Lake Allatoona Fishing Report – October 2020

Allatoona: Level: 0.3 feet below full. Temp: 76 degrees. Clarity: 5 feet.

Bass: Tournament angler Matt Driver reports, “The month of October is amazing on Lake Allatoona. This is a month where the shad begin to migrate into the creeks, and the feeding frenzy begins. Early morning and late afternoon the buzzbait bite is phenomenal. Fishing around cover in the Etowah River and any bluff walls are the best areas to target for this technique. This is also a great time of year to break out a large swimbait. A 6-inch jointed hard swimbait is a good way to find a trophy largemouth or spot in Lake Allatoona. The bites are few, but the ones you get are very nice. Later in the month as the temperatures drop, we start to see a good jerkbait bite. The water is still warm enough this time of year to be quick and erratic with your jerkbait. Getting a reaction strike is by far the best way to catch bass on Lake Allatoona. My favorite fall areas are around the Delta in the Etowah, also in Little River and bluff walls in the Bartow Carver area. Have fun and take advantage of fewer fishermen on the water due to deer season.”

Linesides: Robert Eidson, of First Bite Guide Service, reports, “The bite has slowed down a lot since last month, but it is still better than normal for this time of year. We have caught fish on all methods this past month: downlines, freelines, topwater, spooning and trolling. I look for this pattern to stay stable into late October. The topwater bite has been the overall best producer, with trolling umbrella rigs and downlining live bait running a close second. Mid-lake to south has been producing best for the bigger hybrids, but if you’re after numbers, the white bass bite is hard to beat on the north end of the lake. This is the time of year that you need to be universal and not one dimensional on techniques. Any of these methods will catch you fish on any given day. I really look for the bite to pick up in the next few weeks with these cooler temperatures.”