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7,000-acre reservoir near Hiawassee. Clear TVA mountain lake straddling the GA/NC line. The lake tops out around 144 ft. Bathymetry on this water is estimated from its real outline and maximum depth. Use it to shortlist water, then verify with your electronics — and never navigate by it. Here's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.
The outline encloses 6,463 acres, worked by 103.9 miles of shoreline. With a shoreline index of 9.2, this water is all arms and coves — edge habitat well beyond its acreage. 40% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft), per the model — cover, weeds and forage water. The basin spans about 8.4 mi end to end and 6.5 mi across at its widest. It sits in Towns County. If the bite dies, Nantahala Lake is 15 mi to the northeast.
Spring largemouth bass on Lake Chatuge hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 35 ft. Put Shallow bay flat first on the milk run — a weed flat near 6 ft that grades prime for spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait.
| 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 (7 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Shoreline point (3 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Sharp break (7 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Early season crappie use the shallows, holding in 2 to 8 ft. Summer is a 10 to 25 ft game here, winter a 15 to 35 ft one. The chart's best answer is Shallow bay flat — weed flat, 6 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Sharp break (7 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Sharp break (7 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Deep basin (122 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Early season bluegill use the shallows, holding in 1 to 6 ft. Expect a summer slide to 4 to 15 ft, then a winter hold in 10 to 25 ft. Put Shallow bay flat first on the milk run — a weed flat near 6 ft that grades prime for spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Deep basin (122 ft) | Tiny spoon |
Spring channel catfish on Lake Chatuge 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. Put Sharp break first on the milk run — a drop-off near 7 ft that grades good for summer. The feeding windows run after dark and the evening.
| 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 (7 ft) | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | Sharp break (7 ft) | |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday | Deep basin (122 ft) |
Spring flathead catfish on Lake Chatuge hold shallow, usually 5 to 20 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 30 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 45 ft. The chart's best answer is Rock reef — rock pile, 10 ft, good for spring. Prime time lands in after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | night & dusk | Rock reef (10 ft) | |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | night & dusk | Sharp break (7 ft) | |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | night & dusk | Sharp break (7 ft) | |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday | Deep basin (122 ft) |
Early season white bass & hybrids use the shallows, holding in 3 to 15 ft. Summer is a 10 to 30 ft game here, winter a 20 to 40 ft one. The chart's best answer is Rock reef — rock pile, 10 ft, prime for summer. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a jigging spoon or a topwater (when schooling) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Shoreline point (3 ft) | Rooster tail / inline spinner, Curly-tail jig (white/chartreuse) |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Rock reef (10 ft) | Jigging spoon, Topwater (when schooling) |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Rock reef (10 ft) | Small blade bait, Jigging spoon |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday | Deep basin (122 ft) | 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.
Structure-wise the chart holds 18 features, led in depth by Deep basin at roughly 122 ft.
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 Lake Chatuge specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Georgia fishing regulations →
Lake Chatuge is about 144 ft (44 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, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, flathead catfish, white bass & hybrids, common carp, spotted bass, walleye 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.
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 Lake Chatuge 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.
Nantahala Lake 15 mi, NC · Lake Burton 16 mi · Lake Nottely 16 mi · Nantahala River 21 mi, NC · Hiwassee Lake 22 mi, NC · Lake Rabun 24 mi · Santeetlah Lake 26 mi, NC · Blue Ridge Lake 30 mi · Fontana Lake 30 mi, NC · Chattooga River 31 mi, GA/SC · Hiwassee River 47 mi, TN · Lake Jocassee 47 mi, SC/NC
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 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.