May 20th, 2011

Lake Conditions …

As of this morning both lakes are approximately two feet over summer pool and in the midst of a slow drawdown. There is continuous current in both lakes but not like before as the lake is only dropping inches a day versus the foot or more previously.  Water Clarity… The main river channel on Barkley is still stained with some occasional debris.  The best water is on the LBL side of the lake where the bays are fairly clear.  Overall the bays are clearing and the water is very fishable.  On Kentucky Lake the main river channel is lightly stained. Some bays are clear others are clearing.  Overall the water on Kentucky is in real good shape for fishing.  The bite has been very good on both lakes for most species.  Lake temps are in the high 60’s to low 70’s.

Fishing Report
 
Bass Fishing and fishing for Red Ear and Bluegill dominated the week’s action.  Here’s what’s going on in the world of Kick' Bass…

Largemouth Bass … Another wave of egg laden females has made their way to the flats to spawn during the full moon this week. With the water falling Largemouth Bass appear to be setting up deeper than usual. Reality is, the bass use the same locations to spawn year after year, there is just more water on top of the spawning areas. It never ceases to amaze me the ability of Mother Nature’s creatures to adapt to harsh conditions and bass are no exception.

Also schools of post-spawn bass are making their way towards the ledges and are gathering on main lake and secondary points where current and shad are present. The migration to the ledges generally lasts a while so we’re in for some real good fishing over the next few weeks on the points. The depth varies but 12-15 feet is a good place to start.  (Photo) Dave Phillips of Paducah, KY and Kick’n Bass with some post-spawn female bass caught on Shakey Heads.  The best baits this week have been Shakey Heads with Z-Man Watermelon and Green Pumpkin finesse worms on a PJ’s 3/16 oz bass extractor jig head. These lures have produced a lot of bass this week for my clients and some really good ones too.  A 3/8 PJ’s jig with an Alabama Craw or Green Pumpkin Tiny Paca Craw trailer has been a pretty good back up plan.

Bass in the Flooded Timber & Bushes … With the drawdown in progress and the lake on its way to summer pool, this pattern has changed considerably. A lot of cover previously submerged is now high and dry. The receding water has drawn the bass out of the woods and to the next available cover.  The good news is that with TVA slowing the drawdown there is more water than normal around the bushes and this is still a workable pattern.  Those anglers who like to flip & Pitch can still catch some good fish.  We caught several this week pitching a Black / Blue Fleck ZMan Saw Tail worm.  We found the best way to fish the worm was Texas rigged with a pegged sinker. The slender profile of the worm allowed us to get the bait down to the base of the trees or in the bush if needed.  At times the bass were holding pretty tight, so letting the bait fall to the base of the tree or to the bush and shaking the worm to entice a strike made a big difference.  Back of the Bays Bass … a few bass are chasing schools of shad in the back of the bays too.  Creek channels and depressions in the flats in the backs of the bays are holding some bass.  Anyway you tell the story it’s a crank baiters dream come true.  Excalibur Lipless crank baits in Royal Shad and Steel Shad blade baits in Silver and Gold have been pretty hot baits for Kick’n Bass clients this week.  Ledge Pattern … Some bass are on the ledges and we caught a few on deep diving crank baits (DD 22 Blue/Chartreuse), jigs (PJ’s 3/4 Missouri Craw) and Shakey Heads.  I’m not ready to commit to this pattern just yet since other patterns are more productive at this time.  No doubt Ledge Fishing will become more of a factor in the weeks ahead.

Smallmouth Bass …
The spawn is over and the big ones are feeding! The most productive locations are main lake points 12-17 feet and gravel banks on secondary points in the bays 8-12 feet. The top lures have been ZMan finesse worms in Watermelon and Green Pumpkin fished Shakey Head style & Tiny Paca Craws in Alabama Craw and Green Pumpkin & Candy.  Both plastics are fished on a PJ’s 3/16 Bass Extractor Jig. Vince Marascuillo from Memphis, Tn. (photo) caught this post spawn smallmouth, on a windy, rainy day this week off a secondary point on a Shakey Head.  The bite is definitely on for Big Bronzebacks!

As you can see there are several areas that are holding bass and many methods are being used to catch them.  We’ve put in a lot of hours on the water and I’d have to say that bass fishing has been special.  My clients and I have had a blast!  Remember to be willing to try different locations and methods.  Please practice CPR: Catch, Photo and Release on all bass.  Thanks!

Bluegill & Red Ear …

This week we finally had the opportunity to put in some serious time chasing Bluegill & Red Ear and we weren’t disappointed.  The father and son team of Craig and Matt Holthaus from Illinois and I had a great trip on Bluegill and Catfish. We alternated between using crickets on slip bobbers and a Shelton’s Bluegill Bug tipped with a cricket to catch a pretty good mess.  The highlight of the trip was Matt catching a 15lb flathead catfish on 6 lb line, which was no small feat!  Fourteen year-old Matt did a masterful job of playing the fish out and once the big cat was in the net it got a second wind and fought all the way to the live well!  Matt put a pretty good whip’in on us but Craig didn’t care, the smile on his face that told me he was pretty darn proud of his boy. Spending the day fishing with his son made him the big winner. Watching a father and son enjoying each others company is pretty special.  I look forward to our next trip together but Matt … you gotta promise to go a little easier on your dad and me …
 
McBroom Boys Make Clean Sweep … Cullen McBroom and his son Jake from Louisville and I had a day none of us will forget.  We started the day off fishing for bass and caught fish all morning long with Jake catching his biggest Kentucky Lake bass ever, a beautiful 4 ½ pounder.  We spent the last couple hours fishing for bluegill and red ear and had non-stop action.  When it was time to quit the big Red Ear were still biting like crazy and the boys wanted to keep fishing. The guys talked me into staying a little longer when they agreed to clean the fish.  When it came time to pose for a father & son photo it took both of them to carry the catch … Jake, make sure dad cleans his share since he claimed he caught most of ’em!

