites
- Lake Rabun — 84 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, BluegillWhy #12: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 2 public access sites
…plus 4 more Georgia waters holding spotted bass.
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How to use this ranking
The order is a map-planning ranking, not a claim about today's fish population. It favors larger mapped waters and gives survey-backed contours a three-times data-quality boost. Agency population surveys, current regulations, access and recent conditions should make the final decision.
Compare maximum depth across 37,233 lake records · See Georgia waters with public access data
When to fish spotted bass in Georgia
- Spring 5–20 ft — Spots spawn deeper than largemouth — gravel points and pea-gravel pockets in 5-15 ft.
- Summer 15–40 ft — Offshore season: spots suspend over deep points, humps and standing timber, herding blueback herring and shad.
- Fall 10–30 ft — Fish follow bait to the creek mouths and long points — watch for breaking fish.
- Winter 25–50 ft — Winter spots stack on bluff ends, channel-swing banks and deep points — slow spoons and jigs.
Also in Georgia: best largemouth bass lakes · best walleye lakes · best crappie lakes · best bluegill lakes · best channel catfish lakes · best rainbow trout lakes · best striped bass lakes · best white bass & hybrids lakes · best flathead catfish lakes · best blue catfish lakes · best common carp lakes · best longnose gar lakes
Spotted Bass elsewhere: Texas · California · Oklahoma · West Virginia · Mississippi · Alabama · North Carolina · Tennessee · Arkansas