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October 26, 2012
ANGLERS FACING COOL FRONT
Kentucky Lake’s fishing scene has enjoyed several days this week of
great fall weather with cool mornings giving in to warm afternoons.
Temperatures have been in the mid to upper 70’s most days with a day or
two eclipsing the 80 degree mark, a significant contrast to some of the
cool, windy days of last week.
It appears anglers will have to trade in the sunscreen for overcoats
this weekend, however, as another cold front is fast approaching and
expected to blow in this weekend. Saturday’s high is expected to
struggle to reach the mid 50’s as a northwest wind will deliver a
significant change but rain is expected to move out of the area by late
Friday night.
The extended forecast shows several dry days after the cold front with a
slow warm up beginning early next. Fishermen can expect a few days of
high skies in the aftermath of the cold front as a high pressure will
likely follow the initial change but action should resume in a few days
once things settle down.
Surface temperatures this week climbed back into the 64 to 67 degree
range in response to several warm days back to back. Watch for cooler
conditions this weekend to pull that back down into the low 60’s soon.
Lake levels haven’t changed this week as TVA indicates the discharge
rates and inflow have been about the same for several days. Elevation at
Kentucky Dam will be 356.2 going into the weekend. Upstream at New
Johnsonville lake levels will be in the 356.1 range. Water color remains
clear.
Crappie and bass anglers reported some decent stringers again this week,
although there were a few days when fish were sluggish and reluctant to
bite in the mornings when mile high skies likely had a negative impact
on shallow fish.
After some slow starts fish seemed to rebound in the afternoons once
light south winds entered the picture and lowlight conditions stimulated
action.
Crappie had been hitting good lately in the typical midrange depths of 9
to 14 feet but appeared to back off deeper the last few days. More fish
were taken in the Paris Landing area at midweek by anglers working main
lake ledges in depths of 13 to 19 feet.
For some reason the shallow and midrange structure that had been holding
good numbers of fish for several weeks running lost its appeal as fish
backed off toward deeper areas at times. Only a few scattered fish were
taken in midrange areas the last few days.
The transition of fish back toward deeper areas is somewhat puzzling but
all it takes is a cloudy day or two to stimulate the shallow or midrange
activity. Most days this past week have been quite clear and some
stubborn winds were factors at times for anglers attempting to work open
water.
Crappie were taking live minnows and jigs tipped with minnows at times.
Tipping jigs with Berkley Power Bait continues to work well but expect
to encounter some pesky bluegill and yellow bass at times.
Popular jig colors in the clear water have ranged from dark color shades
to some blue/clear, motor oil, and red/blue/white variations.
Bass fishermen seemed to struggle a few days this week with finicky
moods from stubborn bass that were not cooperating. Several days anglers
reported low numbers of fish being caught despite testing the water in
several different areas and with a potpourri of presentations.
While a lot of anglers have been flogging the grassbeds with everything
from spinnerbaits to weedless topwater and Texas rigged worms or fluke
style jerk baits, others were backing off and working main lake ledges
and sloping points with crankbaits and Carolina rigs.
Other popular patterns at times have been tossing shad colored
crankbaits and Rattle Trap style lures on mud flats where some schooling
fish observed chasing shad.
Schooling bass are often found in the backs of larger bays this time of
year, especially on the east side where big patches of aquatic grass is
located. Meanwhile, cooler surface temperatures are beginning to see
some grass fragments dislodge and floating away.
Gravel banks are always popular during the fall season and some fish
have been relating to the rocky banks, roadbeds, bridge piers, and
boathouses.
Despite several days of nice weather it appeared both bass and crappie
took on a sluggish mood and that confused several anglers who
anticipated more aggressive fish behavior.
No doubt the approaching cool front will come with some north winds and
that will likely stall the rebound for a few days as fish seemed to
improve after midweek. Hopefully the weather change will be short in
duration and mild conditions will return quickly as the late October and
early November time frame is usually quite pleasant for Kentucky Lake
anglers.
Also check out our past:
Kentucky Lake Fishing Reports
Steve McCadams is one of the nation's best known Crappie Fishermen
and a full time resident of Paris, Tennessee. Steve is also a
professional hunting and fishing guide here in the Paris Landing area.
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