Brought to you by: Fishtale Lodge
Steve McCadams'
Kentucky Lake Fishing Report for:
April 4th, 2003
CRAPPIE
SPAWN UNDERWAY
(ANGLERS ENJOY HEFTY CATCHES)
Kentucky
Lake’s crappie spawn is underway. After a slight setback due to last
weekend’s cold front, surface temperatures have been climbing back all
week.
By this
weekend crappie will be spawning around submerged structure such as
shallow stumps, and manmade fish attractors such as brush piles and
stakebeds.
Surface
temperatures dropped from 62 down to 56 degrees in some areas early this
week as the bitter north wind sent a chill to the air and water.
Anglers
were donning heavy coats and bouncing in the waves for a few days but
warm weather returned quickly by midweek, although gale winds have been
a thorn in the side of anglers lately.
Male
crappie backed off the banks and slowed the bite for a few days when the
cold front rolled in but action has resumed in many shallow bays and
pockets where fish are roaming the gravel and rocky points.
While
most of the females were holding out away from the shallow venues, many
dark male crappie were selecting spawning areas and awaiting the arrival
of females.
Look for
peak spawning to take place in the next week or so as surface
temperatures climb into the 62 to 66 degree range.
A lot of
fish are being caught in the 5 to 10 foot range throughout the Paris
Landing area. Up Big Sandy and into West Sandy there are still a few
suspended fish in the 8 to 12 foot zones where anglers are spider
rigging and slow trolling jigs and having success.
Some
areas such as Swamp Creek and the upper end of Big Sandy near New Hope
and Country Junction crappie were being caught in very shallow depths
such as two to four feet.
Patterns
of success are varied as some anglers are still finding fish relating to
the drop-offs in the middle of Big Sandy. Tightlining jigs and live
minnows in the 12 to 14 foot depths has produced this week.
At the
same time anglers vertical fishing jigs and live minnows around
brushpiles and stakebeds are scoring some hefty catches too. Depths of 5
to 10 feet are producing best but look for shallow areas to improve this
week.
Not to
be forgotten are the anglers tossing light spinning gear with small
grubs and live minnows beneath slip bobbers. The shallow banks and
submerged stumps are giving up a lot of male crappie whose dark
appearance indicates spawning is here.
Popular
colors of jigs have been purple, red, lime, and black with a touch of
chartreuse. Most anglers are fishing painted leadheads on 1/16 and 1/8
ounce jigs.
A few
reports have come in from anglers casting and slow trolling small
spinners such as Road Runners and Beetle Spins.
Meanwhile, lake levels are rising slowly as TVA began reservoir filling
last weekend on Kentucky Lake.
Observed
elevation at Kentucky Dam is predicted to be 355.6 this weekend. At New
Johnsonville the elevation is expected to be 355.4. The lake is rising
slowly and will continue throughout the month of April until the summer
pool mark of 359 is reached on or around May 1.
Although
high winds have played havoc with crappie anglers since late last week,
the overall fishing has been good this year and well ahead of last year.
There were a lot of crappie taken in March this year as the month
produced some good weather. Last year, March weather was lousy and
fishing was off.
With the
peak of spawning likely to take place this next week, now is the time to
wet a line.
From the
bass department comes improving conditions as some decent stringers
continue to come from anglers throwing crankbaits along big chunk rock
points and sloping gravel banks near the mouth of bays.
The bass
are in a prespawn pattern with many moving up shallow and staging around
the mouth of pockets and large bays where points near the main lake
provide a nice parking place.
Shad and
crawfish colored crankbaits are working well, along with some jerk baits
such as the Smithwick suspending Rogue. Also fooling fish are jig and
pig combos and tube-skirted jigs worked slow.
Some
spinnerbaits are worth tossing around logs and exposed stakebeds in the
backs of shallow bays.
Although
not much topwater action was on the menu this past week, watch for that
to change quickly as warmer water stimulates the bass into an aggressive
mood.
For The Lake Barkley Report
Click Here
For Other Kentucky Lake Fishing Reports
Click Here
Steve McCadams
is a professional hunting and fishing guide
here in the
Paris Landing area and host of The Outdoor Channel's television series IN-PURSUIT.
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