Fishing Report Archives

Bass fishing here at Kentucky and Barkley Lakes is excellent. The spawn is on and started a week early again this year. Many of the bass I have been catching during the last four weeks were very shallow staging in the flat areas in the back of creek arms and bays right where they would have spawned had the conditions been right.

At the beginning of April the morning water temperature was in the 60s and the water level was at full pool or above. The bass followed the rising water and moved into the flooded cover which included bushes, trees, and cypress trees. Although the morning temperatures were right for bass to spawn I don't  think very many did as it was still a little early with to many hours of cloudy skies.

With the lake levels, from the beginning of April up to today the water level rose to three feet above full pool and now has dropped to one foot below summer pool. The good thing is that many bass started to spawn in the last three days. Nest were made and now the water level should be stable for about a week at 358 which is one foot below summer pool.

These bass that are spawning will have a large success rate in hatching eggs laid due to stable water levels, the right morning water temperatures, and sunny days.

One of the things I specialize in is teaching people about bass behavior during all seasons and one of the least understood by many bass anglers is the spawn. Yesterday I was able to help a local resident learn how to catch them in 6 inches to a foot of water. We saw where they spawn by stealthfully sneaking into the super shallow water and by using one of my favorite, yet little understood, weightless trick worm techniques.

We caught a lot of bass and had a heavy five fish limit. We had to work hard and make perfect casts and pitches. Most of the big fish we caught would not be caught by other anglers and it was a really exciting day!  The spawn will last up to the middle of May with bass moving on and off nests and making new nests as the water slowly rises to summer pool.

One more foot of water doesn't seem like much but it adds at least 200% more area of prime spawning grounds. Regardless of the pool level being 358 or 359 you still have to eliminate a lot of water to find where their spawning. When I speak of (spawning) I do not mean that every bass is on a nest. What I mean is that the spawn has begun and the majority of the bass are in or near very shallow water. Their behavior is very spooky, noise in the boat or to much movement will spook them and large bodied loud baits just don't get the job done.

When I use a weightless trick worm I rig it Texas-style and slowly twitch it making it dart left to right. I use a medium to medium-heavy seven foot rod with baitcasting reel spooled with green Berkley XT 14lb line. I also like to have a shorter spinning rod so I can skip the bait under tree limbs.

It all sounds easy, but its not - the bait has to be rigged perfectly, cast and pitches right on or beyond the target, and you have to eliminate water daily to be successful. I am certain that when I teach anglers this technique it is worth a lot more than a guide fee.

The lake has been very busy with fisherman and there have been a lot of boats out on the lake. There have been many locals and quite a few anglers from out of state. Definitely more boat traffic on weekdays than in previous years and I am happy to see so many people out enjoying our waterways!

I have monitored the spawn since 1990 on many home lakes and won many tournaments large and small this time of year, catching most of my fish with a weightless trick worm the technique I developed on my own. Every angler has them in their tackle box, but only a few have mastered it and I make myself available to anyone that wants to learn the art and science of using it - especially during the spawn.

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 is what you can learn in a day from fishing with me. I know for certain I am as good as anyone can be 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.