Lake Allatoona Fishing Report February 2018

Allatoona: Level: 13.3 feet low. Temp: 43-45 degrees. Clarity: The lake is slightly stained to muddy in areas.

Bass: Tournament angler Matt Driver reports, “Fishing in the month of February can be feast or famine. This month, Allatoona bass are typically out deeper, but not always. We had a massive shad kill back in January due to extremely cold water temps that reached the high 30s. We tend to see shad kills when water temperatures drop below 42 degrees. At the beginning of the month, we have seen a slight increase in temperatures and a good bit of fish temporarily move shallow. When we have temporary warm-ups in the winter, the slightly stained shallow water heats up faster, so fish can be caught on shallow-running crankbaits, lipless crankbaits and even on ChatterBaits. When the water temperatures drop back off, or we have a major cold front, fish will suspend back out at the mouths of creeks and on bluff walls. My go-to for cold conditions is a Picasso tungsten finesse football head and a tungsten jig head with a Big Bite green-pumpkin finesse worm. Work the bait slowly for best results. I like to use light line, like Sunline Sniper Fluorocarbon. When the water temperature is below 50 degrees and clear, the Red Rooster cotton candy Float-n-Fly is hard to beat. As temperatures warm, the Spro McStick and the Alabama Rig are great ways to locate spotted bass that are in transition. On the Alabama Rig, I use a 3.5-inch Big Bite Cane Thumper on a 3/16-oz. jig head. Fish from the mouth to a third of the way back in the creeks. The best locations this time of year are around Little River, Illinois Creek and Iron Hill. Be safe, and remember that hypothermia is a killer. Don’t fish alone.”

Linesides: Fair: Guide Robert Eidson reports, “The cold weather has triggered a major shad kill. This kill is the biggest we have seen in a few years. The good news is it hit quick and should be a shorter kill than we have seen in past years. There is still a bite out there but nothing like we had back in December. We are catching fish on many different techniques. Early in the morning, we are doing well using shad on planer boards, freelines and even downlines where we are getting a bite or two right at sunup. By 9:30 a.m., the live-bait bite really slows down. This is when you want to swap over to your u-rigs. The u-rig bite is the strongest bite going right now. I have been doing very well pulling my rigs between 9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. in the mid-lake area. The key to catching these fish is your speed; 2.5 mph has been the best for me. The shad kill will make fishing a little difficult for the next couple of weeks, but it should really make for a great spring.”