Goat Rock is a 940-acre Georgia Power lake on the Chattahoochee River about 10 miles above Columbus, between Bartlett’s Ferry and Lake Oliver on the Alabama line. Boat traffic is light, largemouth bass are plentiful, and it is one of the better catfish and bream lakes in west Georgia.
- Size940 acres
- OperatorGeorgia Power
- Best betsLargemouth and spotted bass, catfish, bream, stripers
- Fish attractors5 buoy-marked sites
Getting on the Water
Georgia Power provides public access at the Goat Rock Marina site, with a paved lot, courtesy dock, restroom and lights. Fish bite better during water releases, so check generation schedules first: Georgia Power, 888-472-5253, or its online lake-level page.
2026 Fishing Outlook
Summarized from Georgia DNR fisheries biologists’ 2026 forecast for Goat Rock Lake, based on their sampling.
| Species | Outlook | Where and how |
|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass | Abundant and dominant, in a wide range of sizes, with lunkers for experienced anglers. | Rocky points in deep water, protected coves with cover, and the rocks below Bartlett’s Ferry Dam. Crankbaits, spinnerbaits and fast buzzbaits along wind-blown banks in spring; Carolina-rigged worms, dark lizards, crawfish-pattern cranks and jigs most of the year. |
| Spotted bass | Plenty, but small: most 7 to 11 inches, bigger ones half a pound to a pound. Often caught in bunches. | April to June on deep rocky points, main channels, shoreline cover and the ledges below the dam; releases trigger bites. Crankbaits, worms, chatterbaits, dark jigs, or nightcrawlers and crayfish. |
| Striped bass | A side show: a few older stocked fish and smaller stripers and hybrids that wash down from Bartlett’s Ferry. | The tailrace in spring; following shad schools lake-wide the rest of the year; troll in front of the dam and below Bartlett’s Ferry Dam. Spoons, bucktails, popping corks with jigs, live shad or cut bait. |
| Catfish | Excellent. Channels of 2 to 4 pounds are common and up to 10 pounds year-round; blues are fully established, and blues and flatheads often top 10 pounds. | River channel, deep holes and rocky bottom. Nightcrawlers, minnows, stink bait or cut bait on the bottom. |
| Bream | Historically good: bluegill a quarter to half a pound, redear a third of a pound to a pound. | Backs of coves and sloughs in April, May and June, and the rocks below Bartlett’s Ferry Dam. Worms and crickets, or small jigs under a thin float. |
| Crappie and shoal bass | Not a crappie lake, though slabs are possible. A small shoal bass population turns up now and then. | Crappie on shoreline brush or by trolling the river channel. Shoal bass on rocky areas below Bartlett’s Ferry Dam and up Mulberry Creek, with paddle-tail swimbaits, small X-Raps and crayfish-colored cranks or jigs. |
Goat Rock LakeContact: Georgia Power, 706-317-6042 (generation schedules 888-472-5253). Georgia DNR fisheries, Armuchee, 706-295-6102.
More on the Chattahoochee chain: Bartlett’s Ferry Lake, Lake Oliver, West Point Lake and all Georgia lakes.
Sources we checked
Facts in this guide were checked against the agencies and operators that run these places:
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