Lake Allatoona Fishing Report – October 2010

Allatoona: Level: 4 feet below full pool. Temp: 77-81 degrees. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Good. Matt Driver reports, “We are in a transition period where we have fish shallow, deep fish and fish in between. As schooling activity increases, try baits like the Big Bite Jerk Minnow fished either weightless or on a 1/2-oz. Fish Head Spin. Also, topwater will be good for early morning and overcast days. When the winds start to blow, cover wind-blown points and pockets with a white- or shad-patterned spinnerbait. And last but not least, for bigger bass I love the shallow bite on small crankbaits like the Spro Little John in a lighter color. Target any wood and deep contour changes. Use the all-white buzzbait early, and be sure to make long casts and stay in the shadows as long as you can early and late.” Craig Miller, at The Dugout, reports, “The morning topwater bite is very good. Cast a Lucky Craft Sammy in shad colors to points. Be on the lookout for any schooling activity. These fish will hit any small lures such as Rooster Tails or small Storm Chug Bugs. In the afternoon, fish points and steep rock banks on the main lake. Cast shaky-head worms in smoke blue. Be sure to dye the tails chartreuse. The crankbait and spinnerbait bite should get better as the weather starts to cool in October.” Mike Bucca reports, “There are a lot of baitfish in the creeks now. When the water gets around 5 feet low is when the fishing starts getting really good in the backs of the creeks. Find the last deep hole in the creek arms, and you should be around some pretty good quantities of fish when the fish collide with the shad. A spoon is one of my go-to baits that, coupled with my Humminbird sonar, gets the deeper schooling fish. When they start breaking on the top, Sammys and Pop-R type baits are good for quantities of fish. For bigger fish, throw a big 7- or 8-inch swimbait right through the schooling fish.”

Linesides: Excellent. Robert Eidson said linesides are stacked up thick enough to black out the screen from 20 feet down to the bottom of the basin at Kellogg Creek and Owl Creek. Until the sun gets up, you can slay 3 1/2- to 4-lb. stripers with threadfins, shiners or spoons. Robert likes to jig a 1- or 1/2-oz. white Flex-it. There’s a similar bite happening from the dam to Iron Hill on the south end of the lake. On the south end, the bite is a mixed bag. Robert said he’s catching hybrids, stripers, white bass, catfish and crappie all in the same schools. Robert expects a topwater bite to turn on any day. When you see them busting on top, throw a Zara Pup, Fluke Jr., popping-cork rig or Rooster Tail. Also, try trolling the river channels with U-rigs and big, deep-diving crankbaits.