Lake Allatoona Fishing Report January 2006

Allatoona: Level: Down 15.7 feet below full pool. Temps: 46-48 degrees. Clarity: Stained from the mid-section to the rivers, mostly clear on the main lake from Stamp Creek to the dam and around to the Pass.

Bass: Good, according to guide and tournament angler Mike Bucca. “Right now the early-morning crankbait bite with a Lucky Craft’s new Flat Mini DR Crank, working it in the six-to seven-foot range, is still doing well off rocky points and cuts. Just be sure you are hitting the bottom with your crankbait, and cover some real estate.” When the water temperatures reach the lower 40s this month, Mike said the crankbait bite gets even better, but he’ll use a deeper-diving plug like the Flat CB DR, which dives in the nine- to 10-foot range. When the sun is up and bright, the crankbait bite will slow down, and Mike said to then look for baitfish on deep structure. “Once you find bait with your sonar, I like to use a drop-shot or spoon to catch them,” Mike said. He recommends a 4 1/2-inch Yamamoto Flat Tail worm on the drop-shot with a 3/8- to 1/2-oz. Quick Drop sinker. He likes a 1/4- to 1/2-oz. spoon. “The fish are coming mostly between 40 and 50 feet right now, so be thinking a little on the deep side when fishing the drop-shot and spoon, but let the baitfish tell you what depth level to fish. The numbers are fantastic, with several trips yielding 20 to 25 fish. Just watch your sonar to find out what depth level the bait is holding at, and concentrate on that depth level with your drop-shot or spoon. For January, if the water temps get into the lower to mid 40s, we will get our annual shad kill, which will draw the sea-gulls to give away the location of the bait.”

Linesides: Good, with some magnum hybrids highlighting the catches lately. Guide Robert Eidson said 9- and 10-lb. hybrids are being caught. “I had a trip two days ago with three 10-year-olds in the boat, all three had 9-lb. hybrids on at the same time,” Robert said. The best bite has been during the middle of the day, and the most productive technique is to pull umbrella rigs. “They’re eating small, small threadfin — about the size of the end of your thumb. You have to fish really small baits or troll for them,” he said. Concentrate in the mid-lake area from Galt’s up to Stamp Creek. “They’re easy to find — the birds are working, and there’s a ton of bait,” Robert said. There are stripers mixed in with the hybrids, and he’s catching about a 50-50 mix of hybrids and stripers using the umbrella rig. “The stripers are averaging about eight to 10 pounds right now. The bigger fish are gorging on that little-bitty bait, so they’re not going to chase these umbrella rigs.” When trolling, Robert said to pull your rigs in every 15 minutes so you can clean the hooks because the tiny threadfin are so numerous that they’ll get on your hooks and your baits won’t run right.