Georgia Reservoir Fishing Information

Map links are located towards the bottom of this page

Program Overview

Underwater woody debris such as logs, brush, and stumps are all natural fish attractors.  Fish use these areas for protection, as places to ambush prey, and sometimes as spawning areas.  As a reservoir ages much of this woody debris is lost through the natural process of decay.  As a result, fish habitat declines over time.  This loss of habitat can reduce the number of fish a lake can support.  To counteract these natural processes man-made fish habitat is often created to replace that which is lost naturally over time.  These habitat improvements often come in the form of fish attractors.  Fish attractors can be of various shapes and sizes, and made from a number of materials, but all serve the purpose of providing underwater habitat for fish.

In 2002 the Allatoona Reservoir Habitat Improvement Program was initiated.  The program is a joint project between the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the United States Army Corp of Engineers, Wildlife Action, local businesses, and anglers.  Through this cooperative partnership fish attractors are being placed annually at various locations within Allatoona Reservoir.  Most of the attractors have been constructed from PVC pipe.  The advantage of using non-biodegradable materials such as PVC, is that the fish attractors will last much longer than those constructed from wood.

Allatoona PVC fish attractor

Anglers can expect spotted bass, largemouth bass, sunfish, crappie, and catfish to hold in and around the attractors at various times of the year.  Fish these structures just like any other natural feature in the lake.  The PVC fish attractors have been designed not only with the fish in mind, but also the angler.  Attractors have been built to reduce the potential for lure snagging and hang-ups.  In addition, their construction makes them readily visible on most depth finders.

 

 Do fish attractors work? Do fish use them? What types and sizes of fish will congregate there?

WRD Fisheries staff have been able to shoot underwater video footage of fish using these attractors. A short video clip is available at the link below. Windows Media Player (or other compatible viewer) is required to view the clip. The file is in .ASF (Advanced Streaming Format), is  1.07 MB in size, and contains a 21-second video clip. When you click on the link below a video will begin in a pop-up window using Windows Media Player. Pop-ups should be enabled in your browser to view the video.   

Underwater video of crappie using an Allatoona fish attractor [1]

Similar style attractors built by DNR for Lake Oconee

The accompanying fish attractor location map will be updated annually to reflect new fish attractors locations.  For more information about this program contact either the GADNR Calhoun Fisheries Office (706-624-1161) or the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers [2] (678-721-6700).

          

Hints for Locating the Fish Attractors

• Fish attractors are located in 25-30 ft. of water at full pool (elevation 840 ft.).
• The attractor's dimensions are 15'L x 5'W x 5'H.
• Hand-held GPS units will typically get you within 10-15 ft. of the attractor's location.
• Use depth finders to pinpoint the exact location.
• The PVC fish attractors are not solid structures (like rocks) so they often appear lighter in color than the lake bottom on a depth finder.
• Once you have located a fish attractor make mental notes of your surroundings so it will be easier to find on your next trip.
• Use small marker buoys to help keep your boat and casts on target.

Allatoona Fish Attractor Maps (Maps revised 10-2007)

A series of four maps have been produced that show fish attractors in this reservoir. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader [3] to view and print these maps. View the   map key [4] of the reservoir first and then select the map you want from the following list:

    Map 1 of  4
[5]    Map 2 of  4 [6]
    Map 3 of  4 [7]
    Map 4 of  4 [8]