Lake Burton ranks among Top 25 in Bassmaster Ranking

Rabun County’s own Lake Burton has ranked 15 out of the Top 25 Southeastern lakes in the Bassmaster Magazine’s 100 Best Bass Lakes rankings.

The rankings identify the Top 25 lakes in four geographical divisions; Central, Northeastern, Southeastern and Western. “By dividing the Top 100 into four regions, anglers have perspective on fisheries nearby,” said James Hall, editor of Bassmaster Magazine.

The process to create the rankings takes about three months to complete. Data is received from state fisheries agencies across the U.S. This is coupled with catch data collected from dozens of tournament organizations across the country from the past 12 months. After the numbers are crunched, a blue-ribbon panel from the bass fishing industry debates the strength of the lakes, then settles on the final rankings.

Lake Burton is a 2,775-acre reservoir. According to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), “natural shoreline cover and deepwater structure is sparse, but anglers who know how to fish around boat houses can be very successful at certain times of the year.” Spotted bass is the most popular species among Lake Burton anglers, and the lake is well known for its quality-sized spotted bass.

In the last few years, Lake Burton has become known as Georgia’s only trout lake. A continuous flow of cold water from the surrounding mountain slopes allows the reservoir to maintain acceptable water temperatures for trout all year long.

Bassmaster’s 100 Best Bass lakes will be published in a 12-page section of the July/August issue of Bassmaster Magazine. The complete rankings can also be found in Bassmaster.com photo galleries.

The following are the Top 25 Southeastern lakes according to Bassmaster:

 

Southeastern

1 Chickamauga Lake Tennessee

2 Santee Cooper lakes (Marion/Moultrie) South Carolina

3 Lake Guntersville Alabama

4 Lake Okeechobee Florida

5 Lake Tohopekaliga Florida (plus Kissimmee Chain of Lakes)

6 Pickwick Lake Alabama/Mississippi/Tennessee

7 Lake Istokpoga Florida

8 Shearon Harris North Carolina

9 Lake Eufaula Alabama/Georgia

10 Lake Seminole Georgia/Florida

11 Rodman Reservoir Florida

12 Cooper River South Carolina

13 Wilson Lake Alabama

14 Lake Ferguson Mississippi

15 Lake Burton Georgia

16 Lake Murray South Carolina

17 Falls Lake North Carolina

18 Harris Chain of Lakes Florida

19 Lake Greenwood South Carolina

20 Bay Springs Lake Mississippi

21 Kerr Lake (Buggs Island) North Carolina/Virginia

22 High Rock Lake North Carolina

23 Lake Hartwell Georgia/South Carolina

24 Kenansville Reservoir Florida

25 Logan Martin Lake Alabama