LAKE LANIER IS DOWN 2.55 FEET, THE MAIN LAKE IS CLEAR AND THE CREEKS AND RIVERS ARE SLIGHTLY STAINED & 79 DEGREES.

Black bass fishing is slow, and the lake waters are still changing to fall. The fish are still very scattered, and casting a lot of lures will work, as the fish seem to change from day to day. This means you need to use several baits on each trip, mix and match and try all the lures you have never had any confidence in. There are bass taking crank baits, spoons, Flukes, plastics and jigs.

The lower lake is clearing, but above Gainesville Marina, the rivers are still off-colored. Fish in the backs of the major creeks and the bass are after baby bass Super Flukes on a large 4/0 hook Mustad hook. Cast baits to the mud banks and simply twitch the bait. Texas rigged ribbon tailed worms in gourd green or red and black shad colors can draw a strike. Be sure to add some extra scent to attract the fish.

There has not been a lot of top water action, so disregard the buzz baits and top water baits lake wide. Georgia Jigs in the ½-ounce size are good fall baits for bass. Add a Zoom or pork trailer and pumpkinseed with green in the bait. Be sure to add some Jack’s Juice. Continue to move around and fish pockets and points all afternoon. Small Shad Raps are fair and use light 6-pound test on smaller sizes of any crank bait. You might want to try some live shiners and blue backs on and around the man-made brush piles.

Wahoo Creek is always a great fall area. Go to the bridge and idle to the rocks and work BOTH sides with crank baits. Then go up about 100 yards under the bridge on the right side and work all the docks hard after mid-day. There are lots of sand pockets in this area that hold warmth the bait fish need. The root beer Bandit 200 crank bait is a really good bait in the off-colored waters up both rivers. Medium Hopkins spoons on old creek bends are fair, and anytime you get into the bay of any creek, try the bait especially when there is any bait in the area. Watch for the warming waters way up the creeks, as the bass are still feeding on bait fish looking for this warmer water. The up- river bass have been fair with bright Bombers in the 7A Fire Tiger patterns.

Spotted bass fishing is picking up, but this week’s rain should get things set up for fall fishing. There are a few big fish being caught, especially down lake. Drop shot rigs, Mini Me all white spinner baits, jerk baits and finesse worms are fair. Docks and a finesse worm or the main lake reef markers and points with spinner baits are perfect locations to fish all day. Rig the drop shot with a #1 Mustad offset worm hook. It really does not seem to matter what color worm you use, after 20 feet deep, but anything in green works. Keep your rod tip tight and do not drop the rod while fishing this bait.

Pick deep docks down lake and around Lake Lanier Islands. The deeper the docks, the bigger the spots. Any main lake point around the dam area is a good fall area. The deep waters close by hold bait fish and the spots push them into the shallows on feeding periods day and night. Also look around the marinas as a backup area. Use some extra scent on the plastics, as this may help the fish hold the baits long enough to feel the strike and set the hook. Try small 1/8-ounce Bitsey Bug jigs in pumpkinseed with a small trailer by Zoom in the same colors. Spinner baits are also working and the Mini Me is hot with bright skirts and blades in the ½-ounce size. The Dam Store has these baits in stock. Pick any set of wind blown points from Browns Bridge to the dam and make long casts. Run the baits 10 feet deep and only make 20 casts per point. There are some big spots on many of these points and they are feeding.

Striper fishing is slow lakewide, but it’s only a few days before the water cools down enough to get the fish chasing bait. Most of the fish down lake are on a 30- to 40-foot bottom so keep your baits at 25 feet. Just fish anywhere below Browns Bridge. Live bait is the only ticket working for now. Down lines, small hooks and herring and shiners will be the best bet all week. Trolling is slow, and there is no top water yet. There is no night bite on plugs to speak of.

During the day, place down lines directly over the tops of the points at the 25-foot depth. There is really no main lake pattern except for points and occasionally humps. Stripers are feeding early every day so use live bait all day. The fish are feeding both flat lines and down lines. Flat lines have been fair, but this will pick up in the next 15 days as the water temperatures continue to cool off. In the creek mouths, use a down rod and have at least a 2-ounce sinker. Keeping the line bait in the strike zone is critical to your success day and night. Flat lines will work later when there is a cloud cover. Some anglers fishing around the south lake marinas are catching big fish around noon daily. It's past time for top water, but have both the large and small Red Fins, a buck tail and a Sammy ready for any top water action. We have no reports of trolling action anywhere on the lake.

Crappie fishing is slow, but a few fish are schooled up under major marina docks mid-lake. We see the larger fish down 15 in brush in the middle of the creeks. Use small tubes on a 1/32-ounce lead head and doodle the baits on 4-pound Stren Easy Cast to get the bites.

Our three books, 52 Weeks On Lake Allatoona, 52 Weeks On Lake Lanier and 52 Weeks On West Point Lake, are all on sale. Each book is $23.95. Our mailing address is: Southern Fishing Schools Inc., 106 Hickory Ridge, Cumming, Georgia 30040.

