Lake Allatoona Fishing Report – February 2024

Allatoona: Level: 5.6 feet below 840. Temp: 41-45 degrees. Clarity: Heavy stain to muddy except for a mild stain in the mid-lake section.

Bass: Tournament angler Matt Driver reports, “Fair. February on Allatoona can sometimes be tough. Throughout the fall and winter, we have been catching good numbers of bass, but due to the heavy rains and super cold temperatures at the end of January, it has slowed the bite quite a bit. During the last week of January, water temps went from the low 40s to the low 50s after the warm rains. Depending on how temperatures and rainfall are this month, we will see a more consistent bite. For the first part of February, we are still very much in a winter pattern. Bass are scattered out with quite a few fish out deep, with some nicer bass coming in the shallow to mid-depth range. February tends to offer good crankbait, jerkbait and Alabama rig bites. Right now, we’re on main and secondary points. The backs of pockets have been very slow with very few bites. When the water clears up a little more, we will see the jig bite revitalize. The Picasso Little Spotty with a twin-tail chunk will be the ticket. Rock with a fairly steep gradient mid lake is a good area to key in on. Most of the month of February, we will maintain the winter pattern, and toward the end of the month, we will start to see fish move into a transition and begin the journey to the spawning grounds by late March.”

Matt Driver (right) and Josh Driver with a 13-lb. plus bag of Allatoona bass. Matt says the quality of the fishery is definitely improving.

Linesides: Guide Robert Eidson, of First Bite Guide Service, reports, “Lineside fishing is fair. The cold weather has triggered a shad kill. This kill could be one of biggest we have seen in the last few years. The lake is also rolling mud right now, which makes for a challenging bite. Be prepared to fish many different techniques. Early morning, pulling shad on planer boards, freelines and even downlines should get you 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 was the strongest bite going before all the rain rolled in. I have been doing well pulling my rigs between 9:30 a.m. to 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.”

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Crappie: Robert DeHaas, of Red Rooster Custom Baits and an OG from “Team Geezer,” reports, “If you want a month to catch a potential personal best crappie ever, February is your month. Your heaviest creel limits come this month, too! The year started with some heavy rains and cold weather. Our January report was busted after a few days due to heavy rains and severe cold fronts. The heavy rains brought the lake up 7 to 8 feet in a few days. When the lake level rises that quick, we get trash, heavy stain to muddy water. All these factors made for tough fishing in January. It is now February, and I expect to bounce back and settle into a pattern heading into springtime fishing. Location, water clarity and temperature are keys. The fish will be staging in the mouths of major creeks. Sweetwater and Owl creeks are examples of major creeks, and they tend to warm up faster when the temps trend higher. In heavy to muddy stained water, the crappie will be within 1 to 4 feet of the surface. You will need to target crappie that are high up in the water column with a 1/32- to 1/24-oz. jig head trolling at speeds of 0.7 to 0.9 mph, which should keep those jigs in the shallow strike zone. It doesn’t take much for the water to warm back up. The water temp in January dropped to 41 degrees in some places. When the temperatures start to rise, the water temp will rise quickly and the crappie will react positively. They will become more active as the water temps go up. A 5-degree temperature change could be all it takes to kickstart the trolling bite. Be ready to hit the lake and capitalize on warmer temps, even in February. Back to water clarity and jig colors. If the water is stained, make sure to have on black/blue, black/chartreuse or black/pink. The solid colors will stand out in stained water. If the water is heavily stained to muddy, orange is the secret Allatoona color. You need to have a jig with orange in it, like dreamsickle, goldcrush, copperhead, albright special, cajun chicken and tannic flo orange. Every one of these colors are proven crappie catchers in muddy Allatoona waters. If the bite slows or stops, the fish have moved but only 100 to 200 yards. If you found fish in an area, they are still in the area, so expand and contract your range as needed to find them again. Also, don’t be afraid to change colors. If there are fish in the area, swap colors every 10 to 15 minutes until you find the one that they want. February is known for Valentine’s Day, which is a day when folks take time to express their love for their spouse, significant others, friends and families. Remember that our Heavenly Father expressed His love by sending His only Son to live the perfect sinless life and take our place on the cross to pay a debt that we could not repay. John 3:16 reminds us that, God loved the world that He gave Himself so that we would not perish under the weight of our sins with no hope. John 15:13 says “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” That was Jesus telling us (his friends) that he would soon lay down his life for us. I hope this report helps you catch more fish in February. Remember to keep only the fish you can use and release the rest. Let’s take care of Lake Allatoona, and it will take care of us. Don’t forget to download the Red Rooster Long Line Trolling Guide from RedRoosterbaits.com. Our handy Longline Trolling Guide explains jig-head weights, troll speeds, depths and jig colors, which should help you land more crappie when trolling.”