LAKE LANIER IS DOWN 2.9 FEET, THE CREEKS ARE SLIGHTLY STAINED AND THE MAIN LAKE IS CLEAR and 57 DEGREES

Black bass fishing is slow, and there is not a good pattern due to the cold weather and wind. There are only a few options, and they include spoons, jigs and u tail worms. The primary structure is brush piles on and around docks. Pick the upper end of the lake for black bass and find any warmer waters and use the spoons on creek channels and then a jig in all brown. Scent is a good way to get a few bites, and Jack’s Juice in garlic is the best choice. Zoom green pumpkin u tail worms on a Texas rig is the other bait. Use a 3/16 ounce slip sinker and see how slowly you can fish this bait. Pick the upper lake creeks and even go to the backs of the creek afternoons for warmer water. Crank baits will not work until later in the day. Try a small 200 series root beer Bandit on 10-pound test and make sure to cast the baits super shallow and dig up the bottom on the initial cast. The new Shad Raps in the jointed plastic model in the green crawfish has also been working afternoons. Use the same baits in the up lake creeks as well as a Zoom red bug u tail worm on a light Texas rig.

Spotted bass are under docks with brush, and depths are from 25 to 30 feet. This week, we took several 3 pound spots on this pattern around the mouths of major creeks around the Lake Lanier Islands. The fish are right in and around the brush piles. No brush, no fish. Stick with the docks all day and be sure to work the very front of each one. Let the Zoom natural blue finesse worms on a Texas rig sink of free line. Do not close the bail on the spinning reel until the baits settles to the bottom. This allows the bait to sink right to the bottom. Watch your line as the baits settle on every cast. Use a Texas rigged natural blue finesse worm in the brush or the sand finesse worm with a chartreuse tail. We could not buy a bite on main lake points, brush or no brush. It was sunny most of the week and usually the spots will gang up on wind blown points. Also use the green bitsy bug jig in a ¼-ounce and add an Uncle Josh small frog trailer...and use as much green in the bait as possible. Use the 101 Uncle Josh pork trailer for the extra salt and the extra action you will get from pork over plastic. Pick larger docks with the sun on them early and doodle the Zoom baby Bush Hog in greens on the Texas rig. Use the natural blue finesse worm here too. We did not get any strikes on any of the Zoom u tails all week.

Striper fishing is good and the fish have been moving around all day down lake. Just pick a major creek and work from half way back and you will find some fish. The trolling bite is good, too, as the fish may not stack up after this cold weather on the river channels. You will have to troll until you can find the stripers. Bait may be in the area but the stripers may not be. We found stripers down lake all week. There are not many anglers finding fish in any numbers up river, but that will change in the next two weeks. If you go up river, go past the mouth of Little River and start trolling up the river and cross over the river as you go. There are a few birds lake wide, so you can watch them, too. Be sure to check out all the flats right off the river as shallow as 20 feet, as a few fish travel up on these flats to feed. The baits are small blue backs or jumbo shiners. Troll the one-ounce chipmunk jigs in white or white/Mylar with chartreuse trailers. Troll these baits on mono 80 feet back on 14-pound test line and watch your Lowrance. Do not limit yourself to specific depth range. You will see fish as deep as 55 to 60 feet but they seem to be very picky about their food. Trolling that depth is not practical, but drop a jumbo shiner, a ¾-ounce spoon or a live herring to those fish and they will often take the bait. Concentrate your search for the fish over the main lake river channel in front of Lake Lanier Islands and in the mouth to halfway in the back of any creek like Six Mile and Young Deer. The fish will move shallow on major feeding times but they will return to the deep water. Al little bit of everything will work, so be versatile. Use a down rod, two ounce sinkers...and remember to take some shiners as well as some blue backs and trout.

Crappie have schooled up under major marina docks mid-lake. We can see the larger fish down 25 feet on the Aqua Vu camera, and they are all about a pound. Use small tubes on a 1/32 ounce lead head and doodle the baits on 4 pound Sufix clear line to get the bites.

LAKE ALLATOONA IS DOWN 12.6 FEET, STAINED DOWN AND MUDDY UP RIVER; SURFACE TEMPERATURE IS 54 DEGREES

Black bass fishing slow, and the fish are on the points in the creeks from the falling water levels. Look on very tight cover or stumps, and bass are slow to react to lures and live bait. Work the large worms and a Gilraker black or Tequila Sunrise worm on a Texas rig. Later each day try the larger dark brown and black jig and pig on the river ledges and on points. Crank baits have been slow early, but use small Fat Free Shad baits after mid-day. Use a fire tiger or crawfish red 7A Bomber, and strikes will be very tight on any cover. It’s best to cast to the same location often.

