Gillilan Lake Fishing Guide, Whitfield County, Georgia

• Overview

  You will find Gillilan Lake in Whitfield County, Georgia. It lies 794 feet above sea level. It covers about 7 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. For a base, Dalton sits 4.8 miles out. For a city, East Chattanooga is 21 miles off. Close neighbours run: Griffin Lake about 0.6 miles, Cobblestone Lake at 2 miles, Haig Mill Lake about 2.1 miles, Hawkins Lake at 2.2 miles and Haig Mill Lake Park about 2.3 miles. Rules can differ a short way off, since the county line is near.

• Where to Fish on Gillilan Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Levels move with the draw rather than the rain on water like this. The arms fish better than the open middle whenever the water is up. Fish documented in Whitfield County include blackbanded darter, bluegill, green sunfish and redbreast sunfish. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Fish Gillilan Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 77°F in July and bottom out at 38°F in January. The hard part of the year is the heat, not the cold. October and November give a second good stretch as it cools. The cooler months are the comfortable ones to fish here. That shapes the year on Gillilan Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Griffin Lake at 0.6 miles is the sensible second choice. Rules at Gillilan Lake are worth checking on the day.