Lake Allatoona Fishing Report – January 2007

Allatoona: Level: Down 16.8 feet below full pool. Temp: 48-52 degrees. Clarity: Mostly clear.

Bass: Fair. It should improve with some cold weather, according to guide and tournament pro Mike Bucca. “When the cold temps are around, the fish concentrate and that makes finding them a whole bunch easier. When we have a mild December, the fish tend to scatter,” Mike said. “For December, the best bet has been the crankbait bite. I have been using a Lucky Craft Mini DR and a Flat DR in any color with chartreuse in it.” Mike said he was concentrating on main-lake points and northeast, rocky shorelines which get the first sun. “The crankbait bite has been the strongest tactic by far for the better-quality fish. Drop-shotting has been fair, but it will get better when the colder air temps congregate the fish deeper.” As long as the surface temperature stays at or above 48 degrees, Mike says to concentrate on the crankbait pattern. When it gets colder, go to the drop-shot rig and concentrate on the bluff walls of the main lake. “January is usually drop-shot month. The colder the better,” Mike said. “Typically 40 to 50 foot depth levels are best. Keep an eye on your sonar, and let the location of the bait tell you how deep to fish. I like 8-lb. Triple Fish Fluorocarbon line with a 1/2-oz. Quickdrop sinker and the No. 4 Gamakatsu splitshot/dropshot hook tipped with either a small Tiny Fluke or Gary Yamamoto Shad shape worm in a shad-type color like Blue Pearl.”

Linesides: Good. For stripers, big baits fished on planer boards have been producing some good-sized stripers and good numbers, said guide Robert Eidson. “I’m using big gizzards or big trout, and I’m back in the creeks and in the rivers. Little River, the mouth of the Etowah in the Delta have been good. Last year everything was centered toward Allatoona Creek, but this year the fish are mostly north of Clear Creek,” Robert said. The stripers are shallow and back in the creeks. Start two-thirds of the way in the creeks and work toward the back. “The threadfin are in the backs of the creeks. I actually found that the stripers were that far back when I caught one in a cast net trying to get bait. The stripers are eating either two-inch threadfins or they’re eating real, real big. I prefer to go the big route, but crappie fishermen pulling jigs are likely to hook some big stripers right now because of the small bait they’re eating. We’re also seeing a lot of big hybrids this year. The hybrids are still on the main lake over the river channel. Bartow-Carver is loaded, and there are hybrids at the mouths of Illinois and Clear creeks.”