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

Spotted bass fishing is good, and 8 to 12 pounds in fish is about average right now. Believe it or not, much has changed, even with the recent cold front passing through. Water is fairly stained lake-wide right now, and we are currently in the middle of turnover as we speak. With the recent cold fronts, our surface temperature is in the 54 degree range at first light and warms up to 58 degrees or so at mid-day. Early morning, the crank bait bite with a Lucky Craft's NEW Flat Mini DR. Crank is still doing well off rocky points and cuts. Just be sure you are hitting the bottom with your crank and cover some real estate. This pattern will get a lot stronger, especially during this upcoming colder weather. The Senko bite has gone kaput with this recent cold weather. If we get any warm spells it should pick back up (Fat chance!!). The spinnerbait bite will also pick up once the water temps gets in the upper 50's and when the wind gets more bearable. As the weather gets colder, the drop shot bite will also pick up during mid-day. From 11am till 4pm I'm in the drop shot mode. After 4pm I'm back on the crank. There are some decent numbers and decent size (by Allatoona standards, 2lbs +) fish coming off the Senko and quite a bit of largemouth are in the mix since the creeks are emptying due to the water levels. Right now I am strictly using the 4.5 inch Flat Tail due to water clarity on the business end of the drop shot. I am using the blue pearl color or any kind of bait fish color (Silverish) on a #4 drop shot hook with a 1/4oz quick drop (tear shaped) drop shot weight and 8lb Triplefish Fluorocarbon line. There is a little bit of a brush pile bite but the low water levels is quickly wiping the brush bite away, so I am depending on my sonar quite a bit to locate the bait and the schools of spots, which are nearby. Half ounce spoons are also getting bit on these sonar fish. Concentrate in the 30-50 foot range for the schools of bait and spots.

DECEMBER AVAILABILITY: December is filling up very quickly. December is a good drop shot and crank bait month and the beginning of spooning season if this cold weather holds. Lots of sonar use during December to locate schools of fish feeding on shad. So if sonar, spooning, cranking and drop shot is a weakness for you, December would be a good month to learn about sonar and drop shot usage with some spooning in the mix. December dates available: 9th, 15th, 16th.

Please contact me for other availability, as I might be able to squeeze in a few more dates. E-mail me to inquire about any dates you might be interested in at mbucca@comcast.net. Dates are filling up fast, so hurry!!

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

This striper and hybrid report fishing report has been brought to you exclusively by Robert Eidson of First Bite Guide Service, 678-363-6260, www.firstbiteguideservice.com; Lake Allatoona, Georgia email: eidson6260@comcast.net.

Line-sides fishing is still good, and nothing has changed since last week. I’m starting to boat good numbers of fish, with most of them being hybrid and spots and a few stripers mixed in. Live bait is working well on Flat lines, Free lines, and planner boards. The best times for this is early morning and late afternoon. During mid-day, find a point set up over a 30-40 foot bottom and down line. Most of the fish I caught this week came at 30 feet deep. I have seen a few Sea Gulls this week. Or as I like to call them, little white Lowrances. This tells me by the end of the month the lake will be covered with them. If it holds true like last year, this will be the best way to find feeding fish. The top water bite is getting better...and seems to be best right at dark. A Jr. Fluke on a popping cork is best. Trollers your bite is good and may be the best bite on the lake right now. And the Mack Farr u-rig is working well right in the middle of the river channel.

For any trips, book now for the months of December and January. If you mention Ken Sturdivant while booking, get a third person for FREE... I will be participating at the Atlanta Boat Show, January 16-20, 2006 at the World Congress Center in the Southern Fishing booth. I will also be conducting seminars on Friday, Saturday and Sunday on "line sides on Allatoona."

Crappie are slow, and they are deep. The falling water has slowed them and the feeding times are later each day. Always expect dropping water levels to pull them away from any bank cover. Look on and around bridge pilings using live bait. Depths will vary every day and night fishing is slow.

Now is the time to plan that Christmas present for the angler(s) you know. We are offering our two “On the Water Schools,” RODS, REELS AND LURES FOR BASS, or MAPS AND DEPTH FINDERS for $225.00 each. Gift Certificates issued are good for one year from the date of purchase. Visit www.havefunfishing.com for an order form to fill out that can be mailed with payment.

We have 3 books for sale for just $23.95 each:

52 WEEKS ON LAKE ALLATOONA

52 WEEKS ON LAKE LANIER

52 WEEKS ON WEST POINT LAKE

Our mailing address is: Southern Fishing Schools Inc., 106 Hickory Ridge, Cumming, Georgia 30040.

Our newest book, BASS FISHING LAKE HARTWELL, is now on sale as well. 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. Please call 770-889-2654 for details.

Take a look at www.aquavu.com. You really need a camera.

Southern Fishing Schools, Inc.

www.havefunfishing.com

106 Hickory Ridge

770-889-2654

Cumming, Georgia 30040