Lake Burton is known for quality spotted bass and maintains bragging rights for the current state record fish that weighed 8 lbs., 2 oz. Spotted bass longevity coupled with an adequate food source give Lake Burton all the right ingredients to produce a new world record that tops the current mark of 10 lbs., 4 oz. Anglers can expect above average numbers of fish in the 12-inch size range as well as above average numbers of trophy fish.
Technique
February and March are prime months to catch big bass. Anglers should fish with pig-and-jig combinations, tube jigs, plastic worms, or herring imitations around woody debris and rocky points. Fishing near the dam can also be quite productive when spots are feeding. In the evenings, switch to jigs tipped with a Super Fluke on rocky points in shallow water. Spring (April and May) is the best time to catch high numbers of spotted bass. Pearl-colored Super Flukes and soft plastic worms are effective when fished around the corners of boat docks and downed trees located near deep water. Finesse worms also are effective when rigged Carolina style and dragged across rocky bottoms. After the spawning season, spotted bass will chase topwater lures, like a Sammy, Pointer 100, or Zara Spook in herring color patterns, near points and humps in open water. This technique works best around dusk and dawn. During the day, switch to finesse worms fished on rocky points in 20-30 feet of water, especially on the lower half of the lake. When the leaves turn their fall colors, anglers should pull out the Super Fluke fished on a jig-head and head to the mouth of creeks where blueback herring congregate. If that pattern does not work, switch to vertical jigging with spoons or slow-moving crayfish imitators on points in major cove arms.
Target
Spotted bass frequently migrate around the lake in search of their favorite prey items, including blueback herring, yellow perch and crayfish. During the winter, spring, and early fall, spotted bass primarily feed on blueback herring, which congregate in the mouths of creeks and over the creek channel in the major cove arms during these seasons. The spawning season, which generally occurs in May, pushes spotted bass to rocky areas, especially near boat docks and downed trees in 10-15 feet of water. Target these areas exclusively during the spawning season. Warming water temperatures from June to September push spotted bass into deeper water to feed on yellow perch. Target points and humps in 20-30 feet of water along the main lake channel. By fall, spotted bass frequent rocky points in the major cove arms to feed on crayfish and will roam into the creeks in search of blueback herring. Points and creek channels in Moccasin, Dicks and Timpson Creeks hold fish this time of year.
Pickerel
Prospect
Lake Burton has a sizeable chain pickerel population with many fish in the trophy category. Chain pickerel are exciting to catch because they aggressively attack a variety of baits and lures and they put up a hard and sometimes acrobatic fight. They are relatively easy to catch in the spring and early summer months if you target the right areas.
Technique
Chain pickerel will attack a variety of artificial baits, including Shad Raps, Rapalas and Flukes, but they cannot seem to resist a flashy spinnerbait. Anglers should not be timid about casting into thick tangles of woody debris for pickerel. Heavier lines will endure the abrasion of this type of fishing and help prevent break-offs by these sharp-toothed critters. An alternative technique is to troll perch-colored crankbaits above the weed line along the edge of shallow creek channels in Mocassin, Dicks, and Cherokee Coves.
Target
Chain pickerel prefer to ambush their prey from visible structure in very shallow water. Their favorite habitat in Lake Burton is woody debris piles along a shallow flat in close proximity to a creek channel. They also can be found cruising the edges of creek channels. These kinds of habitats occur in the back of almost every cove on Lake Burton.
Brown Trout
Prospect
Lake Burton supports Georgia’s only large reservoir trout fishery. Anglers reported that last year was their best trout season ever, and fisheries biologists see no reason why this success will not continue this year, too. The lake is annually stocked each fall with approximately 20,000 ten-inch brown trout. By spring, fish average 15 inches in length and weigh approximately one pound. Trout will approach 20 inches in length and weigh nearly two pounds by the following spring. The current lake record is 11 lbs., 3 oz.
Technique
July through September is the best time to catch brown trout because they are concentrated in a narrow band of water at depths of 30-60 feet on the lower end of the lake. During the summer, troll live bait, spoons or shad-imitating crankbaits around 35 feet deep over a 50-100-foot bottom from the face of the dam to the first safety marker. By late summer, most trout have migrated very close to the dam. Anglers should troll or downline live blueback herring around 35 feet deep in the vicinity of the dam. Trout will move a few feet deeper every week as summer progresses, so be sure to adjust the depth you are fishing. Burton trout will also feed at the surface during the summer months about an hour or two before daybreak. Surface plugs and live baits are both effective when the pre-dawn bite is on. In November, cast in-line spinners around the dam, Murray’s Cove boat ramp and Moccasin Creek boat ramp to catch recently stocked trout. The winter months can also produce nice stringers of trout. Anglers should fish around the face of the dam and downline live herring from 15 to 30-feet deep, especially near the intake structures. Keep a close eye on your electronics for schooling fish. In the spring months, anglers should troll crankbaits that imitate blueback herring in the back areas of the major cove arms.
Target
In the winter months, search for trout around the dam in 15 to 30 feet of water and around Jones Bridge at the upper end of the lake. During the spring, trout will move closer to the backs of coves and feed on the surface during early morning. Moccasin Cove is a great place to start looking. Trout move to deeper water in the summer months on the lower end of the lake. Start trolling at the safety marker located near Moccasin Cove and work your way toward the dam. In the fall, trout are widely scattered around the lake and become more difficult to catch. Try the mouth of creeks, like Moccasin, Timpson, and Dicks Creeks, as well as around the Murray Cove boat ramp and around the dam.
Yellow Perch
Prospect
Yellow perch are common in Lake Burton and fishing for them in the summer months can produce a stringer of fish if you use the right approach.
Technique
With a good depth finder, search for small schools of fish hovering near the bottom in about 30 feet of water along the main lake channel. Once a school is located, attach a fragment of nightcrawler or small minnow on a 1-0 or slightly smaller hook and bounce it along the bottom through the school. Thoroughly sweep the area with bait until the location of perch is pinpointed. If there are no bites within 15 minutes, continue the search for other schools of fish at another location. When a school of hungry perch is located, expect to catch a dozen fish or more in rapid succession. Cull the smaller fish and take home the bigger ones because yellow perch are excellent to eat.
Target
During the summer months, perch congregate on rocky bottoms adjacent to the main lake channel and near weed lines along the major creek channels in about 30 feet of water. Use a depth finder to search for schooling fish near the bottom in this depth zone. Start the search in the middle section of the lake from Murray Cove to Dicks Creek.
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