WINTER FISHING WOES

 

Kentucky Lake 1/15/25

Contributor - Steve McCadams, Professional Guide/Outdoor Writer (stevemc@charter.net)

Mean winter weather has not cooperated with Kentucky Lake’s winter fishing scene lately. It hasn’t exactly cooperated with duck hunters either! However, seems there’s always a few people testing the waters of Kentucky Lake regardless of the weather! Frigid temps have curtailed activity lately. That’s kept most anglers off the water and close to the fire.

There were a few days when the weatherman allows a short reprieve from north winds and falling temps but very few. Lake levels have stayed pretty close to the low level of winter pool lately. Readings this week were in the 354.9 range. Watercolor has been clear. Surface temps are in the low to mid 30’s. The lion’s share of winter fishermen are waiting it out indoors and hoping there’s a break in the weather soon.

Some crappie anglers ventured out a day or two when the weather moderated but it was a short honeymoon as bitter temps quickly replaced a day or two of warm up. Crappie were taken in the 9-to-15-foot depth range by anglers fishing jigs and minnows around manmade fish attractors. Some tested deep main lake ledges at times and found a few scattered fish holding in the 17-to-20-foot depth range. Some reports indicated a few fish were even deeper than that!

Meanwhile, fishing pox is starting to affect local anglers yearning to get out and about. Hang in there. Sooner or later mild days will rebound, and you can get out on the water and scratch that itch! 

Monthly Meeting

 The monthly meeting of the Paris Landing Tourism League (PLTL) will be held Tuesday, January 14th, at 6 pm at the Senior Center inside the Paris Landing Emergency Complex.

Hope to see you there!

Snowy Day At The Park

 Snowy view of our bridge.  Photo courtesy of Paris Landing State Park.

FISHING SCENE VICTIM OF WEATHER

Kentucky Lake 1-2-25

Report Contributor - Steve McCadams, Professional Guide/Outdoor Writer (stevemc@charter.net)

Another visit from the Siberian Express has curtailed the winter fishing scene. Frigid temps for the last week or so kept most anglers at bay, doing the majority of their fishing at the coffee shops or up close to the fire somewhere. Anglers had been catching some pretty good stringers of crappie before the brutal weather descend but several back-to-back days that never eclipsed the freezing mark sort of cooled the spirits of local fishermen. Watch for a rebound as anglers are anxious to get back out and test the water. They’ve been suffering from cabin fever for about a week and shown signs of irritability.

Lake levels have been low and stable. Elevation this past week slept around the 354.5 range. Watercolor has been clear. Surface temperatures were in the low 30’s as some thin sheets of ice were reported in shallow backwater areas recently. Odds are the crappie are waiting for the return of a few fishermen who had been catching them in 9-to-14-foot depths. Some fishermen reported finding them deeper around the 15-to-18-foot depth range around deep brush piles and stake beds. Jigs were producing but some credited their catches to live minnows or jigs tipped with minnows.

After a week of brutal weather watch for both the fish and the fishermen to get back in the grove quickly if the weatherman will cooperate. A few days of rising temps and light winds can see the bite resume quickly.

WINTER FISHING SCENE HAS BEEN A GOOD ONE

 

Kentucky Lake - 12-26-24

Report Contributor - Steve McCadams, Professional Guide/Outdoor Writer (stevemc@charter.net)

In times past winter fishing across the Kentucky Lake outdoor scene has been mostly an afterthought. When inclement weather dominated the overall picture not many diehard anglers were up to the challenge of bone chilling white caps from north winds or frigid temperatures that resulted in numb hands. A lot of outdoorsmen opted to spend winter days water fowling when the weather turned nasty. That’s changed lately. Mild weather has hurt the duck hunting but worked in favor of fishermen. May be time to park the shotgun in the closet and pick up the fishing pole!

Meanwhile, if the weather turns bad sometimes anglers just come to their senses and realize their limitations, staying on shore and next to the fire waiting for the weather to break in their favor. Not so lately. Ole man winter has been kind to the local fishing scene but short of hurt the feeling of weary duck hunters. Scores of fishermen have been out in force these last few weeks when moderate temperatures and light winds invited them out to the lake.

Kentucky Lake’s recent fishing report from several successful anglers indicates the bite has been good for both crappie and some white bass, smallmouth and even a few stripers. Christmas Day was an unusually warm winter day with stagnant winds. The lake was calm and uncharacteristic for this time of year.

A few anglers seized the opportunity and found the fish cooperating. Some nice stringers of crappie were taken by anglers fishing mostly jigs around deep submerged manmade fish attractors. Their stake beds and brush piles in depths of 13 to 15 feet paid dividends. Some even deeper at times. Some fish were taken in 9 to 11 feet, but most were a bit deeper.

Catfish were on the prowl too as current in the Tennessee River lately has stimulated that bite. Bumping bottom in the 35-foot depth range was giving up some dandy stringers too. Several nice blue catfish were caught. TVA has been pulling water lately as they worked to bring the reservoir back down to the winter pool elevation range of 354. Last week lake levels were hanging around the 354.5 range. Watercolor was clear and TVA was pulling about 45,000 cfs (cubic feet per second) of water through Kentucky Dam. Water temps were in the 45-degree range.

Some bass fishermen scored a few hefty largemouth and smallmouth recently. Some indicated a few bronze backs exceeding the 5-pound range!

Also showing up in the creel were a few stripers. The big boys were nailing a white twister tail jig at times out on the edge of the main river channel.

It’s abundantly clear crappie, catfish and bass anglers this winter---for the most part---have fared much better than weary waterfowlers scanning empty skies around most of the west Tennessee area.

 

WINTER CRAPPIE MAKE REBOUND

 

Kentucky Lake 12-12-24

Report Contributor - Steve McCadams, Professional Guide/Outdoor Writer (stevemc@charter.net)

After last week’s frigid fishing scene across Kentucky Lake that diminished activity for most anglers unwilling to participate in the endurance test, things showed improvement for crappie fishermen. A few nice stringers were taken this week by anglers targeting the 9-to-14-foot depth ranges. Successful anglers sort of cherry picked their days, avoiding the nasty winds when they could. That aided their quest to work main lake areas or pursue open water spots within big bays that gave up some decent stringers.

Fish are holding tight to structure in the midrange depths with a few anglers stalking even deeper water and finding a few holding in brush piles around the 18-to-22-foot depth range. Not unusual to find a few crappies falling back deeper when cold weather is in the picture like it was last week.

It appears temps will moderate by this weekend and even rebound to the upper 50’s and low 60’s by early next week before another cool snap enters the picture by midweek. Rainy days are about to descend as the weather warms. The weather roller coaster seems to be alive and well as late fall fades to winter. Winter officially arrives on December 21.

Lake levels have stayed relative stable lately and hovering around the 354.7 elevation across the reservoir. That’s up a few inches from a week ago but still in the normal range for winter pool levels across the lake. Watercolor remain clear. Surface temps were in the upper 30’s and low 40’s last week but have slowly moderated.

A few bass anglers have been out targeting smallmouth and stalking deep holes where fish are hiding from the current whenever it’s flowing. The recent Bassmaster tournament opened some eyes as to late fall bass fishing. It revealed the bronze backs can be caught even in inclement conditions if you know how to locate them and implement the proper techniques.

Kentucky Lake has pretty much had a good smallmouth fishery for many years, but anglers have become better educated at finding and catching them in recent years. No doubt the advancement of technology with Livescope and Live Image type sonar equipment has enhanced anglers’ knowledge of the illusive deep-water hideouts of smallmouth here.