Lake Allatoona Fishing Report – March 2024

Allatoona: Level: 5.3 feet below 840. Temp: 49-57 degrees. Clarity: Stained to semi-clear.

Bass: Tournament angler Matt Driver reports, “Fishing on Allatoona is as good as it gets in March. Bass are feeding up and moving to spawning areas. The first of the month the bass are in transition, and moving baits are key. Fish jerkbaits, ChatterBaits, crankbaits and spinnerbaits, and cover water for active fish. Numbers are great, with 30-plus fish days common. Lots of largemouth are showing up in tournament bags lately. The DNR stocking project appears to be helping. The north end of the lake has been hot lately. Creeks and secondary points and red clay banks are best to find transitioning bass. Several big bass have been coming out of blowdowns on a jig. Late in the month as fish move farther back, and fishing shallower with a shaky head will be the ticket.”

Linesides: Guide Robert Eidson, of First Bite Guide Service, reports, “Good! The south end of the lake is still holding fish, but I look for these fish to start moving north as the water clears. Mid-lake has been dead the past few weeks, but that is fixing to change. The water around Bartow Carver is starting to clear. It’s just a matter of days before mid-lake will be a key focal point for March. There have been a few good fish caught near the Delta this week. The fish are still hitting flatline and planer boards best early morning. By 9:30 a.m., change over to downlines and u-rigs. I like the Mini Me. The spring run is just a couple of weeks away, and the white bass will start their spawn run up the river. The hybrids and stripers will be right behind them. The topwater bite is also starting to pick up. Both the flats at Little River and the Delta are starting to show signs of busting fish at sunup and again at sundown. White Rooster Tails are hard to beat when these fish are busting topwater.”

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Crappie: Robert DeHaas, of Red Rooster Custom Baits and an OG from “Team Geezer,” reports, “February was up and down with up and down temps, wind and rain. Things started to settle down the last couple of weeks of February, and the trolling bite is just getting started. March is shaping up to be an awesome month for crappie fishing on Lake Allatoona. If you do not have the Red Rooster Long Line Trolling Guide, stop what you are doing and download it from RedRoosterBaits.com right now. The trolling and jig color guide is designed to take some guesswork out of longline trolling and put you on the crappie in short order. Currently, we are longlining 1/24- and 1/32-oz. jig heads, and the fish are suspended in 3 to 6 feet of water. March is a magical month for crappie fishing, but you need to be quick on your feet and willing to adapt as the fish move from deep water to shallow water. Get used to swapping jig-head sizes, depending on the depth of the crappie. Water temp will start to determine where to find the crappie as the water temp rises from morning to evening and the crappie get ready to spawn. They may be in 2 to 4 feet of water. Toward the end of the month of March into April, the crappie will be shallow and you may change your crappie fishing tactic to a cork/bobber and jig fishing. The end of March and April are perfect for bank anglers. Tie on a 1/32-oz. jig head and add a bobber about 12 to 18 inches above your jig and cast to stick-ups, stumps and trees. Let the jig sit still for a while, and give it a little twitch now and again and see what happens. Don’t underestimate mud-bottom pockets or cuts along the bank. You never know when that could be a crappie spawning pocket, especially if the area gets a lot of sun during the day to warm the water up. The water clarity should remain stained throughout March, so the colors of choice are lectric chicken, sour grape, copperhead, jive turquee and Pappy’s magic. By mid to late March, throw a Kic’n Chic’n around the docks and see what happens. There are some big crappie caught around the docks this time of year on Allatoona. Remember to be thankful for our lake and the blessings that come from it. Keep only the crappie you need (10 crappie are 20 filets) and release the rest for another day or for your fellow angler. I hope this report helps you catch more fish in March! ‘The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands,’ Psalms 19:1.”