Lake Allatoona Fishing Report – August 2018

Allatoona: Level: Just above full pool. Temp: 85-89 degrees. Clarity: 7 feet.

Bass: Tournament angler Matt Driver reports, “Typically the month of August on Lake Allatoona is extremely slow and considered one of the worst times of the year for bass on Allatoona. This year is definitely different. We have had a consistent bite since the first of the year. In August, the bass are still deep and will be deep until mid September. Right now the brushpile bite is still good. I am using a Picasso double weed guard jig head and a Big Bite Baits Limit Maker in green pumpkin. This technique is very slow and methodical. The secret to working this bait is not to work it at all, just drag it slowly until we locate the brushpile. Once you reach the brush, slowly work the jig head through the debris. A very sensitive rod is key. I am using a Shimano Expride, medium-heavy 7-2 spinning rod and 20-lb. Sunline FX2 braid tipped with Sunline Sniper Fluorocarbon as a leader. When you feel the fish bite, just start reeling. The second technique that I have confidence in for the month of August is a deep-diving crankbait. I am switching between a Spro Little John DD and a 6 or 8XD. I use 10-lb. Sunline Fluorocarbon and a glass Shimano cranking rod. Fish this bait on long points that are near the channel with scattered brush or boulders. Run and gun, don’t stay in an area if you’re not getting bit. Right now in the month of August, there are no particular areas that are producing better. Pick the area of the lake you like best, and run the mid- to deep-depth pattern.”

Linesides: Good. Guide Robert Eidson reports, “Lineside fishing is good but has slowed way down compared to July. The live-bait bite is still the better bite, but bait is dying quick due to the lack of oxygen, so be sure to carry plenty of bait and change it often. Frisky bait is the key to putting more fish in the boat. Shad, shiners and bream are all working, but threadfins are hard to beat this time of year. These fish are scattered in the water column anywhere from 14 to 28 feet deep. The thermocline has really taken hold at 20 feet this year. The better bite is between Bartow Carver to Clarks Creek. A good starting point is anywhere within eye sight of the dam. Trolling is really starting to improve but is best when the corps is generating water, which is normally in the afternoons. U-rigs pulled 80 to 120 feet behind the boat at 3.1 mph over points and humps should get you bit.”