Lake Allatoona Fishing Report April 2018

Allatoona: Level: 4.6 feet low. Temp: Upper 50s. Clarity: Ranging from clear to stained in different sections of the lake.

Bass: Tournament angler Matt Driver reports, “Fishing on Lake Allatoona is wide open. April is one of the best months of the year to catch a quality bass. The spawn started in late March and will be in full swing in April. Fish have pulled up shallow and are feeding aggressively. The soft-plastic jerkbait-style bite is as good a tactic as you can ask for right now. I’m throwing the 5- and 6-inch version of the Jerk Minnow. I am rigging these baits weightless on a 4/0 Skip Gap Gamakatsu hook and 12-lb. test Sunline Sniper fluorocarbon. Look for dark areas in the water where stumps or brush may be at. I am working creeks and longer pockets around Allatoona Creek and Little River. This is a good way to pick up an occasional largemouth, as well as a spotted bass. It is imperative to have a good pair of polarized sunglasses, whether you are looking for fish on bed or those that are cruising in the shallows. For those fish that are cruising, I’m also using a weightless 6-inch Big Bite Baits Shaky Worm in green pumpkin. This is a very natural approach and does not spook shallow fish. This month I am also fishing a 1/2-oz. Picasso football jig tipped with a twin-tail grub as a trailer. I am targeting areas with a hard bottom and also red-clay banks on the upper end of the lake. The key to fishing this jig is to keep it in contact with the bottom at all times. I like to drag a jig this time of year. The best setup for the Picasso football head jig is a medium-heavy 6-6 to 7-foot rod and 10- to 12-lb. Sunline Sniper fluorocarbon. Fluorocarbon allows you to feel the most subtle bites. If you’re having a tough day, always remember that bluff walls with rock are always a good place to check during the day. As we get later in the month, we will see signs of the shad spawn and an increase in a topwater bite. Baits like the Zara Spook and Spro Dawg will be good choices. Have fun out there guys, and remember to wear plenty of sunscreen, even though April temperatures tend to be really nice.”

Linesides: Guide Robert Eidson reports, “Lineside fishing is good and getting better. The water color is getting better, and the bite is getting better now that the water level is returning to normal. The river bite has finally started. The white bass have moved up and are being caught on white Rooster Tails and crappie jigs. There are also a few hybrids and small stripes being caught right now up both the Etowah and Little rivers. I bet the river bite will be in full swing in the next couple of days. 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, Stamp, Clark, Tanyard and Iron Hill have all produced for my boats in the last seven days. There is also another bite of mostly whites 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.”