Photo: Mccunicano, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Lake Oliver is a 2,150-acre Georgia Power lake on the Chattahoochee River at the north edge of Columbus, the last big pool above the city. Summer weekends bring pleasure boaters, but early spring and late fall are quiet, and the lake has good numbers of bass, catfish, bream and crappie close to town.
- Size2,150 acres
- OperatorGeorgia Power
- Best betsLargemouth and spotted bass, bream, crappie, channel catfish
- City Marina706-653-4634
Getting on the Water
Columbus Parks and Recreation runs City Marina, with docks, a fishing pier and a bait and tackle shop that serves food. Georgia Power provides access to the Oliver Dam tailrace on the North Highlands pool, just off the Columbus RiverWalk trailhead next to the dam and the marina. Generation schedules: Georgia Power, 706-322-0228.
2026 Fishing Outlook
Summarized from Georgia DNR fisheries biologists’ 2026 forecast for Lake Oliver, based on their sampling.
| Species | Outlook | Where and how |
|---|---|---|
| Largemouth and spotted bass | Both abundant. Largemouth average about a pound; spots run 6 to 10 inches and under half a pound, with no size limit. | Boat docks and fishing piers, plus rocky points, small coves and stumps; spots usually deeper. Plastic worms, crankbaits, buzzbaits, chatterbaits and spinners. |
| Channel catfish | Plentiful and in good shape; mostly eating size, 16 to 28 inches and 3 to 5 pounds. | On the bottom in the river channel, deep holes off docks with structure, and the tailrace. Stink bait, cut bait and nightcrawlers. |
| Bream | Popular. Bluegill 5 to 8 inches (a quarter to a third of a pound), best April and May; shellcrackers near half a pound. | Backs of protected coves and sloughs, shoreline brush; early mornings in summer. Worms, crickets, small black curly-tail jigs under a float. |
| Crappie | Mostly a quarter to a third of a pound, with an occasional big one. | The mouth of Standing Boy Creek and under its bridge, and the dock at Green Island Marina. Troll bright jigs on the lower lake in early spring; jigs or minnows. |
| Stripers and hybrids | An occasional fish, usually 12 to 18 inches. | The Goat Rock Dam tailrace in spring, lake-wide the rest of the year. Live shad, jigs and spoons. |
Lake Oliver
Lake OliverContact: Georgia Power, 706-317-6042. City Marina, 706-653-4634. Georgia DNR fisheries, Armuchee, 706-295-6102.
More on the Chattahoochee chain: Goat Rock Lake, Bartlett’s Ferry Lake, Walter F. George Lake and all Georgia lakes.
Sources we checked
Facts in this guide were checked in October 2026 against the agencies and operators that run these places:
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.