by Shawn McNew
Allatoona’s water level almost got down to its winter pool of 823 (17 feet below full), but last week’s rains brought it back up 4 feet in two days. Not only did the water level shoot up, but we got a muddy lake. From Allatoona Yacht Club north, the lake is muddy. It gradually clears out as you head south to the dam and then up the Allatoona Creek branch towards Red Top. Overnight lows in the mid 20’s are bringing the surface temp down below 50 now. These drastically changing conditions have really made things tough. To be brutally honest, fishing for striper and hybrid isn’t too good right now on Allatoona. However, the good news is it can only improve from here. Stable weather will bring about better fishing. You can still catch fish, but the normal techniques aren’t working too well.
Successful reports have been few, so let’s talk about what to do when it gets tough. Try everything. If your normal routine isn’t working, mix it up. If you normally pull planers and downlines, try jigging a spoon or trolling a U-rig. The bait is holding from 40 feet and deeper and the fish are on top of it. There are good schools of predators around the Red Top Mountain area, but the tricky part is getting them to eat what’s on the end of your line. There is a ton of bait down there and they are gorging on it. Trolling wobbling spoons like a Johnson Splinter, Kastmaster,or Foley Spoon on leadcore or with a big trolling weight could be one way to get looked at. U-rigs will cover lots of territory and let you find roaming wolfpacks of hungry, active fish. Jigging a Hopkins Shorty, or even a Little George, Silver Buddy, or Smack Tackle Flitterbait over schools of fish will draw strikes.
Don’t be afraid to venture up into the mud. In these situations, threadfin shad tend to stay right at the surface. You will find seagulls flying or parked on the bank if you look around. These are always great places to put out a spread. On a sunny day, the afternoon bite is bound to be the best after the water warms up a few degrees. On overcast days, fish all day. Use bright colors and lures that make lots of flash, thump and vibration to help fish target your lure in the murk. There are always fish in and around Little River this time of year.
If struggling to get a few bites isn’t for you, or you really want a good bite, get some bait and head north to Carter’s, south to West Point, east to Lanier or west to Weiss. Finding active fish on these lakes is much easier right now. You can’t go wrong with small gizzards on all of these lakes. We have plenty of shad and trout in stock, so come fill your bait tank with our special water and grab a few dozen. At Striper Soup, we want you to succeed no matter where you decide to fish!
HINT: If you like tournament striper fishing, enter our Arctic Allatoona Striper Tournament on Jan 18!
Provided By: Shawn McNew
Striper Soup Bait & Tackle