Fishing Forecast - Lake Seed

Lake Seed is a 240 acre run-of-the-river lake near the City of Clayton in the Northeast Georgia Mountains. This small lake is located immediately downstream of Lake Burton and is operated for hydropower generation by Georgia Power Company. Walleye and bass are the featured species in Lake Seed but yellow perch, white catfish and trophy redear sunfish will also give anglers a tug on their fishing line.

 State records  and  fishing reports 

Best Bets: Walleye, Bass and Catfish

•  Walleye 
•  Bass 

 Fish Identification Page 

Prospect: Lake Seed is stocked with Walleye fingerlings annually, but the glory days of its Walleye fishery seem like a distant memory. However, there is a renewed hope for its future thanks to the survival of stocked fish being exceptionally high over the last few years. As a result, there are a number of individuals in the 1 - 4 pound weight range, the perfect eating size to filet for a meal. So, when you say grace over your walleye sandwich be sure to also give a word of thanks for the GA-DNR staff who made this unique fishery possible.

Technique: During March, a high number of adult walleye invade the shallow headwaters of Lake Seed to spawn. Spawning walleye are hesitant to strike, but patient anglers can have some success when fishing at dusk with floating stickbaits like a broken-back Rapala or shallow running crankbaits or even a small jig tipped with a nightcrawler. Since walleye will be holding tight to the bottom, make sure the bait makes frequent contact with the large rocks and cobble. Another important tip is to retrieve the bait as slowly as possible in order to entice a gentle strike from a reluctant walleye. 

Throughout the remainder of the year, walleye reside in the main body of the lake. Anglers should slowly troll live baits like herring or nightcrawlers a few feet above the lake bottom. Walleye prefer to stay close to structure, so good electronics will help you find the occasional downed tree that has fallen into the lake. The biggest walleye in the lake tend to hideout on the bottom underneath tree branches. Fish these bottom structures, much like you would for crappie, using medium-sized minnows.

Target: During the month of March, most walleye will be found in the shallow headwaters of Lake Seed from the  Mountain Patrol  station to  Burton Dam . For the remainder of the year, walleye will be found near the bottom from the  public beach  to the  dam . Walleye are more active in low light conditions; therefore, walleye usually bite better at dawn, dusk or even at night rather than during the bright light of sunny days.

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Largemouth Bass can grow to very large sizes in Lake Seed, with the current lake record standing at 14 lb 4 oz. Most of the bass sampled from the population fall in the 10 – 20 in. range, weighing in at around 1 – 3 lb. They seem to prefer the blowdowns along the shoreline in the middle and upper sections of the lake.

On the other hand, Spotted Bass will usually be found on points and rocky shorelines in the middle and lower sections of the lake. Spotted Bass in the 1 - 2 lb size range are common, with Blueback Herring, Yellow Perch and small bream being their favorite foods. Imitating these species in your lure selections will increase your chances of success.

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A walleye fishing guidebook is available at no cost on the Wildlife Resources Division web site by clicking  here  More information about Lake Seed can be found on the Georgia Power website at  http://georgiapowerlakes.com .

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