Air Temp: High: 91 - Low: 61
Wind: Up to 10 Mph
Lake Level: 840.20' and slowly dropping (Click Here For Current Water Level)
Water Temp:78-80
Water Clarity: Clear to Light Stain
Area Fished: North Lake (Little River Area), S Turns To Victoria, Blockhouse (Tanyard/Clark Creek Area)
Jigs Used: Pappy's Magic Dagger, BlueGrass Dagger, UV Shad Dagger, Watermelon Ghost Dagger, Motor Oil Red and MayFly
Technique: Casting Soft Plastic Jigs & Small Hair Jigs & Spider Rigging
Allatoona Weekly Crappie Fishing Report:
The second week of June 2024 is in the books and the weather couldn't have been any better. Great early morning temps, light winds and favorable moon phases worked well for us this past week. As far as moon phases go, we have had great days based on solunar activity and not so great but we are aware that there are times when they are spot on!
As we move into the crappie summer pattern on Lake Allatoona, Brush Piles and deep water structure is key. You want to target brush piles, stumps, stick ups and lay downs that are in 15' to 22' of water. Keep in mind Lake Allatoona is 840' deep when at full pool, if it is over or under full pool you may need to adjust your search depth accordingly. All of our crappie are suspended anywhere from 6' to 12' on deep water structure. We caught crappie using Minnows, Red Rooster Daggers in UV Shad, BlueGrass, Pappy's Magic, MayFly, Watermelon Ghost and Motor Oil Red as well as hair jigs were working well. Hair Jigs in gray, brown, white, chartreuse are good choices for catching finicky black crappie this time of year.
Three techniques were working for us this past week: Spider Rigging, Casting small soft plastic jigs such as the Red Rooster Dagger and small hair jigs.
Technique #1: Spider Rigging - Spider Rigging, which is basically 10' - 16' rods positioned on the front of the boat, is the tried and true method for catching numbers of crappie during the summer months. This method works best for fishing known structure with minnows.
Technique #2: Soft Plastic Jigs - A smaller Jig size is key this time of year, which is why we developed the Red Rooster Dagger. It is a 1.5" split tail jig designed to imitate smaller bait fish. The crappie population on Lake Allatoona is primarily Black Crappie which are extremely finicky when it comes to jig size and react more positively to a smaller jig. Something to keep in mind when fishing smaller jigs is that you also want to downsize your jig head to a 1/32th or 1/64th oz. jig head. Pinch a split shot or #5 clam shell about 18" above your jig to add more weight while keeping the jig profile as small as possible.
Technique #3: Hair Jigs - When the bite gets tough a hair jig can be the go to bait with it's smaller profile and subtle movement in water. Use natural color hair jigs such as grays, browns, white and chartreuse or any combination of those primary colors.
Using the three techniques above we were able to net some good numbers and quality slabs this past week. We fished in the early morning hours from sun rise until 11 to 12 pm before the heat kicked and boat/jet ski traffic. Be safe out there and wear your life jackets as boat traffic is in full swing. Remember to keep only the crappie that you need and release the rest to keep our great fishery strong for generations to come!
Lord willing the weather will cooperate and we will bring you another report next week!
