Fishing Report Archives

Although summer doesn’t officially arrive on the calendar until June 20 this year, the fish on Kentucky Lake always seem to enter their summer patterns a bit earlier. In fact, they’ve been acting like summer got here about two weeks ago.

The last week to ten days several species are already showing a transition toward their summer hangouts as surface temperatures warm and the season changes.

Lake levels this week are still hanging around the normal summer pool elevation of 359. The reservoir has been relatively stable lately with slight variations. Surface temperatures have warmed to the upper’s 70’s as warm days and humid nights are influencing the fishing scene.

Water color is clear. Overall the lake looks good for bass, crappie, bluegill and catfishing conditions.

Anglers should soon see the start of the annual mayfly hatches as it always begins in mid-June and lasts throughout the summer up until mid-September.

Mayflies always appeal to a wide variety of fish, especially influencing bass and bluegill to hang around shallow shorelines and main river islands where overhanging willow trees attract the multitude of nature’s buffet.

Bass fishermen are finding the bite pretty good on main lake ledges but there’s still ample activity around shallow grassbeds, buck bushes and blowndown trees where schools of pin minnows are beginning to school as the shad fry hatch out.

Tossing a spinnerbait with a gold willow leaf blade accompanied by a blue/chartreuse skirt has been paying off as have Texas rigged worms in the pumpkin pepper color range. Topwater action has been good at times with buzzbaits and jerk baits working well as have floating fluke style worms and frogs.

Kentucky Lake always seems to offer more than one pattern for bass anglers. The ledge bite is underway as those tossing big deep diving crankbaits are out there covering a lot of water and playing the current at times. Some nice smallmouth are showing up out there too.

Depths of 9 to 15 feet have been giving up some good stringers as anglers target the ledges with their sophisticated sonar units such as Garmin’s Livescope and Humminbird Mega Live. Also working out on the main lake ledges are swim baits, Carolina rigged craws and worms plus jig and craw combo hopped around sloping sandbars where anglers target schools of baitfish.

Crappie are in post-spawn phase and have moved off the banks and out to midrange depths of 10 to15 feet. A few fish have been found in less water but the majority of the nice catches are coming from anglers using minnows and slow trolling or pushing multipoles rigs in main lake venues.

Some catches were credited lately to boaters trolling crankbaits. Pulling the medium size crankbaits such as Bandit’s 300 series in pearl, chrome/black and various shad colors has been catching a lot of crappie, along with scores of catfish too.

Catfish are transitioning out to main lake ledges and along the main river channel lately. Depths of 20 to 30 feet are holding a lot of catfish and whenever there’s current moving the bite is on.

Baits of choice have been nightcrawlers.

Most anglers are bumping bottom but using a double hook bait presentation and finding some fish suspended up off the bottom as times.

Good numbers have been taken in the last few days and the cats should stay on the prowl out there on the main river ledge areas for the next few weeks.

Another pattern producing is jug fishing. Allowing multiple float devices to drift along in the wind has always been a popular summer method of catching catfish. Styrofoam homemade devices rigged with a heavy sinker and weight then allowed to move with the wind or current will produce fish if set at the right depth.

The summer scene has already kicked off so get out there and join the fun.