Photo: Harrison Keely, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Lake Chatuge is a 7,050-acre Tennessee Valley Authority lake on the Hiwassee River at Hiawassee, split between Georgia and North Carolina. It produced a world-record hybrid striped bass in 1995, 25 pounds, 8 ounces, and it still fishes well for hybrids, bass, crappie and, thanks to new stockings, walleye.
- Size7,050 acres
- OperatorTennessee Valley Authority
- Best betsAlabama and largemouth bass, hybrids, walleye, crappie, bluegill
- Two statesGeorgia south end, North Carolina north end
Georgia and North Carolina Rules
With a valid license from either state you may fish the whole lake by boat, but you need that state’s license to fish from its shore, and you follow the rules of whichever state’s water you are in. Georgia anglers in North Carolina water may not tie up to the shore or to a dock or pier connected to shore. Georgia bass rules: 10 combined, 12-inch minimum on largemouth, no size limit on spotted or Alabama bass. North Carolina: 5 bass, 14-inch minimum, but 2 may be under 14 inches.
For bank fishing, the Forest Service’s old Lake Chatuge Campground (closed to camping, open for day use) has about a mile of shoreline: take U.S. 76 west past the Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds about a mile, turn left on Sunnyside Road (Ga. 288), and go about a mile to Forest Service Road 704. Towns County Park also sits on the lake.
2026 Fishing Outlook
Summarized from Georgia DNR fisheries biologists’ 2026 forecast for Lake Chatuge, based on their sampling.
| Species | Outlook | Where and how |
|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass | Numbers have climbed for several years and are above average. Average 14 inches and 1.5 pounds, with plenty of small fish and bigger ones reported often. | Upper lake above the U.S. 76 bridge, the backs of coves and pockets, riprap along the dam and U.S. 76; 20 to 30 feet on points and humps in summer. Live bait, jigs and spoons in winter; cranks, jerkbaits and Texas rigs in spring; flukes and topwater around docks after the spawn. |
| Alabama bass | About half the bass; mostly 12 to 15 inches, more 15 to 20 than usual, some near 4 pounds. DNR encourages keeping a limit. | Riprap, boulders and stumps on sunny winter days; main-channel banks mid-lake during the April and May spawn; long rocky points and reefs in 20 to 30 feet on the lower lake in summer; surface schools near the dam in fall. Planer-board herring, crayfish, flukes, grubs, drop shots, poppers and spoons. |
| Hybrid bass | Excellent, kept up by Georgia stockings. A strong 2022 year class of 20- to 24-inch fish (2 to 4 pounds), plus 6- to 8-pounders. | Wind-blown points in winter (planer boards or live herring near shore); rocky banks on the lower (Georgia) lake in spring; near bottom by the dam at 35 feet or deeper in summer; surface schools near the dam and river channel in fall. Bucktails, flukes and umbrella rigs. |
| Walleye | Georgia took over stocking from North Carolina, and DNR is now seeing record catches. Most 15 to 21 inches (1 to 3 pounds); spring females can top 4. | Up the Hiwassee River and on dam riprap at 50°F in late winter; under downed trees, around the U.S. 76 bridge and rocky banks after the spawn; deep brush on the lower lake in summer; rocky shorelines at night in fall. Nightcrawler on a jig, bounced slowly; crankbaits at night. |
| Crappie | Black crappie numbers have risen for several years, averaging about 12 inches and 1 pound, some to 1.5 or 2. | The Hiwassee River headwaters from Towns County Park to the U.S. 76 bridge, including Bell Creek; downed trees in March and April, deeper structure and docks the rest of the year. Minnows under a float, minnow-tipped jigs, small grubs. |
| Bream | Good numbers of quality bluegill; redear are fewer but trophy-sized. | Beds in 4 to 10 feet near creek mouths during May to August full moons; overhanging limbs, docks and riprap in summer. Crickets and worms; fly-rod spiders and poppers. |
Lake Chatuge
Lake ChatugeContact: Tennessee Valley Authority, 423-751-2264. Georgia DNR fisheries, Gainesville, 770-535-5498.
More nearby: Lake Nottely, Lake Blue Ridge, Towns County parks and all Georgia lakes.
Sources we checked
Facts in this guide were checked against the agencies and operators that run these places:
- Georgia DNR fishing forecast: Lake Chatuge (2026)
- North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission: fishing, hunting and trapping regulations
Spot something out of date? Email Contact@n-georgia.com and we’ll check it against the official source. Read how we research our guides.