Murphy Lakes in Catoosa County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  The Catoosa County end of Georgia holds Murphy Lakes. Elevation runs to 748 feet. About 2 acres of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. Head to Indian Springs, 3.6 miles away, for anything you forgot. Fort Oglethorpe is 4.4 miles and Ringgold 4.8 miles. Being near a boundary, it pays to know which side you are fishing.

• Where to Fish on Murphy Lakes

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Survey and observation records for Catoosa County include bluegill, green sunfish and redbreast sunfish. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. At Murphy Lakes the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 38°F and July at about 78°F, the water has a wide range to work through. No part of the year shuts this water. The cooler months are the comfortable ones to be out. Spring and autumn carry the year; summer squeezes it into the ends of the day. Murphy Lakes runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Blue Spring Lake sits 2.9 miles off and takes the overflow. Confirm access to Murphy Lakes locally before you travel.