Doug Wynn

Hey folks from the Skeeter Solera.

We've been needing rain for some time. As usually happens, Mother Nature waited until a holiday weekend to try to eliminate our rain deficit. Ky Lake is at summer pool and clear. I was at Dale Hollow Lake several days ago and it is 10 feet BELOW summer pool. We can be thankful we aren’t dealing with that. 

The last couple of weeks have seen us pick up some giant crappie, lots of nice crappie, white bass, and a few big sauger. I'm having to search deeper channels and drops as the post-spawn gamefish start their summer migration to deeper main lake areas with more current. They follow the new shad minnows as well as other fish species. Most of these gamefish will stay in deeper haunts until early fall when the migration reverses. That doesn't mean all the crappie and other fish leave our favorite areas, many will stay in familiar territory all year.

The bluegills and Redears have slowed down until the 2nd full moon this month on May 31st. I spent several hours earlier this week side scanning known beds, most that were recently active. Very few contained active bluegill action. The ones that did were average sized fish. My client was looking for a trophy bluegill or Redear but I failed to find any. He caught several hand-sized gills but not the giant he wanted.

My calendar gets marked up on holiday weekends so I can have some time off and not have to deal with the hustle of the recreational traffic. I laughed at a former Ky Lake guide friend of mine who told me he charged double his daily rate on holiday weekends and hoped nobody called. The time off does me better. 

My recent report about jug fishing raised some reader hackles. All were respectful and gave me the chance to explain in detail my reasons for my comments. Maybe it does us all some good to get feedback. In my case, it lets me know I have readership from local and non-resident areas. I do appreciate each and every one.

Maybe after the rains pass we can get some days where the winds aren’t whipping up the main lake so much. We have dealt with higher-than-I-like winds all spring. I recently had a client who insisted we go out onto the main lake and try some of my spots there. The 3-foot rollers soon had us back into the bay. I told him those were not the kinds of waves one can experience on Ky and Barkley lakes should one get caught by a storm or shifting weather pattern and find yourself across the lake from safety. I’ve seen far too many 5-6 footers in my decades on the lakes. I’ve seen seasoned boaters and fishermen too scared to cross back to safety until the waves calmed down. I just saw news about a rescue on Lake Erie. There were 3 fishermen, ages 65-81, in a 17 foot aluminum boat that got swamped offshore when a storm blew in. Two were saved quickly but one was in the water for almost 6 hours! Luckily all are OK. Taking chances on a big lake can end tragically. We all need to be reminded at times.

Be careful out there! Keep your head on a swivel for those who refuse to watch out for you. They do exist in big numbers. Wear your PFDs and leave the booze on the bank. Enjoy the holiday. I will.

Welcome to our slice of Heaven.