Fishing Lake Blue Ridge: bass, walleye and rainbow trout

Georgia DNR’s best bets on Lake Blue Ridge (TVA’s Blue Ridge Reservoir) in Fannin County, Georgia, are Alabama bass, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye and bluegill (GA DNR). The lake also holds stocked rainbow trout and the occasional yellow perch. Alabama bass now dominate the black bass, and smallmouth have become rare.

What DNR says is in the lake

Besides the usual reservoir fish, DNR says anglers here can catch rainbow trout, walleye and the occasional smallmouth bass or yellow perch (GA DNR). The Forest Service’s page for Lake Blue Ridge Recreation Area also lists bass, bream, catfish, perch and crappie (USFS). DNR describes the water as typically clear (GA DNR).

Black bass: how Alabama bass took over

Smallmouth bass were once the most abundant black bass in Lake Blue Ridge. DNR now puts them at less than 1% of the black bass community, after illegally introduced Alabama bass took over (GA DNR). Alabama bass are now the dominant black bass and outnumber largemouth about 3 to 1. So a smallmouth here is a lucky catch, not a plan.

DNR asks anglers never to move bass or other fish from one lake to another, citing the Blue Ridge smallmouth collapse as the example. (GA DNR, checked Oct 18, 2026)

The lesson runs past bass. Blueback herring were also illegally introduced, around 2004. DNR says they have hurt white bass and walleye reproduction, and they now form much of the lake’s forage base (GA DNR). Never dump a bait bucket or move fish between lakes.

Walleye

DNR has stocked walleye fingerlings in Blue Ridge every year since 2017 and says the program is working well, with recent catch rates above the historical average (GA DNR). Most Blue Ridge walleye run 2 to 4 pounds, and some large females reach 6-7 pounds (GA DNR).

Rainbow trout in the lake

DNR says Blue Ridge is the only large reservoir in Georgia stocked with rainbow trout. They are released in the main lake from the dam upstream to Morganton Point (GA DNR). TVA runs an oxygen diffuser system in the 1.5 miles of lake above the dam. When the lake stratifies, from around May to October, DNR expects trout to hold there (GA DNR). DNR also points bank anglers to the shore access at the dam for stocked rainbows. Our article on rainbow trout in Lake Blue Ridge goes deeper.

Yellow perch in the Toccoa arm

Yellow perch are not abundant, but DNR says jumbo fish of 12 to 15-plus inches can be caught, mostly in the Toccoa arm, where the river enters the lake (GA DNR).

Fish attractors

Since 2006 TVA, DNR and local volunteers have built fish-attractor habitat in the lake, and DNR publishes maps of the deepwater sites (GA DNR).

Licenses and rules

In Georgia, anglers 16 and older need a fishing license, and to fish for trout they need a trout license too. Both are sold at GoOutdoorsGeorgia.com (GA DNR). That trout license matters here even on the lake, since rainbows are stocked in it. We don’t print creel or size limits because they change; check Georgia DNR’s current regulations. Fish-consumption advisories for the lake are set by the Georgia DNR Environmental Protection Division (TVA). Boating rules are on our boating page.

The City of Blue Ridge calls itself the Trout Fishing Capital of Georgia, citing Lake Blue Ridge and the Toccoa River (City of Blue Ridge). That is the city’s own claim.

River trout: the Toccoa above and below the lake

The Toccoa River gives you two more trout waters. Below the dam is the tailwater, which DNR stocks with rainbow and brown trout every year. TVA says anyone near the river who hears the dam sirens or sees rapidly rising water should get off the river to high ground immediately. Upstream of the lake, not below the dam, is the Delayed Harvest section from Shallowford Bridge to Sandy Bottoms, where the season begins Nov. 1. Start with our Toccoa River guide, then read tailwater vs. Delayed Harvest to pick one.

Mark the calendar too. The Blue Ridge Trout and Outdoor Adventures Festival is on Saturday, April 24, 2027, 10 am-6 pm, in downtown Blue Ridge, hosted by the Blue Ridge Mountain Trout Unlimited chapter (Blue Ridge Mountains CVB).

• Park Not yet confirmed

  Blue Ridge Dam overlook and powerhouse picnic area (TVA)

  TVA lists a scenic overlook above the dam and a shaded picnic area near the powerhouse. Georgia DNR calls the shore access here the Blue Ridge Dam Recreation Area and suggests it for bank fishing for stocked rainbow trout.

