Lake Allatoona Fishing Report – April 2024

Allatoona: Level: 1.2 feet below 840. Temp: 58-63 degrees. Clarity: Stain of all levels.

Bass: Tournament angler Matt Driver reports, “April on Allatoona is on fire!  Bass are in all phases of the spawn. This is the month when you pick your favorite way to fish, and that’s how you can catch them. Most fish are shallow, but they can be caught in depths up to 20 feet deep. Pebble/rock points and red-clay banks are great areas to start. Jig-head worms and Carolina rigs are great techniques this time of year. A good rule of thumb is to fish them slow, not with a lot of shaking but just dragging. Natural colors are my go-to. Spinnerbaits, swimbaits and jerkbaits are also great right now. These baits are retrieved quickly. The fish you are targeting with these baits are chasing active baitfish, so covering water is key. The topwater bite starts to get good mid month. Little River, Red Top and Illinois Creek seem to be some of the more productive areas. Have fun, and take a kid fishing. This is the time of year to get them hooked on the sport of fishing—pun intended!”

Linesides: Guide Robert Eidson, of First Bite Guide Service, reports, “Good! The spawn run is getting close. The water temperature is heating up fast, and the bite is really starting to get good on the main lake. The white bass have moved up and are staging at the Delta and are being caught on white Rooster Tails and crappie jigs. I expected 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. Fish Kellogg, Stamp, Clark, Tanyard and Iron Hill. 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 mornings and afternoons and downlines midday is the way to go. The topwater bite this week has been slow compared to last week. If you are lucky enough to come across breaking fish, Rooster Tails, flukes, popping corks, jerkbaits and freelining shad will all catch you fish right now. Trolling is working really well right now. The Captain Mack’s three-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.”

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Crappie: Robert DeHaas, of Red Rooster Custom Baits and an OG from “Team Geezer,” reports, “March has been a challenging month. What should have been the prime longline trolling month was met with one bad weather trend after another. We faced cold fronts, which brought high winds, as well as several inches of rainfall that caused the lake to rise rapidly and covered the entire lake with debris. With all of the adversity, we are looking to rebound in the month of April! As the lake approaches full pool and the water clears, it is time for corking, casting and dock shooting as the crappie get shallow and start roaming all over the lake. The full moon at the end of March and in April will have the crappie on the banks. There should be several waves of spawning crappie, but they will not all spawn at the same time. Fish small impressions, indentions and cuts along the creek shorelines. Look for stick-ups, shallow brush, laydowns and Christmas trees. Docks will hold fish this month, too. Try small jigs, like the Red Rooster Dagger, in natural colors. As the water clarity changes from light stain to clear, you want to use natural colors, like mayfly, watermelon ghost and UV shad in the Dagger finesse crappie jig. Pair small jigs with a 1/32-oz. jig head to keep the profile small. Hair jigs also work great during this time of year. Typically, there will be another late trolling bite after the crappie come off bed for a few weeks in late April and early May. If you do not have the Red Rooster Long Line Trolling Guide, download it from RedRoosterBaits.com. You cannot beat the weather in April for fishing. It is an exciting time to take your wife, kids and grandparents to the lake to make some great memories. Make sure to wear sunscreen, big hats and bring snacks and plenty of water to drink during your fishing trip for maximum enjoyment. We always want to stress conservation! Take only the fish you intend to eat and practice CPR (catch, photo and release) on the rest. We hope this report helps you and yours catch more crappie in the month of April. Good Lord willing we will provide another good report for May 2024. Good luck and God bless!”