Last week I reported we were receiving a major influx of water from the south. This week the same has held true and the increase in water volume has been continuous. The water level at my dock appears to be about 2 feet above winter pool which is elevated from last week. The surface temp is holding at 50 degrees and the water color in the lake is clear to murky. TVA has been releasing water but not quite at the same rate it’s entering the reservoir, which is creating a slight rise and a great deal of current in the lake. These factors affect fish behavior and location and planning is required to find the best way to catch fish.

I received an email late last week from John & Paul Petty, a father & son from Ohio. With football season over in Ohio the Petty’s were looking for a little R & R on Kentucky Lake and wanted to do some crappie fishing. Since crappie had been sporadic overall but really good if you can find them, I let the Petty’s know what the report was and if they wanted we’d give it a try. After receiving a last minute tip from one of my Crappie guru’s the plan was to fish vertically over brush with live bait. 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. Cold and 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 the Petty’s and myself. We settled on a couple of brush piles in 12’ of water that had been pretty good to me on several occasions and I marked them with a couple of buoy markers. 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 and alternated between the two brushpiles to catch 32 crappie in 6 hours. While we didn’t have any huge fish we had couple that were in the 1¾ pound range and most were around a pound and a quarter. Not a big haul from three fisherman but pretty decent considering the weather conditions. I’d like to thank the Petty’s for hanging in there with me on a cold 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.

I was able to slip out a few hours one afternoon to bass fish and had pretty decent luck once I found out I needed to use a jerk bait. My best catches were made by positioning the boat in deeper water and casting into water about 5 feet deep, then working the bait slowly pausing about 20 seconds between jerks. Most strikes came in 8 feet of water. Being patient and fishing the downstream ends of the main lake points was key. A couple were caught on a Shakeyhead but the jerk bait was definitely the way to go that day. Most likely the bass were suspended and the lazy action of the Lucky Craft Pointer in Table Rock Shad was too good to pass up.

A good rule of thumb is, when the water temp hits 50 degrees it’s a excellent time to throw a jerk bait. Also when you’re fishing in water temps that are declining, pausing a little longer than you think you should is a good idea too. Let the fish tell you how long you should wait between jerks. Jerk bait fishing is … kinda like a jerk waiting on one end for a jerk on the other … so be patient because it does work.

Stripes and yellow bass are being caught by trolling the ledges or casting crank baits or rooster tails along the main lake points and at the mouth of the bays. If you use a rooter tail type lure cast it and let it sink to the bottom and remember to use a slow but steady retrieve. You can still catch quite of few of these if you stay after them and some pretty good ones too.

Sauger, no report.

The upcoming fishing season will be here before you know it and it promises to be the best ever. Don’t miss out! Book a trip with Kick’n Bass Guide Service today!

Bass Wishes!
Randy Kuhens