Lake Allatoona Fishing Report March 2012

Allatoona: Level: 6.6 feet below full pool. Temp: Mid 50s. Clarity: Clear to light stain.

Bass: Excellent. “Bass fishing is great,” said tournament angler Matt Driver. “With the weird weather we’ve had, the water temps are already in the mid 50s at the beginning of March and will most likely hit the magic 60-degree mark soon. Fish are in the prespawn mode and are shallow. Shallow cranking in typical migration routes will work the best. March is crankbait month. I am using a Spro Fat John in cellmate color fished parallel to the bank in the 2- to 4-foot range. Make sure and hit as much shore cover as possible and get those reaction bites. Fish are also using ditches as avenues to the spawning grounds and can be picked up on a jig or a shaky-head Squirrel Tail worm. Fan-cast these areas, and pay attention for subtle bites. Largemouths should start to bed by late in the month, and spots will be shortly after. Keep an eye out for schoolers feeding up.” For an article and map with 10 of Matt’s locations for Allatoona bass this month, see page 20.

Crappie: Good. “The crappie have not yet moved to the banks,” said Craig Miller, of the Dugout. “Trolling is your best option. Troll small, 2-inch grubs in acid rain, tractor green and bubblegum-chartreuse colors. Some anglers are also trolling Hal Flys tipped with minnows. The fish seem to be between 8 and 15 feet deep. As the weather and water gets warmer, the crappie should move to the banks. This is the best time to cast bobbers with small grubs or tubes. This is also the best time for the anglers who fish off the banks to break out minnows or rosie-red minnows and cast to any cover on the shore. Typically you should set your bobber at 3 to 4 feet. March is one of the best months to catch big crappie on Allatoona.”

Linesides: Excellent. Guide Robert Eidson said fishing for white bass, stripers and hybrids is fantastic right now. He said to start the morning mid-lake out in front of the beach at Bartow-Carver, where some big schools of hybrids have been hitting shad and shiners downlined to about 35 feet. Then, a little after 8 a.m., it’s time to run up-lake where huge schools of white bass, hybrids and stripes are staging for their spring runs. Robert said to look for the gulls to give away the schooling activity. He’s found fish in the mouth of Little River, in Gar Bay and from The Delta up to Fields Landing. “There was no shad kill this winter,” said Robert. “So the fish are still up and active, chasing bait instead of sitting on the bottom eating dead shad.” Robert said shad, shiners or trout on freelines and planer boards will get hit. But the real excitement comes when the schools come to the top. “These fish are blowing bait out of the water seven out of 10 days,” he said. “And don’t ingnore a swirl. One swirl may lead to 1,000 fish under the boat.” If you get into some fish schooling on top, be sure to have a fluke tied on. Robert said they are hitting an albino fluke as well as live bait when they come up. When they go back down, you can catch them with a spoon. There’s also a bite for bigger stripers on the south end. Troll the creek mouths at places like Iron Hill, Clark Creek and Tanyard Creek with big gizzard shad or trout. Planer boards are working best, as the fish are way up shallow and boat shy. Robert expects the fish to start running up the creeks and rivers by the full moon on March 8.