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Lake Allatoona Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Allatoona Lake: a Corps of Engineers reservoir on the Etowah River 30 miles from Atlanta, with 270 miles of shoreline and nearly 7 million visitors a year.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Lake level
834.19 ft -5.81 vs pool
Air / High
74 / 74 F
Wind
NE 3 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 02393500, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Tap a marker for today's tip
Friday
23
October 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Lake Allatoona offers the kind of conditions this water was made for. The gauge reads 834.19 ft, 5.81 ft below pool, easing 0.96 over the week. Today brings clear skies, wind NE around 3 mph, steady pressure near 1021 hPa and a high of 74. Water sits around 74 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 10:14 AM-12:14 PM and 10:42 PM-12:42 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Striped bassExcellent

Use electronics to find shad schools in open water, and watch for birds working over bait.

Largemouth bassGood

The main feeding season after the spawn: work moving baits along weed edges, points and wood, and follow up with a soft plastic where a fish swirls.

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

Spawning season from late May into summer: Iowa DNR suggests drifting bait under a float along riprap and snags where males guard nests in cavities.

CrappieFair

Early in this band crappie are spawning in protected coves; afterward they move to docks, brush piles and standing timber near deeper water.

White bassFair

Summer and early fall schooling season over open water; follow the shad, and try live bait on the bottom at night.

Tomorrow: Similar at 71 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made β†’

Before you go

Georgia requires a fishing licence from age 16, from $15.00 for residents. What a Georgia licence costs and where to buy it β†’

Chasing largemouth bass here? Check the size and bag limits with GA DNR before you keep anything. The season dates for Georgia, read off the agency, are on the Georgia seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings from ALLATOONA LAKE NEAR CARTERSVILLE, GA.

Water level, last 30 days

USGS gauge 02393500. Conservation pool is 840 ft.

835.21837.10838.98pool 840834.19 ft09/2310/0310/1310/23

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp74 F
High / Low74 / 43 F
WindNE 3-7 mph
Pressure1021.2 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:50 / 18:54
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~74 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Lake Allatoona this week

The best day on Lake Allatoona this week looks like Saturday Oct 24, at 5 out of 5, against 3 today.

Best day this week: Saturday, Oct 24 β€” excellent at 5/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 β€” Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
10:14 AM-12:14 PM and 10:42 PM-12:42 AM
Minor period
4:36 AM-5:36 AM
Sun
07:50 to 18:54
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Partly cloudy, 8 mph
Rain chance
0%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

The species that matter on Lake Allatoona: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: the spring pre-spawn and the fall feed

A warm-water sunfish of lakes, reservoirs, ponds and slow river backwaters that holds tight to cover: weeds, logs, rock ledges and docks. In Texas, TPWD surveys rank it "by far" the freshwater fish anglers most want to catch. The main feeding season after the spawn: work moving baits along weed edges, points and wood, and follow up with a soft plastic where a fish swirls.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Year-round, best at dusk and after dark

Three big catfish share most of the country's rivers and reservoirs: the channel catfish, the most widespread; the blue catfish, the largest; and the flathead, which hunts live fish. All feed mostly on or near the bottom. Spawning season from late May into summer: Iowa DNR suggests drifting bait under a float along riprap and snags where males guard nests in cavities.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: the spring spawn; summer around docks, brush and the thermocline

Two slab-sided panfish, the white crappie and the black crappie, that gather around submerged timber, brush piles, docks and bridge pilings in lakes, reservoirs and slow river backwaters. Texas Parks and Wildlife counts crappie as the state's most popular panfish. Early in this band crappie are spawning in protected coves; afterward they move to docks, brush piles and standing timber near deeper water.

Striped bass illustration

Striped bass

Best: spring and fall inland; on the coast, during the seasonal migrations

The largest of the temperate basses, a sea-run fish of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts that now also lives in reservoirs across much of the country after hatchery stocking. Inland, it follows schools of shad and herring through open water. Use electronics to find shad schools in open water, and watch for birds working over bait.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: the spring run up the tributaries, then summer surface schools

A silvery temperate bass of rivers and large reservoirs, also called sand bass, that schools in open water after shad and runs up tributaries to spawn in early spring. Summer and early fall schooling season over open water; follow the shad, and try live bait on the bottom at night.

When to come: the Lake Allatoona calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Largemouth bass
Catfish (blue, channel)
Crappie
Striped bass
White bass
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 74 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~74 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Lake Allatoona today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 76 F, wind to 6 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 76 F, wind to 5 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 76 F, wind to 5 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Georgia requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Georgia fishing license. Black bass 10 a day in total; largemouth 12-inch statewide minimum, spotted bass no minimum here. Striped, white and hybrid bass 15 a day combined, only 2 of them 22 inches or longer. Live blueback herring allowed as bait on Allatoona. EPD advice: do not eat white bass (thallium).

Access

Corps day-use areas and ramps include Kellogg Creek, Victoria, Galts Ferry, Cooper Branch, Stamp Creek, Blockhouse and Riverside; one state park and eight commercial marinas. Corps project office: (678) 721-6700.

About this water

A Corps of Engineers reservoir on the Etowah River about 30 miles from Atlanta, Georgia, in operation since January 1950. Lake level on this page comes from USGS gauge 02393500, Allatoona Lake near Cartersville.

Fishing Lake Allatoona: the full guide

A Corps lake on the Etowah

The Corps of Engineers describes Allatoona Lake as sitting on the Etowah River about 30 miles from Atlanta and as one of its most visited lakes nationally, with nearly 7 million visitors a year. Impoundment began in December 1949 and the lake was in full operation by January 1950; the Corps calls it the oldest multipurpose project in its South Atlantic Division. It has 270 miles of shoreline, 589 campsites, nine city and county parks, one state park and eight commercial marinas.

What the state tests

Georgia EPD's 2023 Guidelines for Eating Fish list black crappie, channel catfish, hybrid bass, largemouth bass, spotted bass, striped bass, bluegill and white bass for Lake Allatoona. White bass of any size carry a 'Do Not Eat' guideline because of thallium. Largemouth, spotted and hybrid bass over 16 inches and striped bass over 16 inches are limited to one meal a week, for mercury or PCBs.

Bait rules

Allatoona is one of the Georgia lakes where anglers may possess and use live blueback herring as bait. Minnow seines and traps may not be used in the main Etowah River above the lake, or in any Etowah tributary that enters the river within or upstream of Allatoona.

Common questions

Can I eat white bass from Allatoona?

Georgia EPD's 2023 guidelines say no: white bass from Lake Allatoona carry a 'Do Not Eat' advisory for thallium.

What are the bass limits?

Ten black bass a day in total; largemouth must be 12 inches, and there is no minimum for spotted bass on Allatoona. Striped, white and hybrid bass are 15 combined, with no more than 2 at 22 inches or longer.

Can I use live blueback herring?

Yes. Allatoona is on Georgia's list of waters where live blueback herring may be used as bait.

Is fishing good at Lake Allatoona right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Chattahoochee River28 miLake Lanier32 miCarters Lake33 miToccoa River54 miBlue Ridge Lake55 miWeiss Lake59 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 02393500 β€” ALLATOONA LAKE NEAR CARTERSVILLE, GA
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 20:15 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 34.1315, -84.6333 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 8, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 8, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.