Lake Allatoona Fishing Report – May 2025

Allatoona: Level: 0.3 feet below 840. Temp: 70-72 degrees. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Tournament angler Matt Driver reports, “May is all about the baitfish spawn, whether it be threadfin shad or blueback herring. Shad will be the main target for all bass and gamefish. Shad will spawn on hard surfaces, such as rip-rap and red-clay banks. May is by far my favorite month to throw topwater. From just before daylight until about 10 a.m., the bite is hard to beat. Once the shallow topwater bite slows down, shad tend to group up and move offshore slightly. The jerkbait and jig-head minnow will be the best baits to target these fish. Fish will start to transition toward offshore brush and isolated boulders later in the month. The jig-head worm is great for targeting these areas.”

Linesides: Guide Robert Eidson, of First Bite Guide Service, reports, “Fishing is good. The spawn is almost over. The fish are starting to settle into a summer pattern on the main lake. Big schools of hybrids can be found anywhere from the S-turns to as far south as Tanyard Creek. The downrod bite is the most productive bite on the lake right now. If you’re there at sunrise, the planer board bite can produce a quality fish. Fishing live shad at depths from 20 to 30 feet is producing for our boats from one end of the lake to the other. The mouths of all the creeks have been holding decent schools. Our bait of choice has been big threadfin shad and herring. Summertime is awesome for numbers on Lake Allatoona.”

Lake Allatoona Page: Archived Articles, News & Fishing Reports

Crappie: Robert DeHaas, of Red Rooster Custom Baits and an OG from “Team Geezer,” reports, “It is hard to believe that we are already writing a crappie report for May 2025. Before I get into the report too deep, I just want to say what an honor it is to be asked to write a crappie fishing report in GON. Do you realize what a blessing this magazine is to the state of Georgia? The amount of work that the great folks at GON do for Georgia’s great outdoors and the subscribers is absolutely amazing, and I just wanted to say a few words of acknowledgement before getting into this month’s Lake Allatoona crappie report. As we move into May, the trolling bite will be but a recent memory as the crappie will have spawned and are going into postspawn. They will be picky eaters for the first part of May. They will be targeting smaller minnows and baits like the Red Rooster Dagger. The lake has reached full pool and is very clear with a greenish tint, which means that you want to be using natural-colored jigs, such as uv shad, uv smoke, uv melon, motor oil red, gray ghost or mayfly. These are all great clear-water colors. Be sure to target shallow-water structures in the 4- to 14-foot range. When we say structure, we mean docks, brush, stumps, laydowns, stick-ups and floating logs that congregate in the backs of creeks, cuts and coves. Look for major and minor creeks, and work those from the mouth to the back as the crappie will be roaming around looking for baitfish, as well as insects. During this time, we are casting natural-colored jigs on a 1/32- or 1/24-oz. jig head. Smaller jig heads have a smaller profile and a slower fall rate. We cast the jigs around any structure and slow-roll them all the way back to the boat. Crappie (or other species) will follow your jig and many times strike when it slowly moves up the water column. We have had several crappie hit our jig right at the boat. Remember, if you get a little wind, you can always add a small split-shot to your line for casting distance and to keep your jig deeper in the water. Spider rigging minnows is also a great May tactic that will put crappie in the livewell. May is a great month for crappie fishing on Lake Allatoona. We always like to stress conservation in our reports to keep our lake healthy for generations to come. Keep only the fish that you need and when possible try to keep only 10- to 12-inch crappie and leave the larger crappie for spawning as they keep our great lake populated. As always, we hope this report helps you catch more fish and become a better crappie angler. Phillipians 3:10-12 says, ‘That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.’”