LAKE ALLATOONA IS FULL, CLEAR & 88 DEGREES

Bass fishing is fair but during August on Allatoona can be tough. Better news this week. Fishing has been better this week with some schools of small fish schooling on very small bait. Most schoolers are in the 8 to 13 inch range but are still fun to catch. Baits like the Big bite jerk minnow in 4inch pearl or even a rooster tail have been producing 15 to 20 bites a morning and even a few on the Spro dawg. After the sun gets up switch to sonar fishing in the 15 to 20 range in the mouths of pockets in the main lake. Shaky squirrel worms and Flex It spoons are the way to go. The fish are weary from the long summer and still not to the mode of fall feed up. This is the month we work our sonar drop shotting and long lining deep crank baits. Fish are scattered around deep cover in the 18 to 25 foot range. Idle over areas of interest with side imaging and down imaging until you find schools of spotted bass. Avoid the schools of less than 10 fish. But, on occasion we will drop in on a single if it looks to be an active fish. Turn the sensitivity up until you start getting clutter on the screen, and then back off until it just goes away. This way you can pick up your bait on the fall. Use the Big Bite Baits 4 inch Shaky Squirrel or 4 inch Squirrel Tail worm in the easy money color fished on 5 lb. Sunline Sniper line and a 3/16 ounce drop shot weight. As far as long lining crank bait, find the area, drop the bait, and drive back across it while letting the reel free spool. Spool off about 80 to 100 feet of line, engage the reel, and crank slowly. The longer line allows the Spro Little John DD to get to a depth of 18 to 20 feet and maintain depth for a longer time. This keeps the bait in the strike zone longer. Use 8 to 10 pound test Sunline and a 7 foot, 11 inch medium cranking rod.

Robert Edison’s Lake Allatoona Fishing Guide Report is provided by First Bite Guide Service of Lake Allatoona. When you’re ready to catch stripers and hybrids, contact Robert at 770 827 6282 or by e mail eidson6260@gmail.com.

Line side fishing is fair. The fishing this week has really slowed down compared to the last few weeks. The warm weather of late has really risen the water temperatures and has slowed the live bait bite. We are still catching decent numbers, but we have to run and gun right now. The fish are on the move and aren’t staying in one location for more than five minutes. Down lining shad is still working, but shad are dying very quickly on a hook. Be sure to take plenty of bait with you. Down lines fished at 14 to 21 feet deep is working best right now. The dissolved oxygen level is so low below 21 feet bait is dying in less than five minutes on a hook. Netting bait isn’t that hard right now. I have caught fish this week as far north as Kellogg Creek and as far south as Allatoona Landing. These fish are on the move and never seem to be in the same place the next day. August seemed to come a week or two earlier this year. Hopefully this is just a minor setback in what has been a great summer live bait bite on Lake Allatoona. The trolling bite has been my better bite the last few weeks, and this will probably hold true into mid September. We are pulling nothing but umbrella rigs right now. Color doesn’t seem to matter. It is more of a reaction bite right now. We have our best action at 145 feet behind the boat at speeds of 2.4 to 3.1 mph. Call Ken about the Southern Fishing Schools exclusive ON THE WATER SCHOOLS for SONAR or Rods Reels and Lures for Bass. Call for details.

The Allatoona bass fishing report is from Matt Driver, www.proanglerradio.com