Fishing Report Archives

Hello from the Skeeter Solera. Wind and cold have been the be key elements lately.

Kentucky Lake is still clear and a foot below summer pool. The rains we had earlier in the week did little to change either of those conditions. I am getting concerned about the numbers of crappie we are cleaning that are still holding eggs. Stable water levels, in my mind, should have made for good spawn conditions but these one-after-another cold fronts may have discouraged many crappie from spawning. We’ll see.

One thing that is a bright point for the future is the sheer volume of 6-8 inch crappie we are catching on crankbaits. We are having to constantly check our baits for small fish that are so aggressive they will hit a bait 1/3 their body size.

Their shape and small profile makes them almost impossible to detect while pulling planer boards or long lining cranks. We are missing lots of big crappie bites when tiny crappie have already latched onto the baits. If you will look back a couple of years at my reports, I told of the same events and said those tiny crappie will make for a wonderful catch in a couple of years. This spring has produced the largest average size crappie in memory for most. Let’s hope history repeats itself.

The bluegills and Redears have been in the social media news all spring. Big catches of above-average size panfish have been a big story. While other lakes in our region have gathered all the publicity over the years for panfish, Kentucky and Barkley lakes have steadily drawn increasing numbers of traveling fishermen who cherish the chance to catch trophy Redears or fill coolers full of hand-sized bluegills.

While my reports often touch on catfish, I doubt big numbers of strictly catfish fishermen read them. I’ve got a couple of bones to pick with some of you who do.

1. While one is allowed to put out 50 “jugs” or pool noodles for catfish, is it a good idea to spread them all over a bay where other fishermen have to deal with them constantly? I had to flag a boat down recently that had spread jugs over a 1/2 mile area and after a couple of hours in windy conditions, was trying to round them up.

I had trolled by several that obviously had fish on that had traveled a long way from where the jugs were released. The fishermen who did this also had zero identification on the jugs, a clear violation. Jugs are a good way to put catfish in the freezer but the rest of us don’t want to have to dodge them for hours, or weeks. Many become litter on the banks.

2. Do us all a favor and learn catfish anatomy. There is a white, rubbery part inside the ribcage that is known as the “swim bladder”. When you clean your catfish at a cleaning station and neglect to cut the swim bladder, your catfish will soon magically float to the top then hang around for days so the rest of us can enjoy the sight and smell.

Your identity might not be known but your carnage will be cussed by many. Visitors to our area are very impressed when their first impression of our lake is the putrid smell of rotting catfish. Cut the swim bladder and sink the catfish, Bozo!

Mother’s Day is upon us and Memorial Day will soon be here. Recreational boat traffic is increasing. Not all boating frustration can be blamed on the average boater. Much can be blamed on totally idiotic fishing boat operators.

I was carrying on a conversation with occupants of a nearby boat this week when a guy must have thought we would all be impressed by his rig. He blew between our boats, no more than 30 yards apart, wide open and waved like we were his best friends. Having clients on board, I resisted saluting the guy with a middle finger he deserved. The 1/2 mile of open water behind my boat stayed undisturbed. One boat wake or floating debris could have turned this stupid act into a newsworthy tragedy.

OK. My gripe session is over.

Be careful out there. Idiots do live among us. Wear your life jackets and leave your booze on the bank.

Enjoy our slice of Heaven.