Print it. Bag it. Bring it.Phones die, screens crack, and most of this water has no signal. Print this map, fold it into a zip-top bag or dry bag with your license, and you have a backup your electronics can’t give you. Every marker is numbered so you can say exactly where you are.
| # | Point | Type | Lat, Lon | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Walter F. George Lock and Dam Corps of Engineers, Clay County / Fort Gaines | Dam / hazard | 31.62526, -85.06440 | The dam and navigation lock at the lake's south end. Restricted areas above and below; the lock is the only way through. |
| 2 | USGS gauge - Walter F. George Lock and Dam Roster gauge coordinate | USGS gauge | 31.62533, -85.06444 | Lake elevation and outflow, read at the dam. Walter F. George is held close to a constant pool through the season. |
| 3 | Cotton Hill Campground COE campground, Clay County | Campsite | 31.63763, -85.04612 | Corps campground just above the dam - the main camping base on the Georgia shore. |
| 4 | Cotton Hill Public Use COE, Clay County - paved ramp, fee | Access / boat ramp | 31.67150, -85.06252 | Corps ramp and day-use area above the Cotton Hill campground. |
| 5 | George T. Bagby SP Georgia State Parks - paved ramp, fee | Access / boat ramp | 31.66902, -85.05616 | State park with a lodge, cottages and a ramp on the lower lake's Georgia shore. |
| 6 | Sandy Branch DNR-WRD, Clay County - paved ramp, no fee | Access / boat ramp | 31.69313, -85.08544 | Free state ramp on the Sandy Branch arm - the cheapest launch on the lower lake. |
| 7 | Pataula Creek Park COE, Clay County - paved ramp, fee | Access / boat ramp | 31.73348, -85.08102 | Corps ramp and campground at the mouth of Pataula Creek. |
| 8 | Lake Walter F. George WMA Cool Branch COE / WMA, Quitman County - paved ramp, fee | Access / boat ramp | 31.84301, -85.12287 | Ramp on the Cool Branch tract of the WMA, mid-lake. |
| 9 | River Bluff COE, Quitman County - paved ramp, fee | Access / boat ramp | 31.89253, -85.10932 | Corps ramp and campground on the mid-lake Georgia shore. |
| 10 | Rood Creek Landing COE, Stewart County - paved ramp, fee | Access / boat ramp | 32.02450, -85.03715 | Ramp at the mouth of Rood Creek, below the Rood Creek Indian mounds. |
| 11 | Florence Marina SP Georgia State Parks - paved ramp, fee | Access / boat ramp | 32.08792, -85.04333 | State park marina at the head of the lake proper - ramp, slips, cottages. The base for the upper lake and Providence Canyon. |
| 12 | River Bend Park COE, Chattahoochee County - paved ramp, fee | Access / boat ramp | 32.24368, -84.91179 | The uppermost Georgia ramp on the impoundment, in the riverine reach below Columbus. |
Gauge: USGS 02343240 — WALTER F. GEORGE RESERVOIR NEAR FORT GAINES, GA. Live flow on the web page.
Species: Black Crappie, Blue Catfish, Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Striped Bass, White Crappie
Regulations: georgiawildlife.com/fishing-regulations
Emergency: call 911 and give the number of the nearest point on this map plus its coordinates.
Lakepoint State Park, Alabama: ramps, lodge and camping, a common base for visitors.
George T. Bagby State Park, Georgia: ramps and lodging on the Georgia shore.
Cotton Hill and Hardridge Creek: Corps parks with ramps near Fort Gaines.
White Oak Creek and Rood Creek: shallow creek arms that fish well in spring.
Highway 82 causeway at Eufaula: bridge structure and crappie water.
Near the dam at Fort Gaines: the deepest water and the best catfishing.
Note: much of the lake is shallow. Watch for stumps away from marked channels.
Winter: crappie on brush and bridges, and bass grouped on the channel ledges.
February to April: the best bass fishing of the year, shallow and in the creek arms.
Summer: offshore ledge fishing on the old river channel, and excellent catfishing.
Fall: shad move shallow again and the creek arms come back to life.