Lake Allatoona Bass Fishing Report: June 23, 2025

Bill Payne with a nearly 4-lb. spotted bass caught last week.

Level: 0.4 feet above 840. Temp: 83. Clarity: Relatively clear.

Spotted Bass: Bill Payne, with Bill Payne Guide Service, said the hotter days have helped the water temps rise fairly rapidly over the last week.

“The air temps at night have not gotten very low, and this is causing the water temp to stay up,” says Bill.

During Bill’s guiding, he has been seeing a fair amount of baitfish. They are mainly in the upper part of the water column.

“We’re seeing plenty of baitfish during the evening hours up until dark,” said Bill.

The fish still haven’t made it deep yet, according to Bill. They are in the 5- to 15-foot range.

“The topwater bite has been best for me during the middle of the day, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. You can catch some in the evenings, but not as many as that midday bite,” said Bill.

He has been using a 5-inch Ima Skimmer with his 2500 Shimano with Sunline Almight sinking braid in 11-lb. test for his topwater fishing.

“I like to experiment with 11-, 13- and 16-lb. braid, and right now, 11-lb. seems to be working best for me,” he said.

He has also been having success with any type of finesse worm or drop shoting on brushpiles, as well as using a big, 5-inch flutter spoon. Most all the fish Bill is catching are spotted bass, but every once in a while he will hook in to a largemouth.

“The bass are in smaller groups that are roaming around,” said Bill.

He said they usually start out on points and are catching a few, but with the use of his LiveScope, he has been able to find bigger groups out in the middle. He stated that when he finds fish in the middle, those tend to be more aggressive and the bite is better. Steeper rock bluffs are holding a few fish right now, as well. Bill has had success using a Little Spotty Jig at both 1/4- and 3/8-oz. He also said the bigger fish are mixed in with the smaller bass in these big groups, and that catching fish in general has not been an issue for him so far this year.

Night Bite: One of the best ways to catch fish historically on Allatoona is by utilizing a spinnerbait on brushpiles, stumps, rocks and other offshore places after dark, but according to Bill, “The night bite isn’t quite there yet.”

As water temps continue to rise, and air temps continue to elevate, the night bite will steadily get better. Night tournaments are doing fair, according to Bill, with weights between 14 and 15 pounds.

“All the rain cooling the evenings off, and the lake levels being over full pool, might be negatively affecting the night bite,” said Bill.

Boat Traffic: “There’s a lot of fishing pressure right now,” Bill said.

Bill also noted that there is a lot of recreational activity going on right now on the lake; jet skis, ski boats, pontoon partys, etc. He said that Saturdays and Sundays are off the charts with people.

“I try to avoid weekends if I can,” said Bill.

I asked if the influx of boats and people has affected the bite any, and he said not necessarily, but it depends.

“A few waves might actually help the bite, but jet skis and ski boats flying by you certainly doesn’t help anything,” said Bill. “I like to get out at daylight and plan to be off by lunch, sometimes even by 10 or 11 o’clock.”

Bill said that when the weather stabilizes and we’re having more consistent weather, the bite will only continue to get better.