Lake Allatoona Fishing Report – September 2019

Allatoona: Level: 2.1 feet low. Temp: 88 degrees. Clarity: Clear, about 7 feet.

Bass: Tournament angler Matt Driver reports, “Fishing is good in the month of September and only gets better as the weather cools. The bite is steady, and a variety of baits are working. Try small swimbaits like the Ketech 3-inch Paddle Tail fished on a 3/16-oz. Picasso 2/0 round-ball head. The bait can be fished around blowdowns or open water for schooling fish. Both areas are producing right now. The key is to count it down to the depth you are marking fish, and then retrieve at slow to medium pace. There is also a good shaky-head worm bite around Red Top this month. Areas around the mouth of Stamp Creek are producing. Use a 1/8- or 3/16-oz. Picasso Shakedown head and a Big Bite Baits 6-inch green-pumpkin Finesse worm. I use 7-lb. test Sunline Sniper fluorocarbon and a medium/heavy 6-6 Shimano spinning rod. Flat points have been best early and late in the day, and the stiff breeze has been positioning the fish lately. Typically only two to three fish are caught per point, and the school moves off or slows down. Keep moving to find active fish, and always keep an eye on your sonar for baitfish and active bass. When the water drops into the mid to high 70s, you will experience some slow periods of fishing as the bait and bass begin to transition toward fall locations. Shallow will be the most consistent bite when fishing gets tough.”

Linesides: Good. Guide Robert Eidson reports, “It has been a mixed bag of stripers, hybrids, whites, spots and catfish. Downlining shad is still the ticket to catching big numbers. Downlines fished in the mouth of any creek, and in creek or river channels will get you bit. The water temperature is rising, and the dissolved oxygen levels are still holding on but should start to fall in the upcoming weeks. Bait isn’t living very long on a hook fished deeper than 24 feet, so make sure you carry plenty of bait with you. There are two bites going on right now. The first one is from the dam to Holiday Marina. The other one is from the mouth of Kellogg to Bartow Carver. The morning bite is very good, as is the afternoon bite. There are options for those of you who don’t like to get up early. Trolling is good. The umbrella-rig bite is finally taking off. We are starting to see multiple hook-ups on our trips. I am fishing my rigs 120 to 150 feet behind the boat at speeds of 2.4 to 3.3 mph. The u-rig bite should be on fire by the end of next week.”