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Apr 3, 2025
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Mar 29, 2025
CRAPPIE SPAWN NEARS…TVA’S BEGINS RESERVOIR FILLING APRIL 1st
Kentucky Lake 3/27/25
Report Contributor, Steve McCadams, Professional Guide/Outdoor Writer stevemc@charter.net
Rising lake levels are coinciding with rising surface temperatures. For Kentucky Lake’s early spring fishing scene it’s a Mecca for anglers yearning to hit the peak of spawning phases. TVA’s curve for reservoir filling begins April 1st each year. A slow rise will be underway until the lake reaches summer pool’s target date of 359 on May 1st.
If you’re waiting for good fishing then wait no longer. The bite for both bass and crappie is well underway, despite some unruly wind at times. Lake levels this week have been around the 355.2 range. Water color has some stain in places but overall it’s in great shape.
It has been a good week for anglers across the whole region as hefty stringers of crappie and bass are coming in. The reservoir’s annual spawning phase for crappie is right on the threshold. Surface temperatures increased this week and crossed the 60-degree threshold in portions of the lake, especially throughout the Big Sandy sector. That’s triggered movement of crappie toward shallow spawning venues in the last few days. Readings at midweek had climbed out of the low to upper 50’s to just slightly above the 60-degree surface temp in West Sandy and the upper end of Big Sandy around the New Hope and Country Junction area. That region normally warms quicker than other areas.
Male crappie are showing hormonal changes as their pigment turns darker each day, a sure sign the spawn is close at hand. Dandy stringers of slab crappie crappie were being caught on a regular basis by anglers using a variety of techniques ranging from long line trolling to spider rigging and vertical jigging over man made fish attractors. Once surface temperatures reach the 62 to 66 degree range with some stability then active phases of spawning will be underway. All signs point the annual ritual will begin next week.
Traditionally, the active phases of crappie spawning take place across Kentucky Lake during the first two weeks of April. Weather can influence that as cold fronts sometimes arrive and push the parade back a few days. Next week it appears a cold front will descend Monday and Tuesday which will likely throw a curve to anglers for a day or two as northwest winds will likely bring a few whitecaps and chilly days to the fishing scene. However, anglers should see a rapid rebound as the long range forecast shows daytime highs returning to the upper 70’s by the middle of next week.
The midweek warm up should really stimulate the crappie to blitz toward shallow to mid range depths and begin spawning. Depths of 4 to 7 feet will produce a lot of fish. Some fish have been taken in that depth range already in the upper Big Sandy. No doubt fish are on the move.
Boaters across the lake are scoring some nice stringers. It has been a good week. D. J Loversll of Paris Landing Outdoorsman bait and tackle shop on the lake highway says he’s seeing some impressive crappie come in and this week weighed a slab that reportedly tipped the scales at 4.2 pounds! The trophy was reportedly taken in White Oak Creek earlier this week. Some boats are covering a lot of water by slow trolling Road Runner style jigs in the chartreuse/red and chartreuse/blue color combinations while others are pulling white twister tail grubs on their lead heads. A variety of colors have been producing.
A lot of crappie are suspended, staging out over main lake flats waiting to move up. When this happens the trolling techniques are very effective here. Boaters spider rigging and slowly meandering across shallow flats and back in the bays are also reporting success as the fish move in. Some places that were void of fish last week are now attracting good numbers as a lot of movement has taken place.
It’s transition time for crappie. They’re migrating from the deeper main lake venues into secondary bays or shallow flats in preparation for spawning. Females will begin dropping their eggs by the end of next week. Other techniques paying dividends are vertical jigging over man made structure such as brush piles and stake beds. Using live minnows has worked well too.
The last few days bank fishermen are picking up a few more fish as they cast minnows and jigs on slip-bobbers. Now that crappie have migrated to shallow shorelines bank fishermen are beginning to land some nice stringers from areas that were not holding fish a week ago. It’s party time for Kentucky Lake crappie!