  • At Blue Ridge Dam, Toccoa River (Fannin County, Georgia)

  Source: Tennessee Valley Authority; Georgia DNR fishing forecast, checked Oct 18, 2026

• Boat ramp Not yet confirmed

  Toccoa River canoe and kayak launch below Blue Ridge Dam (TVA)

  TVA's launch below the dam gives nonmotorized boaters access to the Toccoa River, which becomes a Class I-II float when the dam is generating. The dam has a siren warning system: if you hear sirens or see rapidly rising water, get off the river to high ground.

  • Toccoa River below Blue Ridge Dam (Fannin County, Georgia)

  Source: Tennessee Valley Authority, checked Oct 18, 2026

• Campground

  Morganton Point Recreation Area (USFS)

  The only developed campground on Lake Blue Ridge's shoreline, with tent and RV sites, walk-in tent sites, a swim beach, boat ramp, picnic area and showers. USFS lists it as open yearlong and reservation-only through Recreation.gov (same day to six months ahead). Fees differ between USFS ($30-$50/night) and Recreation.gov ($26-$50), so confirm at booking. Day use is $5 per person 16+, and the boat launch is $5.

  • Yearlong (USFS)
  • Camping $30-$50/night per USFS ($26-$50 per Recreation.gov); day use $5/person 16+; boat launch $5
  • 475 Lake Drive, Morganton, GA 30560 (Fannin County, Georgia)
  • 706-374-1645

  Source: USDA Forest Service; Recreation.gov, checked Oct 18, 2026

• Boat ramp

  Lakewood Landing Boat Launch (USFS)

  A Forest Service boat launch on the north side of the lake, open sunrise to sunset with no camping. You need a launch pass: buy an annual pass in advance on Recreation.gov, or a day pass on site with the Recreation.gov scan-and-pay app. Swimming from the dock and ramp is prohibited.

  • Sunrise to sunset
  • Launch pass required (annual or day pass via Recreation.gov); amount not shown on page
  • North side of Lake Blue Ridge, Blue Ridge (Fannin County, Georgia)

  Source: Recreation.gov (USDA Forest Service), checked Oct 18, 2026

• Boat ramp

  Lake Blue Ridge Recreation Area (USFS)

  A free, year-round Forest Service site on the west side of the lake, with motorized boating access and day hikes. There is no potable water. USFS lists bass, bream, catfish, perch and crappie in the lake.

  • Yearlong
  • No fee
  • West side of Lake Blue Ridge, Blue Ridge (Fannin County, Georgia)

  Source: USDA Forest Service, checked Oct 18, 2026

• Campground

  Toccoa River – Sandy Bottoms Recreation Area (USFS)

  A small rustic Forest Service campground on the Toccoa River upstream of the lake, south of Blue Ridge off Aska Road. It is the take-out for the 13.8-mile Toccoa River Canoe Trail and sits at the lower end of the Toccoa Delayed Harvest trout section. There is one vault toilet and no running water or hookups.

  • $8 per night per site (Recreation.gov)
  • 7406 Old Dial Road, Blue Ridge, GA 30513 (Fannin County, Georgia)

  Source: Recreation.gov (USDA Forest Service), checked Oct 18, 2026

• Fishing

  Toccoa River Delayed Harvest trout section (GA DNR)

  Georgia DNR's Delayed Harvest stretch of the Toccoa, upstream of Lake Blue Ridge (not below the dam). The DH season begins Nov. 1. Anglers 16 and older need a Georgia fishing license and a trout license.

  • Delayed Harvest season begins Nov. 1
  • Georgia fishing + trout license
  • Toccoa River between Shallowford Bridge (Aska Road) and Sandy Bottoms Canoe Access (Fannin County, Georgia)

  Source: Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division, checked Oct 18, 2026

• Fishing

  Toccoa River tailwater below Blue Ridge Dam (trout)

  Georgia DNR stocks rainbow and brown trout in the Toccoa below the dam every year and calls it an excellent destination because of high catch rates. Most fish are 8-12 inches, with a chance at a fish over 20 inches. Water levels change fast when TVA generates, so heed the dam's siren warning system.

  • Georgia fishing + trout license (16+)
  • Toccoa River downstream of Blue Ridge Dam toward McCaysville (Fannin County, Georgia)

  Source: Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division, checked Oct 18, 2026

• Campground

  Deep Hole Recreation Area (USFS)

  A small Forest Service campground on a big bend of the upper Toccoa River, upstream of the lake, offering camping, canoeing and fishing. Camping is $15 a night by reservation on Recreation.gov, and day use is $5 per vehicle. A Georgia fishing license and trout license are required.

  • Year round
  • Camping $15/site/night; day use $5/vehicle
  • Forest Service Road 654 off Georgia 60, north of Suches (Fannin County, Georgia per OSM)

  Source: USDA Forest Service, checked Oct 18, 2026

Questions people ask