Lake Allatoona Fishing Report – September 2017

Allatoona: Level: l foot below full pool. Temp: 85-89 degrees. Clarity: Very clear.

Bass: Tournament angler Matt Driver reports, “During the first part of the September, the majority of the Allatoona bass will be deep. Toward the end of the month, we will begin a transition period to a more fall-like pattern. As the temperature begins to cool, we will begin to see bass move shallower, and a more consistent topwater bite will happen. The first part of the month, fish areas along the main lake, such as points and secondary points. As the temperatures drop and we see water temperatures in the low 80s and high 70s, fish will begin to move back into the creeks following large schools of bait. An early morning buzzbait bite on bluff walls in the Little River area will produce a few good fish and an occasional largemouth. This is also a good month to fish a jig-head worm. I am fishing it a little faster and shallow than I do over the summer. Fish are very active right now. I’m using a Picasso 3/0, 3/16-oz. tungsten head and a Big Bite Baits Shaking Squirrel finesse in tilapia on 7-lb. Sunline fluorocarbon line. This combo is super sensitive. Another good bait right now is a soft bait, like the Big Bite Bait Jerk Minnow. The Jerk Minnow mimics the many 3- to 4-inch threadfin that are migrating toward the creeks. I fish the Jerk Minnow on 14-lb. Sunline Sniper. Keep the bait moving very quickly. It generates a good reaction bite that is necessary in the very clear water. And lastly, the end of September typically has a good hard swimbait bite. I am using the 6-inch Spro BBZ to cover plenty of water.”

Linesides: Fair. Guide Robert Eidson reports, “The bite is starting to pick up. The fish are starting to move north and can be caught from the Delta to Clear Creek. The flats on the north end of the lake seem to be holding more fish than the flats in the mid lake. But the fish we are catching in the mid section of the lake seem to be bigger. Downlining shad has been working best for us. The numbers are no where near what they were four weeks ago, but if you’re in the right place at the right time, boating 20-plus fish can be done in a very short time. Trolling is fair. The key to catching these fish is to bottom bump your u-rigs on flats with an 18- to 20-foot bottom. The topwater bite is off and on. The better bite seems to be in the afternoons on the north end of the lake near Sweetwater.”