Lake Allatoona Fishing Report – January 2010

Allatoona: Level: 8.1 feet below full pool. Temp: 47-52 degrees. Clarity: Stained.

Bass: Good. Matt Driver reports, “Think deeper, and think small when it comes to bait selection. Jerkbaits on main-lake points are always a mainstay during the winter months. A small, deeper-running jerkbait such as a Jackall DD Squirrel is a good choice. Colors such as gunmetal shad or chartreuse shad will work well in clearer water. Fish the jerkbait very slowly, and let the bait sit for long periods of time. The drop shot and spoon will also put good fish in the boat, but it’s hard to beat the float-n-fly in January. Concentrate your efforts in the mid-section of the lake where the water is clearer. Fish a 1/16-oz. Red Rooster or Punisher Fly in shad colors. The best leader length seems to be about 10 to 12 feet, but don’t rule out a longer leader. For full instructions on the float-n-fly, check out the December issue of GON. There is a great article on page 22 about float-n-fly techniques for Allatoona.” Mike Bucca reports, “I am working much of the south end of the lake due to it being clearer water, and I’m using the float-n-fly. Concentrate on humps, wave barriers, boat houses and brush about 12 feet under the surface. Best fly colors are a solid chartreuse or white fly that will show up well in the stained water, and spot candy color would be my third choice. I am keeping my leader in the 12-foot range right now, as the bait is still a little deep of recent. Also keep an eye on your sonar as you are fishing, and drop a spoon down at any fish you see coming into view of the sonar. I like a 3/4-oz. chartreuse spoon. I expect the fly bite to stay strong throughout most of January and into February.”

Linesides: Good. Robert Eidson said the fish are still mid-lake in creeks like Illinois, Kellogg, Clear and Stamp. Start fishing three-quarters of the way into the creek, and go all the way to the back. The threadfin are thick, and the fish will be right on the edge of the bait. Early, downlines, planers and flatlines are working, and use small bait like medium shiners or threadfins. Once the sun gets up, go to a 3-arm U-rig loaded with seven 1/2-oz. jigs in chartreuse. Troll it 100 feet back, and clip all the points and humps. There is some surface activity, so keep a fluke, Spook or Sammy tied on, and watch for diving birds.