The Etowah is back to fishable flows and good clarity! Water temps are in the high 70s and low 80s tho so be careful fighting and handling fish especially the larger striper. That being said fishing has been good, there are still some big fish around and plenty of schoolie sized fish as well. Striper are ambush predators so look for drop offs, log jams, and deep water with adjacent shallows. Fly selection should be simple, carry a few Deceiver style flies and some weighted flies as well. A few patterns such as the Major Mullet and Cruiser Shad from Umpqua should do the trick. Intermediate and Full sinking lines are still the ticket but fish can be caught on floating lines as well.
Bass fishing has stayed the same, fish can be caught on a variety of streamers but you’ll be hard pressed to find us throwing anything other than a popper this time of year. Boogle Bugs, Mouse patterns, and large terrestrials are all viable options to entice a better than average Spotted bass out of the Etowah. Fish poppers slow, less is more when it comes to topwater fishing this time of year. Popper fishing is some of the most fun you can have on the Etowah so be sure to stock up on a few of your favorite surface flies and bring your 5-7 weight the next time you get out on the River!
Check the Generation schedule before you plan your trip! We do not recommend that you float the Etowah if Allatoona dam is releasing water!
Allatoona Dam Release Schedule- (706) 334-7213