Description: Lake Nottely is a 4,180 acre TV A reservoir in Union County, and is operated for power generation, navigation, and flood control. The lake's relatively fertile water supports a diverse fish community. The most popular species are largemouth bass, crappie and striped bass.
There is a good supply of largemouth bass, with most catchable fish ranging from 2-4lbs.
Nottely's reputation as a big bass producer should not be tarnished this year. Anglers can expect to catch fewer
l lb fish this year due to poor recruitment of young largemouth to the
population in recent years. Hot spots for largemouth are Ivy Log Creek, Young Cane Creek and most cove pockets in the mid and upper lake sections. Spotted bass will make up about half of the total black bass catch and will average near 1 lb. Spotted bass and smallmouth bass prefer rocky and steeper shoreline areas on the lower half of the reservoir.
Striped bass weighing 5-15 lbs will make up most of the 2001 harvest. The number of fish over 20 lbs remains low, but these trophy-size specimens, including a few exceeding 40 lbs, will continue to be caught periodically. In addition to fishing the spring run up the Nottely River, fishing with large surface plugs around points near deep water in the main body of the lake should be productive. Bucktail jigs and live bait (shad and bluegill) fished deep off points and steep shorelines will also produce.
Blueback herring, a preferred baitfish for stripers and hybrids, are now very common because they have spawned annually since 1996. Bluebacks are able to out compete other fish for available food and prey on larval fish, including bass less than I-inch in length. Fisheries biologists will be monitoring the impact of this species on the fish populations. It is legal to fish with and possess live blueback herring on Lake Nottely.
Hybrid bass were stocked for the first time in 1999 to reduce the blueback herring population. Hybrids appear to survive at a higher rate and grow faster than striped bass early in life. They may give Nottely predators an upper hand in reducing the herring population to acceptable levels. These two year fish are surviving and growing well. The Nottely hybrids will grow to 3-4lbs by the end of the year on a diet of shad and herring.
Crappie anglers should expect to fill their daily creel as often as they did last year with an average fish weighing 2 lbs. Numbers of older, larger slabsides, now 3/4-llb, will make up about 25% of the catch. March and April are the favorite months for crappie fishing. Best spots are the coves with fish attractors constructed and maintained by WRD, USFS, TV A, and local anglers. Maps showing these attractor sites, camping facilities, and boat access sites can be obtained from the Gainesville WRD office (770-535-5498) and USFS Blairsville office (706-745-6928).
In addition to the fish attractors, 120 spawning benches were installed in 1998 and 1999 to improve spawning areas for smallmouth bass. In 2001, fish cover constructed of natural brush, treetops, and Christmas trees was installed over I-mile of shoreline in the vicinity of Jacks Creek as added cover to improve survival of young largemouth bass.
A fishable walleye population exists from limited survival of lake-spawned fish. Walleye around 2-4 lbs are available with a few larger fish in the population. Shoreline trolling with spinners and crankbaits and still fishing nightcrawlers on the bottom at depths of 5-30 feet are effective methods for taking walleye year around.Nighttime tactics include casting small crankbaits along moderate to steep, rocky banks and still fishing live bait (shiners and nightcrawlers) on the bottom near main channel points. Walleyes prefer cooler, oxygenated water with temperatures ranging from 65
to 72 degrees F.
Several other fish species offer good fishing opportunities. The white bass population is in good shape and should provide a lot of action for boat and bank anglers. Small curlytail grubs (chartreuse, white) and crankbaits are effective on white bass. Fishing for larger bream, 1/4-1/3 lb, is best when adult fish are on spawning beds throughout the lake from May through August. Try live earthworms or crickets. The best fishing for catfish species will be in the upper half of the reservoir. Carp are abundant and readily take prepared catfish baits, com, and dough balls.
