Lake Allatoona is fishing fantastic again this month and we are so blessed to have this wonderful fishery in our backyards .You will note that water levels have remained at full pool level overall this summer and current surface temperatures are around 85 even in the a.m.
It's real nice to be on a fishing hole before sunrise and get off the water by eight or nine when you can to maximize your early a.m. hours before work or other daily tasks. The evening bite is beginning to shape up nicely and we'll concentrate our efforts in the early evening hours especially when the Linesides start boiling on the surface later in August and September. Let the topwater shad-chasing and feeding begin!
Truly, downlining Threadfin and gizzard shad has been the most productive technique but we are also hooking a lot of good quality fish on freelines. Our biggest fish this week (a beauty at ~20lbs. caught by young Corbin) took a 3.5" threadfin dropped at 13' down and ran like a bandit for another 250! We are finding a lot of "elephants eat peanuts" on our adventures lately. Just an absolute key to either technique is matching your hook size and line diameter to your bait size for best results. Sure, we've had some fish make a monkey out of us on the light line but we sure hook up a lot :-) The early morning working of a large topwater has also been showing us some love with quality fish. Those these are fewer and further between opportunities but the "swirl" is worth the time spent. Spooning has its moments too - it's a lot of work though. With a lot of the bait holding on the upper 20 feet of water, trolling a u-rig or casting the Alabama rig/mini Mack's across points has also begun producing. This pattern will continue to increase in effectiveness as we transition into a late summer striper pattern.
The Gar-gantuan bite will begin here shortly and we are excited for the early afternoon sight-fishing adventures targeting these river/reservoir monsters. If you think you’d like to experience hooking into one or more of these 36-60” monsters, let’s get together.
The Spotted bass bite has definitely been wonderful, particularly in the early morning hours.Just before sunrise we have continually watched these fish break chasing bait on points each and every morning. When we can reach to them they are typically quite willing and able to give you a run for your money. We've Been seeing increased numbers of two and 3 pound spots this summer. They've grown a little from the 3/4-1.5 pounders and we had a great crop/spawn this year to strengthen the population.
Okay, so here's the thing-take the kids fishing! Maybe it's just you and your best friend, maybe it's a solo excursion but do get out and enjoy the sounds of nature here on lively lake Allatoona when time and space permits this summer. Tight-lines, friends!
