Fishing Sterling Lake in DeKalb County, Georgia

• Overview

  This water sits in DeKalb County, Georgia. Height above sea level is 869 feet. It covers about 4 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. On size it sits at the modest end of our DeKalb County list. The town to know is Panthersville, 3.2 miles out. Candler-McAfee is 3.7 miles and Stonecrest 4.7 miles. The boundary is close enough to be worth checking before you fish.

• Where to Fish on Sterling Lake

  Our records hold no depth for this water. Rip-rap along the wall holds fish that the open bank never does. Held water runs deepest at the wall and shallows back to the inflow. Documented catches and surveys in the area cover bluegill, turquoise darter and chain pickerel. The records cover the area rather than this water alone. On Sterling Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 80°F; the cold one sits at 42°F. The surface stays open the year round. The first and last hours carry the summer; the middle is slow. June to September is hot work, so the first and last hours are what count. Anyone fishing Sterling Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. A car park lies half a mile away, so the walk in is short. For the pike, wire up and throw larger lures along the weed edges. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Walden Lake at 1.6 miles is the sensible second choice. What applies at Sterling Lake may have changed since it was mapped.