Lake Allatoona is on a slight rise through today and currently at 824' - still 16' below full pool. With a low winter generation schedule and upcoming rains in the forecast, we can expect a little more rise over the next week or so. Year round ramps that are most common include the Blockhouse on the South end and Galts Ferry and Payne/Kellogg closer to midlake. While none of these have usable docks at the moment, there are ample places to beach the boat on shore or in the nooks and crannies to allow for a self launch and vehicle parking. Lake temps are still holding in the 48-50 degree range through this week. While our efforts have been primarily concentrated from Victoria to Clear Creek, it should be noted that this water is pretty stained and could expected to be pretty muddy with the upcoming rains . Stretching your wings and looking for clearer water in upcoming days and weeks might be the solution for a productive day. We have received some good reports from the south end already and we will keep you updated if we find that that is where the bite is best. The Hybrid and Striper bite has been good, especially considering the fluctuating weather conditions we have been experiencing. Downlining shiners, shad and trout have still been producing quite effectively. While fish are relating to the main channels, they are often found pushing bait up onto the ledges of the channels when active. The secondary and tertiary channels /ditches should never be disregarded when the main channel is not visibly holding active fish or bait. Our nicest gems last week were found on a hump's edge and included a 6 1/2 and 7 pound hybrid along with a 9 pound striper -very respectable fish for Allatoona. While we have heard reports of some fantastic trolling days , and we can attest to the effectiveness of the mini Mac and full-size umbrella rig producing when that bite is on . This past weekend when the bite seemed to have slowed down on the live bait , we went to a trolling technique to scout for active fish and sure enough ran across some nice schoolies that gave us plenty of entertainment, particularly when loading up as doubles and triples during the retrieve. Many of us have seen it many times where another fish or two are following your hooked fish to the boat when fishing a single shiner or shad . This is a huge reason the umbrella rigs are so very effective as when these aggressive fish are competing against one another for that bait, there are more baits for them to get hooked up on and it's quite an awesome feeling when the trolling rod loads up with another bite or two while you are reeling in. While we did hook decent striper on a Bomber Long A while trolling, that rod was switched out to complement our spread with an additional Mini-Mack to take advantage of the artificial bite while it lasted.
We will be implementing a lot of trolling today and into the weekend, going where the wind takes us.
The crappie bite has been pretty good and until we find our efforts concentrating on this delicious species , we recommend you give the CrappieMan as well as Captain Chris with Orion Fishing Charters a like and follow to keep abreast of the Crappie bite and techniques that are working best. The latest report shows working the Red Rooster jigs at 7-10' over 20-24' has been producing the best numbers. We will be concentrating our own efforts on the crappie inthe upcoming weeks and will keep you posted . We would love to have you aboard for a fishing adventure you will be sure to remember as we create memories that will last a lifetime . We offer instructional trips as well, naturally with some hands-on catching. Feel free to give us a call anytime at 404 919-4918 . Tightlines, my friends !