It’s a great big, blue-green wonder out there on Blue Ridge Lake – a whole lot of watery wide open. While it’s always hard to compartmentalize water, if you have particular interests, you need to find those special “spots” on the lake. That perfect fishin’ spot. That ideal spot for floating or boating. A quiet spot for just relaxing and taking life easy.
Lake Blue Ridge has a lot of those special spots – but it sometimes takes a local to direct you to them – otherwise water looks like water and a cove is just a cove.
So, we reached out to the folks at Blue Ridge Marina – which is not only a great spot to gas up your boat, it’s also one of those Cracker Barrel kind of places, where – especially in the South – people gather and compare notes on current cuisine, who’s who, what’s what, and what’s upcoming. They also know of coves.
The Star of the Lake
Star Creek Cove is the largest cove and is great for water sports. Fed by Star Creek (duh!), Star Creek Cove is just down the way from Star Creek Church, and around the corner from Star Creek Road (double duh!). Unlike cozy coves, this one, just off the main channel, is expansive – about a mile long and about a 1,000 feet wide at its widest. That allows for all kinds of recreational pursuits from canoeing and kayaking to fishing and simple motor boating with plenty of room for all.
A Little Secret
Little Island is one of two islands on the lake owned by the National Forest Service, so it is available to camp on. It is first come first serve – and it is QUIET! National Forest areas are like that, and those of like mind – those who like quiet – relish this little piece of paradise.
Fisherman’s Dream
For those who fish and want a place well out of the mainstream, Wilscot Creek is a wonderful spot for fishing. Wilscot Creek is a stream located just 5.6 miles from Blue Ridge, near Padena, GA. As with a lot of rivers, towns and roads in the South, this creek comes with alternate names, including Wilscott Creek, Willscot Creek and Wellscott Creek. Which may confuse your GPS but keeps your fishing spot a secret!
Local Favorite
The Toccoa River begins past mile marker 8 and traveling along this pastoral stretch is our friends at Blue Ridge Marina’s personal favorite place on the lake. If you continue on the river, the scenery changes completely and the air becomes cooler… it’s like coming into Ferngully! It will take your breath away. Every. Single. Time.
Secret coves and spots along and around the lake are sometimes exactly that — closely guarded secrets – but the irony of secrets is you want to share them. In the case of beauty and the grace of lakes, rivers and streams and favorite places for recreation or just chillin’ – it’s almost impossible not to share, as long as you do it in a whisper.