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Hal and Ryan from Arkansas October 2016
Kentucky Lake Crappie Fishing
Crappie Action
Guide Service
FALL FISHERMEN EMBRACE INDIAN SUMMER
Can you believe this extended spell of nice weather? Not many fishermen
are accustomed to wearing short pants and slapping on sunscreen during
the first week of November but that’s been the case for several weeks
running.
Some call it Indian summer. Whatever you call it better make the best of
it and enjoy it while it lasts. And that’s just what several bass and
crappie anglers on Kentucky Lake have been doing lately.
This week saw all-time record high temperatures recorded on both Monday
and Tuesday. October lost its grip on Monday and ended on a hot note as
temps climbed to the upper 80’s. November started out on the same note.
It has been surreal.
Not only were September and October warmer than normal it appears nice
weather will linger now that November has arrived. It may be little
cooler as the weekend approaches but next week looks great for the
Kentucky Lake fishing scene.
Surface temperatures this week climbed back up to the 70 degree mark on
Wednesday, reflecting just how unusual conditions have been lately. The
readings are about ten degrees above normal for this time of year.
Day time temps have been 12 to 15 degrees above normal at times. For
fishermen it has been great as several days offered a little cloud cover
and light winds that combined to produce ideal fishing conditions.
Watch for surface temps to fall back into the mid to upper 60’s by this
weekend.
Lake levels continue to sleep at the low ebb of winter pool and some
days the reservoir has dipped below normal due to a lack of rain
throughout the region.
It appears low levels will remain too as not much runoff has entered the
river system. TVA projects a reading of 354.1 at Kentucky Dam this
weekend. Upstream at New Johnsonville the reservoir is resting at 354.
Low lake levels continue to draw the attention of anglers and pleasure
boaters, many of which are intimidated by the exposed sandbars and mud
flats. Some have fallen prey to the shallow areas and found themselves
in harm’s way when running aground.
It’s imperative boaters follow the channel markers this time of year and
throughout the approaching fall and winter months.
Water color remains clear across the reservoir, a scenario that’s
unlikely to change anytime soon.
Crappie fishing has been good lately. Big numbers of fish have been
caught by anglers working midrange depths of 8 to 13 feet. At times some
good numbers have also been taken from main lake ledges where depths of
15 to 18 feet have produced.
Live minnows have been appealing to fall crappie but so have a variety
of jig colors. Tipping jigs with minnows or various colors of Berkley
power bait has paid dividends on a consistent basis as well.
Although anglers are culling a lot of crappie just shy of the 10-inch
legal length limit, there are still plenty of fish out there eclipsing
the threshold and making it well worth the trip. Several boats are
landing in excess of 100 fish per day and while the majority are being
released to bite again it makes for a great day of fishing when the
action is that good.
From the bass department comes reports of more challenging conditions as
several veteran fishermen are struggling to put together a consistent
pattern. Numbers of keeper size fish have been down lately as anglers
stalk shallow gravel banks, main lake ledges and anything in-between.
Several boats are still tossing big crankbaits, swim baits and Texas
rigged worms out on main lake ledges as though it was mid-summer. Others
are falling back to secondary flats and tossing shad colored crankbaits
such as Rattle Traps or Red-eye shad style baits in hopes of covering a
lot of water and perhaps finding some schooling fish.
However, not many schooling bass have been located lately. And, the
shallow gravel points or exposed crappie beds have not given up their
typical numbers of fish for fall.
A lack of grass along the reservoir has greatly altered this fall’s
pattern but despite the lack of aquatic vegetation anglers are somewhat
mystified more fish have not shown up in other venues of the reservoir.
Meanwhile the great fall weather has made it worthwhile to be on the
lake regardless of the bite. Don’t let this great weather pass you by.
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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