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Brought to you by: Fishtale Lodge
Steve McCadams'
Kentucky Lake Fishing Report for:
May 2nd, 2008
BLUEGILL/BASS BEDDING UNDERWAY…CRAPPIE ENTER POST-SPAWN
Both bluegill and bass are on the bed as Kentucky
Lake surface temps rebound after a few days of Dogwood Winter or was it
Blackberry Winter? Whatever label you choose it was downright cool.
Anglers had another week of strange spring weather that once again
altered fishing conditions but it appears warm days have returned and
remain in the forecast.
A cold front slipped in the door earlier this week and according to
the National Weather Service set a record low Monday night in some areas
with the mercury dipping to 32 degrees. By Wednesday temps rebounded to
70 degrees courtesy of gale south winds that whipped the lake with
whitecaps.
Surface temps dropped a few degrees early this week but jump backed
to the 67 to 71 degree range by midweek, which sent bluegill, redear,
and bass back to the bedding phase.
However, anglers had tough going for a couple of days during the
cold front as it had a negative impact on the shallow bite for bass,
bluegill, and crappie. It seemed the high pressure system and cold snap
sent the fish, which had been hitting pretty good going into the
weekend, into an inactive mood by Monday.
After a day of sunshine on Wednesday surface temps rebounded and
since then both bass and bluegill have improved and gone back to active
spawning phases.
Several nice stringers of bluegill with a few shellcracker mixed in
are showing up this week. Crickets continue to be the bait of choice
with a few fish taking redworms and wax worms. Look for action to
improve in the days ahead as the fish resume fanning those craters in
shallow gravel areas.
Bass have been fanning their beds too and several anglers are having
trouble catching fish in shallow areas. Most say they’re seeing fish on
the bed in dead grass and shallow buck bushes but the fish won’t hit.
A few larger fish have been taken by anglers backing off the banks
and casting Carolina rigs and tossing jigs around gravel points near
deep water where some fish are staging in a prespawn pattern. No doubt
the cold front earlier this week backed a few fish off the banks but
watch for that to change quickly in the days ahead.
Most anglers were tossing crawfish and lizards imitations around
buck bushes and dead grass around small pockets and bays off the main
lake. Spinnerbaits were working too as were Chatterbaits, floating
worms, and some suspending jerk baits.
Several anglers resumed topwater presentations this week with the
warm up and some fish were responding on cloudy mornings to buzz baits,
floating worms, and assorted jerk baits.
Catfish were hitting pretty good along rocky bluffs and inside
feeder creeks. Some bank fishermen were still finding fish around rock
levees.
Crappie appear to be in a post-spawn phase and have been somewhat
scattered this week with a combination of depths producing fish from
anglers searching everything from shoreline to main lake ledges.
A few good catches were taken in stakebeds and brushpiles where
depths of 5 to 10 feet were giving up fish. Most anglers were
tightlining jigs tipped with minnows with popular colors ranging from
pink/pearl to brown/chartreuse.
Some crappie continue to linger on the main lake ledges and depths
of 14 to 16 feet were giving up some decent size ones but not much
quantity.
It’s not unusual for crappie to scatter during post-spawn and take
on a finicky mood for a week or two.
Meanwhile, some nice stringers of crappie were coming from behind
the levee at Springville pumphouse. The West Sandy WMA area has been
flooded most of the spring and restocked during the high water periods
when Kentucky Lake was on a tear.
Watch for some good bluegill and crappie fishing there in the weeks
ahead.
Water color remains clear in the main lake with some stain in
secondary bays but clearing fast.
Lake levels going into the weekend at New Johnsonville will be
358.5. Downstream at Kentucky Dam the elevation will be in the 358.8
range.
TVA’s curve says the reservoir is supposed to be at summer pool by
May 1 but that has not happened this week and not explanation from TVA
as to why lake levels are slightly below normal as peak spawning arrives
for many species.
For The Lake Barkley Report
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Also check out our past:
Kentucky Lake Fishing Reports
Steve McCadams
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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