Tatum Lake Fishing Guide, Fulton County, Georgia

• Overview

  Out in Fulton County, Georgia, sits Tatum Lake. It sits in pine and hardwood country. At 2 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. Our Fulton County list holds plenty of bigger water. The nearest place of any size is Mableton, 6 miles away. Atlanta sits 8.1 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. Rules can differ a short way off, since the county line is near.

• Where to Fish on Tatum Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Held water runs deepest at the wall and shallows back to the inflow. Points where the flooded channel swings in are the reliable ones. Open occurrence data for the surrounding area lists bluegill and eastern blackbanded darter. Records show what people reported, so treat the list as a guide to what lives in the area. Take Tatum Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 42°F to 79°F. Long warm spells define the calendar more than any cold. The first and last hours carry the summer; the middle is slow. The hot months push the fishing to dawn and dusk. On Tatum Lake the same rules apply, with local timing. The hour either side of first light is rarely wasted.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. For the panfish, a small hook, a float and a piece of worm outfish everything fancy. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. For a change of water, Wildwood Lake is 0.6 miles distant. What applies at Tatum Lake may have changed since it was mapped.