|
Brought to you by:
October 28, 2010
Kentucky Lake anglers had another unusual week of weather at a time when
conditions are usually stable and predictable. Late last week it was
nice and warm but earlier this week gale force winds and thunderstorms
pushed through, dampening the spirits of anglers for a short time.
After much needed rain passed through, a cool front entered the picture
and commanded overcoats for anglers as there is indeed a chill in the
air. Highs struggled to reach the mid 60’s while nighttime temps fell
into the mid 30’s.
Despite the roller coaster weather patterns this week some pretty nice
stringers of bass and crappie have been taken at times.
Surface temperatures have been in the 64 to 66 degree range the last few
days but will no doubt cool some by the weekend.
Although overdue rain finally fell across the region not much
fluctuation has taken place for lake levels. Elevation at Kentucky Dam
is in the 354.9 range while upstream at New Johnsonville readings were
in the 355 range.
Water color remains clear across most of the reservoir with some stain
in isolated areas where high winds kicked up sediments.
Crappie fishing has held up pretty good but anglers had to battle some
wind and falling temps at times. Those midrange stakebeds and brushpiles
in depths of 8 to 13 feet have produced fish this week.
Some nice size crappie have been hitting too but overall the fish are
somewhat scattered and requiring anglers to make several stops during
the day.
Jigs tipped with minnows or Berkley Power Bait have worked well. Popular
color combinations have been red/white, blue/chartreuse, smoke with
glitter, and some black/chartreuse.
On deeper main lake ledges some fish were lingering around the 14 to 16
foot depth range and taking jigs and minnows on double hook rigs.
Look for the fall crappie fishing to hold up for several more weeks but
the bite this weekend may slow down some as the high skies and cold
temps in the aftermath of the cold front will likely curtail activity.
It’s not unusual for fishing to fall off when high barometric pressure
enters the picture teamed with northeast winds once a front passes
through. Watch for action to bounce back quickly, however.
Bass action was good earlier in the week as the cloudy, rainy conditions
arrived but has slowed considerably in the aftermath of the cool snap.
Fish were taking shallow running crankbaits in the Tennessee shad color
and chrome/blue.
Working gravel points and roadbeds has been pretty good while some
fishermen were tossing spinnerbaits around shallow wood structure and
open flats. Rattle trap style lures were working well as some bass were
schooling in open water flats and busting shad schools.
Main lake ledges and sloping points continue to attract a few fishermen
looking for larger fish. Tossing jig and pig combos, suspending jerk
baits, and big deep diving crankbaits were accounting for a few fish as
were Carolina and Texas rigged worms.
A few catfish were showing up in the creel of crappie fishermen as
several fish have entered that midrange depth zone of 8 to 12 feet.
Still, a few anglers are working the bridge piers at Paris Landing and
finding fish at times in deeper depths.
Bluegill continue to bite well around bridge piers and boat docks. They
have also found refuge in the crappie beds and declared war on small
jigs and minnows at times. Also feeding with an attitude are the endless
schools of yellow bass that are masters at stealing your bait or tearing
up jig skirts with their “machine gun” style strikes.
Watch for fall fishing action to resume once this cool snap loses its
grip and stable weather returns.
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.
|
|
