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Kentucky Lake Crappie fishing
photo courtesy:
Crappie Action Guide Service
AWAY GOES AUGUST
August is about to lose its grip. September is slipping through the door
and before you know it fall fishermen and their fish will be making the
transition toward a cooler season.
Kentucky Lake’s elevation is down a few inches from last week at this
time but will be stable going into the weekend for holiday anglers and
boaters. Lake levels will be 356.8 at both Kentucky Dam and New
Johnsonville.
Surface temperatures reflect the lingering dog days of summer and are
holding in the 85 to 86 degree range. Water color remains clear.
Most anglers have been reluctant to fight the heat at midday and have
limited their outings to early morning and late afternoon. A few days
lacked a breeze and when temps climb into the low to mid 90’s without a
little wind then it’s tough out there on the big pond!
Crappie have been sluggish lately but the summer bass bite hasn’t been
all bad. And, a few catfish have been taken but that too has been
inconsistent.
It’s not unusual for hot and humid weather over an extended period to
curtail activity for the area’s most popular panfish and that seems to
be the case as of late. However, activity traditionally rebounds in
early September as all it takes are a few days of cooler weather to pull
surface temperatures back down and stimulate activity.
A few rare reports of night fishing have come in from crappie anglers
fishing beneath the lights out over main lake ledges. And, others
boaters early morning hours have managed to find a few fish in 13 to 14
foot depths with some scattered fish taken off the deeper sides of
ledges in 18 to 20 feet around deep structure.
Bass anglers are focusing on grassbeds lately as a lot of vegetation is
showing up South of the Paris Landing area around river islands, flats
and in the backs of bays. Anglers are tossing weedless frogs, rats,
floating worms and flukes, buzzbaits and assorted jerk baits.
The grass continues to attract a lot of baitfish while offering shade
and cover to summer bass.
Other patterns producing have been the popular main lake ledges where
big deep diving crankbaits, Texas rigged worms, Carolina rigged worms,
jig and craw combos, spoons and shad colored swim baits have worked.
Catfishermen are landing a few scattered fish beneath the Paris Landing
Bridge area and along the main Tennessee River channel when current is
present. Nightcrawlers, shadguts, chicken livers, and some assorted
commercial stink baits have worked at times.
The extended spell of hot weather hasn’t worked in favor of late summer
fishermen and it appears it will linger through next week.
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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