Fishing Report Archives

I don’t know how to say "Hey Yall" in Eskimo, so I’ll just have to say HEY! The Storm Cat is in deep hibernation right now.

We have had more than our share of winter, all in the last week. A person can only organize the boat, clean out tackle boxes, spool new line on the reels, and get ready for spring just so much. I have been playing around with tying jigs for a few years. This year I got SERIOUS!

I bought a new carbon fiber fly vice to replace the junker I had bought a couple of years ago. A good mechanic knows you don't work with junk tools. Fly-tyers are the same. Ken McGregor at Ken’s TBC in Lake City loves to see me drive up. He stocks a huge selection of lures, line and terminal tackle, one of the largest selections around of lead molds for jigs and sinkers, AND a huge selection of thread, feathers, bucktails, and all the other things a fly-(or jig)tyer could want. Ken was a friend of my Dad’s since the 60s, when Dad ran Port Ken-Bar (now Green Turtle Bay).

A jig-tyer must be like a painter of wonderful paintings. You have to have an idea in your head as to what you want the finished product to look like before you ever pick up the thread. Vicki is losing her sense of humor with deer tails, squirrel tails, feathers, hooks of all kinds, and a collection of boxes to hold it all finding its way first to her desk then to the snack bar.

Thank goodness her love for me is stronger than her sense of humor. She has even found herself inspecting my finished products. I’ll never consider selling them, but it is nice to be able to stock up with colors that can’t be found in a bait shop. Hopefully the crappie won’t mind something out of place.

I got a call from Nancy at the West KY Boat Show that the show has been cancelled. Covid, decisions from vendors, slow products from suppliers to boat companies, several other things went into the decision, not to mention all the social distancing rules and decreased seating for seminars made the decision a logical one. I know many folks will be disappointed, me included. Next year’s show is scheduled for January 21-23, 2022.

The lakes are obviously iced over and most, if not all, ramps are frozen in. Trying to launch a boat for several days will no-doubt result in trailer damage and possibly boat damage. I remember checking the ramp at Kenlake State Park several years ago. It was the sight of several broken trailer light lenses that told me a few more days were necessary before I was willing to try it.

Shawn from Explore Kentucky Lake filmed with his drone this week. The shots from well above the lake are amazing. Check them out on Facebook. Lots of the views may not be seen again in these parts for years.

Vicki will be helping me spool my longline trolling reels with K9 fluorocarbon line. I can’t say she is fond of this task, but she is looking forward to her first official fishing trip in the new Storm Cat 230.

My hip replacement last fall knocked us out of a planned 4-day trip to Green River Lake. She was going to help me pre-fish for the Crappie USA Classic. Justin and I qualified for it but for the second year in a row, health issues kept me out of commission. With all my new parts, I’m careful around magnets but haven’t felt better in years. I’m so looking forward to getting back in the boat with clients and putting baits in the water.

I’m now booking for the 2021 fishing season. Calls have been coming in steadily, but I still have several dates. Waiting until closer to a planned trip to the lakes may find me booked up. Early is always better when searching for dates with a guide.

Be sure to check your chosen launch ramp before trying to launch. Please keep in mind that even though the area around the ramp may be clear of ice, floating ice is no friend of boat hulls. Large areas of floating ice can be covered with a skim of water and a huge unseen hazard. Several years ago, I was running 50 mph south of Kenlake when I saw a raft of ducks. I thought it would be fun to scare them up by running toward them. To my horror, the raft of ducks turned out to be a group of duck DECOYS frozen into a 100 foot across sheet of ¾ inch thick ice. My Skeeter bass boat bore the scars of that mistake forever. I did get a couple of dozen new unmarked duck decoys.

Get all your gear ready so when the weather does break, you’ll be ready. Check out YouTube for videos on the newest methods of fishing you choose. It is a wealth of information and has helped me a bunch to learn how to tie crappie jigs. Just don’t critique them if you see them hanging on a rod in my boat. Michael Jordan took some practice before he could make his high school team. I’m practicing.

Be careful out there!

Welcome to our Slice of Heaven!