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Kentucky Lake Crappie Fishing
"1 pole jig fishing"
Crappie Action
Guide Service
WARM DAYS AHEAD…FISHING SCENE AWAITS NORMALCY
It’s fair to say this spring’s weather patterns and Kentucky Lake’s
water levels have been rather weird! The average fisherman has a few
more gray hairs and wrinkles in his forehead than last year at this
time.
Will some semblance of normalcy every return? That’s a question anglers
have been asking since back in mid-March around the Kentucky and Barkley
Lakes region. The answer to that question could be a resounding yes as
the seven day weather forecast is a good one.
Anglers have reason to smile a bit as temps should begin to rebound on
Sunday and by next week the daily highs are forecast to return to
normal, eclipsing the 70-degree mark for several consecutive days
beginning Monday.
Barring any unusual storms with heavy rains lake levels should stay put
to some degree. TVA has held the reservoir this week to normal summer
pool elevation range of 359. While that level wasn’t supposed to arrive
until May 1 it appears the agency will hold pretty close to that level
as May approaches.
Jane and Tom TN Crew
Kentucky Lake Crappie Fishing
"1 pole jig fishing"
Crappie Action
Guide Service
Surface temperatures this week reflected yet another series of cold
fronts that pulled readings down from the upper 60’s and 70-degree mark
recorded earlier this month. The week kicked off with a 62-degree range
reading and has slowly rebounded to the 64 mark at midweek.
Anglers can expect to see a gradual increase in surface temps as the
weekend arrives. Next week should see the water warm back to the
70-degree range and keep climbing.
Water color has been clearing and is in pretty good shape across the
reservoir at present.
Still up for debate is the status of the crappie spawn. Has it happened
and if so when did it peak? If it hasn’t happened then will a few
crappie head to shallow shorelines in the days ahead as waters warm and
stability in lake levels return?
This year’s spawning scenario has been quite a saga. A series of lake
level fluctuations combined with crazy weather patterns have kept the
fish off balance to some degree as to active spawning phases.
Although some anglers chalked up some hefty catching in early to
mid-April in the upper end of Big Sandy around the New Hope and Country
Junction area other sectors of the lake did not fare that well.
High lake levels saw crappie migrate early up Big Sandy and West Sandy
and stay there.
Crappie seemed to linger longer in the midrange depths of 8 to 10 feet
this year. They staged there in open water awaiting ideal conditions
that never quite arrived.
Tom and "OC" from Chicago
Kentucky Lake Crappie Fishing
"1 pole jig fishing"
Crappie Action
Guide Service
Boats and pontoons drifting and slow trolling with both spider rig
multi-pole presentations and long lining techniques have scored the best
stringers thus far. That speaks volumes for the whereabouts of Kentucky
Lake crappie which have been on the move and spent a lot of time off
shore and suspended instead of relating to submerged structure.
No doubt crappie have been thrown off schedule this year. Their normal
stair-step pattern enroute to shallow spawning habitat got derailed
several times.
This week several fish backed off to deeper water in response to colder
surface temperatures and nasty northwest winds. Some fish were taken in
the 16-foot depth range in the Paris Landing and Big Sandy area around
the power lines, although fish were quite scattered.
Just what the crappie will do in the days ahead is somewhat unknown.
Yearning to see the return of crappie to buck bushes or shallow
shorelines where casting grubs, tube jigs or minnows beneath
slip-bobbers is a multitude of anglers.
It has been my experience over 44 years as a professional guide here on
Kentucky Lake that once crappie start to shallow zones and get
sidetracked by cold fronts and drastic changes in lake levels at the
optimum time---which is early to mid-April---they never return to those
areas during the spring in big numbers with a vengeance.
No doubt a few scattered crappie will venture to some shallow structure
and shoreline habitat in the weeks ahead just because of ample water
there. However, while there may be a few late spawners taken it won’t be
that massive influx of aggressive fish like it would have been had the
weather and water levels not interfered with the initial blitz.
Roger Binkley and Chase Binkley
Kentucky Lake Crappie Fishing
"1 pole jig fishing"
Crappie Action
Guide Service
Meanwhile, the fishing scene in the Paris Landing sector has been below
average for crappie anglers. Those using vertical fishing techniques
over manmade fish attractors such as stakebeds and brushpiles in shallow
to midrange depths have not found fish this year in significant numbers.
Most of the crappie have been taken south of the powerlines. Even
boaters applying spider rigging and long line techniques in a variety of
depths have not found fish north of the power lines. Some popular areas
with long standing reputations have just not attracted crappie like
times past.
There are other bays and sectors of Kentucky Lake from the Blood River
sector on south into Tennessee that have experienced low crappie numbers
too. Again, the high lake levels and fluctuations have no doubt
distributed the fish differently this year.
There have been a few anglers that seemed to outfox this spring’s weird
whereabouts but for others the saga continues. Meanwhile, hiding and
hoping for a late spawn phase are legions of fishermen who deserve a few
nice days with fish biting instead of playing this game of hide and
seek!
When I was in college majoring in biology there was an older fisheries
biologist who befriended me and taught me a lot. His name was Ged Petit
with Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and I looked up to him in many
ways. Although he is dead and gone I often recall conversations as to
fish behavior and reactions to this or that.
I recall him stating that at spring spawning times if conditions are
unfavorable such as repeated cold weather and fluctuations in lake
levels the fish will tolerate it only so long and some may not spawn and
perhaps reabsorb eggs. I don’t know if that scenario is unfolding this
year but it has been on my mind!
Dave and Jeff KY Crew
Kentucky Lake Crappie Fishing
"1 pole jig fishing"
Crappie Action
Guide Service
Bass anglers have invaded the shorelines lately and enjoyed the ample
opportunities to pitch and flip endless pockets and bays where buck
bushes and willow trees await them.
Some nice stringers have been taken in-between cold fronts. A few days
high winds and high skies seemed to diminish the bite but it has
rebounded quickly at times.
Tossing Texas rigged craws and lizards has been working well as have jig
and pig combos. Gold willow leaf spinnerbaits sporting blue/chartreuse
skirts have produced too as have some shallow running crankbaits .
Also working have been floating fluke style worms as anglers twitched
them around submerged grass mixed in with buck bushes. Topwater jerk
baits have tricked a few fish too but not much in the way of successful
reports from those fishing buzzbaits just yet.
Most anglers are targeting small pockets off the main lake or working
the backs of big bays where slightly warmer surface temps are present.
As surface temps warm next week watch for early activity from both
bluegill and shellcracker as that time is fast approaching.
It has indeed been a strange spring but hang in there! Warm days are on
the horizon.
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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