Fishing Report Archives

Must be a new weatherman taking over! Kentucky Lake’s fishing scene has been the beneficiary of ideal fishing conditions this week as warm sunny days descended and helped jumpstart the annual spawning phases of crappie.

If you’re waiting for good fishing time to begin then wait no longer! It’s here and underway.

This week’s extended spell of nice weather has been the best stretch for fishermen all year. The change came at an ideal time too as the crappie are in high gear and ready to spawn as we speak.

Anglers up and down the reservoir have logged some hefty catches this week too. Both the fish and the fishermen have taken advantage of the warming trend which was accompanied by light and variable winds all week.

That is a dramatic turnaround from what the area has tolerated these last few weeks. Winter seemed to extend its stay and hung around in early April, sending challenging conditions to weary fishermen. Looks like we’ve turned the corner toward better days. Active spawning phases are now underway as surface temperatures climbed into the 63 to 66 degree range at midweek. Some shallow bays were even warmer than that at times and reached the 68 degree mark in some spots.

That has really put the crappie in the mood and the bite this week has improved with each passing day.

In addition to rising surface temperatures have come rising lake levels. The reservoir at midweek was resting at an elevation of 357.5 in the Kentucky Dam sector.

That’s several inches higher than last week at this time and somewhat ahead of Tennessee Valley Authority’s curve. The reservoir had been rising slowly since last week but crested and stabilized at midweek.

So, fishermen have things going their way at the present time. Rapidly moving up toward spawning territory are big slab crappie.

Several fish eclipsing the two-pound mark have been taken the last few days. Females are bloated with eggs and weighing heavy right now.

Daily checks at cleaning tables indicate most of the fish had not spawned at midweek but were right on the verge of it.

Rising water has pushed most of the dingy color back so the reservoir is clearing. Actually anglers were hoping to hold on to a little stained water as that help filter bright sunlight and aids the shallow bite. Crappie get spooking in shallow water once clear conditions take over.

They are indeed light sensitive. That’s why early morning and late afternoon lowlight conditions can enhance the shallow bite. So can a few cloudy or rain days aided by a little chop on the water.

Meanwhile, nice stringers were taken in 5 to 9 foot depths these last few days throughout Big Sandy and West Sandy.

At the same time some boats using long lining techniques were working the deeper zones of 12 to 14 feet and finding decent numbers there too as some fish were staging out away from shallow bays and shorelines.

That’s not unusual as all the crappie don’t necessarily spawn at the same time. Right now the fish are showing that scenario with some already moving up and about to to spawn while others are still hanging out in some of the main lake areas and staging or suspending in midrange depths with a slightly different timetable.

The biological clock is already ticking prime time for a lot of fish. Anglers are scoring hefty stringers as the fish relate to structure in shallow areas, ready to broadcast their eggs.

A lot of boats are just drift fishing over flats on the main lake and back in bays. By slowly moving along they are drifting slip-bobber rigs set at various depths as the wind moves them along. Live minnows have worked well this week as boats drift their bait presentations just above the bottom.

Others are opting to target structure and vertical fishing jigs and live minnows right smack dab in the face of crappie that are hanging around the submerged structure and ready to spawn. They too are doing well as they target the 6 to 12 foot zones.

Some boats are casting jigs at times or slip bobber rigs as well with live bait. Even bank fishermen have managed to land some decent stringers again this week. A lot of nice dark male crappie have moved up on shallow gravel and rocky shorelines. Tossing a twister tail grub or even tube skirted jigs have paid dividends as more fish move shallow.

Areas such as Swamp Creek and the basin behind Sulphur Well Island have been popular choices as has West Sandy and up Big Sandy around the New Hope and Country Junction sector.

The flats around the power lines in Big Sandy are starting to see more activity as well. Boats using spider rig techniques or those just slow trolling or long lining Road Runner style jigs are catching good numbers as they move about and cover a lot of water.

The next few days will see a lot of crappie dropping their eggs. Spring has sprung.

Bass fishermen got to see rising lake levels inundate some shallow weed patches this week that were too shallow to fish last week. Once the reservoir started rising last weekend it jumped rather fast.

Endless stretches of yellow flowers and water willow weeds have enough water to hold bass. Shallow shorelines should produce fish as more males move in and await the arrival of females going on bed.

Clear water has opened up the topwater bite this week as warm surface temps have changed things rather quickly.

From floating worms and lizards to Texas rigged craws, the shallow bite is on as anglers lay off shore and makes some long casts so as not to spook the fish in the clear, shallow water. Tossing a jerk bait has entered the picture too as rising water coincides with warming surface temperatures.

Still on the menu are sloping points as bass stage there before moving into shallow bays and pockets. Carolina rigged craws and lizards will work well in such areas while spinnerbaits are worthy of consideration around any shallow stickups or blowdowns.

Some smallmouth were still being taken by anglers working the eastern side of the lake where rock banks and bluffs were holding some spawning fish.

Roadbeds and rip-rap rock banks are still producing bass too as crankbaits always seem to produce in such areas as bass await rising water levels before moving toward the backs of bays and around shoreline habitat.

Spring fishing is alive and well on Kentucky Lake thanks to a nice week of weather that improved the attitude of most everyone.