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3,200-acre reservoir near Chatsworth. Gorge reservoir on the Coosawattee; Georgia's deepest lake and a nationally known spotted-bass fishery. The lake tops out around 450 ft. The depth picture is modeled, anchored to the true shoreline and the water's published max depth — a scouting aid, never a chart to run a boat by. The rest of this page walks each species through its year, using the map's own scoring.
Traced from the shoreline, Carters Lake runs 2,995 acres with 63.9 miles of edge. A development index of 8.3 means a maze of bays and points: far more casting targets than a round bowl of the same size. Roughly 14% of the water is 15 ft or less as modeled, the band where the food chain lives. Call it 4.6 mi long by 4.6 mi wide at the broadest reach. You'll find it in Gilmer County. The nearest mapped water is Lake Conasauga, 16 mi to the north.
Start shallow in spring: largemouth bass sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 8 to 20 ft; cold water stacks them in 15 to 35 ft. Top water on the chart: Sharp break, a drop-off in the 11 ft range, prime in summer. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. Throw a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Sharp break (11 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Sharp break (11 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: smallmouth bass in 3 to 12 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 10 to 30 ft before dropping to 20 to 45 ft for winter. The spot to know is Offshore hump, an offshore hump in about 30 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in summer. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | open water | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Offshore hump (30 ft) | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Sharp break (11 ft) | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday | Offshore hump (30 ft) | Blade bait, Hair jig |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: crappie in 2 to 8 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 10 to 25 ft before dropping to 15 to 35 ft for winter. The spot to know is Dock / pier line, a dock line in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for crappie in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Dock / pier line (4 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Offshore hump (16 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Sharp break (11 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Offshore hump (30 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Start shallow in spring: channel catfish sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 8 to 25 ft; cold water stacks them in 20 to 40 ft. Top water on the chart: Sharp break, a drop-off in the 11 ft range, prime in fall. Fish it in after dark and the evening and you'll meet the bite.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | Sharp break (11 ft) | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | Sharp break (11 ft) | |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday | Deep basin (383 ft) |
When the water first warms, striped bass slide up into 5 to 20 ft. Summer is a 25 to 60 ft game here, winter a 20 to 50 ft one. Start at Offshore hump. It's an offshore hump holding about 30 ft of water and rates prime come summer. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a flutter spoon (deep) or an umbrella rig (trolled) rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Sharp break (11 ft) | Bucktail jig + trailer, Walking topwater (dawn) |
| Summer | 25 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | Offshore hump (30 ft) | Flutter spoon (deep), Umbrella rig (trolled) |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Offshore hump (30 ft) | Topwater walker, Jerkbait |
| Winter | 20 to 50 ft | midday | Sharp break (11 ft) | Alabama rig (slow), Flutter spoon |
Early season spotted bass use the shallows, holding in 5 to 20 ft. Expect a summer slide to 15 to 40 ft, then a winter hold in 25 to 50 ft. Put Offshore hump first on the milk run — an offshore hump near 30 ft that grades prime for summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a drop shot over brush or an underspin + fluke (schoolers) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Sharp break (11 ft) | Ned rig on gravel points, Shaky head |
| Summer | 15 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Offshore hump (30 ft) | Drop shot over brush, Underspin + fluke (schoolers) |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Offshore hump (30 ft) | Walking topwater, Underspin |
| Winter | 25 to 50 ft | midday | Offshore hump (30 ft) | Damiki/hover rig, Jigging spoon |
Carters Lake also holds walleye (15 to 35 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Carters Lake carries 14 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 383 ft down.
Access data: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) — community-mapped launches. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Georgia waters are set by the Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources — and special regulations can apply to Carters Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Georgia fishing regulations →
Carters Lake is about 450 ft (137 m) deep at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, channel catfish, striped bass, spotted bass, walleye on Carters Lake.
Offshore hump is the top-rated area: an offshore hump in about 30 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in summer. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.
For largemouth bass, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Fishing on Carters Lake is regulated by the Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources. Check the official Georgia regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Lake Conasauga 16 mi · Blue Ridge Lake 26 mi · Parksville Lake 33 mi, TN · Lake Allatoona 34 mi · Lake Nottely 39 mi · Hiwassee River 41 mi, TN · Chattahoochee River 45 mi · Hiwassee Lake 45 mi, NC · Lake Lanier 47 mi · Lake Chatuge 55 mi, GA/NC · Chickamauga Lake 56 mi, TN · Tennessee River - Reach 2 of 3 57 mi, TN/AL/GA
See how Carters Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Georgia · best walleye lakes in Georgia · best crappie lakes in Georgia · best channel catfish lakes in Georgia
Browse all Georgia fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.