Willow Springs Lake in Paulding County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  This water sits in Paulding County, Georgia. Land around it is pine and hardwood. At 12 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. By elevation it is in the upper part of our Georgia listings. Nearest place of any size is Dallas, 4.8 miles away. South Fulton is the closest city, 27 miles away. Local rules may differ a few miles either side of here.

• Where to Fish on Willow Springs Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. Held water runs deepest at the wall and shallows back to the inflow. Levels move with the draw rather than the rain on water like this. Biodiversity records within roughly six miles include blackbanded darter, speckled madtom, redeye bass, bluegill and banded sculpin. That is what has been logged nearby, not a stocking list, so check local rules before you plan around any one species. At Willow Springs Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs 40°F to 77°F. No part of the year shuts this water. The first and last hours carry the summer; the middle is slow. March through May is the strongest run, with October and November a second stretch. On Willow Springs Lake that shapes the whole year. The week either side of a change of season often fishes hardest.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. The car has to stay half a mile away, which shapes how much tackle you bring. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. The nearest alternative is Womack Lake, 2 miles out. Nothing on Willow Springs Lake should be assumed from this page alone.