Fishing Report Archives

October is here and finally the water temperatures are cooling down. This is absolutely a great time of year to get out and do some fishing on Kentucky or Barkley Lakes. The first thing to do when fishing these lakes right now is to be safe as the water levels are way down. So stay between the safe passage way buoys!

This is my fifth year guiding here on Kentucky Lake and things have sure changed a lot. The bass population is a lot lower than past years so it is tougher to catch a limit. I can tell you some of the things I have done to adjust. As in previous falls I am still able to catch bass in the back ends of bays and creek arms as well as main lake bars and points. One thing I have done different this year is I have fished some of the water/banks on the way from the main lake to the back of the creeks and it has worked well for me on some days. The other thing that is different this year is you have to have the mind set to work very hard for the fish your going to catch. Where you caught them yesterday may not be where you will catch them today.

This year I have caught a lot more smallmouth bass than in previous years while fishing topwater baits and actually I kind of like that! If your catching small bass, keep fishing, because your going to have to go through some of them to catch the good ones.

I am fishing with topwater poppers and stickbaits and I also have been working certain drop offs that are located in the transitional zones. I like to use a plastic worm on these drop offs until the water drops into the 60 degree range. Then I prefer some type of jig. A lot of people like throwing crankbaits. If I find feeding fish that are moving fast and won't hit my popper then I will switch to a floating jerkbait that I can work in real shallow water. If its windy I like a buzz bait. Main lake points can be good transitional areas this time of year.

I do have some favorite locations that I have consistently caught bass in this fall some of which are real shallow and some are deep these places would be good choices for tournament fishing.

If you're in town fishing for fun or here preparing for a tournament I am sure I can help you in either department.