April 7th, 2011

Lake Conditions … Currently both lakes are approximately a half foot below summer pool and in the midst of a slow rise.  With more water coming in than normal and the Dams spilling water, there is significant current. On Kentucky Lake the creeks and bays have a little color to them while the main lake itself is slightly stained. The majority of the lake has what I would consider ideal fishing water.  On Lake Barkley the main lake and some of the bays with large tributaries are lightly stained.  However bays with smaller creeks running into them, especially on the LBL side have some ideal water for fishing.  The surface water temps on Barkley are in the mid to high 50’s and temps on Kentucky Lake have risen to the upper 50’s to low 60’s. Remember, with fronts coming and going the water temps can fluctuating up and down.   
 
Weather … WARM !!!  Highs in the upper 70’s to low 80’s with a chance of thunderstorms over the weekend.   
 
Fishing Report

Bass Fishing … It has been both an exciting time for some and frustrating time for others. One day the bass will bite like crazy and the next day the early springtime high winds really hampers the fishing.
 
As the old saying goes … someone somewhere always catches them.  Joey O’Neil of Clarksville and Dylan Bondurant of Union City (Photo) had one of those days one can only dream about when they caught these trophy smallmouth bass.  Sure, being at the right place at the right time helps but being good anglers doesn’t hurt either!  Way to go guys!  

Just like last week, the one pattern that seems to still be pretty consistent is to fish main lake points and mini-flats at the mouth of the bays with Shakey Heads, Jigs and Jerk Baits. A mini-flat is an area where a creek channel swings back and forth from the bank forming an underwater flat.  This pattern seems to be pretty consistent as the fish aren’t as affected by the fluctuation in the water levels and wind blowing across the points actually helps position the fish.  Also the presence of current by the Dam spilling has helped keep these fish in position too.  Shakey Heads with Z-Man Watermelon & Red Flake, Green Pumpkin & Black & Blue Flake finesse worms on a PJ’s 3/16 oz bass extractor jig head has caught their fair share.  With current present fish have congregated on main lake points and chunk rock banks and the jerk bait has caught several quality fish.  This technique is real sleeper so don’t count it out. Shallow running crank baits and a moderate retrieve has caught a few fish along gravel banks mid-way in the bays but this pattern will become more of a factor as the water level and water temp rises. On windy days casting a Steel Shad blade bait on main lake points has taken several big fish as well as quality-sized keeper fish.  A slow pull and retrieve seemed to be the best technique.  Best colors have been Gold on cloudy days and Silver when it’s been Sunny.  Adding a little red finger nail polish to the nose and weight hasn’t hurt either.  Since last fall over three thousand of the baits have been purchased by anglers fishing Kentucky & Barkley Lakes.   Novice fishermen and Tournament Pro fishermen can attest to the fish catching ability of this bait, so if you don’t have one of these baits you need to get one.  All the tackle shops in the area keep them in inventory.

We’ve also caught a few bass in the back of the bays on ZMan chatterbaits, especially when bass are busting the shad on the surface.   This pattern is a crapshoot but will become more of a factor as the water level returns to summer pool and water temps rise and bass feel more at home in the back of the bays.
 
As you can see the bass are spread out somewhat and several presentations are catching fish.  We’ve put in a lot of hours on the water and I’d have to say that bass fishing has been either very good or just fair.  To be successful you must be willing to try different locations and be flexible in your choice of baits.

Crappie Fishing …   

Crappie fishing started to pick up right before the warm weather hit last weekend and has shown some improvement each day. On Monday we had day-long thunderstorms and a warm rain which raised the lake water temperature a few degrees and in turn activated the crappie.  With several warm days in row and the water level on a slow rise the male Black Crappie are beginning to stage near gravel banks and mid-bay flats in preparation of the spawn.  Some clients have caught some real whoppers!  John Stanley & John Rollins of Champaign, Illinois (Photo) caught these big male crappie on a rainy, windy day when most anglers would have stayed home. 

