Fishing Report Archives

Each passing day brings the annual spawning ritual for Kentucky Lake a little bit closer. We’re not there yet but the gap has narrowed.

Fishermen have dodged wind and thunderstorms this week in their efforts to locate prespawn crappie. It has been vintage March weather; one or two warm sunny days with light winds sandwiched between a flurry of windy days and unruly thunderstorms.

March Madness isn’t just for the basketball courts!

Several decent stringers of crappie have been taken lately despite inclement weather patterns that dictated where and how anglers could fish the open water areas. The wind giveth and it taketh away!

As the crappie spawn nears fishermen are seeing fish transitioning from deep venues to midrange depths this week with some already heading toward the backs of some bays in 4 to 6 foot depths. Most of the fish appear to be staging in midrange depths of 8 to 12 feet, waiting on warmer surface temps to stimulate the next step.

This week surface temps hovered around the 55 to 59 degree range. Some shallow bays even recorded 60-degree water!. Fish are on the threshold of making a blitz toward spawning structure and male crappie will soon patrol some shallow gravel banks as they are usually the first ones to show up in the shallows.

Watch for a lot of movement to take place next week if warm sunny days show up. Once surface temps reach the low 60’s---and that’s likely to begin by the middle of next week---crappie will move up daily in response to warmer water and occupy shallow structure in preparation for spawning. Stability in temperatures is important to kick start spawning.

Depths of 4 to 8 feet should really harbor some early spawning phase fish. Male crappie should begin sporting a darker color too, which is a response to hormonal changes. That’s another signal spawning is close at hand.

Water color was in pretty good shape throughout Big Sandy and West Sandy at midweek but the aftermath of a Thursday thunderstorm could send runoff and stained water to the backwaters areas by this weekend.

Lake levels have been rising slowly this week as TVA has been releasing a large volume of water from Pickwick Lake into Kentucky Lake this week. Presently lake stages are in the 356.3 range in the Kentucky Dam sector. Upstream around New Johnsonville the elevation is higher with readings in the 358 range as the water pushes through.

The reservoir is about two feet above its normal winter pool level for late March. TVA may continue to pull the reservoir down some next week but normal spring filling begins on April 1 each year. Just how low TVA pulls the lake back down remains to be seen but once filling begins in early April the objective of summer pool elevation of 359 isn’t scheduled until May 1.

It’s fair to say fish are on the move with both changing lake levels and warmer surface temps underway stimulating their restlessness.

Boaters using long line techniques and trolling Road Runner style jigs with chartreuse tails and florescent orange heads have chalked up decent stringers as of late.

Most are targeting the 12-foot depth range as fish are staging out over midrange flats and back in some large bays awaiting surface temps to reach the low 60’s before making a blitz toward a more structure oriented mood.

Other techniques producing have been spider rig style presentations where anglers slowly push jigs and minnows over open water zones all the time experimenting with depth. Some boats using the side pulling technique are also finding fish as they cover a lot of water in a zig-zag trolling pattern.

Also finding buried treasures have been those anglers vertical fishing jigs and minnows over manmade fish attractors. They’ve had to make several stops to accumulate a limit at times but it’s sort of trial and error as to which beds are holding fish. Some boats are relying on Livescope sonar units to help them eliminate dead water.

Also worthy of consideration have been casting techniques. Tossing white and chartreuse grubs around submerged structure in the 12 foot depth range has been effective at times too.

Crappie anglers better be prepared; these next two weeks are generally peak times for Kentucky Lake’s crappie spawn. Watch for things to change quickly once warm days dominate.

Bass anglers are finding decent stringers these days as they beat the banks with assorted crankbaits and spinnerbaits. Early spring has always been a Mecca for crankbait style bass fishing as the abundance of rocky banks, gravel roadbeds and rip-rap always appeal to prespawn bass.

Rattle traps and similar style lures choices have paid dividends lately as have both shallow running and deep running crankbaits in a variety of colors once the water began to clear up from the muddy conditions that dominated the previous two weeks.

Spinnerbaits with big gold willow leaf blades have fooled a few fish lately and will continue to be popular choices in the weeks ahead. Some anglers were tossing Alabama rigs too around bridges or mud bars where current was present.

The main river area has had a lot of current lately and that will continue to be part of the bass picture for another week or more.

Stickups in shallow bays and along shorelines will continue to attract bass as they follow rising lake levels that are heating up.

Spring has sprung!