Sign inSign up freeRecent catches at Lake Chatuge
Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
Fishing Lake Chatuge: what the data says
7,000-acre reservoir near Hiawassee. clear TVA mountain lake straddling the GA/NC line. The lake tops out around 144 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. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Largemouth Bass fishing at Lake Chatuge
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. A texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait covers the summer program.
| 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 |
Crappie fishing at Lake Chatuge
Start shallow in spring: crappie sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 25 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 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 |
Bluegill fishing at Lake Chatuge
Spring bluegill on Lake Chatuge hold shallow, usually 1 to 6 ft. By summer they slide out to 4 to 15 ft, and by winter most fish are in 10 to 25 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 6 ft, rated prime for spring bluegill. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Channel Catfish fishing at Lake Chatuge
In spring, channel catfish run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 40 ft. Sharp break is the standout, a drop-off at roughly 7.214738523457119 ft, rated good for fall channel catfish. 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 |
Flathead Catfish fishing at Lake Chatuge
Spring flathead catfish on Lake Chatuge hold shallow, usually 5 to 20 ft. They move out to 8 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 45 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Rock reef: a rock pile around 10.163931972990795 ft that scores good in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | night & dusk | |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | night & dusk | |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday |
White Bass & Hybrids fishing at Lake Chatuge
In spring, white bass & hybrids run shallow here, mostly 3 to 15 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 40 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Rock reef: a rock pile around 10.163931972990795 ft that scores prime in summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a jigging spoon or a topwater (when schooling) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Rooster tail / inline spinner, Curly-tail jig (white/chartreuse) |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Jigging spoon, Topwater (when schooling) |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Small blade bait, Jigging spoon |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday | Jigging spoon, Blade bait (vertical) |
Lake Chatuge also holds common carp (3 to 15 ft in summer), spotted bass (15 to 40 ft in summer), 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 122 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 65 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 36 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 36 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 10.163931972990795 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 7.214738523457119 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 6.54894081972332 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 6.452234317343972 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 5.391599981172546 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 3.22381163412773 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 3.14241811365404 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 3.0048570257805367 ft
Common questions
How deep is Lake Chatuge?
Lake Chatuge is about 144 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 Lake Chatuge?
Anglers target largemouth bass, walleye, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, white bass & hybrids, flathead catfish, common carp, spotted bass on Lake Chatuge.
Where is the best fishing spot on Lake Chatuge?
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 Lake Chatuge?
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
Lake Burton · Lake Nottely · Lake Rabun · Blue Ridge Lake · Lake Lanier · Lake Hartwell
See how Lake Chatuge stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Georgia · best walleye lakes in Georgia · best crappie lakes in Georgia · best bluegill lakes in Georgia
Browse all Georgia fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.