Fishing Report Archives

Seems late January and early February are making up for lost time. The weather lately has reminded outdoorsmen that winter is the season in command and cold, unstable weather is still in the cards.

Both anglers and hunters saw mild conditions dominate the outdoor scene throughout most of December and January. That was nice for winter fishermen but wasn’t favorable to waterfowlers and a variety of other hunters at times. Nonetheless, winter weather is upon us.

A few days earlier this week allowed some decent conditions for winter crappie fishermen across Kentucky Lake but as of late the tide has turned and bone chilling winds and below average temperatures are now calling the shots.

For the approaching weekend the weatherman indicates temps may fall into the single digits a couple of nights and it could be the middle of next week before daytime highs rise above the freezing mark!

The winter fishing scene will likely take a back seat to the weather as anglers stay on shore and put another log on the fire. Hey! It’s that time of year.

Lake levels haven’t been fluctuating much this week and the TVA projects an elevation of 354.5 as the weekend approaches. The reservoir has been sleeping around its normal winter pool level for several weeks.

Surface temperatures have been in the upper 30’s and climbing into the low 40’s at times. No doubt surface temps will drop in the days ahead and shallow bays and some boat ramps may see a little ice forming in the days ahead too if winds subside.

Water color is clear across most of the reservoir.

Earlier this week a few crappie anglers were out testing the water when calm days allowed. Some decent stringers were taken too for some anglers who found the right depths and chose the right colored jig.

Local guide Terry Elliott was one of those as he managed to land a whopping slab crappie on Monday that tipped the scales at 3.48 pounds! That’s a trophy anywhere you go.

Elliott had the fish weighed at Kirk’s Trading Post on certified scales so the weight was accurate. Very few anglers who’ve fished Kentucky Lake can boast accurately of landing a slab crappie right on the threshold of 3 1/2 –pounds.

Lot of anglers estimate big fish but having one accurately weighed on certified scales is the only way to really verify its weight. A tip of the hat to Elliott for catching his trophy slab crappie that reportedly came from the Big Sandy embayment!

Meanwhile, most crappie anglers have been stalking depths of 13 to 15 feet at times and finding a few fish while others are targeting somewhat deeper venues where brush piles and some stumps residing in 18 to 25 foot depths have paid dividends.

Almost all anglers report using a variety of jigs and color combinations. Some are still relying on live minnows fished on bottom bumping rigs or suspended as they slowly maneuvered around with multipole spider rig presentations.

Popular jig colors have ranged from blue/chartreuse to green/chartreuse fished on colored leadheads. From florescent orange to green and blue or even neutral leadheads, seems a variety have worked at times on finicky winter crappie who often show color preferences on any given day.

Water color has a lot to do with color choices and climatic conditions play a role too. That’s why most anglers keep a wide assortment of jig skirt color combinations as well as different colored leadheads in their tackle box.

Size of leadheads can be a factor too. Some anglers are using 1/8-ounce leadheads when fishing deep water or going even heavier at times to a ¼-ounce offering. Others prefer to stay with a small leadhead yet supplement the presentation with a light lead split-shot crimped a few inches above the jig so as to add weight and allow the angler more sensitivity when fishing deeper depths.

Tipping jigs with minnows is always an option and some anglers prefer to go with a minnow only presentation. At times both seem to work.

It’s a trial and error approach most of the time. Some fishermen have their favorite color combinations but practically all have a potpourri of jig skirt shapes and colors in their arsenal.

Some are using tube style skirts while others prefer a solid body style. Others like a hair jig and tip it with various scent attractants. And that live minnow presentation will always be on the menu too!

As colder weather approaches and surface temperatures drop watch for more crappie to fall back deeper as that’s usually their response as the shad retreat to deeper water with the crappie hot on their trail.