Bull Sluice Lake

On the north side of metropolitan Atlanta and in the middle of the prime trout fishing water of the Chattahoochee River, Bull Sluice Lake is a series of shallow sloughs that offer good fishing for bream and other warm-water species. Bull Sluice Lake (also known as Morgan Falls Lake or Lake Roswell) upstream of Georgia Power’s small hydroelectric dam on the Chattahoochee River. The dam goes by the name Morgan Falls, hence the confusion about the name of the lake. The lake is generally recognized to be the stretch of the Chattahoochee River from Georgia Highway 9 (Roswell Road) downstream to Morgan Falls Dam. Although the lake is just a stretch of the Chattahoochee River and a collection of several shallow sloughs, the fishing here is very different from the rest of the Chattahoochee around Atlanta. The current in the lake can be very strong, depending on what is taking place at Buford and Morgan Falls Dams. Anglers should use extreme caution navigating the lake. Much of it is extremely shallow and sandbars and shoals lie hidden just below the surface. In most places, the main channel will have 4 to 8 feet of water, but once you get out of the channel, watch out. Use your trolling motor to navigate your way up the narrow side channels leading into the sloughs. Lest you throw caution to the wind and operate your boat in a manner resulting in an unplanned swim, another factor to keep in mind is that even in the summer months, this water is cold. Releases from Buford Dam usually keep the temperature around 60 degrees F in the main channel, with the sloughs slightly warmer. Although Bull Sluice Lake has some of Georgia’s most popular trout water both upstream and downstream of it, most of the fishing in the lake is for warm-water species. Bream are probably the best choice, but largemouths better than 8 pounds have also been caught. Key species: bluegill, redear sunfish, largemouth bass.

500 acres

Fish: Bass, bream, channel catfish, yellow perch, crappie, rainbow trout, brown trout

Facilities: Boat ramp, picnic tables, restrooms, playground

Dates of Operation: All year, from 7 am to 6 pm each day

Directions: Southeast of Roswell on Azalea Drive

County: Fulton

Restrictions: No swimming; no trout stamp is needed to fish in Bull Sluice Lake (between Roswell Road Bridge and Morgan Falls Dam), but a trout stamp is needed to keep any trout caught.