Lake Allatoona Fishing Report – August 2010

Allatoona: Level: Full pool. Temp: 88-92 degrees. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Fair. Matt Driver reports, “Hurry up fall, because summer has been tough out there for bass, with near 100-degree days and the boat traffic. We have been catching a few keeper fish on the drop-shot rig using the Big Bite Bio Minnow and a new bait on the market a drop-shot fly called the Bird Shot by Red Rooster.” Matt said the better fishing is at night. “The bite doesn’t start to get decent until around 9 or 10 o’clock at night. Deep structure has been key for tournament wins even though weights have been low, and just having a limit of keepers will give you a good chance at the money,” Matt said. “Crankbaits like the Spro Little John DD in shad patterns and spinnerbaits in dark colors have been bringing a few big fish in.” Craig Miller, of The Dugout, reports, “With the water temperatures still extremely hot, most bass anglers are sticking to night fishing. Deep-running crankbaits like a Norman’s D22 in shad colors, fished on deep points and steep rock banks, are producing fish. The best way to catch them right now seems to be fishing any brush or cover, 20 to 25 feet deep, with worms. Fish Texas-rigged worms or shaky heads in the cover. Be sure to fish very slowly. The best colors are Roboworm’s Martens madness or redbug. These red shades seem to be working well after dark. You can also fish small jigs in these same areas. On the brighter nights when there is more moon available, the spinnerbait bite can be very good.” Guide Louie Bartenfield said during the day try a jig-head finesse worm or a drop shot, but the nighttime fishing is better. He recommends fishing isolated rock piles 10 to 15 feet deep and bluff banks with a deep-diving crankbait, a 1/2-oz. black/blue jig and a 1/4-oz. shaky head with a Big Bite Baits Squirrel Tail worm. Louie said to move a lot and fish as many bluffs and rocky offshore areas as possible.

Crappie: Fair. “Night fishing with lights around boat docks or bridges is the way to go,” said Craig Miller. “Use small shiners on deep slip bobbers or freelines under lights.”

Bream: Good, according to Matt Driver. “If you have kids and just want to catch fish, your best bet is to get a tube of crickets, very small hooks, light split shot and light line. Fish the crickets around bluff walls near shade. The fish may not be big, but they’re still fun to catch,” Matt said.

Linesides: Good. Robert Eidson said to expect a slow down, but the hybrids are still biting. Everything is within 2 miles of the dam right now, either way. The best dissolved oxygen in the lake can be found from the dam south to Tanyard Creek, and then from the dam to Illinois Creek. Robert said downlines are the way to go. Start off on points and humps early in the mornings. Start out fishing on the bottom on points with a 30-foot bottom. Then, later in the morning, keep the bait 30 feet down, but ease out over the channel. Shad are working better than anything, bream second and then shiners. Carry plenty of bait, as it will die quickly in the bath-warm water. The umbrella-rig bite is pretty good. Robert said to pull U-rigs 140 feet behind boat at 2.4 to 3.1 mph. Play with your speed to find out how they want it. Robert is using a four-arm rig with nine, 1/2-oz. jigs in chartreuse.