Photo: John Phelan, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Coosawattee River leaves Carters Dam and runs about 25 miles southwest through Murray and Gordon counties, joining the Conasauga River at Calhoun to form the Oostanaula.
Numerous shoals make this stretch of river best suited to canoes, kayaks and small boats, and public access is limited. Anglers prepared for an all-day float can put in at the small-boat ramp in the tailrace of the Carters re-regulation pool and take out at the only public ramp downstream, at the Highway 225 bridge near Calhoun.
- Best BetsCatfish, Alabama bass, redeye bass, striped bass
- Put-InCarters re-regulation pool tailrace (small boats)
- Take-OutHwy 225 boat ramp near Calhoun
- Carters Dam ReleasesCorps of Engineers: 706-334-2248
- GA DNR Fisheries706-295-6102
Photos
Re-Regulation Dam TailraceSummer stripers & big largemouth
Reregulation Dam Recreation AreaPicnic shelters & river access
Old Highway 411 BridgeLog jams & deep pools downstream
Photos via Wikimedia Commons: John Phelan, CC BY 4.0; John Phelan, CC BY 4.0; John Phelan, CC BY 4.0.
What’s Biting
Black Bass
Alabama bass (formerly lumped in with spotted bass) dominate, with good numbers of 1 to 2-pounders and a shot at 4 to 5-pound fish. Redeye (Coosa) bass usually run under a pound, and a few 3 to 4-pound largemouth hang just below the re-regulation dam spillway. Try live minnows, buzzbaits, jigs, shallow-running crankbaits and inline spinners around log jams and deep pools, especially in the first 2 to 3 miles below the dam.
Striped Bass
Stripers move into the river in spring and many stay through summer in the cool water below the re-regulation dam. The upper Coosa basin has one of the few naturally reproducing landlocked striper populations in the country, and DNR stocking since 2018 has the population rebounding, with lots of 2 to 10-pound fish and some over 20. Use live or cut shad or topwater plugs, and heavy tackle to pull fish out of the timber.
Catfish
Small channel and blue catfish are very abundant, with channels averaging about half a pound and blues a little over a pound. Numbers are highest below Highway 136, and blues increase as you head downstream toward Calhoun. Chicken liver or cut bait below shoals and log jams works; live bream or shad on the bottom draws the bigger cats.
Bream & Drum
Bluegill and redbreast sunfish average 5 to 6 inches, with plenty of 7 to 8-inchers in the slack water behind rocks and root wads below the dam. Freshwater drum are common throughout the river and often underfished; try small hair jigs, crayfish or worms on the bottom in moderately deep current, especially below the dam in late summer and fall.
Lake Sturgeon: Catch and Release Only
Lake sturgeon disappeared from the Coosa River system in the 1960s, and DNR has been restocking them since 2002. If you hook one, release it right away; for a deep-hooked fish, cut the line close to the hook. Sturgeon have a rounded snout, a toothless mouth on the underside of the head with four “whiskers” in front of it, bony plates along the sides and a shark-like tail. Please report any sturgeon you catch or see to the Wildlife Resources Division’s Armuchee Fisheries office at 706-295-6102.
Fishing details are from the Georgia DNR Coosawattee River fishing forecast (updated February 2026). Check river flows before you go, since dam releases can change conditions quickly.