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Fishing Carters Lake: what the data says
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 contours are modeled from the water's real shoreline and maximum depth. Treat them as a rough guide, and never use them for navigation. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.
Largemouth Bass fishing at Carters Lake
In spring, largemouth bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 20 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 35 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 6 ft, rated prime for spring largemouth bass. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Smallmouth Bass fishing at Carters Lake
Spring smallmouth bass on Carters Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 10 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 45 ft. The spot to know is Offshore hump, a offshore hump in about 29.68014575530163 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 | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Crappie fishing at Carters Lake
Start shallow in spring: crappie sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 10 to 25 ft, and by winter most fish are in 15 to 35 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 6 ft, rated prime for spring crappie. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Channel Catfish fishing at Carters Lake
Spring channel catfish on Carters Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 8 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 40 ft. The spot to know is Sharp break, a drop-off in about 10.725035531493925 ft of water that rates prime for channel catfish in fall. Best bite is after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday |
Striped Bass fishing at Carters Lake
Start shallow in spring: striped bass sit in 5 to 20 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 25 to 60 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 50 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Offshore hump: a offshore hump around 29.68014575530163 ft that scores prime in summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. A flutter spoon (deep) or a umbrella rig (trolled) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Bucktail jig + trailer, Walking topwater (dawn) |
| Summer | 25 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | Flutter spoon (deep), Umbrella rig (trolled) |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Topwater walker, Jerkbait |
| Winter | 20 to 50 ft | midday | Alabama rig (slow), Flutter spoon |
Spotted Bass fishing at Carters Lake
Start shallow in spring: spotted bass sit in 5 to 20 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 15 to 40 ft, and by winter most fish are in 25 to 50 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Offshore hump: a offshore hump around 29.68014575530163 ft that scores prime in summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. A drop shot over brush or a underspin + fluke (schoolers) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig on gravel points, Shaky head |
| Summer | 15 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot over brush, Underspin + fluke (schoolers) |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Walking topwater, Underspin |
| Winter | 25 to 50 ft | midday | 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.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 383 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 203 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 113 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 113 ft
- Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 29.68014575530163 ft
- Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 15.554320449555536 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 10.725035531493925 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 10.49119141319361 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
Common questions
How deep is Carters Lake?
Carters Lake is about 450 ft 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.
What fish are in Carters Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, crappie, channel catfish, striped bass, spotted bass on Carters Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Carters Lake?
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Carters Lake?
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.
Nearby waters
Blue Ridge Lake · Lake Allatoona · Lake Nottely · Chattahoochee River · Lake Lanier · Lake Chatuge
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 every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.