Lake Allatoona Fishing Report December 2014

Allatoona: Level: 10 feet below full pool. Temp: Low to mid 50s. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Tournament angler Matt Driver reports, “The month of December on Allatoona is a little different this year. We are ahead of schedule with water temps in the mid to low 50s at the end of November. This month should be fun because it’s setting up great for a jerkbait, Float-n-Fly and A-rig bite. The Float-n-Fly bite started in late November and will only get better in December. Fishing main-lake points and bluff walls is the ticket. Balls of shad are in the 8- to 10-foot range right now but could drop to 15 to 21 feet if the temps get really low. We are using a three-way swivel system: 20-lb. braid to 6-lb. fluorocarbon with a top-weighted float tipped with a red rooster or Spro Phat Fly. This is a fun way to fish. Next is the jerkbait bite. Fish the same areas as you would with the Float-n-Fly. Right now use less of a pause between jerks, but when the water gets into the mid 40s, slow it to three to five seconds between jerks. I am using Spro McStick 95 and 112, as well as the Spro McRip 85. The McRip gets much deeper. And lastly, the A-rig. I am throwing a five-arm Dayton Boat Dock Rig with 3 1/2 Big Bite Cane Thumpers in white or alewife. Let the bait sink to a 10 count, and reel it very slow… very slow. Have fun, don’t fish alone this time of year. Hypothermia is a killer.”

Linesides: Good. Guide Robert Eidson reports, “The water temperature has been dropping fast with the recent Arctic blast, and the fishing has slowed down some because of it. Once the weather stabilizes, so will the fishing. Most of the fish are north of Bartow Carver and as far north as Sweetwater Creek. Downlines, freelines and planer boards fished with shad and trout early on the flats at Galts Ferry, the flats behind the island at Harbor Town and the flats up north at the Delta have been producing the best for us early mornings. Once the sun gets up, the fish are moving out over the river channel and can be caught on the same techniques along with umbrella rigs. The bigger fish are starting to roam back into the creeks. Planer boarding and freelining medium to larger gizzard shad and trout are your best bets for a trophy fish. As we move into December, the baitfish will start their winter migration south in search of warmer water. The hybrids and stripers won’t be far behind. Once this happens, look for these fish to move into the Allatoona Creek arm.”