Lake Conditions:  Fair - 51° / Lake Temperature  77° - 355.14'
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Fall is Coming Soon!

Written by Brandon Hunter - Published on September 19, 2025

Hello from Kentucky Lake! It's hard to believe that summer has come and gone. The fishing throughout the summer here has been great. The numbers of fish and bait that has returned to Kentucky Lake in such a short period of time is incredible. It wasn't that long ago we were facing some very challenging years and I am happy to say, it's coming back fast. Fall temperatures were welcomed recently with some really nice days. Unfortunately, air temps reached back up into the 90s and feels like late summer again. It hasn’t rained in what seems like months and trees are already starting to change due to lack of rain and being so dry. Fishing has been a little tricky. Here's the scoop.

Lake Conditions and What's Happening on the Lake

Water Temp: 78-80
Lake Level: 355.5
Water Color: Clean Normal

With summer like air and water temperatures, it's made the fishing a bit of a challenge over the last couple weeks. The first few hours of the day and the last couple hours in the evening are key. You have to take advantage of the cool morings and low light conditions with air temps reaching mid to upper 90s. It looks like we will dip back down into the 70s and 80s next week with some rain changes, so fingers crossed it happens and stays that way.

Bait fish are everywhere right now, deep and shallow. You can target shallow ledges in that 8-12' range with bait and you can fish shallow. For the most part, your fish will be found in less than 10’ of water for the next few months. Rock banks with wood structure are key. Stumps and wood on main lake bars are holding bait fish and some fish can be caught around the wood close to deep water. For you guys that like to cover water, now is the time to cover water. Its hard to put together a consistent pattern right now, but that will change with some cooler weather coming.

A topwater for the first few hours of the day is key right now and getting those few fish first thing in the morning is crucial. Banks that are close to deep water on the main lake have been good with a few numbers to be caught and quality largemouth and smallmouth. I personally cover water this time of year, fishing as many spots as I can throughout the day. When the bite is tough, that's the name of the game is covering water. It's not easy out there, but there are fish to be caught and a fun time to do it with a topwater bait!

Techniques & Where

Topwater- When September gets here, its topwater time! You can cover so much water with a topwater and with some cooler nights, fish are pretty active for the first few hours of the day. Don't give up on it though too quick. With some wind the bite can last well up into the day. This is my go to technique this time of year. Try gravel to big rock transition banks and banks or bars with stumps, laydowns, or big rock just under the water. Fish will get super shallow this time of year.

Specifics – 6th Sense Catwalk, Dogma, Scramble

Colors- Shad Scales, Bone Pearl

Buzzbait- A buzzbait is a great bait to throw in the fall months when temps start cooling down. Shallow laydowns and rock stretches with bait are key. Look for those fish to be on transition banks and up tight to the bank.

Specifics- Nichols Lures Reflex Buzz 3/8oz

Colors- Black with Black Blade or White with Silver Blade

Spinnerbait- It's fall on Kentucky Lake, you have to have a spinnerbait tied on. Fish around balls of bait and shallow structure.

Specifics- Dirty Jigs Tackle Compact Spinnerbait 3/8oz

Colors- Guntersville Shad, White

Swimjig- The Shad on Kentucky Lake are everywhere right now with a lot of shad up shallow. Green Laydowns or wood is key to targeting fish shallow with a Swimjig.

Specifics- Dirty Jigs Swimjigs

Colors- White or Chart Shad

Swimbait- You can catch a few fish right now by covering water with a small swimbait around gravel and bars at the mouth of creeks.

Specifics- 6th Sense Fishing Finesse Swimbait Head 5/16, Divine 3.2 Swimbaits, Ignite 4” Frenzy

Colors- Pro Blue, Platinum White, Kentucky Lake Special

Minnow Bait- A jighead minnow of your choice and a minnow style bait has been proven on smallmouth and largemouth both. FFS is a great tool and it’s proven to be dominate today. When those fish feel pressured, this is a great bait to toss at them to make them bite.

Specifics- 6th Sense Fishing Shindo Shad, Ignite Baits Nicotine Minnow

Colors- Ghost Ice Minnow, Ghost Minnow, Threadfin Shad, Forty4, GBG, Gizzard

Carolina Rig- For you guys that want to slow down and pick an area apart. Ledges in the 8-12’ range that are holding bait, are still holding a few fish. You won’t get a lot of bites, but you can catch some quality. Look for bait and wood structure using your electronics.

Specifics- ½ or ¾ oz weights or 6th Sense Pre Rig, Boosa Shakey Worm, Ridge Lizard, Hogwalla

Colors- Plum Bug, Watermelon Candy

Texas Rig Worm or Big Shakey Head- Both of these techniques are staples on Kentucky Lake when fish get offshore, especially late summer when they move to structure. Stumps and wood structure in 8-12’.

Specifics- 1/4 or 3/8 Weight or Shakey Head, 6th Sense Boosa Ribbon Tail or Boosa Shakey Worm

Colors- Plum Bug, Blue Fleck


*All of the 6th Sense Fishing Baits mentioned in this report can be purchased at 6thsensefishing.com and use code “BHFISHING10” at checkout and save some money.

For those of you who are not familiar with my service, I competed for eight years on the Major League Fishing Tour before deciding to stay home and raise my family. The travel was too much for me with kids at home. Kentucky Lake is a destination lake and I chose to start teaching people what I had learned from so much time traveling the country and my knowledge of fishing offshore. I am a full time, Licensed and Insured Captain, with First Aid and CPR Certification. I offer one-on-one training, technique-specific trips, fun bass fishing trips, and electronics training in your boat. I would love the opportunity to share a day with you in my Vexus VXS21 or in your own boat to get your electronics dialed in. I am here to help you and to help you become a better angler and to give you confidence in your equipment.

If you plan to visit us on the north end of the lake, I want to invite you to our Electronics Shop, Sonar Solutions. We are a full service marine electronics retail and install shop. If you are looking at upgrading your marine electronics, needing products installed, or need help learning about your system, give us a call at 270-460-0733 or visit us online at sonar-solutions.com.

Kentucky Lake Outdoors and Fast Eddie’s are both great tackle shops here on the north end of the lake. Be sure to check them out if you are in the area.

Be sure to follow me on Facebook and Instagram @brandonhunterfishing and @bhunterfishing for anything fishing. Make sure you are following along and subscribe to my YouTube Channel BrandonHunterFishing for updated reports and tips. Please visit brandonhunterfishing.com and shoot me an email to book your next trip. See you on the water!



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