Randy Poynter Lake

Randy Poynter is a 650-acre reservoir constructed to meet the water needs of Rockdale County and is located about six miles north of Conyers on Black Shoals Road in Black Shoals Park. The park is open six days a week, and is closed on Wednesdays.  Hours are 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. (Daylight Savings) and 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. the remainder of the year. Gasoline motors are prohibited on the lake.

Contact Information

Black Shoals Park: ph. 770-761-1611

Prospects and Fishing Tips

Best Bets

LARGEMOUTH BASS, BREAM, CRAPPIE, CHANNEL CATFISH & HYBRID BASS

Largemouth bass
Prospect	Randy Poynter Lake has a reputation for producing quality size bass. The lake, however, is relatively unproductive due to the amount of granite bedrock in its watershed, so, anglers likely will not catch as many per hour fishing as in some other area reservoirs. Nice catches of bass in the spring are common with more than 40 percent greater than 14 inches.
Technique	The lake is deep with fast tapering banks, and the water is normally very clear, so lighter line is recommended. One of the few flats in the lake is located directly across from the boat ramp where an old road bed lies. Bass seem to use the roadbed as a transportation corridor. Focus on blowdowns and standing timber. Crankbaits, spinner baits, buzz baits, Flukes, Rat-L-Traps, plastic worms and jerkbaits fished around cover or structure such as creek channels and points produce good results.
Target	Springtime will produce the highest numbers and sizes as the bass move into shallower water to spawn. Starting off the bank in deeper water and then working towards the bank is the best way to locate bass. Woody debris along the shoreline and shallow humps in the lake are good areas to concentrate efforts as well.

Hybrid Bass
Prospect	Thanks to regular stocking for the past several years, hybrid bass fishing continues to improve. Shad populations appear abundant, which should contribute to better hybrid bass growth rates. Boat anglers will have more success with these open water fish than bank anglers. Expect most catches around 1-2 pounds, with a few larger than 6 pounds.
Technique	Shiny artificial lures that imitate shad work well. Spoons, bucktails, rooster tails, rattle traps, deep diving crankbaits and jigging spoons work. Some anglers like to use live minnows or bluegill or cut bait while trolling or drifting over flats.
Target	Hybrid bass are most active and vulnerable to fishing during the summer. These are open water fish - fishing from a boat will yield the best success.

Bream
Prospect	Redear sunfish (shellcracker) and bluegill offer the best fishing for bream during the first spawns in spring. Expect bluegill to run fairly small, but redear sunfish should be longer than 6 inches, with some 12 inches and longer.
Technique	Fish red wigglers, night crawlers or crickets using a small bobber. Small spinners (1/8 or 1/16 ounce) like Rooster tail or Panther Martins also are effective.
Target	Expect best results during the first spawn in spring. Redear sunfish spawn in mid to late April. Bluegill will spawn multiple times beginning in late May through early June. The best areas to target are their spawning beds, which look like small round craters.

Crappie
Prospect	Randy Poynter also is known for producing good catches of black crappie. The crappie population is healthy with strong reproduction rates. Expect crappie to average 9 - 16 inches and weigh-in at or around a pound.
Technique	Use minnows in deep water near creek channels and the abundant standing timber. Crappie will gradually move to more shallow water as temperatures approach 60 degrees (F).
Target	In March and April, crappie are concentrated in areas like the 16-plus acres of standing timber found throughout the reservoir. Crappie will gradually move to more shallow water as temperatures reach 60 degrees (F). Crappie fishing generally peaks sometime in April, depending on water temperatures, but some of the largest fish are caught during the fall.

Other Species
Prospect	DNR stocks the lake with catfish when hatcheries have a productive year and these fish can reach large sizes in Poynter.
Technique	Catfish readily take nightcrawers, cut bait, chicken livers or prepared catfish bait (blood bait). Fish with a bobber or straight-line to the bottom. Anglers fishing from the piers at Black Shoals Park and along the shoreline have caught some large catfish over the years.
Target	Target deeper water near old creek channels and timber during the spring through fall.

Additional Information

Directions: From I-20, take Exit 82 (Hwy. 138) north to Sigman Rd. Turn left and then right on Hwy. 20 north. Travel 5.3 miles and turn right on Bethel Rd. In about one mile, turn left onto Black Shoals Rd. into the Park. Park hours change depending on the season. Call (770) 278-7529 for up-to-date information. Park is closed on Wednesdays.

Best Fishing Times Key

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