Bass fishermen are landing some lunker largemouth lately as they toss crawfish and shad colored variations of crank baits around gravel banks. Also working has been suspending jerk baits and crank baits. Jig and craw combos are on the list as well as some spinnerbaits now that surface temps are warming. Soon top water presentations will enter the picture as well.
Spring fishing time is here!
Report Contributor, Steve McCadams, Professional Guide/Outdoor Writer stevemc@charter.net
Rising lake levels are coinciding with rising surface temperatures. For Kentucky Lake’s early spring fishing scene it’s a Mecca for anglers yearning to hit the peak of spawning phases. TVA’s curve for reservoir filling begins April 1st each year. A slow rise will be underway until the lake reaches summer pool’s target date of 359 on May 1st.
If you’re waiting for good fishing then wait no longer. The bite for both bass and crappie is well underway, despite some unruly wind at times. Lake levels this week have been around the 355.2 range. Water color has some stain in places but overall it’s in great shape.
It has been a good week for anglers across the whole region as hefty stringers of crappie and bass are coming in. The reservoir’s annual spawning phase for crappie is right on the threshold. Surface temperatures increased this week and crossed the 60-degree threshold in portions of the lake, especially throughout the Big Sandy sector. That’s triggered movement of crappie toward shallow spawning venues in the last few days. Readings at midweek had climbed out of the low to upper 50’s to just slightly above the 60-degree surface temp in West Sandy and the upper end of Big Sandy around the New Hope and Country Junction area. That region normally warms quicker than other areas.
Male crappie are showing hormonal changes as their pigment turns darker each day, a sure sign the spawn is close at hand. Dandy stringers of slab crappie crappie were being caught on a regular basis by anglers using a variety of techniques ranging from long line trolling to spider rigging and vertical jigging over man made fish attractors. Once surface temperatures reach the 62 to 66 degree range with some stability then active phases of spawning will be underway. All signs point the annual ritual will begin next week.
Traditionally, the active phases of crappie spawning take place across Kentucky Lake during the first two weeks of April. Weather can influence that as cold fronts sometimes arrive and push the parade back a few days. Next week it appears a cold front will descend Monday and Tuesday which will likely throw a curve to anglers for a day or two as northwest winds will likely bring a few whitecaps and chilly days to the fishing scene. However, anglers should see a rapid rebound as the long range forecast shows daytime highs returning to the upper 70’s by the middle of next week.
The midweek warm up should really stimulate the crappie to blitz toward shallow to mid range depths and begin spawning. Depths of 4 to 7 feet will produce a lot of fish. Some fish have been taken in that depth range already in the upper Big Sandy. No doubt fish are on the move.
Boaters across the lake are scoring some nice stringers. It has been a good week. D. J Loversll of Paris Landing Outdoorsman bait and tackle shop on the lake highway says he’s seeing some impressive crappie come in and this week weighed a slab that reportedly tipped the scales at 4.2 pounds! The trophy was reportedly taken in White Oak Creek earlier this week. Some boats are covering a lot of water by slow trolling Road Runner style jigs in the chartreuse/red and chartreuse/blue color combinations while others are pulling white twister tail grubs on their lead heads. A variety of colors have been producing.
A lot of crappie are suspended, staging out over main lake flats waiting to move up. When this happens the trolling techniques are very effective here. Boaters spider rigging and slowly meandering across shallow flats and back in the bays are also reporting success as the fish move in. Some places that were void of fish last week are now attracting good numbers as a lot of movement has taken place.
It’s transition time for crappie. They’re migrating from the deeper main lake venues into secondary bays or shallow flats in preparation for spawning. Females will begin dropping their eggs by the end of next week. Other techniques paying dividends are vertical jigging over man made structure such as brush piles and stake beds. Using live minnows has worked well too.