The best areas for Red Ear & Bluegill are submerged gravel bars and pea gravel banks 2-4 feet deep.  Best artificial lures are a Ken’s Cricket (The Fisherman’s Friend) and a Shelton’s Bluegill Bug fished either with or without a cricket or meal or wax worm.  Another very productive method is to fish a cricket or red worm under a slip bobber, a drop shot or mini-Carolina rig.  If you have all the baits you can alternate between them and catch a good mess.  Bluegill and Red Ear fishing is in high gear and the really Big Ones are beginning to show up.

Drop Shot or Mini-Carolina Rig for Big Red Ear … By the way some of the bigger Red Ear are being caught on either a Drop Shot or Mini-Carolina rig.  This rig consists of a 1/8 oz barrel swivel or split shot on the end of the line and a long shank bluegill hook tied about 6-12 inches up the line. If you use a split shot tie a small knot in the line below the weight so the split shot won’t pull off.  The mini-Carolina is just the opposite set up of the Drop Shot Rig; the hook is on the end and the weight up the line.  I’m partial to the Drop Shot as it seems to come thru cover without getting hung up as much. Bait-up with red worms, crickets, wax or meal worms and you’re all set.  Reel slowly and hang on!

Catfish & Stripes … No Report

Sonar Tip of the Week 
 
Be sure and check out the new Sonar Tips Page on our website http://www.kicknbass.net/sonar.htm

As many of you know Kentucky Lake has risen to historic levels.  TVA is in the midst of a major drawdown which is creating significant current in the main lake.  At the same time a good number of bass have spawned and are on the move and relating to main lake points and ledges, especially those with current.  The screen shows bass feeding on schools of shad on a ledge located on a secondary channel.  We used a Shakey Head to catch several nice fish before the school got wise and moved on.  With out 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 send an email to rk@kicknbass.net.

** Announcements **
HUGE GRAND OPENING EVENT AT BASS & GAS!

Bass & Gas (formerly Judy's Fishing Depot) 3243 US Highway 68 East Benton, KY 42025, is having a Grand Opening Event May 27,2011 6:00am to 8:00pm.  Come and help celebrate the complete remodeling of the store and meet the friendly staff.  The event will include a store wide 10% discount** sale, hourly product giveaways and attendance prizes (see list of prizes on our website), Tackle Industry Representatives showing there new tackle and techniques, new product introduction from Fish Guardian, Kentucky Lake Fishing Pros and Guides to talk fishing.  The Electric 96.9 will be doing a live remote from 9:00am to 11:00am as well as the Double Q 94.7 will be doing a live remote from 11:00am to 2:00pm.  Listen for the new Bass & Gas radio commercials on WKYQ 93.3 FM, WQQR 94.7 FM, WKYX 93.4 FM and WNGO 1320 AM this week!  If you are unable to attend on that day, don't fear, you will still be able to save 10% storewide from May 27 - 29, 2011. note **(gasoline not included).  Call us at (270)527-1900 for more information or visit our website at www.bassngas.com.  We look forward to meeting all of you.
 
Fishing Seminar with BASS Elite Pro Angler Mark Menendez at Hopkinsville Community College …
 
On Thursday Nights May 19, May 26, and June 2nd. Bassmaster Elite Pro Mark Menendez will be presenting bass fishing seminars at Hopkinsville Community College.

Mark, one of the top anglers in the country, has a degree in fisheries biology and is devoted to educating interested anglers in the field of bass fishing.  He has spent over 20 years earning a reputation as a warrior on tour and has amassed career earning of over one million dollars.  You will enjoy Mark’s fun, folksy, common-sense approach to sharing his vast knowledge and experience.

The seminars will be from 6 PM to 9 PM each of the three nights and will cover a variety of techniques and tips for fishing Ky. & Barkley lakes. The cost of the classes is $65.00 for all three.

You can register for the classes by calling Hopkinsville Community College @ (270) 707-3750.

New Product Helps Keep Your Fish Healthy!

The FISH GUARDIAN is a patent pending product designed to dispense live release formula in a liquid form directly into your boat livewell with the push of a button.  It saves precious fishing time and helps protect your catch instantly.  No more time away from casting, no more time finding the live release formula in your boat, no more clumps and manual dispensing.

Tournament Anglers:  The FISH GUARDIAN assists tournament anglers with a need to be environmental stewards by making a process more automatic to dispense live release formula in a liquid form into their boat livewells without penalizing them by taking away much needed fishing time or creating a mess in their boat.  By installing this product into a boat, you can dispense liquid live release formula into the livewell throughout the day with only the press of a button on the control console.

For more info check out the website www.fishguardian.com or call 1-888-544-2035.

Tight Lines,