Doug Wynn

Hello from the Excel Bay Pro 230 Elite. It’s been a while! I took off a couple of months to do some home remodeling and honey-dos. My Dad was a great carpenter and taught me a lot. Sadly, I’ve forgotten most of it. Trial and error turned into mostly error the first time around. One thing I did remember from Dad was how to pull out bent nails. Thank goodness for Harbor Freight and air nailers!

I installed laminate flooring in our bedroom and bathroom. You have no idea how much fun that is on replaced knees, hips, and lower back fusions. It was work an hour and sit an hour. It’s hard to make good time that way. Miss Vicki did get a new walk-in shower and walk-in closet where a garden tube used to reside.

I was off the lake for several weeks for this project. I kept hearing voices from my boat garage. I think it was the 230 Elite calling my name. I’m sure it was lonely. It did get a couple of new Humminbird Solix 12 units when the remodel work was done.

I’ve kept up with fishing reports and lake conditions here. With lower lake levels and lower temperatures(mid 70s), the migration toward major creeks by baitfish and gamefish has started.

The lake levels are now four feet below summer pool and with the extended dry period we have just gone thru, the lake is clear but many bays and creeks are covered with a thin skim of sticky crud that makes keeping one’s boat clean a hard task. This crud is worse on days with little to no wind. While it has no effect on the fish or fishing, it is aggravating.

Last week I had the pleasure of having a fellow Off Shore Tackle Pro Staffer , Tyler Logsdon, and a co-worker of his aboard my boat. We fished main lake ledges and channels along with the mouths of a couple of bays. We found the crappie, yellow bass, catfish, and largemouth bass eager to smash our crankbaits.

While the trophy sized crappie were scarce, the fish that were short of keeper size in the spring are now well over the 10 inch size limit. Several of the yellow bass were exceptional size. All in all it was a great trip for Tyler’s friend who had never fished KY Lake or trolled crankbaits. He left with a gallon bag of fillets for his family.

We fished areas from 12 feet to 20 feet deep with cover like stumps and stakebeds. Fish were scattered and we covered a lot of water. When we got in the shallower areas, our baits were most often attacked by yellow bass. These great table fare fish were spending their time chasing bait on top of main lake flats.

Looking at the 10 day forecast, we should see fishing pick up as the daily high temperatures moderate. We were shocked by the absolute lack of boat traffic on the lake. My guests questioned this, wanting to know if that was the norm.

I’m now booking fall and early winter trips. I have several dates open.

If you are interested in fishing Dale Hollow Lake or Lake Cumberland as well as Lake Erie, you can reach my buddy Tyler Logsdon at (502)974-6418. He guides for crappie, stripers/hybrids, and walleyes.

Be careful out there. Cooler air and water temperatures make an accidental dunking much more dangerous. I carry extra clothes plus rain gear should this happen. Be observant of shallow areas and the gremlins that hide there. Areas that were safe to navigate just a few weeks ago can now be dangerous. Being broken down on the lake this time of the year can be a lonely proposition.

Get out there and get after them. Fall can be some of the best fishing of the year.

Welcome to our slice of Heaven.