Lake Allatoona Fishing Report – September 2021

Allatoona: Level: Full pool. Temp: 82 degrees. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Tournament angler Matt Driver reports, “The September fishing will not change much from the August report this year. August was a surprisingly good month. Historically, September has been a roller-coaster ride for fishing with some really great days and some days that are really tough. With September water temperatures, we struggle with algae blooms from time to time, which decrease dissolved oxygen levels in the lake and cause the bite to slow. The cooler the temperatures get, the less likely this is to occur.  Fishing in the Etowah River arm tends to be the best area to target right now. The morning topwater bite is still great. Start the morning out with a buzzbait along bluff walls and blowdowns. This bite has been lasting until mid morning. Mix the buzzbait up with a topwater popper-style bait, as well. Once the morning bite is over, try switching to a small Kietech swimbait and a 3/16-oz. Picasso round-ball jig head. We are targeting schools of bass at the mouth of the creeks, like Illinois Creek. The schools tend to move around. A good forward-facing, side-imaging sonar helps you locate them. A medium paced yo-yo retrieve seems to work the best to get bit. While using this technique, you will catch an occasional hybrid, as well.  As the water cools and bass begin to migrate into the creeks, the hard swimbait bite will pick up. The big swimbait is a great way to catch a big fish this time of year.  Fishing will only get better as we get later into the fall.”