Lake Allatoona Fishing Report April 2016

Allatoona: Level: 4.8 feet below full pool. Temp: 62-66 degrees. Clarity: Clear to slight stain.

Bass: Tournament angler Matt Driver reports, “Fishing on Lake Allatoona is probably the best it has been all year. Most largemouth have begun to go on bed, and the spotted bass are schooling and feeding up and will be going to bed within the first couple weeks of the month. Right now is the time to key on red-clay banks and pea-gravel banks. There are tons of active fish to be caught. Pretty much the entire month you can fish your favorite bait no matter what it is and probably still catch fish. But the most productive baits have been soft plastic jerkbaits, such as the Big Bite Baits Jerk Minnow in alewife and the pearl-colored Big Bite Baits Trick Stick. Midway to the very backs of the pockets, especially around blowdowns, have been producing. I use a Cashion medium/heavy 7-foot rod with 12- to 15-lb. test Sunline fluorocarbon and a 4/0 Gamakatsu Skip Gap Hook for this setup. The jig-head worm is always a go-to bait this time of year, especially when the spotted bass get ready to spawn. A Big Bite Baits Shaking Squirrel in green pumpkin and tilapia are highly productive when fished on 7-lb. Sunline fluorocarbon and a 1/8-oz. Gamakatsu Skip Gap Shaky Head. Shake the rod tip, and slowly reel it along the bottom. The topwater and swimbait bites will pick up more as the month goes on. Keep an eye out for active schooling fish. Also, keep in mind that the hybrids will be moving shallow and are fun to catch on artificial bass gear.”

Linesides: Good. Guide Robert Eidson reports, “The spawn run has started, and the fish are on the move. The white bass have moved up both rivers and are being caught on white Rooster Tails and crappie jigs. I expect we are just days away before the hybrids and stripers move up, as well. Right now I am spending most of my time in the creeks. There are decent schools of fish in all the major creeks right now. Kellogg’s, Stamp, Clark, Tanyard and Iron Hill have all produced for my boats in the last 10 days. There is also another bite going on from Little River all the way up to Fields Landing. If you find the baitfish, you’ll find stripers and hybrids nearby. These fish are feeding up for the upcoming spawn run. Flatlines in the morning and afternoon and downlines midday is the way to go. The topwater bite this week has been slow compared to last week’s. If you are lucky enough to come across breaking fish, Rooster Tails, flukes, popping corks, jerkbaits and freelining shad will all catch fish right now. Trolling is working really well right now. The Mack Farr 3-arm umbrella rig has been producing best for me right now. Color doesn’t seem to matter, but speed is a factor. The best speed for me this week has been between 3.3-3.5 miles per hour.”