Fishing Telfair Pond in Burke County, Georgia

• Overview

  Telfair Pond stands in Burke County, Georgia. The bank is 118 feet above sea level. It runs to roughly 81 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. It is the biggest water on our Burke County list. Start from Waynesboro, 14 miles down the road. Jackson follows at 15 miles, then Boiling Springs at 20 miles. Being near a boundary, it pays to know which side you are fishing.

• Where to Fish on Telfair Pond

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. The arms fish better than the open middle whenever the water is up. Standing timber shows when the level drops, and fish sit against it. Public wildlife records from this area list blackbanded darter, tessellated darter and speckled madtom. Use it to know what is possible here, not what is certain. Telfair Pond gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 46°F and July at about 81°F, the water has a wide range to work through. Fishing runs all year, with summer the awkward season. The first and last hours carry the summer; the middle is slow. February into May fishes hardest as the water warms. It sets the rhythm of the year at Telfair Pond.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. For a change of water, Red Lake is 4.2 miles distant. What applies at Telfair Pond may have changed since it was mapped.