Lake Allatoona Fishing Report September 2016

Allatoona: Level: 0.5 feet below full. Temp: 88 degrees. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Tournament angler Matt Driver reports, “Fishing in the month of September will be good. Fish began to school at the latter part of August and are getting more prevalent. Good numbers of spotted bass mixed with hybrids have been found on points and main-lake areas. Fish are chasing smaller bait and can be caught on a variety of lures. The Spro Dawg has been a good bait for schoolers. The Duo Spinbait has also been hard to beat, as well. Long casts on active fish produces best. If the fish aren’t actively busting bait on top, they are a little more difficult to catch. Keep searching for active fish. As the month progresses, the morning buzzbait bite picks up on bluff walls. The deep cranking bite is still strong at night. The Spro Little John DD in cell mate fished on boulderpiles and brush in the 15- to 21-foot range is best. The key is 10-lb. Sunline fluorocarbon and long casts to reach the desired depth. A good cranking rod like the Cashion 7-6 medium heavy works great for deep cranking.”

Linesides: Good. Guide Robert Eidson reports, “The hybrid bite has slowed down some in the last couple of weeks, but the striper bite is still pretty good. As a matter of fact, it is the best late August bite I have seen in years. We’re not catching big numbers, but 10 to 15 fish on half-day trips seems to be our norm. Downlining shad, shiners and bream early morning and again right before sunset will catch you fish. All of our fish the past two weeks have come within 1 mile of the dam. Our better bite has been on our umbrella rigs. We are starting to see multiple hook-ups on our trips. I am fishing my rigs 90 to 120 feet behind the boat at speeds of 2.4-3.3 mph. Overall, the bite is still good, and for September I would say it will be great.”