What started out to be a beautiful sunny day here on the shores of Kentucky lake turned sour when I saw a goose make a slippery landing on a sheet of ice. That’s right, you heard me, that nasty three letter word … ICE ! With four straight days of below freezing temps, our portion of Malcolm Creek is frozen over. The lake level is at winter pool with a surface temp at the dam of 40 degrees (43 is normal). With unusually cold water temps and a thin sheet of ice on the upper lake, the jerk bait pattern that was so good a week ago is history for now. I want to go fishing but there are three gates open at Kentucky Dam which makes fishing the tailrace impractical. It’s times like these that require a fisherman to come up with another plan if he wants to catch a fish.

If you're going to continue fishing when the air and water temperatures drop, you're eventually going to see a threadfin shad kill on Kentucky & Barkley Lakes. What? Dead shad! Don’t worry it’s a good thing. It’s a natural occurrence that happens when the water temps plummet. With the surface lake temps now around 40 degrees the remaining shad have gone deeper in search of warmer water. The colder the water gets the deeper the shad will go. When the schools of shad have gotten deep enough, they're sucked through the turbines at the bottom of the dam and end up in the river. Some shad die and others are stunned and some even float on the surface. Once in the river, they become easy prey for any fish that swims. When this happens the fish go on a feeding frenzy. The more shad that pass through the generators, the more intense the feeding frenzy becomes. The shad kill can provide some very exciting fishing. A dead giveaway that a shad kill is on is the presence of huge numbers of gulls working below the dams.

With the gates closed at Barkley Dam, now is the ideal time to fish for Striped Bass in the tailrace.

One needs the right equipment and a little know-how to take advantage of this opportunity. Here are some tips to get you started.

The Bait … Fishing with live bait, in this case, threadfin shad, is the way to go. You might catch a fish or two on artificials but since it’s shad they’re feeding on, there’s no sense in trying to re-invent the wheel. Getting bait is not difficult if you know where to look. The best places are along the lock wall and in corners where there is a slight eddy in the current. The easiest way to get a fair amount of bait is to use a cast net. It takes a little practice to cast one effectively but if I can do it you can too. When cast, the net fans out like an umbrella and the lead weights on the hem cause the net to close, trapping the bait. Retrieve the net and shake the shad into the live wells. Aeration is important in keeping the bait energetic and the live wells do a decent job of keeping the threadfin lively. Remember this; if the nose of the threadfin turns red, get rid of it. To store the fish we catch, a 48 quart cooler is bungee corded to the cleats on the back deck.

The Rod… This is not sissy fishing and it calls for stout tackle as in Medium /Heavy action rods. By using medium/heavy action rods the fish aren’t as apt to let go of the bait as if you were using a stiffer rod. A 7’ rod works best for me but it really comes down to what you feel most comfortable using.

The Reel … Your favorite bait casting reel will work but make sure the drag works smoothly. The drag plays a very important part in this type of fishing. Hopefully sooner than later you will hook a really big fish and you’ll appreciate how a properly set drag helps you in landing the fish. You’ll want to crank the drag down but not all the way. Set it so the line comes off the reel smoothly but not easily; you can always adjust it as you go.

The Line … My personal choice is 20 lb fluorocarbon for the main line. The line weight of the leaders, and I’ll explain more about leaders below, needs to be 12 lb max so that if you get hung up you’ll only break off that leader. Remember to set your drag to the leader weight as it will keep break offs to a minimum.

One 3-Way Swivel … Size 4 is about right.

Sinkers … I prefer the bell type sinker in 3/8 oz with a swivel attachment. The bell shape will bounce along the bottom helping you feel your way through rocks and won’t get hung up like other sinkers.

The Hooks … The Plain Shank Size 1 offset hook is a great all around hook for this type of fishing. These hooks are strong and sharp and are big enough to hold a good size fish without killing the action of the bait.

Putting It All Together … First, attach the 20 lb main line to the top of the three way swivel. Next, using about a 10 inch 12lb. leader, attach the bell sinker to the bottom swivel. Finally, tie the hook to the remaining swivel using a 6 inch 12 lb. leader. Using different length leaders will keep the rig from getting tangled and keep the bait just off the bottom. Also by using the lighter weight leaders, if you get hung up, they will break as opposed to breaking the main line and you won’t loose the entire rig. One thing I really like about this set up is if the fish are suspended off the bottom you can adjust the length of the sinker leader in order to keep the bait in the strike zone. This next part is very important … wet your line before tying your knots. Fluorocarbon line will weaken if you put too much stress on the line when tying the knot. Now set the drag to the leader line weight, NOT the main line. This will keep break offs to a minimum when fighting a big fish. Remember, you’ve got three knots tied and you want a big fish to be able to take line without breaking the lighter leaders. By the way, if you need a cast net or tackle, stop by the Fisherman’s Friend between the Dams in Lake City (270-362-4323). They have everything you need.

The Drift … Fishing the Shad Kill is done by drifting at the same speed as the current. Game fish like to hang along the current break waiting for an easy meal to come by, so set your boat up so that it will drift along the current break. If needed, use your trolling motor to fine tune the drift. Cast out about twice the amount of line as it is deep. Reel in until your sinker is barely bouncing along the bottom. Keeping it in contact or near the bottom is very important in finding the fish. You will know when things are right when you feel it hitting bottom most of the time but not getting hung up. If you are getting hung up you most likely have too much line out. Ideally, your line should be drifting ever so slightly upstream. If you hook a fish before you hit bottom, it’s possible they’re suspended. If this happens several times, you’ll need to adjust the length of your bottom leader. If you find a hot spot, visually mark it along the bank and set up your drift accordingly. Marker buoys are useless in this type of fishing so don’t bother. The day we fished, our best drift was made by aligning the boat even with the lock entrance and the first gate and drifting a couple of hundred yards downstream along a current break. Keep in mind that drift patterns can change according to the number of generators that are on. Expect this to change from day to day. Just remember to start off by working the current break.

The Catch … Expect to catch a mixed bag which could include Stripers, Hybrids, White Bass, Sauger and anything else that swims. Yeah, you’ll probably catch rough fish too… but you don’t have to tell anyone about it. The day we fished, the Hybrids and White Bass were the most cooperative with a couple of nice Sauger and a 3 ½ lb smallmouth thrown in for good measure. The action was consistent enough to keep our minds off the numbing cold. In all, it was a good time and it beat going to the gym to work on my New Years resolution.

Try tailrace fishing during the shad kill; it can be pretty productive this time of year and don’t forget to wear your life jacket.

Note: The spring fishing season will be here before you know it and it promises to be the best ever. A lot of fishermen are making their plans ahead of time so consequently we guides are beginning to get booked. Don’t miss out, book your trip now! I still have several days available in March, April & May.

Bass Wishes!
Randy Kuhens