Lake Allatoona is consistently fishing very well again this past week and the action may only get better as the water continues to cool coming into September. Current lake level is approx 836' - almost 4 feet below full pool. While observing the extended generation during this past week and lack of any recent or upcoming rainfall, get ready to start seeing some newly re-emerged rocks, trees and sandbars. Use common sense and if you are short on this after a long work week, ask a buddy to borrow some. That's what friends are for.
Stripers and Hybrids: Patterns have not changed much over the past 2-3 weeks. What we have observed is a change in major feeding times. The bite has been extremely good this past week from 4-7 a.m. and from 7-10 p.m., which at first did seem a little unique considering we are just now into the first quarter moon-phase. In all fairness, we have not spent much time on the water during the daytime hours from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. this past week nor received any reports of excellent activity during these daytime hours. This may be explained by the fish conserving their energy for their peak feeding times occuring during these time sets. Our only evidence for these peak feeding times is on-the-water first-hand observation this past week.
During these peak hours the bite has been stellar and we are consistently seeing a great topwater bite from just before sunset until around 830, particularly when the waters are calm. There has been a like phenomenon in the morning twilight in the bends and flats we are fishing that seems to slow up for us just after 7/8 a.m.
Downlining and freelining live threadfin and small gizzards off of points and the channel edges has been a rock solid producer while the sun is still in the sky. During these same times, Jigging a spoon up and down off the bottom as deep as 30' and even working a topwater over subsurface feeding fish has been producing quite well.
The fish are running into the shallows after nightfall and we are catching many fish in 2-10 feet of water after sunset and in the early a.m. They surely have the bait on the run during these hours. When they are breaking the top, there is no telling what they will not hit. We have successfully hooked up on small A-rigs ripped across the top, Whopper Ploppers, Spooks, Poppers, Jitterbugs, and the like. We are throwing some bigger baits hoping to target the larger fish, but these schools have been surprisingly full of 'Allatoona Footballs' that are mostly all in the 3-5 pound range. A threadfin shad freelined during these twilight hours in the shallower waters wher they are congregated continues to show optimal results - just keep that rod in your hand because it won't ebe long if the fish are there.
We could not be happier to see such a great population of these healthy linesides. We have been pleased to hook up with a few of the younger stripers in the 4-8 lb. class and seeing these working into the mix only gets us more excited for the prospect that the 10+ pounders are soon to come and be part of the regular line-up for lake linesides this Fall.
Spotted and Largemouth Bass: Twice in the last 7 days we have throttled through a very large congregation of mainly Spots near Illinois Creek. This school is a go to later in the mornings after the lineside bite has slowed for us around 7/8 a.m. You may not even need electronics for this one - Facing the mouth of Illinois creek from the main channel, the right side in particular has been teeming with activity from the channel's edge to the bank. It is likely one could not spend any given hour there without seeing these fish chase the shad. Bonus - there are plenty of hungry whitebass, hybrids and smaller stripers moving along that channel and seeing some aerial acrobats and hooking up with any and all of these species is not uncommon.
Now is as good a time as any to get you some worms, minnows, shad, crickets or just your favorite couple of artificials and go fishing! If we may be of assistance in creating a Fishing Adventure for you, please do not hesitate to call us at 404-919-4918, any time.
Please continue to help us keep our waterways clean and peaceful. Take out one thing besides your own when possible. If you are out fishing, you likely even have a net to catch a floating plastic bag or bottle. Please continue to be respectful of others whatever their preferred watersport / pasttime or watercraft type. Love one another.
Let us continue to keep all those affected by the recent hurricane and continued tropical storms in our thoughts and prayers. Many have had their world turned upside down and could use all the prayer and actionable causes that we can assemble.
Tightlines! - Captain Joseph Martinelli - Heron Outdoor Adventures
