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Lyndon Wicker's Fishing ReportOctober 24th, 2011 - by Kentucky Lake Guide Lyndon Wicker |
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Hi All, I am setting here stuck in the house so I thought now would be a good time for a new report. I finally got knee replacement surgery this past Monday. It has been building for several years but it finally got bad enough to get something done. I went in first thing Monday morning and by 10:00 a.m. was laying in recovery. They did a nerve block on the nerves leading into my left leg to help with pain. It actually did help a good bit. The block lasted until about 0300 hrs Tuesday morning. At which time I began to scream for any and all drugs they had! In the six days since things have eased and the pain isn’t quite as bad. I originally hurt myself playing basketball as a teenager. It was hurt twice again in law enforcement. And finally a few years ago I was fishing a Crappie USA tournament in Mississippi. My partner and I were pre-fishing beforehand and it was HOT! Like 100 degree heat. I had downed a cold bottle of water, capped the empty, and dropped it into the boat. I stepped off the deck and down into the boat. I stepped on the bottle and twisted my leg tearing loose the remaining cartilage. We made the cut to the Classic that year but it cost me. But now those days are behind me with brighter days ahead! Thank God! As far as fishing for crappie, bass, etc. we have seen some good and not so good days this fall. The key like most times of year is weather. The days just prior to the fronts are prime. We have seen very good catches of black and white crappie come water as shallow as 5 feet. They have been found around submerged brush and stakes in the 5-12 foot range. On the days that are post-cold front most are working channels in 15-25 feet. This is not my favorite way to fish so I usually find another way to wet a line or get chores done at home. This will be their home for the next month or so until the water cools into the low 50’s or less and they move back deeper. I use Humminbird Side Scan technology when I fish. I can go by these spots and if I see fish buried in the cover I know they won’t be very active. If I catch one or two that will likely be all. You can vertical fish this cover with jigs or live bait and maybe get one or two more but often they will be short fish. However when I come by these spots and see fish on the edges or patrolling 2 feet or more from the cover the bite is on. The time for these conditions has been during lower light. This has been early and late in the day. Say from just before sunrise for an hour after sunrise and then again before sunset. My favorite is the last few hours of the day. The water temperature has peaked for the day and shad are active in the bays. Schools of shad are blowing up all around you as crappie, bass, and other game fish cut through them. If you don’t own a side scan or even a boat you can tell how aggressive the fish are just by looking around. If you see several schools of shad working the surface disturbed by an occasional game fish cutting the school the bite is likely going to be good. On the flip side if you don’t notice these things it may very well be a slow bite. I have found this to be true no matter the species. You can even watch animals like squirrel or deer, and birds like hawks or eagles. If they are active often times so are the fish. I believe everything in nature is connected and God controls all his creatures. The backs of bays right now are also becoming home to bigger and bigger groups of sea gulls. They can be a great key to hone in on for the next few weeks. They too will attack the balls of shad and point them out to you. Set off to one side and cast a blade bait or similar offering through the school of shad. I have caught just about everything the lake has to offer by doing this in the fall. Once in awhile you will hang into a big striper or as they are also called, a rock fish. You have to be quick on the drag once they hit because they take off like a freight train. It can be a real fight to get a 15-20 pounder in using ultra light gear. If you get it done you have earned it for sure. Well, that’s about it for now.
Fishing will get better for the next few weeks as the
water cools. Hopefully I will eventually get out there
this fall to provide a few more reports. Water
temperature has dropped from near 70 last weekend to the
mid 60’s this weekend. The next few days are to be warm
with another major cold front blowing through mid-week.
That will likely knock fishing back a little but also
keep cooling the water. With water eventually down
around 60 the fishing will peak. Crappie will continue
to come shallow for the next few weeks as will the bass.
Some of my best fishing of the year happens around
Thanksgiving. The lake is holding at 355 feet above sea
level. This has been where the TVA has kept both lakes
all winter the last few years. That is just a foot over
the winter pool of 354 so there are a lot of shallow
obstructions. Stay in the channels when crossing. Watch
the weather conditions as well. We have had some very
windy days the last few weeks with the main lake and
even the bays becoming dangerous for small craft. To sum
it up, be careful on the water! Have a great time and may God bless you and your family! Lyndon |
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