Lake Allatoona Fishing Report September 2011

Allatoona: Level: 6.3 feet below full pool. Temp: 86 degrees. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Good. Matt Driver reports, “Thank goodness September is here. We are still hot at the first part of the month, but the days are getting shorter, and the fish are starting the fall feed-up and transition. Fish will begin to move shallow as the water temps fall to the the lower 80s. This time of year the shallow crankbait bite and the lipless crankbait bite are firing up. Concentrate in the larger coves about from the mouth to about halfway back. Hit all the wood cover. Fish are in transition and are following the bait. I use a Spro Aruku Shad in natural colors unless the water is stained, and then I will use something with a little more orange or chartreuse. I am also using a Big Bite Jerk Minnow fished weightless in the same areas. A buzzbait early can produce some really good fish. Some fish are still deep and can be caught on deep cranks and Davis Bait Co. Scrounger jig heads until more fish move shallow later in the month.” Craig Miller, manager of the Dugout, said, “With the lowering of the lake, the bass can be any where from on the bank to 20 to 25 feet deep. Most anglers are still night fishing. Big crankbaits such as DD22s in black/blue flake or black/red flake are doing well on steep main-lake points and steep rock banks. You can also fish a 3/4-oz. black spinnerbait in these same areas. Fishing worms and small jigs on points will also produce bites. Be sure to fish these baits slowly and thoroughly because the fish can be anywhere on the points. Dark colors such as black grape or red crawler in the 6-inch Roboworms seem to be doing well. For the jig colors, black-and-blue or brown will do the job. In the mornings, fish the mouths of the creeks with small topwater baits such as 1/4-oz. buzzbaits or Pop-Rs. This bite only lasts for an hour or two. Be sure to keep your eyes open for any schooling fish. Most of these fish are hybrids; however, there are a few big green fish mixed in.”

Linesides: Fair at best, said Robert Eidson. “If you’re going to fish Allatoona right now, you need to plan trip to accommodate for sun-up or sun-down,” he said. “If you’re planning on a four- or five-hour trip, you’re going to spend a lot of time just watching your fishfinder.” Robert said there is a decent topwater bite lasting about 30 minutes at sun-up and then again at sun-down. Find the fish schooling on top from Kellogg’s Creek up to Bethany Bridge, and use something small to catch them. Robert suggested a Rooster Tail, a Fluke Jr. or a Zara Puppy. After the topwater bite shuts down, you may be able to catch a few downlining to 24 feet over fish you see on your graph, but the fish are very finicky. Robert said there’s been some nibbling of his baits, but very few will actually take it. Dissolved oxygen levels are very low in the lake right now. They are not pulling much water through the dam because the lake is already low, and Robert said something needs to change before the fish will start biting again. “We need some kind of a cold front or a tropical storm to get the water moving,” he said. On into September, Robert expects the fishing to improve dramatically. Judging from years of journals, Robert said the topwater bite will keep getting better. September is always a good month for topwater fish on Allatoona. The other good bite that should turn on this month is trolling U-rigs.