Fishing Report Archives

It’s that time of the year when things happen fast in the fishing world. Since last week surface temperatures have heated up and lake levels have been rising too.

Kentucky Lake’s fishing scene has seen dramatic changes since last week as crappie are making a blitz toward shallow spawning areas and are now on the threshold of active spawning phases.

Once that biological clock starts ticking seems things speed up as to the movement and whereabouts of the area’s most popular panfish. Despite a rash of in-climate weather still dealing the cards seems the crappie are pretty much on schedule as traditionally the annual ritual begins the first week to ten days of April here on the big pond.

Several signs are pointing toward the beginning of spawning phases: surface temperatures have warmed this week up to the 61 to 64 degree range; fish are moving up shallow; females are bloated with eggs; male crappie are showing their darkening hormonal change and anglers are catching them while fishing from shorelines.

Generally speaking spawning really kicks into gear when surface temps reach the 62 to 66 degree range and stays there a few days. Cool fronts can sometimes put the brakes on and and slow things down a bit but all signs indicate crappie are now on the doorstep and ready to get the show on the road.

Water levels have been a bit ahead of schedule and a few inches above the schedule of Tennessee Valley Authority’s spring curve which normally begins April 1. At midweek the reservoir was rising slowly with a reading of 355.9 Wednesday at Kentucky Dam.

TVA’s curve would normally start out from the low ebb of winter pool---which is around the 354 elevation range---and slowly climb throughout the month of April with a target date of summer pool elevation of 359 on or around May 1.

Rainfall amounts often change lake levels and can sometimes upset the applecart of Kentucky Lake crappie fishermen anxious to fish peak spawning time.

Water color has been showing a bit of stain in the backs of bays but sporting a good color for fishing.

Still annoying anglers have been high winds. Some days it has been a gale out there! It has been tough to hold the boat in place most days.

Last week storms passed through the Kentucky Lake region with tornado warnings all over the place. The winds lingered into this week as whitecaps have been abundant across open water.

Temperatures have been on the rise with a drastic change on Tuesday to 86 degrees! Cooler days were forecast to follow and will slowly moderate by this weekend. That’s a bit of a hurdle for fishermen yearning to get the spawn fishing phases going but warm days---highs will return to the low to mid 70’s--- are in the forecast for next week.

Although a few females may start dropping eggs by this weekend odds are next week’s warmup will really trigger aggressive activity. Look for peak spawning to hit the next week or so assuming no cold fronts slip in the door.

I’ve been monitoring the eggs from females at the fish cleaning tables and once they soften up and take on a bloody tint it indicates the time is right and they seek structure and begin broadcasting their egg sac. Male crappie are already shallow and waiting for the bell to ring.

Several nice stringers have been taken this week across the reservoir and with a variety of techniques. Bank fishermen are casting slip bobbers with minnows or small jigs and picking them up as the fish move in.

Out from the bank boaters are casting jigs around gravel and rocky points while other techniques of spider rigs slow trolled over shallow sandbars and in the upper third of bays are also paying dividends.

Tightling techniques fishing jigs or minnows around submerged structure such as stumps, brushpiles or manmade fish attractors are giving up nice stringers too. Jigs such a tube skirt or the solid body Bobby Garland style grub are working well with a wide variety of colors appealing.

Out on the main lake areas some boats are long lining Road Runner style jigs and doing good as they cover a lot of water and have been targeting the 7 to 13 foot depth range lately. However, some credited their catch to shallow depths of 3 to 5 feet as the fish are on the move.

Trolling crankbaits is another technique used by some boaters and they too have been catching decent numbers. Out on the main lake areas some fishermen are drifting and just bumping bottom as the wind moves them along while also using slip-bobbers to regulate their depth and keep the bait up off the bottom.

Windy days have required some drift fishermen in the open lake areas to apply drift socks so as to slow their boat speed down.

There’s always a few boats using a vertical presentation of both jigs and minnows out on the main lake sandbars. They bump bottom and look for structure. Depths of 12 to 18 feet can still produce some fish even when the lion’s share are headed toward shallow zones to spawn.

Seems there’s always a potpourri of patterns working for the wide variety of fishermen using them this time of year.

Bass are responding to the rising surface temps too and males have already started relating to shallow shorelines as they take on an attitude. According to a recent report from Kentucky Fish and Wildlife as they monitor the bass spawning timetable a few early females are already underway.

Shorelines are still a couple of feet away from having enough water to inundate grassbeds, buck bushes and those popular yellow flowers that grow abundantly along island rims and throughout bays. Some of those yellow flower type weeds bloomed early this year.

Bass love them and they provide great spawning areas. Meanwhile, shallow gravel banks and roadbeds are still holding fish, especially pockets and banks in the upper ends of bays where warmer surface temperatures are present compared to main lake areas.

Tossing a Texas rigged lizard or craw around shallow shorelines is working well as are shallow running crankbaits. Bass are indeed staging in shallow pockets off the main lake and ready to move up as the big females migrate inward.

Some anglers are tossing spinnerbaits around any stickups they encounter plus working blowdown trees and logs. And, with rising surface temps some topwater in the form of floating fluke style worms will be another popular choice in the early spring arsenal.

It’s transition time on Kentucky Lake as changing lake levels team up with rising surface temperatures to stimulate a mood swing for both bass and crappie.