Air Temp: High: 95 - Low: 75
Wind: Up to 15 Mph
Lake Level: Approx. 840' (Click Here For Current Water Level)
Water Temp: 80-82
Water Clarity: Clear
Area Fished: North Lake (Little River Area), S Turns To Victoria, Blockhouse (Tanyard/Clark Creek Area), Galt's Ferry & Kellogg Creek
Jigs Used: Gray Ghost Dagger, UV Shad Dagger, Watermelon Ghost Dagger, Motor Oil Red Dagger and MayFly Dagger
Technique: Casting Soft Plastic Jigs & Spider Rigging
Allatoona Weekly Crappie Fishing Report:
Happy Birthday America! The first week of July started out with a "BANG" as Team Red Rooster got some time on the water at the beginning of the week and caught several nice Allatoona crappie!
As we begin a new month let's summarize what to expect during the month of July and what it means for Allatoona crappie fishing. What we know is that it's gonna be hot, which means the water surface temps will be getting hotter usually topping out close to 88 degrees. The warmer temps will drive the crappie into deeper water and deeper structure. Pro Tip: When you get on the water you need to be scanning for structure in the 18' to 25' depth range as those are the deep water haunts the crappie will be in throughout the month of July. Early mornings and late evenings will be the preferred fishing times to beat the heat and the boat traffic. During the summer months you may need to move around to several locations if the fish are not biting. You need to be willing to move once the bite stops or slows way down. You also have to be more patient this time of year because the crappie are not nearly as active and may stare at you minnow or jig for longer before they decide to react.
This will be a short report as July 4th falls on a Thursday this year so the lake will be full of activity from Thursday thru the weekend. A few of us were blessed to be on the water on Monday which was a fantastic day as we were able to snag several good crappie spider rigging minnows over deep water brush & structure.
It's no secret, if you want to catch a mess of crappie on Allatoona during the summer months use small crappie minnows. Spider rigging allows you to fish brush/structure vertically for an extended period of time. The typical Spider Rig boat set up is: four to six 10' - 12' rods positioned in rod holders on the front of your boat. The Spider Rig set up is: a 1/4 oz. egg sinker, bead, barrel swivel, 18-20" leader using 6lb test and a #4 or #2 gold Aberdeen hook. Hook the crappie minnow under the chin and then drop your minnow down just above the deep water structure.
Spider Rig Pro Tip: Using a tape measure, measure 1'- 2' from your reel and make a mark at 1' to 2' on your rod, you can use a silver/gold Sharpie or a piece of tape. Using this mark you can let out line in 1' to 2' increments to get your minnow deeper while fishing. The crappie may be suspended in 10' to 12' over structure or they could be deeper. A good starting point would be to have a couple of rods at 10', then a couple at 12' and then go from there until you start getting bit. Go out, experiment, learn what works for you based on the tips provided and most of all relax and have fun!
If you don't have a spider rig set up...no problem, find structure and use the tried and true bobber or cork method. Use 4lb to 6lb test, a #4 or #2 gold Aberdeen hook, split shot and a slip bobber. The slip bobber paired with a bobber stop allows you to cast out and the line runs through the bobber and stops at the desired depth. Measure 10' of line and set your bobber stop. If no bite, use the 1' to 2' measure method mentioned above and set your bobber stop to 12' on the line see what happens.
Early morning casting to brush will work all year long but you may need to slow your retrieve way down as the fish become less active in the warmer water. The Red Rooster Dagger in UV Shad, Gray Ghost, Watermelon Ghost, Motor Oil Red, Mayfly are go to clear water colors perfect for casting to finicky black crappie.
We hope this report will help you catch more crappie on Lake Allatoona! 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!