Fishing Forecast - Lake Allatoona
The DNR, Corps of Engineers, local business, non-profit organizations and volunteers have aggressively worked to improve fish habitat and angler success in Allatoona over the last 20 years. These improvements have often come in the form of creation of fish attractors. Fish attractors help serve the purpose of providing underwater habitat for fish and often improve the success of anglers fishing near the structures. Anglers can find information on the location of Allatoona's fish attractors in the interactive map to the right.
For bank anglers, most of the areas around the more than half a dozen public fishing jetties dotting the lake have been "sweetened" with hundreds of Christmas trees located within easy casting distance of the jetty. Brush piles can be found at the Blockhouse, Galt's Ferry, Proctor Landing, Bethany Bridge, and Victoria Marina fishing jetties and adjacent to the Payne Campground Boat Ramp in Kellogg Creek. Those visiting the Army Corps' project office near Allatoona Dam can wet a line from the bank at the fish attractor site created in 2017 in Coopers Branch off Hwy 20 spur.
Blueback Herring
Following the illegal introduction of blueback herring (BLH) at Allatoona in recent years, DNR conducted targeted surveys (2021-2022) to assess their abundance and spread throughout the reservoir. The survey found the species had become established at Allatoona. As such, WRD proposed an amendment of O.C.G.A § 391-4-3-.13(4) to the Board of Natural Resources which recommended that Lake Allatoona be added to the list of waterbodies where the use and possession of BLH is allowed. This proposed change was reflective of BLH biological status at Allatoona and responsive to angler concerns. The proposal was presented to the DNR Board in late 2022, received positive feedback during a 30-day public comment period, adopted by the DNR Board, and went into effect on January 8th, 2023. DNR will continue to monitor the population through standardized sampling surveys and will assess the species’ impacts to sportfish populations in the future.
Lake Sturgeon In late 2008, DNR began stocking lake sturgeon in Allatoona to re-establish this native fish to the upper Etowah River system. Anglers accidentally catching a lake sturgeon should release the fish immediately so that a population can be re-established. Fish hooked deep will often survive if anglers cut the line near the hook and release the fish with the hook left in it. Those wondering what impact sturgeon will have on their favorite game species in Allatoona can rest easy. Because of its low reproductive potential, sturgeon do not establish themselves as a prominent species, making its impacts to other fish negligible. If you catch or otherwise see a sturgeon, please contact the Armuchee DNR office (706-295-6102) to report the location from which the sturgeon was caught. Such information is extremely valuable to biologists assessing the survival and dispersal of these magnificent native fish.