LAKE ALLATOONA IS DOWN 4.2 FEET, 78 DEGREES AND CLEAR

This spotted bass fishing report has been brought to you exclusively by Mike Bucca, Triton Mike's Spot Country Guide Service, www.tritonmike.com, Lake Allatoona, Georgia. Mike's email address is: mbucca@comcast.net.

Fishing is still good, there are lots of different patterns and baits are working right now. I have seen less and less schooling as of lately anywhere on the lake. If I do see any schooling, it's very sporadic at best. However, as windy as it has been this week, the Spinnerbait bite is turning on very nicely. Lots of good quality spots are being caught right now with a few decent largemouth in the mix. Any main lake wind-blown shoreline is a great spot to fish the Spinnerbait on a very fast retrieve. I like to use a 3/4-ounce dual willow leaf spinnerbait with a white and chartreuse combo blades tipped with a trailer hook AND a Gamakatsu stinger hook on the back of the trailer hook. I am getting a lot of short strikes, no matter what color. Use the Stinger hook for collision insurance.

Since this past week has been fairly windy, it has been tough to fish the bluff walls with Senko's, but I imagine if it calms down any that bite will more than likely be very productive. I like the 4-inch Senko's in blue pearl or chart/white laminate color rigged on 10-pound Triplefish line and a 4/0 Gamakatsu Offset Worm hook. Just twitch the Senko up near the surface and let it fall about 10 feet, then work it back up toward the surface and then start the process over on the next cast.

Another pattern that is doing well is working the very backs of the rivers and creeks. The BDS 3 and 4 bite is coming on strong and will continue to get better. Those fish are seeking the cooler water in the back of those creeks. I like to work my way in with the BDS 3 and 4 crank bait by working the outside edges of the visible structure. On my way out of the creek, I fish with a Grass Stalker Jig (www.bassstalker.com) by flipping it into the heavy cover.

OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER OPEN DATES AVAILABILITY: I have the following dates available in October and November which are, in my opinion, the best two months to fish Allatoona. October dates available include October 14th, 20th, 21st, 27th and 28th. November dates available: Please contact me for open availability, as I have numerous dates currently available in November. Here are pictures of just a few fish that were caught during the fall season. Fall is the best time of year to catch the bigger largemouth:

http://www.tritonmike.com/basstalkerpromo1.jpg

http://www.tribonmike.com/toona1030041.jpg

http://www.tritonmike.com/toonerfish12.JPG

http://www.tritonmike.com/toonabassstalker1.JPG

E-mail me at mbucca@comcast.net to inquire about any dates you might be interested in. Dates are filling up fast, so hurry!! I have a new Drop-Shotting article pertaining to Allatoona, which appeared in the most recent Yamamoto's Inside Line Magazine, http://www.tritonmike.com/flattail.html. In the present edition of Yamamoto's Inside Line edition, I have an article titled, Spotshottin' With Flat Tails, which is an in-depth article pertaining to how I go about dropshotting for fish, specifically on Allatoona. You can subscribe to the Inside Line by visiting http://www.insideline.net/ and hit the subscribe link in the upper right-hand corner.

FREE SEMINARS: If your bass club in the metro Atlanta area is interested in having me speak at your club meetings, please shoot me an email to mbucca@comcast.net.

The line side report is bought to you by Robert Eidson of First Bite Guide Service, http://www.firstbiteguideservice.com 770-827-6282.

Line-side fishing has been slow this week. With the lake turning over and the high east winds, it's been hard to put very many fish in the boat. But hopefully the fishing will pick up. The fish are easy to find on your Lowrance, but getting them to bite is another story. Just keep putting the bait right on their nose and wait.

Mid-lake still seems to be holding most of the fish. But don't overlook the pass. I have marked a lot of fish in there this week. They just don’t want to bite. Trolling may be the best all-round bite going right now. Mack Farr u-rigs in all white seem to be the ticket for the trollers right now. The Top Water bite has slowed down a lot. But keep a Jr. Spook ready just in case they pop up.

The south end of the lake has been best for top water action...the best place right now. The Fly rod bite has slowed down but should pick back up at anytime. And the best working fly right now is a mini Cowan Coyote (according to Scott K.). For fishing trips, book now for the months of October and November. If you mention Ken Sturdivant while booking a half-day trip, you'll receive an extra hour on the water. That’s five hours for the price of four!

Our new book, Bass Fishing Lake Hartwell, is now on sale. Tim White and Ken Sturdivant have opened this lake up to avid bass anglers with over 100 key bass fishing holes.

We also teach ON THE WATER SCHOOLS: Rods, Reels and Lures for Bass or Maps and Depth Finders. Call 770-889-2654 for details.

Take a look at www.aquavu.com. You really need a camera. Call us to set up a school, Rods, Reels and Lures for Bass. See our web site, www.havefunfishing.com, for more details, or call us right away, 770-889-2654.

Southern Fishing Schools Inc.

106 Hickory Ridge

www.havefunfishing.com

770-889-2654

Cumming, Georgia 30040