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Keith from IN
Kentucky Lake Crappie Fishing
"1 pole jig fishing"
Crappie Action
Guide Service
BLUEGILL/SHELLCRACKER KEEP ANGLERS HUMBLE
Kentucky Lake’s fishing scene has pretty good this week for catfishermen
who continue to land decent stringers from rocky banks and also
throughout the secondary bays where spawning continues.
Those stalking bluegill and redear sunfish, commonly known as
shellcracker, have been playing the game of hide and seek at times with
these popular panfish. Although May is peak time for spawning, the
degree of success can vary from week to week or day to day, depending on
a lot of variables, namely lake levels, surface temperature and weather
patterns.
Jane and Tom TN Crew
Kentucky Lake Crappie Fishing
"1 pole jig fishing"
Crappie Action
Guide Service
Known to be a relatively stable month in terms of weather and
lake levels, May can have its moments. Uninvited cool snaps or
fluctuation in lake levels paid a visit for short intervals these last
few weeks and when that happened it threw a curve to both the fish and
the fishermen.
Bluegill and redear are sensitive to changes in surface temp, barometric
pressure and lake levels. A northeast wind can bring a quick change too,
ending the honeymoon of fast action and aggressive spawning phases.
While the forecast going into the Memorial Day weekend is expected to
see summer like weather with air temps predicted to be around 90
degrees, anglers have faced inconsistent action this week as to bedding
bluegill.
There have been a few decent stringers taken but most anglers are
finding fish a bit more scattered than normal. More than a few fishermen
have stalked familiar bedding areas only to find no fish there or very
few fanning beds.
Tom and "OC" from Chicago
Kentucky Lake Crappie Fishing
"1 pole jig fishing"
Crappie Action
Guide Service
Just why some tried and true spots that held fish for years quit
attracting them continues to be somewhat of a mystery.
No doubt the lack of aquatic vegetation in some areas changed the
habitat of flats and pockets off the main lake that once had appeal.
However, the bluegill seemed to have vacated the premises and did so
without leaving a forwarding address!
The search has been on by many anglers this week as they stalked the
shallow shorelines and flats where fish were residing last week and the
first two weeks of May. For some reason a lot of beds are just not
holding fish the last few days.
Lake levels have been falling this week as TVA pulled the reservoir down
to 358.6, which is several inches below normal summer pool of 359. That
may not sound like much but veteran bluegill and shellcracker anglers
know it can disrupt bedding and cause fish to relocate.
Most shellcracker fishermen like ample water around buck bushes and weed
beds. The last few days of falling lake stages have altered their game.
Finicky shellcracker and bluegill have a way of playing games with
fishermen when such things happen; sometimes they don’t follow the
rules!
It’s not unusual for shellcracker to begin backing off by the third week
of May. Although a few will still be taken, their peak spawning phases
occur a bit earlier than do bluegill.
Roger Binkley and Chase Binkley
Kentucky Lake Crappie Fishing
"1 pole jig fishing"
Crappie Action
Guide Service
Not all fishermen have lost the trail of bluegill this week as some
lucky fishermen managed to find active beds in 2 to 4 foot zones. They
scored decent numbers in some spots but also reported a lot of trial and
error before locating buried treasure.
With the use of side scan sonar units anglers are canvassing bays and
pockets looking for submerged craters. Several anglers reported finding
such spots but the fish were not there fanning and protecting the
bedding areas.
A full moon last weekend should have stimulated activity across the
reservoir and for some anglers it did but by Monday high skies and a
northeast wind seemed to curtail activity a bit.
Surface temps are lingering around the 75 to 77 degree range so perhaps
the powerful panfish will rebound a bit in the days ahead once lake
levels settle down amid summer like conditions.
Dave and Jeff KY Crew
Kentucky Lake Crappie Fishing
"1 pole jig fishing"
Crappie Action
Guide Service
A few scattered crappie have been taken by boaters using long line or
spider rig techniques. Depths of 4 to 10 feet have accounted for some
suspended fish as such techniques allow boaters to cover a lot of water
and expose their buffet of baits to the post-spawn crappie roaming but
not relating to submerged structure.
Bass fishing continues to produce challenging scenarios to most anglers,
many of which are turning their backs to the banks and targeting post
spawn fish that have pulled out to humps and ledges.
The summer pattern of tossing big crankbaits, swim baits, Carolina
rigged worms and lizards and Texas rigged worms has been producing. As
surface temps continue to heat up these patterns will grow in
popularity.
Still giving up a few fish have been some shallow shorelines where weed
patches are holding on to a few bass. Topwater lures such as buzzbaits
and floating worms have worked well at times as have spinnerbaits.
Seems a lot of anglers---regardless of their favorite species---have
been humbled by finicky fish amid a stubborn spring.
Not to worry; things can rebound quickly and even the most finicky fish
can turn on at the blink of an eye once light southwest winds, cloudy
days and perhaps some light rain enter the picture!
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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