Lake Allatoona Fishing Report November 2012

Allatoona: Level: 9.2 feet below full pool. Temp: Upper 60s. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Tournament angler Matt Driver reports, “November on Allatoona is a great time. Most folks are deer hunting, so you have the lake to yourself. Fish are easier to locate because the baitfish are grouped tighter and fishing is easier to predict. Fish are still in the creeks but will be heading deeper at the end of the month as water temps drop. The spinnerbait bite is good. Secondary, wind-blown points are the place to be during the first part of the month. As the temps start to fall through the low 60s and into the 50s, the jerkbait bite turns on. I’m fishing points and mouths of creeks in the mid-lake with a Spro McStick in the smaller and larger sizes. When the water is in the low 60s and high 50s, I fish the bait with a quick retrieve on 10-lb. Sunline Shooter fluorocarbon line. Still allow the bait to have some slack between jerks to let the bait get plenty of action. At the end of the month or sooner, depending on how cold we get, the float-n-fly bite will get good when the water gets in the mid to low 50s. Locate bait balls, and fish 8- to 12-foot leaders depending on depth of the bait. I’m throwing the red rooster, Allatoona special, bream colors and custom morning dawn. I am a firm believer in fly dope and shaping the fly. Check with Craig Miller at the Dugout or Robbie Dehaas at Red Rooster Flies to get the right flies for Lake Allatoona. This is a fun tactic for all ages.”

Linesides: Guide Robert Eidson reports, “The bite is starting to improve and will only get better as we enter into November. The seagulls should be showing up in the next week or two, and this will make finding the white fish a little easier on all of us. Right now I am spending most of my time on the north end of the lake. Bait is plentiful in the backs of most creeks and around Little River. Cast netting bait is very easy right now, and even the most novice of cast netters can net plenty of bait right now. However, the live-bait bite is only good for about and hour right at sun up. After that, trolling u-rigs and using jigging spoons will be the key to catching numbers on Allatoona for the next few weeks. I am using Mack Farr’s new 1/2- and 3/4-oz. spoons. This is the best looking and acting spoon I have ever used. The best bite going right now is from Little River to the S-Turns, and then there is a secondary bite from Kellogg to Bartow Carver Beach. That bite is hit and miss right now and will remain that away until the mid section of the lake completely turns over. Most of the fish we are catching right now are 18 to 24 feet deep and can be found on points, humps and flats early. After the sun comes up, your best bet will be out over the river channel. The topwater bite right now is slow, but look for it to pick up in early November. November is one of my favorite months to fish Allatoona. Remember to be universal when it come to techniques this time of year. Trolling, topwater and jigging spoons will be the key to catching numbers on Lake Allatoona for the next three months.