Lake Allatoona Fishing Report December 2012

Allatoona: Level: 13.2 feet below full pool. Temp: 59 degrees. Clarity: 7 foot visibility.

Bass: Tournament angler Matt Driver reports, “The month of December on Allatoona is a great month to be on the lake. Fishing is good, and some of the best catches for spotted bass are made between the months of December and March. Even though we have been mild the month of November, temperatures historically take a drastic plunge this month. December fish are starting to bunch up, and contrary to what most might believe, bass are easier to locate. Side imaging and good electronics help. Depths between 10 and 20 feet are where the majority of active fish are. Vertical drop shot with downsized soft plastics. Keep bait movement to a minimum. Light Sunline fluorocarbon 4- to 8-lb. test helps the amount of bites in my opinion. Jerkbaits like the Spro McStick in blue bandit fished with a slow but steady retrieve will work. Sometimes I will let the bait sit five to 10 seconds between retrieves. Last but not least, float-n-fly season is on. Use the three-way-swivel technique with a light braid main line and a 6-lb. Sunline sniper fluorocarbon leader 9 to 12 feet long. An 8- to 10-foot float-n-fly rod is helpful for casting. Go to www.gon.com/article.php?id=2196&cid=158 to learn more. I use Red Rooster 1/16-oz. gray shad, perch and morning dawn. Fishing is best between the Yacht Club and Galts. Look on bluff walls, long points with brush and channel bends to find bait and bass stacked up.”

Linesides: Guide Robert Eidson reports, “The lineside bite this week has been good. The bite has really picked up this week, and the linesides are finally starting to feed. There are two different bites going on right now. The first bite, and most are viewing it as the main bite, is up north. There is a very good bite from the Boys Club all the way north to Sweetwater. The hybrids and white bass are busting topwater and will eat almost anything when they are up and in this kind of feeding freezing. My bait of choice is a popping cork along with a white fluke follow by a Rooster Tail. The secondary bite is from Kellogg’s Creek to Clear Creek. These fish are about 90 percent hybrids and are being caught right over the river channel. Live bait is working best—shad, threadfin, shiners and trout. Look for these fish in the bends of the river channel. The seagulls are starting to show up. December is a challenging month for finding the right techniques. However, it is also one of those months where you can catch a trophy and a cooler full of smaller fish. Trolling has been hit and miss but should be in full swing by mid December. I pull nothing but a Mack Farr four-arm umbrella.”