Lake Allatoona Fishing Report – October 2024

Allatoona: Level: 3.7 feet below 840. Temp: Mid 70s. Clarity: 5 feet.

Bass: Tournament angler Matt Driver reports, “Bass fishing on Allatoona continues to be good. I don’t want to sound like a broken record, but October really doesn’t change much from September. Temps are cooling off, and the lake is lowering. In the beginning of the month, it is just a continuation of September with schooling fish and a productive topwater bite. As we move later in the month, the jerkbait and crankbait bites get really good. We are seeing temperatures slowly cool off, even though we had a few days in the 90s at the end of September. October is a great time to fish your strengths. The spinnerbait, jerkbait, crankbait and jig bites are all good. The next pattern change will come around mid November. October continues to be a good month for the river pattern up the Etowah. A lot of this could change if we get a tropical storm or a large amount of rain anytime during the month. If we see the water stain up at all, count on the shallow bite to pick up.”

Linesides: Guide Robert Eidson, of First Bite Guide Service, reports, “Slow! The lake is turning over, and the fish are scattered from one end of the lake to the other, including the rivers. These fish are on the move and are hard to stay on top of once you find them. If you’re heading out this week, be sure to take your umbrella rigs. The trolling bite isn’t much better than the live-bait bite, but it will catch you a few fish this time of year. I think we are just days away from a good bite.”

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Crappie: Robert DeHaas, of Red Rooster Custom Baits and an OG from “Team Geezer,” reports, “Fellow Lake Allatoona crappie enthusiasts, can you feel that change in the air? Air temperatures are dropping, the water temperatures are dropping, and the lake levels are dropping, which means the crappie bite is about to be on fire on Allatoona the month of October. It’s time to wipe the dust off of those trolling bars, put some new line on those trolling reels, break out the trolling rods, and let’s get back to work. We love this time of year when the weather cools off and the leaves start changing. It is truly a magical time of the year to be on the water after a long, dry summer. The month of October is typically a transitional month as the lake level drops to around 835 feet by the first of October, which sets off the first round of crappie activity. As the lake level drops, the brushpiles are closer to the surface and prime for a slow-trolled Red Rooster crappie jig in and around those brushtops to trigger some active crappie into bending those rods. If you have brushpiles marked, it’s time to make a game plan for the routes you are going to take when you hit the lake with as many jig-color offerings as you have rods. The early morning bite will be your best bet. This tip bears repeating as it will hold true into late November when the water temperatures get in the low 50s. My longline trolling setup is as follows: I will pull 1/16-oz.  jig heads, tied on 4- or 6-lb. test with a loop knot in my favorite jig-head colors, which are: hot orange, fire red, hot pink and glow white with contrasting tail colors on your soft plastics. This tactic is to give the fish as many colors to look at as you have rods and to see what colors the fish want. My fall Red Rooster crappie jig styles and colors are: a Talon crappie jig in spring craw, black/chartreuse, sour grape and albright special; a Small Fry or Slab Dragon crappie jig in watermelon, blue glimmer, gold crush, electric chicken or Mardi Gras; a Kic’n Chic’n crappie jig in blue glimmer, lemonade, junebug and Pappy’s magic. The goal is to present as many color combinations as possible when you are trolling. Depending on what the crappie are interested in, you can switch out colors and styles accordingly. If you want more fall color suggestions, check out the Clear Water combo packs on RedRoosterBaits.com. These are the colors and styles that we typically use during fall months. Many times, one or two colors/styles will outperform all others, but until you find that combination, you will want to give them several options to look at. I also like to pull 1/16-oz. underspins for added vibration and flash. Sometimes that can make a huge difference. If the weather starts getting cool during the month of October, that will also play right into our hands as the crappie will pull off the brush and start schooling in open water. Remember to use the same size monofilament on each rod. If you have an active brushpile, once you pass the pile, turn around and go back over it for another shot. We hope this report helps you to catch more crappie on Lake Allatoona this October. Remember to keep only the crappie that you plan to eat, and love your neighbor by being an Allatoona conservationist so our great lake will continue to thrive for generations to come. God bless and Lord willing, we will bring you a great report in November. Spoiler Alert: November can be the month for BIG Allatoona slabs. ‘He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you? But to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8.’”