Fishing Report Archives

Could be a rare rainy weekend coming, setting the stage for an approaching cold front that may bring a big dose of real fall weather to the region.

Both anglers and archery hunters have been yearning for arrival of some cooler conditions.

Lake levels were down to 354.9 this week and that’s the lowest elevation so far this fall. Water color remains clear as not much rain has fallen lately. Surface temperatures were around the 72 to 73 degree range lately but it appears cooler days are in the forecast for next week so surface temps will fall.

Odds are by the middle of next week Kentucky Lake surface temps will fall into the low 60’s.

A slow current is present in the main Tennessee River channel as TVA has only been releasing around 23,000 to 26,000 cfs (cublic feet per second) through Kentucky Dam this week. Not much rain has fallen in the region thus far this fall.

Fall fishing has had some pretty nice weather as of late although a few days of northeast winds earlier this week seemed to have a negative impact on the overall bite. Those high pressure days when there’s not a cloud cover in the sky are pretty to look at but sometimes tough on the overall bite of bass, crappie and catfish.

A little cloud cover and chance of rain are in the forecast this weekend and that could help stimulate the bass and crappie bite which has been somewhat sluggish at times.

It appears a significant drop in temperatures will occur by the middle of next week across the region. The long range forecast indicates day time highs will only be in the low to mid 60’s several consecutive days. Nighttime lows are expected to drop down around the 40-degree range!

Mild weather has been the story this fall for Kentucky Lake’s fishing scene but it appears that’s about to change. Anglers can expect winds to shift to the northwest as the cool front approaches. No doubt everyone outdoors will be adding another layer soon to their fall attire.

Crappie have been fair for some anglers fishing both jigs and minnows around 10 to 14 foot depths. Some boats reported having to back out even deeper to the 16 to 18 foot range at times to find scattered crappie. Live minnows have been working well. Some are tipping their jig with a minnow to entice finicky fish to bite.

Those targeting shallow structure have had pretty tough going as of late. Not many fish had moved up to shallow brushpiles and stakebeds like they usually do by early to mid-October.

Perhaps the higher surface temps had an influence on the shad moving up. Whatever the reason it seems those fishing shallow have struggled to establish a consistent fish catching pattern.

It will be interesting to see how the approaching cold front and falling surface temperatures influences crappie to move up to shallow zones.

Bass have been sluggish for most. A few success stories from boats working big rock shorelines with shad color crankbaits at times. Others have targeting boathouses while fishing a shallow running crankbait or dragging a Carolina rigged worm or swim bait.

Not much success has come from bass fishermen tossing a topwater jerk bait but that can change quickly out there once cloudy or rainy days arrive and the shad move up.

Catfishing has been sluggish for those fishing the edges of the river channel whenever current is not moving. That’s always an important factor for catfishermen as they slowly move along the edge of the channel fishing the 35 to 45 foot depth range. As they slowly bump bottom and move along with the current they usually encounter bait fish activity.

That hasn’t been too favorable as of late. The catfish bite can change from day to day depending on how the current is flowing.

All boaters need to be extra cautious when running up and down the lake this time of year, especially if you leave secondary channels and run the backwater zones.