Lake Allatoona Fishing Report January 2014

Allatoona: Level: 10.6 feet below full pool. Temperature: 52 degrees. Clarity: Stained from Little River to the dam. And visibility south of the dam is about 3 feet.

Bass: Tournament angler Matt Driver reports, “January is normally a really cold and slow month, but we have had a mild winter so far with water temps being in the low 50s through late December. The heavy rains have kept the lake stained from late December into January as well. The Float-n-Fly bite has been steady even with the stain. The Red Rooster Big Eye Fly, also known as the Carter’s Lake Special, fished on a 9- to 10-foot leader has been really good. The crankbait bite has been consistent as well by slow-rolling a Spro Little John Baby DD or Bandit 300 in craw colors. The 10- to 12-foot range is the key. The jig bite is a little slow but producing good fish. Fish the Kacys Kustom in bluegill fire or the Kustom Kicker Freak in brown and orange. The Allatoona arm will clear up the fastest, and if you want to get in on the jerkbait bite, you want to find that clear water. And last but not least, the drop-shot bite is consistent this whole month. If all else fails, pull out a drop shot with a No. 4 Gamakatsu tipped with a 4-inch Big Bite Baits Jeff Kriet Shaking Squirrel and 3/16-oz. weight.”

Linesides: Good. Guide Robert Eidson reports, “January is one my favorite months to target big fish on Lake Allatoona. The bait is moving out of the creeks and heading south in search of warmer water. The stripers and hybrids will be right behind them. I look for the bite to be strong from Bartow Carver to Iron Hill in the upcoming weeks. The fish are already showing signs of moving up in the water column. This is the time of year to be pulling big and small baits—trout, gizzard shad, threadfins and even shiners—on planner boards and freelines early and late in the day. The mouths of the south-end creeks like Clear, Stamp, Coopers Branch, Iron Hill and Clark Creek are all good starting points this time of year. After the sun comes up, you need to be open minded on your techniques. Topwater, trolling, spooning and live bait can all work this time of year, but what worked yesterday may not work tomorrow. Take the kitchen sink with you when heading out to the pond this time of year. If we have a cold January, expect a shad kill. We haven’t had a strong kill on Allatoona in more than three years. If we get one this year, I expect the bite will go from good to awful. So let’s hope it is another mild winter this year.”