Fishing Report Archives

Hello from the Excel Bay Pro 230 "Fishful Thinking". I've mostly been in Covid-19 purgatory for almost a month. NO quarantine or sickness, just staying away from close contact with non-family, off the lake because of many days of weather that just didn't excite me to be out in, and in a HUGE funk. As most of you know, I have shut down my guiding for the month of April and will evaluate things after then.

My typical routines of getting up on non-guide days at 5, going to JoJo's Café in Benton to hang out with my buddies, and getting lots done on my days off have all fallen by the wayside. I now get to bed at later hours, get up at later hours, and starting then stopping on projects I would normally finish in a few hours. I've given up on 95% of TV news due to the back-and-forth BS when nobody really knows what to do. We're all on new territory here but hopefully we are on the road back and it's an Interstate rather than a goat-path.

Watching the up-and-down of the lakes levels is about as worrisome. I'm hoping we see the lakes now stabilized near summer pool, rains slow down, and the winds lay a couple of days a week. I was terrified we would lose another spawn to untamed water levels but I'm much more optimistic about it now. The surface temps have backed off several degrees with the cool nights and cloudy days. This should slow down the spawn and allow all fish the chance to acclimate to stable water and the spawning cover they need.

From personal observation and reliable reports, the crappie are all over the place. It just depends on what day it is and how the weather conditions are. A friend had a great day last week in shallow water longline trolling jigs. His near-limit catch included some 15-16 inch crappie and most were females close to spawning. Another friend only had fewer than 10 crappie over the weekend but five were OVER 15 inches! He also lost a crappie at the boat that would have easily been his personal best. NET? NET!! His fish were caught by spider rigging jigs and plastics in 10-15 feet of water.

We are going to have to get through a few cold nights before we can expect a slow, seasonal rise in temperatures. Surface temperature of 62 today is down from almost 70 on some late afternoons last week.

I have hesitated to post a fishing report that might encourage those from out-of-town or out-of-state to travel to the lakes area. The Governor of Kentucky has issued a 14-day quarantine on those from out-of-state who travel to Kentucky and don't stay with family members.

Most of the lodging establishments have gone to different hours if not closed at all. Food service establishments are doing carry-out or closed completely. While a vast majority of my fishing guide clients are from surrounding states, the last thing I want is to see actions taken by this governor to close what remaining launch ramps and resorts that are still open.

A very dear friend of mine and the best fisherman I've ever shared a boat with, Kenny from PA, is staying home for the first time in well over 30 consecutive years. He has become a fixture around Aurora in late March thru April in every year most can remember. He made the tough decision to stay home this year.

Think about what the circumstances might be just to catch a few fish here. The fish aren't leaving! They'll be here for later. I'm urging my clients to reschedule and look forward to better days ahead.

Be careful out there. If you are in the group who could be most at risk should you catch this virus, please stay home and get your tackle ready for a few weeks down the road. Wash those hands---GOOD!

I'll be here then. Welcome to our slice of Heaven.