Lake Level, Water Temp & Weather Outlook:  The lake level is currently rising.  Based on the lake level markings I have at my dock it appears that we are about a foot, give or take a few inches, from summer pool.

The surface water temp is varying a few degrees depending on what part of the lake you’re at but generally speaking it is in the low to mid 50’s.  Late in the afternoon on warm sunny days the water temps are approaching the high 50 's in several bays on the west side of the lake.

The weather early in the week had 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.  Mid week we got a nice warming trend that sent the lake temps upward.  With the warm days and not so cool nights we’re experiencing, the warmer water temps are triggering positive fish behavior.   Don’t be caught wishing you were in on the action, get on down here and let’s go fishing!

Weekly Highlights:  Matt Stewart & Tommy McIntyre from LaPorte, In. and I took advantage of a beautiful afternoon on Kentucky Lake to fish for bass & crappie.  Casting grubs, we caught bass just about everywhere we stopped to fish.  The boys were amazed at the sheer number of bass in Kentucky Lake.

Normally at the end of the trip I clean and package the fish for my clients, but these guys volunteered to do that in order to stay late and take advantage of an early evening crappie bite.  Boy was that a great idea!  We caught some huge crappie and plenty of them.  Matt and Tommy were educated on the finer points of crappie fishing with spinning gear using braided line and a fluorocarbon leader.  I was pretty impressed with how many fish they caught.  I’ll bet on their next trip to Kentucky Lake they’ll come armed and ready.  Thanks for a great afternoon guys!
 
On a day that was cold and harsh, with East Winds 10-15 mph, big waves and a soaking rain, Jerry Dement & Don Porter from Sikeston, Mo. and I fished for bass and crappie and caught a lot more than we deserved.  Bass were especially good on shakey heads and the crappies were aggressively taking jigs.  These Missouri boys are pretty fair fishermen and hung in there till the bitter end.  The three of us had a really good time and if all the bad days, weather-wise, were this good I could probably learn to appreciate Mother Nature’s nastiness a little more.  Jerry, the next time you come to Kentucky Lake you might want to consider hiding Don’s Shakey Heads before he gets here.  That way maybe we’d catch a fish too!  Ha! LOL!
 
Crappie: Except for one day this week when the crappies were suffering from the post frontal blues, they bit pretty well.  Crappies are being caught all over the lake and at different depths. Spider rigging, with minnows and jigs over brush piles 10-12’ ft deep in the creek channels or in the mouth of the bays, has been productive for some fishermen. Some really nice slabs are being caught this way and both Black & White crappie are showing up. 

Later in the week, as the water continued to warm, we caught lots of crappie casting jigs on the gravel banks.  By the time you read this report, this pattern should be establishing itself all over the lake.  As a rule of thumb, crappie are being caught about 4’-6’ deep.  Some really nice fish are beginning to show up including a 17” monster Crappie (photo) caught by Gary Bradshaw of Winchester, KY.  The fish weighed in at whopping 3.25 pounds.    
 
Bass:  Last week I reported that Largemouth bass were being caught on chunk rock banks and main lake points and this still holds true.  However, with the water warming and rising lake levels, some bass are now making their way to the back of the coves and bays.  Some of the productive lures are: Excalibur X50 in Royal Shad and shallow to medium crank baits in root beer & chartreuse.  A very consistent pattern again this week has been casting a grub along chunk rock banks.  The overall numbers have been outstanding and we’ve stumbled upon several schools of really good bass too.  When we found a concentration of good fish, we’ve been cleaning up with shakey heads in green pumpkin.   Chunk rock banks with 10’ of water close by has been very productive.  Smallmouth Bass are being caught in 5 – 6’ feet of water along pea gravel banks closest to spawning coves.  The most productive lures, for Smallmouth havw been tube jigs, shakey heads and a Smallie Beaver in green pumpkin.
 
Yellow Bass:  Yellow Bass seem to be getting bigger every year.  My clients have caught some really large ones casting the banks and it wouldn’t surprise me to see a new state recorded Yellow Bass caught on Kentucky Lake in the near future.  The spider riggers are catching them also.
 
Bluegill & Redear:   Although we are not specifically fishing for them, some fairly large Bluegill & Redear are showing up on occasion which indicates to me we’re going to have another great season on them very soon.  

On the Water Tackle Shop:  Check out Malcolm Creek Resort’s selection of name brand fishing tackle, rod & reels and such.  They keep the hottest lures in stock and the prices are less than you’d expect.  Special orders available with a 2 day turn around.  Contact Robert @ 800-733-6713.

"Tip of the Week"

Bass Fishing off colored or muddy water:  “April showers bring May flowers” and with it comes off colored and sometimes muddy water to Kentucky Lake.  Now is a good time to prepare ourselves to deal with it.  The best tip I can give is to not get discouraged! Off color or muddy water is part of a bass' environment and he must deal with it to. Typically bass hold tighter to cover, so using lures that you can get close too or into that cover work best.  
The lures I have found to be most effective are a Black Jig with a blue trailer, a single bladed dark colored spinner bait with a #6 Colorado gold or copper blade and a 7” Blue Fleck Berkley Power Worm. 

Generally speaking bass will move until they find conditions that suit them.  As an example, one day last spring my good friend Kenny Dement from Sikeston, Mo. and I worked a fifty yard stretch of bushes in stained water and caught two limits of really nice bass by pitching the 7” Berkley Power Worm.  We saw several boats working bushes in muddy water where it entered the lake but on this day the bass preferred bushes where the water transitioned from muddy to stained. The Blue Fleck worm was easily visible in the stained water and its elongated shape allowed it to slither thru the limbs to the bass.  Remember, a jig can be used to flip & pitch the same type cover but don’t discount the effectiveness of the worm because of its shape. 
At times, a mud line will form where the clear and muddy water meet.  This is an excellent area to use a spinner bait.  Cast into the muddy water and bring the lure thru the mud line and most strikes will occur close to where the muddy and clear water meet. 

I use bait casting reels with 50 lb braid and a stout 7 ½ foot rod when I’m working the bushes to horse the fish out of the cover.  Using 20 lb fluorocarbon line on the spinner bait works pretty good since you most likely will be fishing around some type of submerged cover.
There are other lures and techniques that will work but most of all don’t be intimidated or discouraged.  Remember, off colored or muddy water is part of a bass' environment; he must deal with it and you can too.

Guide Service Bookings.   I have just a few of 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, Tennessee & 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 …