September Fishing Scene Changes
Written by Steve McCadams - Published on September 4, 2020
With the first day of fall less than three weeks away---it officially begins September 22nd---Kentucky Lake anglers are anxious to put the summer heat and humidity in the rearview mirror.
If you glance at the long range weather forecast it appears a significant change will take place beginning the middle of next week. Cooler days are on the way and dramatic drops in temperatures will see nighttime lows dip down to the upper 50’s and low 60’s!
That will really change the whole fishing scene and make it feel like fall has arrived early. Meanwhile, pretty much everyone is talking about the abundance of rain as no one can remember getting this much in the late August and early September time frame.
Although elevation on Kentucky Lake has continued to fall on a slow and gradual basis the last week to ten days, abundant rain from frequent thunderstorms has drenched an already saturated region. Sooner or later the reservoir should reflect the massive runoff but TVA’s forecast going into the long Labor Day holiday period says the reservoir will be down to 356.4.
That reading is several inches below the elevation from last week at this time. Water color remains clear.
Surface temperatures have stayed in the 85 to 86 degree range. Hot and muggy conditions have dominated the fishing scene as even early morning outings faced high humidity.
Crappie fishermen have managed to catch enough fish to keep it interesting during the dog days of summer. A few fish have lingered in the 14-foot depth range the last few weeks and anglers working manmade fish attractors have landed fish.
The rash of cloudy days and frequent rains have actually helped the summer bite some mornings.
Most anglers are using jigs and tipping them with minnows to entice bites. The fish have been sluggish and bites are light. Some fishermen are just tipping a 1/16-ounce size jig with Berkley Power bait crappie nibbles in white and chartreuse colors and fooling a few finicky fish into biting.
Popular jig colors have range from blue/chartreuse to pink/pearl bodies with some using pink and green leadheads. Solid body jigs have worked well but so have some hair jigs.
Some boats have been observed tightlining main lake ledges with bottom bumping minnow rigs or just vertical fishing jigs worked slowly around deep submerged structure along the deep sides of drop-offs with mediocre results. Depths of 20 to 23 feet have given up some scattered fish at times.
Watch for more fish to move up to shallow and midrange depths in the near future if cooler temps arrive and pull the surface temps down. More baitfish are likely to move up quickly by late next week in response to the cool snap.
Bass fishermen continue to struggle in their quest to located consistent numbers of decent size fish. A variety of locations and depths are being fished this time of year as the summer pattern lingers and has most boats still favoring the ledge style of fishing.
Some anglers have been working the backs of big bays, especially on the east side of the reservoir, looking for shad schools meandering about. Tossing Rattle Traps and similar lure selections can sometimes help anglers find some schooling fish as the pattern allows the user to fan cast over large areas and just cover a lot of water.
The fish are sometimes roaming and chasing shad so they aren’t relating to structure. However, that pattern has been somewhat inconsistent as of late.
The overall bite has been sluggish. Perhaps the approaching cool snap will lower surface temps and puts some pep in the step of lethargic bass.
Catfishermen have benefited from additional current in the main river channel this week. Odds are current will continue in the aftermath of heavy rains lately across the region as more runoff enters the reservoir.
The bite should hold up as long and the current remains as that stimulate baitfish activity along the riverbank with depths of 20 to 30 feet being productive.
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