Lake Blackshear | Cordele, Georgia
Lake Blackshear Resource Management OfficeJavascript must be enabled to view this map.
Bordering five counties and serving as a connecting link between west central and southwest Georgia, Lake Blackshear is owned by the Crisp County Power Commission and operated in cooperation with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. The 8,700-acre lake has 97 miles of shoreline. In the Flint River watershed it is formed by the Flint and Crisp County Power Dam.
In 1930 the Crisp County hydroelectric dam impounded the Flint River, creating this 8,700-acre lake 10 miles west of Cordele. Since then the lake has become a popular Central Georgia recreation area with lake homes dotting the banks, weekend boaters and skiers churning up the water, fishermen working the creeks and backwater near Spanish-moss-draped cypress trees and campers enjoying the facilities at the 1,322-acre Georgia Veterans Memorial State Park. On the west side of the lake, tree farms and private hunting lands still rule; the University of Georgia operates 4,000 acres for its forestry program here. In 1973, the southern stretch of the lake from the US 280 Bridge was cleared of stumps and undergrowth to provide a better playground for boaters and swimmers. The swampy, northern backwaters with its islands, cypress trees, stumps and snags was left behind as a natural habitat for wildlife. Over the last 20 years, traditional fish camps have evolved into convenience stores with dockside gas and can be found from Sonny’s Campers Haven on the north side of the lake to Lakeshore Marine on the south.
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources and the Crisp County Power Commission share responsibility for the lake. DNR stocks the lake with largemouth bass, white bass, hybrid bass (a cross between the white bass and the striped bass), sunfish, perch, crappie and catfish. The utility company operates seven boat ramps and parking areas, mostly on the southeast side of the lake. Crisp Power also maintains an herbicide spraying program to control algae growth during the warm months–although sunlight doesn’t penetrate the dark waters enough to cause a problem with excessive growth. In 1984, members of local industry, academia and government formed The Lake Blackshear Watershed Association to protect the long-term health of the Flint River, the lake and its tributaries.
Directions: From Cordele, take US 280 west approximately 10 miles.
