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| General Lake Info |
| Angling prospects are compiled by fisheries biologists and are based on sampling efforts of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR), knowledge of past fishing trends, angling experience and information provided by anglers and marina owners. For more information, contact Wildlife Resources Division, Burton Fisheries office: ph. 706-947-3112. |
| Parks and Recreation |
| Lake Burton has facilities suitable for boating, camping, picnicking, swimming and fishing. Timpson Cove Beach with its white sand beach, is just one of the areas where you can enjoy swimming and picnicking on Lake Burton. |
| Jones Bridge Park - Due to its elevated location above the lake, this park serves as a scenic overlook for travelers along U.S. Hwy 76. There is ample parking and two picnic shelters with tables. Jones Bridge Park is located on the northern edge of Lake Burton off U.S. Hwy 76. |
| Timpson Cove Park - This park provides a great atmosphere on a nice day at Lake Burton. There is a beach and swimming area, with picnic tables, rest rooms, and parking. Access to the park is convenient from U.S. Highway 76, off Charlie Mountain Road. There is also an overlook with parking nearby, which is about 1/4 mile south of the park on Charlie Mountain Road. From this vantage point there are scenic views of the Timpson Creek arm of the lake and also the surrounding mountains to the west and north. |
| Murray Cove Boat Ramp - This facility provides the only public boat access area to Lake Burton during the winter. It is located off of Bridge Creek Road on the SE portion of Lake Burton. |
| Tallulah River Boat Ramp - Georgia Power provides this boat ramp and parking area just north of Lake Burton on the Tallulah River. It is a popular access area for fishermen looking to drop a line in the river. |
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| Boat Ramps |
| Wildlife Resources Division (WRD) operates one boat ramp on Lake Burton. Info on Georgia Power-operated boat ramps can be found using the contact info below. |
| Best Fishing Bets |
| Spotted Bass, Yellow Purch, Chain Pickerel and Brown Trout |
Brown Trout - Lake Burton supports Georgia’s only reservoir trout fishery. The lake is annually stocked each fall with approximately 20,000 ten-inch brown trout. By spring, fish average 15 inches in length and weigh approximately one pound. Trout will approach 20 inches in length and weigh nearly four pounds by the following spring. The current lake record is 11 lbs., 3 oz, but unofficial reports indicate that one or two fish over 14 pounds were taken by anglers last year.
Technique - July through September is the best time to catch brown trout, especially when normal to above average rainfall occurs that forces trout into a narrow band of water at depths of 30-60 feet. Troll live bait, spoons or shad-imitating crankbaits around 35 feet deep over a 50-100-foot bottom from the face of the dam to the first safety marker. By late summer, most trout have migrated toward the dam. Anglers should troll or downline live blueback herring around 35 feet deep in the vicinity of the dam. In November, cast in-line spinners around the dam, Murray’s Cove boat ramp and Moccasin Creek boat ramp to catch recently stocked fish. In the spring months, anglers should troll crankbaits that imitate blueback herring in the back areas of the major cove arms.
Target - See Techniques above. |
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Spotted Bass - Lake Burton is known for quality spotted bass and maintains bragging rights for the current state record fish that weighed 8 lbs., 2 oz. Spotted bass longevity coupled with an adequate food source give Lake Burton all the right ingredients to produce a new world record that tops the current mark of 10 lbs., 4 oz. Anglers can expect above average numbers of fish in the 12-inch size range as well as above average numbers of trophy fish.
Technique - February and March are prime months to catch big bass. Anglers should fish with pig-and-jig combinations, tube jigs, plastic worms, or herring imitations around woody debris and rocky points. In the evenings, switch to jigs tipped with a Super Fluke on rocky points in shallow water. Spring (April and May) is the best time to catch high numbers of spotted bass. Pearl-colored Super Flukes and worms are effective when fished around the corners of boat docks and downed trees located near deep water. Finesse worms also are effective when rigged Carolina style and dragged across rocky bottoms. After the spawning season, spotted bass will chase topwater lures, like a Sammy, Pointer 100, or Zara Spook in herring color patterns, near points and humps in open water. This technique works best around dusk and dawn. During the day, switch to finesse worms fished on rocky points in 20-30 feet of water, especially on the lower half of the lake. When the leaves turn their fall colors, anglers should pull out the Super Fluke fished on a jig-head and head to the mouth of creeks where blueback herring congregate. If that pattern does not work, switch to vertical jigging with spoons or slow-moving crayfish imitators on points in major cove arms.
Target - Spotted bass frequently migrate around the lake in search of their favorite prey items, including blueback herring, yellow perch and crayfish. During the winter, spring, and early fall, spotted bass primarily feed on blueback herring, which congregate in the mouths of creeks and over the creek channel in the major cove arms during these seasons. The spawning season, which generally occurs in May, pushes spotted bass to rocky areas, especially near boat docks and downed trees in 10-15 feet of water. Target these areas exclusively during the spawning season. Warming water temperatures from June to September push spotted bass into deeper water to feed on yellow perch. Target points and humps in 20-30 feet of water along the main lake channel. By fall, spotted bass frequent rocky points in the major cove arms to feed on crayfish and will roam into the creeks in search of blueback herring. Points and creek channels in Moccasin, Dicks and Timpson Creeks hold fish this time of year. |
Yellow Perch are common in Lake Burton and fishing for them in the summer months can produce a stringer of fish if you use the right approach.
Technique - With a good depth finder, search for small schools of fish hovering near the bottom in about 30 feet of water along the main lake channel, these likely ar yellow perch. Attach a fragment of nightcrawler or small minnow on a 1-0 or slightly smaller hook and bounce it along the bottom. Thoroughly sweep the area with bait until the location of perch is pinpointed. If there is no bite within 15 minutes, continue the search for other schools of fish at another location. When a school of hungry perch is located, expect to catch a dozen fish or more in rapid succession. Cull the smaller fish and take home the bigger ones because yellow perch are excellent to eat.
Target - During the summer months, perch congregate on rocky bottoms adjacent to the main lake channel and near weed lines along the major creek channels in about 30 feet of water. Use a depth finder to search for schooling fish near the bottom in this depth zone. Start the search in the middle section of the lake from Murray Cove to Dicks Creek. |
Chain Pickerel - Lake Burton has a sizeable chain pickerel population with many fish in the trophy category. Chain pickerel are exciting to catch because they aggressively attack a variety of baits and lures and they put up a hard and sometimes acrobatic fight. They are relatively easy to catch in the spring and early summer months if you target the right areas.
Technique - Chain pickerel will attack a variety of artificial baits, including Shad Raps, Rapalas and Flukes, but often find a white spinner bait irresistible. Anglers should not be timid about casting into thick tangles of woody debris for pickerel. Heavier lines will endure the abrasion of this type of fishing and help prevent break-offs by these sharp-toothed critters. An alternative technique is to troll perch-colored crankbaits above the weed line along the edge of shallow creek channels.
Target - Chain pickerel prefer to ambush their prey from visible structure in very shallow water. Their favorite habitat is woody debris piles along a shallow flat in close proximity to a creek channel. They also can be found cruising the edges of creek channels. These kinds of habitats occur in the back of almost every cove on Lake Burton. |
| Contact Info & Website Link |
| Georgia Power Company 706-782-4014 - Georgia Power Lake Burton Website |
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