Scanning with my Lowrance HDS I’ve noticed a lot of crappie that were suspended in the bays have moved and are now located on the first drop nearest the spawning flats.  Also
there is still a ton of fish located around submerged cover about 12-15 feet deep that are being caught on minnows with slip bobbers as well as jigs.  These are mostly White Crappie.  Mostly these fish are located mid way in the bays.

Bobby Day Wilson and his son Adam from Nicholasville, KY with some slab crappie caught using slip bobbers.   Something I’ve learned by being a guide, you go and take what Mother Nature gives you and things don’t always go according to plan. Cool, windy conditions create a challenge but it also keeps “fair weather” fishermen off the lake which in turn makes prime fishing holes easy to get to. Such was the case for Bobby Day Wilson and his son Adam and me. (Photo) We settled on a couple of brush piles on a drop in about 6-8 feet of water that had been pretty good for me and my clients on several occasions. With the wind blowing 10-15 mph and sometimes gusting higher, vertical fishing was impractical so we went to plan “B” which was casting weighted slip bobbers with a minnow on the business end. This can be a pretty effective way to fish especially when boat control is a problem. Using the slip bobber system allows you to anchor upwind and cast towards the spot, letting the bait drift naturally in front of the fish. We used this method to make a real nice catch in about two and a half hours.  With a couple of crappie that were in the two pound range and most others around a pound and a quarter, the Wilson’s felt we did pretty decent especially considering the windy conditions. I’d like to thank Bobby and Adam for hanging in there with me on a very, very windy day. I’m pretty sure they had a good time. Remember to try the slip bobber method when it’s windy it can be pretty darn effective. 

Brothers Lindsay and Kevin Edmonds (Photo) and I had a morning none of us will soon forget.  The first hour and a half was like a madhouse with me netting fish after fish.  We used slip bobbers with minnows to catch a really nice mess. The brothers were a lot of fun to be with and it made my day when they told me it was the best crappie trip they’d ever been on.  Hey, I’d rather be lucky than good any day!
 
It appears that the crappie are making preparation to do their thing and now that they’re getting in the mood the bite should become better each day. We’ll be crappie fishing a lot over the next several days so stay tuned.   
 
Catfish, Bluegill, Redear, Sauger … No Report

Sonar Tip of the Week

The screen shows Crappie suspended deep around brush and cedar trees. Tube jigs were drifted at a very slow pace thru the school and several were caught.  Without the aid of our electronics locating these fish would not have been possible. Kick’n Bass can help you get more out of your electronics and become a better fisherman.  To schedule an on the water fishing trip & instruction email: rk@kicknbass.net.

Book Now! & Experience the Thrill of Bass Fishing at Night …
Last year our clients had a blast fishing at night and caught lots of big fish.  We will begin our night fishing season in May.  The dates available are the 16th, 17th & 18th.  The same lures you used during the day are very productive at night and the best spots during the day can be even better at night.  There is just something about catching a really big bass at night that really turns a fisherman on.  Have the lake all to yourself!
 
For more information on putting together a night fishing trip send an email rk@kicknbass.net or call 270-703-6133.
 

Now is the time to Book your 2011 Fishing Trips with Kick’n Bass.  Dates are filling up fast! Only a few days in prime time left …
Thanks to all you early birds that have already booked your trips for 2011.  For those of you that are considering a trip but haven’t booked yet, doing so has its advantages.  Booking in advance not only gets you the dates you want to fish it allows you to get the best accommodations during the prime fishing times.  There really is no advantage to waiting.

** Special Announcement **

Open House at “The Cabin Bait and Tackle”

Make plans to attend their Open House on April 22nd from 9:00 am to 6 pm and on April 23rd from 9 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.  Professional anglers Guido, Dion and Payton Hibdon will be there as well as several local pros and tackle industry representatives with product specials.  Also there will be several seminars you’ll want to surely attend. The Cabin is located between Barkley Dam and I-24 on U.S. 62 in Kuttawa, KY. (270)388-6440

Tight Lines,