Fishing Report Archives

Once May arrives each year Kentucky Lake anglers see another transition taking place that sort of rearranges the fishing scene for a variety of fishermen.

Rising surface temperatures coincide with summer pool lake levels that open up a whole new ballgame of opportunities for the likes of bluegill and red ear sunfish, commonly referred to as shellcracker. These little rascals pack quite a punch and spawning time is getting underway as we speak.

Surface temperatures this week danced around the 63 to 65 degree range but should warm to the 70-degree mark this weekend as some warm days are in the forecast---Saturday and Sunday are forecast to eclipse the 80-degree mark!

Lake levels are staying near the normal summer pool elevation of 359 with minor fluctuations. Water color is clearing across the reservoir.

Cool nights and even some stubborn northwest winds last week sort of pushed back the early phases but warm weather now in progress should jump start the spawning phases by this weekend. The month of May is peak time for both bluegill and shellcracker.

The combination of buck bushes and submerged weedbeds are prime territory but you’re likely to find bedding fish in quite a variety of places ranging from open clean gravel sandbars to deeper crappie beds where bluegill sometimes decide that’s where the homeplace will be this year!

Redworms, crickets, mealworms or maggots are a few of the more popular bait choices available at your local bait shop. And, you can still go out and dig a few nightcrawlers like we did in the old days and place them in an old rusty bucket!

There are a few artificial grubs and small hair style jigs or flies that work too. Some anglers tip them with a little marsh mellow type scented bait such as Berkely Power Bait to enhance strikes.

When I was growing up we often used roaches caught at a local feed mill for bluegill bait. They worked great and probably still would produce today!

Meanwhile, get your terminal tackle updated and purchase some extra long-shank bronze size-6 bluegill hooks and head out. Remember to keep those long-nose pliers handy to extract swallowed hooks too.

Odds are the trees and bushes will lay claim to a few hooks, sinkers and bobbers so stock up on a few extra. Snagging and breaking off tackle is all part of the shallow water bluegill and shellcracker fishing experience.

Also underway is the transition of catfish from deep to shallow water. A few decent stringers have already been taken this week by anglers targeting the rocky bluffs along shorelines and rip-rap levees next to bridges and roadways.

Catfish go on the prowl in early May and seek out spawning spots such as crevices in the rocks where they deposit eggs. There are a lot of good fishing spots available for bank fishermen this time of year but boaters also do well as they anchor just off shorelines and cast to the rocky banks.

Some of the more popular shoreline spots that traditionally pay off in this area are the levees along Highway 79 near Paris Landing at the Ned McWherter Bridge, the old Danville railroad levee east of Big Sandy and the little rock island, commonly referred to as “catfish island” adjacent to Sulphur Well Island up the Big Sandy. The rocky bluff on the east side of Big Sandy beneath the power lines is another hot spot.

Nightcrawlers have proven to be the bait of choice for most catfishermen over the years but some anglers like cut shad, shrimp, catalpa worms and come up with some of their own smelly concoctions that entice catfish to bite! And, there are some commercial catfish baits on the market that do well.

Still underway has been the bass bite for anglers stalking the buck bushes and willow trees where abundant water awaits them.

Pitching and flipping techniques have paid dividend lately as some hefty egg-laden females have been taken. Tossing a Texas rigged lizard, crawfish or worm has been deadly around the combination of grass and bushes. Floating fluke style worms have worked well too.

Also in the arsenal have been gold willow leaf spinnerbaits worked slowly around bushes and shallow grass. Some have experimented with floating frogs and various jerk baits in the clear water.

Although not all bass fishermen are targeting the shallow shorelines and pockets off the main lake that’s where the most fish have come from this week. A few smallmouth continue to show up for a small number of bass anglers tossing grubs and suspending crankbaits at times on rocky bluffs and around some open water humps in out away from the shorelines but back in big bays.

A few crappie are still coming in but the fish have been somewhat scattered for most anglers. Numbers seemed to diminish the last week for so in the overall armada of trolling pontoons, drift fishermen, long liners and spider riggers.

Still a few being taken with some boats backing out to deeper depths of 18 to 20 feet to find some scattered fish. Others continues to vertical fish jigs and minnows over manmade fish attractors in 6 to 12 foot depths with scattered success.

Establishing a productive technique and depth range has been challenging to most anglers recently as the crappie have been found in several different zones but very few boats have reported any concentration of fish.

And so it is that Kentucky Lake’s ample fishing opportunities continue to change with the seasons. Once crappie taken on a post-spawn mood swing the catfish bluegill, bass and redear seem to fill in the gaps.

That’s what’s happening now so adjust your battle plan and take advantage of the ample opportunities May has to offer. Lots of different fish are anxious to tug on your line nowadays!