Lake Allatoona Fishing Report – December 2024

llatoona: Level: 6.4 feet below 840. Temp: 61 degrees. Clarity: 5 feet.

Bass: Tournament angler Matt Driver reports, “December is a great time to be on Lake Allatoona, and there are some giant spotted bass being caught. Water temps are dropping quickly into the low 50s and will potentially go lower than that really soon. If the winter weather pattern for the first of the month continues to hold, the jerkbait bite will be in full swing. I am using multiple jerkbaits right now. I am mixing it up between three depth ranges—3 to 6 feet deep, 6 to 12 feet deep and 12-plus feet. Depending on weather conditions, cloud cover and high pressure, I’m letting the fish dictate which bait they prefer. Right now, I mainly key on the 6- to 12-foot range. I use translucent shad patterns and an occasional chrome flash. Even though water temperatures are cold, I try to fish the bait as fast as possible, as long as I’m getting the bites. If the bite slows, I’ll slow down the bait, as well. I am targeting points and pockets that are wind blown and are full of bait. There has been a mix of hybrids, stripers and spotted bass. A lot of the bigger fish have come when I am around stripers and hybrids. When things slow down and get a little tough, I’m switching over to the Little Spotty jig and dragging it slowly on main-lake rocks and bluffs. Fishing will continue to be great unless the water drops into the low 40s and we see a shad kill. Typically, we don’t see that until January, if we see it at all. Stay safe, and make sure you wear a flotation device and don’t fish alone. Hypothermia is a killer.”

Linesides: Guide Robert Eidson, of First Bite Guide Service, reports, “Linesides are doing well. The northern end of the lake is beginning to heat up. Planer boards and weightless freelines are effective. Shad and herring seem to be the best baits at the moment. However, this may change as the temperature decreases. Expect these fish to begin feeding on smaller baits (threadfin and shiners) once the water temperature drops below 50 degrees. The trolling bite is also improving. Both the umbrella rigs and the A-rigs are catching a good number of fish right now. I personally prefer white, but I don’t believe it makes a significant difference at the moment. Once the lake finishes the turnover, we should start seeing a topwater bite. We are getting close. I think we are in store for a great winter bite this year.”

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Crappie: Robert DeHaas, of Red Rooster Custom Baits and an OG from “Team Geezer,” reports, “It’s hard to believe it is already December 2024. We have had the great pleasure of writing Lake Allatoona crappie fishing reports for GON for over a year, and we are honored and blessed to be a part of this great publication! GON is a treasure, and if you are looking for the perfect Christmas gift for the sportsman in your family, a GON gift subscription would be the perfect stocking stuffer. By the time you read this report, we should be well into the first week of December, which brings great anticipation and nightly dreams of giant slabs to the crappie angler. The month of December should be the beginning of the big crappie bonanza on Lake Allatoona. The big slabs start rolling in when the water gets cooler. This past November, we experienced warm temps and higher-than-normal water levels from Hurricane Helene, which kept the fish hard on brush throughout the month. With that said, the first week of December may still feel the effects of the November warmth, but if we have a cold front roll in that drops the water temp into the mid to low 50s, it will be game on. I would suggest dusting off your trolling rods and organizing your tackle boxes before getting on the water. Pull a mixture of 1/24-oz. and 1/16-oz. jig heads and set your troll speed at .08 mph and cover as much water as you can by alternating different depths until you find the crappie. You will want to troll using a zig-zag pattern as opposed to a straight line. Move from shallow to deep and vice-versa. When planning for your winter fishing trips, remember the ‘Three Ws,’ which are wind, weather and water. These three elements will play a big part in when, where and how deep you fish. Typical winter weather brings strong and gusty winds, which you will need to adjust to. The wind can be your friend, but you will need to determine the direction of the wind for your best chance of success. Fish WITH THE WIND, don’t wear yourself out fishing against the wind. Position your boat close to the shore where the wind is coming from. Then point your boat toward the windblown shore or open water and let the wind carry you. The trick is to determine your ‘GPS speed’ from your fish finder/chart plotter. Chances are you may not even have to run the trolling motor other than to make a turn or zigzag with the wind. Your steady speed should be between 0.7 – 1.2 mph. If you are in that range, you are in good shape. Depending on the depth of the fish, you may need a heavier jig head, such as a 1/8-oz., at higher speeds to ensure your jig is running at the appropriate depth. Visit redroosterbaits.com and download the ‘Red Rooster Longline Trolling Guide’ for a better understanding of jig-head size, speed and depth. The second ‘W’ is weather. Keep an eye on those day and night temps. As the weather cools, so will the water temperature. The magic number for the start of trolling is 58-62 degrees. Once the water cools to this level, the trolling season has begun. The third ‘W’ is water, specifically water level and water clarity. Keep an eye on lake levels, and when the lake hits 830 feet for the winter drawdown, this is another trigger for trolling season. As the water temps and water level drops, the crappie will start pulling off brush and structure into creeks and open water for the winter feed. We have seen schools of crappie suspended in 12 to 15 feet in open water to schooled up in 3 feet of water. Water clarity will change the color jigs you want to troll. For clear water, you want a natural color, such as blue glimmer, UV shad, gray ghost and watermelon. For stained/muddy water, you want bright colors, such as ‘lectric chicken, albright special, black/chartreuse, black/blue, flo pink pepper, etc. Make sure to also use contrasting jig heads, such as chartreuse, pink and orange. When you get out for your winter trolling trips, be prepared with warm clothing, a blanket and pack some towels in case of a man overboard. Hypothermia can happen in minutes and you’ve got to get back in your boat as fast as you can before you lose muscle strength. If you have a trim tab on your big motor, put your foot on the skeg and hit the trim button and have the trim lift you into the boat. If you have a ladder, that can be an added life saver. Get out of your wet clothes, dry off and wrap up in the blanket. In closing, December is the month when we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior as the one gift that keeps on giving today and throughout eternity. From our family to yours, Merry Christmas to everyone and may your livewells be full of big slabs, and always remember to keep only the fish you need and strive to be an Allatoona conservationist so that our generation and generations to come will continue to enjoy our great lake. Matthew 1:21-23 says: ‘And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.’”