Welcome to our complete beginners guide to fishing on Lake Allatoona. Our guide is Robert Edison from First Bite Guide Service who has been fishing the lake for nearly 45 years.

1) I'm a complete beginner when it comes to fishing on Lake Allatoona? How would you introduce the lake to me?

Black bass: angler catch rates in Allatoona are better than most Georgia reservoirs, yet average bass size tends to be smaller on average. One reason is that spotted bass, which attain smaller adult size than largemouth bass, dominate the black bass fishery, making-up approximately 80-90% of the black bass population. The average spot will be 10-12 inches in 2007, while older fish will measure out in the high teens and low twenties. The less abundant largemouth bass will typically weigh in at around 1 ¼ lbs. and few largemouth bass over 6 lbs. will be caught in 2007. Target largemouth in the Little River and Etowah arms of the reservoir, as this is where the best largemouth habitat exists. Any type of woody debris, especially that found in the backs of coves, will hold largemouth bass. Spotted bass tend to hold in deeper habitats than largemouth. Drop shot and spooning are both good ways to target these deeper fish. Anglers should try both techniques around the 36+ locations the WRD and COE has placed fish attractors. These locations are typically in 25-30 feet of water at full pool and best fished from fall through spring.

Crappie: fishing to be consistent with years past. The average crappie should be around 10 inches and weigh about ½ lb., though larger crappie tipping the scales over 1 lb. will be caught. Most crappie anglers focus their efforts during the spring spawn, when the fish concentrate in shallow water. Early spring is an excellent time to catch a trophy "slab" as the females will be laden with eggs and in excellent condition prior to the spawn. Besides jigging or live bait fishing over structure, anglers should try slow trolling small artificials in these same areas. Trolling is a good way to cover a lot of water and locate schools of feeding fish. Popular areas to catch spring spawn crappie include the Kellogg, Illinois and Stamp Creek areas of the lake. During the summer months, crappie will concentrate in deeper waters, where anglers can catch them by targeting brush piles and other fish attractors located on humps and channel ledges. Night fishing with the use of lights and light tackle around docks and bridges will likely be an anglers best chance at consistently boating finicky summer crappie.

Striped Bass: WRD continues to stock striped bass in Allatoona at a rate of 2.5 fish/surface acre. Striper fishing is best from October-June and trolling live shad is an ang lers best approach to consistent catches. Stripers will be found in the main body of the lake in winter, but migrate to upper reaches of the lake on their spring spawning run. As summer heats up smaller stripers (<10 lbs.) will be found in the main lake, but most larger linesides migrate far up the Etowah River seeking coolwater in which to beat the summer heat. Enticing a summer bite from these large fish can be extremely difficult as they slow their feeding rates. However, with the onset of fall and cooling lake waters, these large stripers migrate back into the main lake body and feed voraciously as they pack on pounds lost during the hot summer months.

Hybrid Striped Bass: Increased stocking rates of hybrid striped bass by WRD in recent years continues to bear fruit& and lots of it! Hybrid abundance in Allatoona continues to remain high, rivaling some of Georgias best-known hybrid lakes. The average hybrid will be in the 1-2 lbs. range but plenty of 5-8 lbs. fish will be caught. Hybr ids can be caught year-round, but summer is best for boating large numbers. Regardless of season, anglers seeking these hard fighters must locate their primary food source& shad. Locate schools of shad using depth finders, while keeping a sharp eye open for schooling hybrids boiling the waters surface as they feed on shad in the morning and early evening. White spinners, spoons and crankbaits will produce summer fish, but serious hybrid fisherman will slow troll with 3-5 inch live shad on free-line or down-line rigs. In the winter months live shad will continue to be an effective bait, but anglers wishing to use artificials can try umbrella rig trolling too. In terms of location, the mile of lake above and below the popular Galts Ferry boat ramp is a year-round hotspot for Allatoona hybrids.

White Bass: Spawning runs of white bass will be up somewhat from recent years, as the population begins recovering from several years of drought believed to have weakened the population. Target these spawn-run fish from March-April in the Etowah and Little River arms of the lake. The rest of the year whites can be caught on small baits in amongst the numerous striper and hybrid schools.

Bluegill, redbreast sunfish and redear sunfish are all present in Allatoona. Bluegill are the dominant sunfish species. However, they typically average 5 inches in length and few individuals over 7 inches are present.

Channel and flathead catfish also are available. While channel catfish are more abundant, flatheads tend to grow to a much larger size. Pursue channels and flatheads on the rocky bedrock banks in the Etowah River arm using chicken livers and live bait fished on the bottom. The numerous rip-rapped shoreline banks are also good areas to locate big Allatoona catfish.

Carp: They are numerous, widely distributed, and grow to moderately large sizes. Most carp fishing is concentrated in the Acworth Dam area. Carp are strong fighters and will give a worthwhile batt le to those who pursue them. Gar also are numerous in Allatoona. Though not generally considered good eating, these toothy fish are strong fighters and can be great fun to catch. Gar can be caught using a number of techniques ranging from live shad or minnows fished below a bobber to sight fishing with minnow type lures made from frayed rope. Such lures rely on the gars numerous teeth to become entangled in the frayed strands of rope during the strike.

2) What kind of fish can I catch on Lake Allatoona?

Lake Allatoona is loaded with all kinds of fish. The most papular are the Spotted Bass, Large Mouth Bass, Hybrid Bass and the Striped Bass. There are other species as well. Blue Gill, Crappie, Cat Fish, Carp, and the Long Nose Gar.

3) What are the best places to fish on the lake?

Well if I was fishing for largemouths and spotted bass I would fish around brush piles, blow downs and the bluff walls.

If I was fishing for striped and hybrid bass, I would look for schools of bait on the edge of the river channels and the mouth of the main creeks. Once I find the bait on my fish finder I would either down line shad to them or troll deep diving plug

Bream and crappie can always be caught around the docks on the lake.

Carp and cat fishing is always best in the back of the creeks and over the river channel..

4) How does the fishing vary with the time of year?

During the summer time look for these fish deep and on the south end of the lake. Most of the time during the summer months you can always find my boat with in eye-sight of the dam. The best way to catch these fish this time of year is by trolling deep driving plugs.

During Spring, Fall and Winter the fish are scatter from one in of the lake to the other. Look around docks, creek mouths, humps, and main lake points. Also look for these fish early morning and late afternoon busting top water around the dam.

5) Is fishing on the lake affected by low lake levels?

6) Robert, can you tell us a bit about yourself. Whats your job and how/when did you start fishing on Lake Allatoona?

I've been fishing Lake Allatoona since I was 3 years old.

Now at 45 years young, I guide full-time on Lake Allatoona to help others enjoy the incredible striper and hybrid fishery this great lake offers.

I'm the National Striped Bass Association 2004 Champion on Lake Allatoona, the 2003 Champion for West Point Lake, and the 2004 Champion for Bartlett's Ferry Lake.

Find out more by visiting Firstbiteguideservice.com or calling us on 770-827-6282.