Lake level, Water Temp & Weather Outlook:  The lake level is hovering at winter pool or slightly above.  The surface water temp is varying a few degrees depending on what part of the lake you’re on but generally speaking it is in the mid 50’s.  The weather early in the week has been somewhat cool with the high temps ranging from mid high to 50’s.  The big news is that the lows have been in the mid 40’s and with the current warm days we’re experiencing late this week the water temps will continue to rise.  It appears that everything is falling into place just right so come on down and wet a line.
 
The week in Review: 
This week the weather has been unpredictable but the fishing has been pretty darn good.  John Rollins, from Champaign, Illinois and I fished in an afternoon drizzle and then a full blown storm that included rain, high winds and hail that darn near covered the carpet in my Ranger.  However, we caught fish all afternoon including a mixed bag of bass, crappie, white & yellow bass and even a 14” perch.  The bad weather didn’t bother John one bit and he caught a LOT of fish.  It was a real good day for fishing if not the weather. 

On a day that was cold and harsh, Michael Carter, Brad Stevens and I fished for bass and caught 29 with several over 15 inches; all of us had our opportunity to land a big fish but didn’t.  The bass were very difficult to catch early on and fishing a shakey head was the only way to go.  Both of those Kentucky boys are pretty fair fishermen and the three of us jived pretty good which made a slow day a better one. 

Tim Johns & Bob French made the trip down from Michigan and we had a day that most anglers only dream about.  We left the dock at Moor’s Resort before daybreak and as we began to fish it was a picture perfect day to be on the water; little or no wind, heavy cloud cover and an aggressive bite.  We started the morning by catching a mess of slab crappie for their fish fry that evening and spent the rest of the day catching bass.  I’m not big into spouting off numbers but let’s just say it’s days like this are why they put limits on game fish.  We caught fish all day long and at times all three of us had a one on!  The eight hours we spent on the water seemed like two.  Fishing with guys like Tim & Bob makes guiding fun & rewarding. 

I also had the pleasure of fishing with Dale & Danielle Sissell from Michigan. We had a pretty decent day on bass and a great late afternoon on Crappie but highlight of the day was watching Danielle land a 15 lb. Drum on Ultra Lite Tackle.  Danielle did a masterful job of fighting the fish until I could get a net under it.  Just for the record, Danielle is about 5’ tall and the fish was about 30 inches long so that fish was half as big as she was. .. who said girls can’t fish, Ha!

Crappie: Crappie are being caught all over the lake and at different depths. Fishing with minnows in brush piles 10-12’ ft deep in the creek channels or in the mouth of the bays has really been paying off for some while others have caught some really nice slabs this week casting jigs.  Also, some limits are showing up spider rigging.  Primarily these are Black crappie.  Later in the week, as the water continued to warm, we caught lots of crappie casting jigs on the gravel banks.  The fish seemed to be holding near the first drop about 6’ deep.  The rising water temperature has gotten them on the move and the pre-spawn migration to shallower water is on.  By the time you read this report, this pattern could be red hot all over the lake. We’re just a few degrees away from some real good shallow water crappie action, so keep your fingers crossed and your fishing rod handy and hope that the extended warmer weather continues. 
 
Bass:  Largemouth bass are being caught all over the lake on chunk rock banks and main lake points.  Some of the productive lures are: Rat-l-Traps in root beer, jerk baits in table rock shad and clown and crank baits in root beer & chartreuse. However, the most consistent pattern for us has been casting a grub along chunk rock banks.  When this bite slows shakey heads in green pumpkin and tube jigs in crawfish brown or camo are a good back up plan.  Some pre-spawn females are being caught along points with deep water close by.  Smallmouth Bass are being caught in 5 – 6’ feet of water along pea gravel banks closest to spawning coves.  Smallmouth, in preparation of the spawn, are moving shallower and becoming easier to catch.  Most productive lures are tube jigs and shakey heads.

Guides "Tip of the Week"

While catching fish & having fun is certainly a priority, so is providing my clients with useful information to help them become better anglers.  It’s important to me that at the end of the day the client feels time spent with me was worthwhile.  I think it helps me to be a better guide. 

This week we’re going to examine a line set up that I have found to be very effective on spinning gear when casting for crappie.  There are many line choices available for casting crappie jigs.  The ideal line for this application must be durable, cast easy and have good feel. When long casts are necessary to get the lure where the crappies live, in brush, rock, etc. and feel is real important to detect those light bites, braided line really comes into its own.  While braided line solves those issues, it does create another dilemma.  Fish can see braided line and could shy away from an unnatural presentation.  Adding a three foot fluorocarbon leader addresses the visibility issue and makes the jig appear as though it is swimming on its own.  My braid of choice is Yellow 8lb Power Pro.  With a small diameter allowing for easy casts, power Pro is extremely durable and the yellow color allows me to follow the line.  My fluorocarbon leader choice is Seaguar 8lb Carbon Pro which is smooth as silk and is extremely strong.  The two lines are joined using a double uni-knot.  This set up provides me with the ultimate in ease of casting, durability and feel.  To eliminate loops and wind knots I manually close the bail on the reel after every cast.  To learn how to tie the double uni-knot Check out this website http://videofishingknots.com/double-uni-knot.html 

The next time you go crappie fishing spool your favorite spinning reel with braid and tie on a fluorocarbon leader.  I think you’ll feel what you been missing and you’ll catch more crappie.

Guide Service Bookings.   I have a couple of days available next week and a few days available in April so if you want to Catch Fish & Have Fun, contact me as soon as possible.  Thanks to those of you who booked a trip this week.  Bookings came in from Illinois, Ohio, Wisconsin & Michigan.  Whether you fish with me or one of the other guides, it’s best to book your trip as far in advance as possible.  Doing so guarantees a date that best suits you and finding a place to stay won’t be an issue either. I’ll be glad to recommend a place to stay that is a good value for the dollar and fisherman friendly.  Just send me an email rk@kicknbass.net or call me at 270-703-6133.  

Tight Lines …