Lake Burton (GA) Fishing

Lake Burton is most well-known for its spotted bass, though it also offers great fishing for crappie, bass, white bass, bream, perch, catfish, perch, sunfish, and even trout. Like Burton is 10 miles west of Clayton, Georgia, with 2,800 acres and plenty of campsites, tackle shops, and boat launches. Maccasin Creek State Park Camp Ground in particular makes a great home base for anglers fishing Burton, as it offers RV and camping sites in addition to a boat ramp.

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Spotted Bass here are plentiful in the 12-inch size range, but they can come bigger than that! Spotted bass tend to move around the lake, following their favorite prey each season. To catch large bass, fish in February and March around woody debris and rocky points with pig-and-jigs, tube jigs, plastic worms, or herring imitations; when evening comes, switch to jigs tipped with Super Fluke along rocky points in the shallow waters. For high numbers of spotted bass, visit in April and May, using pearl-colored Super Flukes and worms, in deep water near boat docks or downed trees. Once spawning season ends, topwater lures in herring color patterns used at points and humps in open water are the best technique at dusk and dawn; during the day, switch to finesse worms at rocky points in 20-30 foot water on the lower half of the lake. Finally, in the fall, try a Super Fluke fished on a jig head at the mouth of creeks, and focus on finding congregations of blueback herring. Vertical jigging with spoons or slow-moving crayfish imitators at points in cove arms (Moccasin, Dicks and Timpson Creeks) is another effective technique.

Brown Trout can be caught in spring by trolling crankbaits that imitate bluebacks along the back areas of the major cove arms. Brown fishing is at its best in July through September: troll live bait or shad-imitating crankbaits at about 35 foot depth on the bottoms between the dam’s face and the first safety marker. By late summer, anglers should troll or downline blueback herring at 35 foot depth, within the dam’s vicinity. Then in November, the recommended technique for Browns are in-line spinners cast around the dam, and at the Murray’s Cove and Moccasin Creek boat ramps.

Largemouth Bass are structure-oriented. They are more numerous at the lake’s lower end, in Murray, Perrin and Cherokee Coves. In the spring, largemouths hold close to visible structures with overhead cover. During summer, they’ll be in 20-30 feet of water along lake points and in creek channels. Then in fall, you will find them feeding on the surface of the coves’ open waters. Live herring is the best bait for largemouth bass. Soft-bodied jerk baits are preferable over other artificial lures.

There are trophy-sized chain pickerel in Lake Burton. Targeting the right areas in spring and early summer will get you an exciting catch from these aggressive, acrobatic fish. Chain pickerel attack a variety of artificial baits but seem to love a white spinner bait. Cast into woody debris with heavier lines that can take the abrasion of the surroundings (and the sharp teeth of the pickerel), or troll perch-colored crankbait above the weedline in creek channels. Chain pickerel like to ambush prey from visible structure in shallow water. They gather close to creek channels, or cruise the channel edges, in most Lake Burton coves.

There aren’t many crappie in Lake Burton, but the ones that do live there are big! Fish for crappie slowly in the spring and fall using a shiner, small curly-tailed white grubs, or doll flies. Crappie will hold to downed trees or pilings. Dicks Creek Cove has the most crappie on the Lake. During April, crappie stay in shallow water near visible structures in the back of coves. Crappie move to deeper water in summer and fall, so target rocky points, pilings, or structures in water over 20 feet deep. In winter, you’ll find crappie in the deeper creek channel.