Lake Rabun is one of North’s Georgia’s standout fishing spots. This large lake has equally large populations of many species of fish, including crappie, brown trout, perch, striper, pickerel, largemouth and spotted bass, and walleye. The lake provides these gamefish with forage fish, like the high-protein blueback herring, that makes them grow fast and large.

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Lake Rabun’s “best bet” fish are largemouth and spotted bass, and walleyes.

Largemouth and spots are big and numerous in Lake Rabun. Both types are eager to grab a bluejack herring, so using a pearl-colored Super Fluke or Pointer series for a big advantage. In spring and fall, a 3/8 ounce jig-head tipped with a fluke is also a good bet. To target largemouths, look for woody shoreline structures in coves. Largemouth stay in about 20 feet of water in summertime, along main lake points and in the creek channels. Spots move from inshore to open water depending on the season. In spring, find them in the lower lake, around boathouses near the deep water. In the summer, spots like to feed on the surface on the lower lake at dawn and dusk. In fall, you’ll find spotted bass looking for herring at the surface, and for crayfish along points on the bottom.

Walleyes come in a variety of class sizes on Lake Rabun. They have noticeable seasonal patterns. Their spawning season is in March and early April, so anglers should fish shallow headwaters at night with nightcrawlers, minnow imitations, or white curly-tailed grubs, off the shoreline at Georgia Power’s Nacoochee Park. In the daytime, fish deeper sections of the river trolling nightcrawlers along the bottom, or casting crankbaits with crayfish, perch, or shad patterns. From June to September, walleye migrate near the dam for deeper, cooler waters. Troll at 30 feet with the same baits mentioned before, in the area from Hall’s Marina to the dam. Hall’s Marina has a fish attractor structure – utilize this perk by bouncing nightcrawlers on the bottom, for about a 100-foot radius around the marker buoy. During October and November, walleye feed on shallow water points in the evening, but during the day, they remain in deeper water, near the bottom.

Lake Rabun boat ramps:

The following boat ramps provide access to Lake Rabun.