Lake Conditions:  Fair - 46° / Lake Temperature  57° - 356.60'
Cadiz, Kentucky
Cadiz, Kentucky
Cadiz, Kentucky
Closer Than You Think

Bass Fishing Picking Up at Kentucky Lake

Written by Scott McGlinchey - Published on March 25, 2020

The fishing remains good here at Kentucky and Barkley Lake. A lot of fish are still scattered and as far as crappie go you can catch them from 8 feet down to 30 feet.

Most fisherman do not fish 30 feet deep but I do know for sure that some anglers are catching them there where the water is clearer towards the east side of the lake.

As for bass you can catch them from drop offs or in a foot of water. Last Friday evening I caught about twenty bass in about an hour as a cold front was moving in. I caught all those fish in 1 to 2 feet of water with a terminator double bladed spinnerbait. Those bass were towards the back end of a creek arm and it was one of those deals where all the fish in the area were concentrated in a small area. They were all feeding in the shallow flat coverless water.

Bass are in the pre-spawn stage or what I like to call the second pre-spawn which occurs a couple weeks before the spawn. Fish in this second stage are in real shallow water basically holding where they would spawn in the water was warm enough and the timing was right.

There are still plenty of bass holding in the first pre-spawn stage that are using drop offs in deeper water or that are scattered along sloping banks. I like to use jigs while fishing drop offs but may use a jerkbait or spinnerbait on some ledges.

While fishing the sloping banks, jerkbaits and crankbaits are the most effective. While I was fishing the shallower flat water this year I have been using a spinnerbait and jerkbait primarily and have caught some fish on a buzzbait.

During the last couple of weeks I have spent more time working a shallow water pattern targeting shallow cover and eliminating a lot of water quickly. Primarily I have been using a spinnerbait and shallow running jerkbait. My Rapla jerkbait is supposed to suspend but it actually slowly rises when paused and that's what I want it to do in real shallow water.

Kentucky Lake fishing can change a little bit from year to year and I try to adjust and do whatever it takes to get a pattern going when the fish are shallow. I think I have a good one going now so I am confident in going to any new area of the lake - meaning where I haven't been this year - working my pattern, eliminating water and catching fish.

A lot of people are afraid to travel right now and others are taking advantage of the coronavirus situation and are taking trips. One thing that is for sure, this part of Kentucky has very few cases of the virus so it's a lot safer here that the densely populated urban areas. If you call me to book a trip I am offering a significant discount to anyone that wants to book a multi-day trip.

As a guide I specialize in taking people fishing to make sure they get to catch as many fish as possible. However, one of the best values to fishing with me is what you can learn in a day. I know for certain I am as good as anyone at teaching any aspect of bass fishing.

I have traveled to clients home lakes where I have never fished to teach them how to catch more fish and win tournaments on their favorite lakes/bodies of water. Please checkout and like my Shelldivers Guide Service Facebook Page and my updated Shelldiversguide.com website.



< Return to the Archives
< Return to Fishing Reports
< Return to Fishing Overview