… with a fishing rod!

Spring 2026

By Steve Hudson

Daylight Savings Time is a two-edged sword.

On one hand, it means the alarm seems to go off an hour early. Those who know say that I’ll get used to that, though it’s been weeks and I’m still waiting.

On the other hand, however, it means I’ve got an extra hour of fishing time between the end of the workday and the setting of the sun. I’ll take extra fishing time all day long.

Lately, I’ve been putting some of that extra time to good use in the Allatoona Wildlife Management Area. Located on Corps of Engineers land in Cherokee and Bartow counties, this 6,800-plus-acre WMA is known primarily as a public hunting destination. It’s popular with deer and small game hunters, and it offers turkey, and waterfowl hunting too.

But as hunting season winds down, those in the know also look to Allatoona WMA as a fishing destination. The big draw is the lake, which can be fished from shore. Spinning or casting set-ups put shore-bound anglers within range of lots of potentially good bass fishing.  Favorite offerings include crankbaits which imitate shad or bluegill as well as similarly colored spinnerbaits. If you’re fishing early or late, try a topwater plug too – either something noisy like a Hula Popper or perhaps a floating-and-diving plug in shad or bluegill colors.

Alabama bass are the most common bass in Allatoona Lake. Photo by Jimmy Jacobs.

Plastic worms work too. Every angler has a preferred color, but I always seem to do best with something either greenish-brown – or (of all things) pink!

What about flyfishing? If you like to cast a flyrod, this WMA offers lots of fly-fishable shoreline to explore. I’ve enjoyed many hours there (especially in the morning or early evening) walking the bank with my flyrod, tossing a green-and-black popping bug (with rubber legs, of course!) along the shore. Some nice bream and bass call that water home, and now and then I get lucky.

Another piscatorial possibility at Allatoona WMA is to explore one of the creeks which flow within the area’s boundaries. There are several to explore, including a portion of Stamp Creek near where it flows under Georgia Highway 20. There’s parking near the Highway 20 bridge, and accessing the creek is largely a matter of following a possibly overgrown trail down the hill to the water. It’s by no means secret water, so you may see other anglers – and you’ll need to get wet (or wear waders) to explore the creek’s waters fully.

Photo by Steve Hudson.

When fishing the creek with my flyrod, I use small foam spiders or poppers. Often, I’ll put a dropper like a Woolly Bugger or even a basic trout nymph beneath that surface offering too. Small streamers can also be effective.

If you’re not in a flyfishing mood, don’t forget about your spinning rod. A light or ultralight set-up with 4- or 6-pound line is a perfect tool for exploring these waters. Tie on a silver or bluegill-colored In-line spinner or a white jig head/grub combination, and see what happens.

What sort of fish might you encounter in the creek? Sunfish and bass will account for most of your fish, though on occasion you might pick up a stray trout that’s made its way to this section from other parts of the creek where they are stocked. But that’s rare. Warmwater species will be the norm.

Photo by Steve Hudson.

The last question, of course, is this: Can I suggest specific spots on the creek or along the lakeshore? Well, I could, but I won’t. After all, what would be the fun in that? Exploration is half the fun!

But do let me direct you to the Department of Natural Resources’ interactive on-line map as well as to the printable PDF map of the area. On the interactive map, once it opens, enlarging it will reveal stars along the shoreline. Those mark fish attractors. That will give you the lowdown on the WMA’s boundaries and water access and will have you up to speed in no time at all.

Steve Hudson is a freelance outdoor writer, book author and award-winning member of the Georgia Outdoor Writers Association. Steve makes his home in Canton. You can contact him at aa4bw@comcast.net.