Lake Allatoona Fishing Report March 2011

Allatoona: Level: 11.8 feet below full pool. Temp: High 40s to low 50s. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Fair and improving. “The month of March is by far the best time to fish jerkbaits on the lake,” said Craig Miller, of the Dugout. “Fish Spro McSticks in Norman-flake and spooky-shad colors. Fish main-lake points and flats. Be sure to work these baits very slowly. You can also fish flat-sided crankbaits such as Davis Fishco and Norman Flat Broke Baits in these same areas. Any crawfish or shad patterns will do the job. The float-n-fly is also a great way to catch fish. Fish this bait on steep rock banks with a 10- to 12-foot leader. Spring Craw flies in the clown color are working best. The jig bite is slow, but it should get better as the month progresses. Use 1/4-oz. jigs in green and brown around any wood cover.

Crappie: Good. Guide Stewart Wright said to fish shallow around any cover with black-and-chartreuse grubs or John Deere colored grubs with 1/16-oz. red jig heads. “If the fish do not bite the grubs, cast small shiners on a 3-foot bobber in these same areas. The spider-rigging bite is also good at .8 to .9 miles per hour on the flats and creek channel edges,” Stewart said. “When trolling, use Hal Flies in chartreuse and black, and bubblegum-chartreuse colors. You can also use 2-inch grubs in these same colors.”

Linesides: Fair. Robert Eidson said the shad kill is 95 percent over with. Fish are starting to eat. Little River through the S turns to Victoria Landing are holding decent numbers of hybrids. The southern end also has some fish in the Allatoona Creek area. Flatlines, planer boards and downlines are all working best at sunup and sundown. During the middle of the day, U-rigs are the best bite right now. “With rising water temps, it almost looks like they’re staging for the river run. By the second week of March, the river run will be full swing,” Robert said.