The last few days bank fishermen are picking up a few more fish as they cast minnows and jigs on slip-bobbers. Now that crappie have migrated to shallow shorelines bank fishermen are beginning to land some nice stringers from areas that were not holding fish a week ago. It’s party time for Kentucky Lake crappie!
Bass fishermen are landing some lunker largemouth lately as they toss crawfish and shad colored variations of crank baits around gravel banks. Also working has been suspending jerk baits and crank baits. Jig and craw combos are on the list as well as some spinnerbaits now that surface temps are warming. Soon top water presentations will enter the picture as well.
Spring fishing time is here!
Mar 14, 2025
WARMER DAYS/HIGH WINDS GREET ANGLERS
Kentucky Lake 3/13/25
Report Contributor, Steve McCadams, Professional Guide/Outdoor Writer stevemc@charter.net
Rising temperatures as mid-March rolled around have stimulated the interest level of both the fish and fishermen. Spring fever has been running high among the ranks of anglers anxious for the seasonal transition. Spring officially arrives Thursday, March 20th but recently it felt like it came in early and daytime temps jumped to the upper 70’s, stimulating the both the bass and crappie bite on Kentucky Lake this past week.
Above average daytime temperatures often come with a trade off in early March, that being gusty winds and a threat of thunderstorms. That’s in the forecast for the weekend with slightly cooler temps on the backside of an approaching front. Watch for some stability to return early next week once the disturbance passes through the region. Kentucky Lake water levels have fallen to the low ebb of winter pool this week. Readings across the reservoir are 354.4. Surface temperatures have risen in response to the recent warm spell and were around the 53-degree range, even warm in some places.
Water color had cleared in the main lake areas but still a slight stain lingers in some bays and up Big Sandy areas. However, it’s a good color for crappie fishing. Some good stringers of slabs have been coming in from anglers taking advantage of the nice days. At times the wind has dictated the routes of fishermen hoping to stalk the open water areas of Big Sandy and elsewhere on the lake.
Depths of 7 to 12 feet have produced good numbers of big prespawn slab crappie which were moving up in preparation for the annual ritual. As surface temps climb to the mid-50’s crappie begin stair-stepping their way toward spawning territory but not before staging in mid-range depths for a short period.
Female crappie are sporting a hefty profile at present, bulging with eggs and weighing heavy. Several crappie eclipsing the 2-pound range have been taken lately.Mid-range structure in the form of shallow stumps and various man made fish attractors are appealing to crappie as they hang out just off the banks and await warmer surface temps to pull them shallow.
Crappie will begin spawning phases once water temps reach the 62 to 66 degree range. That’s usually the first week or two of April but sometimes, if warmer weather descends, spawning can begin in late March. The prespawn phases now underway it’s a great time to catch big slabs as the females are bloated and soon males will begin to transition to a deeper purple color as their hormonal changes see a darkening of their pigment. Anglers just have to tolerate the unstable moods of March weather. Nice one day; windy the next. Warm a few days; cold and brutal in the aftermath. It’s March Madness!
Bass fishermen are seeing more big fish move up to shallow gravel and rocky points in response to the rising surface temps. It’s crank bait heaven across Kentucky Lake this time of year. Lots of other lures produce too but a variety of colors in shallow and deep running crank baits are the cat’s meow this time of year. Big sow bass are already moving up back into bays and pockets, staging in the warmer water and just waiting for the right time to start fanning the shallow shorelines for spawning beds. Soon slightly higher lake levels will arrive, inundating grass beds and for bass it will begin.
Low lake levels will hang around until April 1 as that’s TVA’s curve schedule to begin reservoir filling toward summer pool. The normal schedule has a target date of May 1 for summer pool (359) so a gradual rise in lake levels will soon begin.
Mar 11, 2025
Mar 9, 2025
Monthly Meeting
The monthly meeting of the Paris Landing Tourism League (PLTL) will be held Tuesday, March 11th, at 6 pm at the Senior Center inside the Paris Landing Emergency Complex.
Hope to see you there!
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