Lake Conditions:  Fair - 59° / Lake Temperature  57° - 356.79'
Cadiz, Kentucky
Cadiz, Kentucky
Cadiz, Kentucky
Closer Than You Think

Bluegill/Redear Spawn Sluggish Thus Far; Drastic Temp Change Underway

Written by Steve McCadams - Published on May 13, 2020

Kentucky Lake’s fishing scene is about to undergo a dramatic change in terms of temperatures and overall weather patterns.

It appears we’re going from winter to summer and skipping spring effective immediately!

After yet another weird week of unstable spring conditions that saw frigid temperatures linger far too long and lower surface temperatures, a rapid warm up now in progress will have anglers trading in their overcoats for sunscreen before the weekend arrives.

What a difference a few days can make. It’s one of those crazy springs when you can get frostbite and a sunburn in the same week!

Bluegill and redear anglers have taken it on the chin this spring. Extended cold weather has upset the apple cart as to spawning phases. The biological clock is not showing the correct time as the calendar says one thing but the fishing patterns have said something else.

Surface temperatures this week fell to the 63 degree mark after bone chilling northwest winds delivered what felt like winter weather. The second week of May isn’t supposed to feel like the second week of December.

For active spawning and aggressive behavior from bluegill and redear sunfish the surface temps need to be in the 72 to 75 degree range. When the water is some 7 to 10 degrees below normal annual spawning phases of these powerful panfish is thrown off.

That’s what’s happened the last two weeks on Kentucky and Barkley lakes as anglers have experienced below average catches. It comes as no surprise given the high hurdles they’ve been up against.

At midweek surface temps barely made it to the 65 degree range but are in the process of warming quickly. By this weekend Kentucky Lake’s shallow pockets should warm to the 70 degree range and keep climbing.

About the only thing normal the last two weeks has been the elevation as lake levels are staying relatively stable. TVA’s projection for the weekend will be 359.2, which is only a few short inches above normal summer pool level.

Water color has cleared considerably in most bays and pockets.

Meanwhile, downright hot weather is about to dominate the fishing scene. Daytime highs are forecast to climb into the upper 70’s and low 80’s for several consecutive days.

The dramatic turnaround should stimulate both bluegill and redear to blitz toward shallow spawning beds in the days ahead. A few fish had attempted to head shallow in early May but cold surface temps never allowed them to set up housekeeping.

Anglers seeking out spawning areas have not been able to locate the crater shaped fanning beds with sophisticated sidescan sonar units thus far. Despite numerous attempts fishermen just haven’t been able to locate many spots as the fish have backed off the banks, dropping back to deeper water in response to abnormal conditions.

In normal years active spawning gets underway in early May. The first full moon of May traditionally signals the early phases of spawning have begun but not this year. The next full moon won’t arrive until June 5 but anglers should experience some good fishing this weekend and throughout next week.

Fishermen all across the region are hoping the slow start will result in a fast finish!

Meanwhile, crappie continue to bite and have helped fill in the gap for some anglers. Although scattered in their typical post-spawn pattern, there are still several fish lingering in stakebeds and brushpiles in 8 to 14 foot depths.

Anglers fishing live minnows have managed to find enough fish to keep their attention. A few boats are still long lining Road Runners over midrange flats or back in large bays at times too. However, vertical presentations of jigs and minnows have worked pretty well with several dark colored males still showing up in the creel.

Watch for crappie to hang out for quite some time in the midrange depths. It’s not unusual for some good catches to be taken between now and the end of June in midrange structure.

Catfishermen have scored some decent stringers but they too are tired of putting up with the unstable weather and cold temps.

The fish are still attempting to spawn around rocky banks. The bite should hold up for another week or two if not longer. A lot of catfish will seek out spawning bluegill beds and feed on the fry once the bluegill eggs hatch.

Bass anglers had to back off the banks lately in response to the falling surface temps. Most reports indicate a lot of fish dropped back to ledges and humps, vacating shallow weedbeds and buck bushes that had appealed to them in warmer days during late April.

More than a few bass fishermen feel the spring spawn never really got underway. Several feel the females backed off their bedding attempts when cold weather drove them out and interrupted their early attempts to begin fanning.

Perhaps the bass, bluegill and redear will adjust and reset their biological clocks, setting the stage for a late spring spawn. That certainly appears to be the case at the present time.

There’s still ample time for some great bedding bluegill and shellcracker (redear) action to take place. Same goes for shallow patterns to resume for bass as they return to the shoreline habitat and begin spawning in grass and bushes.

Stability may finally arrive in terms of temperatures for area anglers, most of whom have never seen a spring quite like this one.

Better apply the sunscreen in liberal fashion. Sounds like the coveralls can finally go back in the closet. Soon anglers will be wishing for light breezes and cloud cover to filter that hot sun.

What a spring it has been!!!



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