Lake Allatoona Fishing Report – February 2009

Allatoona: Level: 9.4 feet below full pool. Temp: Mid 40s. Clarity: Stained all the way to Bethany.

Bass: Good. Guide Mike Bucca reports: “The best bite going right now by a landslide is the Float-n-Fly. Many different structures are holding fish — lots of humps and brushpiles, as well as boat houses, marinas and bluff walls. It changes daily, so you need to move around to see what structure they prefer. I am using 8-lb. Triple Fish fluorocarbon leaders for my flies that varies anywhere from 15 to 24 feet in pre-frontal conditions and anywhere from 8 to 15 feet long post-frontal. I am using a custom 1/16-oz. fly made by David Lester out of Natures Tackle Box in Hiram. Color is nowhere near as important as the depth of your fly. Another bait that is working well is a 3/4-oz. white spoon. I am using my Humminbird Side Imaging to locate big concentrations of fish, then I’m focusing on my downward sonar to present my spoon at the right level. I am using 12-lb. Triple Fish fluorocarbon. For the early part of February, I would still concentrate on the Float-n-Fly, and hopefully by the end of February we can get on a warming trend and get back on the reaction baits. Northeast shorelines are going to be key as they are the first shorelines to receive the sun’s rays in the morning. Crankbaits are going to be a strong pattern on these types of banks.” Matt Driver of the Dead Sea Mafia reports: “The bigger spots and a few largemouths are showing up pretty regular to the weigh-in scales. The ticket lately has been brown jigs and medium-running crankbaits like Bandit 200 and 300 series — orange color for stained water and shad colors for clear water. The hotspots for these baits are long points in the mid-lake areas. For the most consistent and fun bite, the Float-n-Fly is the the go-to bait. Use a small 1/16-oz. Punisher hair jig fished on a 10- to 15-foot long, 6-lb. test Seaguar Fluorocarbon leader under a specially designed float. Also, a 9-foot F-n-F rod makes it easier to cast the long leader. Fish this technique on bluff walls. It’s great for suspended spots.”

Linesides: Good. “Lake rose 10 feet in six days,” said Robert Eidson.“Then they pulled it real fast, drawing the mud from one end to other. I’m fishing the clear water in Allatoona Creek. The south end south of Bethany Bridge is best. Stained water will produce, but I personally prefer clear water. The stained water is warmer, though. I’m fishing the mudlines, if I can find where clear water meets stained water. Stamp and McKaskey have good mudline bites. I’m catching these fish 45 feet deep — some 8-lb. hybrids and 15-lb. stripers. Trout are working better than anything right now. Shad are getting lethargic in cold water. If you can get gizzard shad, they’ll live. If we get a shad kill, usually at 42 degrees, 1/2-oz. jigging spoons will be excellent.”