Kentucky Lake - 4/16/26
By Steve McCadams, Professional Guide/Outdoor Writer (stevemc@charter.net)
Kentucky Lake’s fishing scene this week delivered another good one for bass and crappie anglers as bluegill and shellcracker (biologically known as red ear sunfish) transition toward shorelines in their prespawn phase. April has been kind to Kentucky Lake anglers lately and numerous reports are coming in from a variety of successful anglers.
Seems the biological clock has been somewhat ahead of normal, a likely result of unusually warm weather. Just this week, temperatures have been several degrees above normal and knocking on the door of record highs some days. However, long range forecasts indicate a significant drop in temperatures will arrive on Sunday and Monday but rapidly rebound early next week. Temps will dip down into the low 40’s beginning Saturday night and slowly start to rebound by Monday. Looks like fishermen will need jackets and long sleeve shirts for a couple of days before a warm spell returns.
Surface temperatures have climbed to 68 to 69 degrees this week. Some anglers have already found 70-degree water in shallow pockets. Watercolor remains clear across the reservoir. Lake levels are still slightly above the norm on TVA’s schedule and were resting at 358.1 as this report was posted. Under normal conditions TVA’s target date for summer pool level (359) is May 1 each year.
Nice stringers of crappie have been coming in around the Paris Landing and Big Sandy sector as well as from West Sandy. Several anglers are reporting 20-fish limits on days when the wind allows them to get out and about. High winds have been a factor this spring for fishermen. Despite some high hurdles at times anglers have managed to find decent numbers of crappie in the 4-to-8-foot range lately. No doubt the fish are up there spawning. Male crappie are sporting a magnificent dark color as their hormonal change is underway.
Females are showing bulging egg sacs and eggs are bloody and mushy, a stage that indicates spawning is underway. Normal for Kentucky Lake is the variety of techniques and methods that are producing fish. Some boats are catching good stringers as they long line Road Runner style lead heads and assorted twister tail or tube skirts. The slow trolling method always seems to be popular this time of year. Also producing have been slow moving spider rigs as boaters meander their multipole presentation over submerged stump fields, brush piles while also catching suspended crappie. Live minnows have worked well at times in addition to jig color buffets.
Vertical fishing jigs over manmade fish attractors such as brush piles and stake beds has paid dividends too. And hefty stringers have been reported by those casting jigs in shallow water and along gravel shorelines using both live minnows and jigs fished beneath slip bobbers. Both bank fishermen and those casting from boats are landing enough fish to keep them enthused. The approaching cold front may bring a short hiatus to the bite but watch for it to resume quickly once winds shift from the northerly direction and get back to a southerly flow by early next week.
Bluegill and shellcracker have improved since last week and continue to move up shallow. Nice coolers of shellcracker have been taken by anglers casting wax and meal worms plus red worms and nightcrawlers. Some dandies have been lingering slightly out from shorelines at times. Shallow grass lines and bushes need a little more water on them but that will happen by next week. Already biting good have been bluegill that moved up shallow over the last two weeks in response to the early warm spells. Most folks agree the timetable across the lake has been a week to ten days ahead of normal as to both surface temps and movement of fish.
It’s not unusual to see shellcracker a bit ahead of the bluegill spawn. And, with surface temps on the threshold of 70 degrees, we are already looking for a significant transition to take place in the next week to ten days. A full moon arrives on May 1 so that will trigger an early spawning phase for both bluegill and shellcracker. Best get the light tackle ready and dust off the cricket boxes. The shallow show for aggressive panfish is about to begin!
Bass fishermen have been scoring nice stringers as they experiment with some early arriving bass to shallow shoreline areas. Casting some topwater jerk baits have worked but deadly has been Texas rigged craws, worms and lizards on the edges of shallow grass beds. Smallmouth had been showing up good too in their early spawning phases. Tossing finesse baits plus suspending crankbaits and curly tail and hair jigs have worked well.
Spinnerbaits are worthy of consideration too as anglers fan cast shallow shorelines while parallel casting the banks where bass are staging just out from the grass beds. Water levels are not quite summer pool so that means a lot of the grass and bushes are just on the verge of holding more bass.
Apr 17, 2026
Apr 14, 2026
6th Annual Veteran's Crappie Tournament
April 18
6th Annual Veteran's
Crappie Tournament
Sunset Marina on Kentucky Lake
Questions: Shane Barker 731-514-3325 or
shane.barker7@yahoo.com
6th Annual Veteran's
Crappie Tournament
Sunset Marina on Kentucky Lake
Questions: Shane Barker 731-514-3325 or
shane.barker7@yahoo.com
Apr 13, 2026
Monthly Meeting
The monthly meeting of the Paris Landing Tourism League (PLTL) will be held Tuesday, April 14th, at 6 pm at the Senior Center inside the Paris Landing Emergency Complex.
Hope to see you there!
Apr 12, 2026
Fishing Report 4/9/26
By Steve McCadams, Professional Guide/Outdoor Writer (stevemc@charter.net)
EXCELLENT WEAHTER FOR KY LAKE FISHING SCENE
Fishermen all around the Kentucky and Barkley Lakes fishing scene have enjoyed a week of excellent weather that has really put pep in the step of all anglers. Warmer days are in progress, and the weekend looks good for both turkey (season opens Saturday in TN) hunters and fishermen. The weatherman deserves a tip of the hat this week for ALL outdoorsmen. Pretty good life for outdoorsmen these days; they can choose to chase turkeys by morning and fish in the afternoons!
Current conditions on Kentucky Lake have water levels a bit ahead of schedule and somewhat above normal for this early in April. TVA has been releasing very little water (only 12,000 cubic feet per second cfs) through Kentucky Dam this week so very little current is present out there on the main Tennessee River channel.
Surface temperatures are in the 65-degree range. Watercolor is mostly clear. Lake elevation was at 357.9 as of this report. That’s about two feet or so ahead of schedule on TVA’s normal curve for spring lake levels but the fishermen are doing just fine.
Good stringers of crappie have been taken this week from the 7 to 10-foot depth range. Several other depths are giving up fish too as those drifting and trolling out on main lake sandbars around the 10-to-13-foot depth range have caught fish too. A wide variety of methods continue to produce fish. Bank fishermen are fooling a few into taking both jigs and live minnows as casting techniques are working. Slow retrieving the bait beneath slip bobbers has paid dividends lately as male crappie are up there on the gravel banks and around shallow submerged brush and stumps
Those out on the main lake areas are vertical fishing jigs and minnows too around submerged stake beds, brush piles and stump rows and accounting for coolers full at times. The fish are staging in midrange depths and slow trolling techniques are producing some nice stringers too. Long lining methods have yielded limits lately for a lot of anglers as their efforts to pull Roadrunner style jigs plus curly tail and tube skirted jigs have been quite productive. Chartreuse/blue, red/chartreuse, blue metal flake and pearl are just a few of the popular choices.
Spawning is underway as females are bloated with eggs and will likely spawn this week. Some may have already begun spawning phases due to the early spring warmup the area has enjoyed. The biological clock has been a bit ahead of normal due to the above average temperatures in early April this year.
Already showing up are a few scattered bluegill and redear sunfish (shellcracker) on shallow gravel shorelines. They're not bedding yet but just responding to the warm water. However, redear will spawn ahead of bluegill so that bite is already beginning to accelerate. Bedding bluegill will continue to show more interest each week as the surface temps rise. By the end of April odds are early bedding bluegill will be in the mood and spawning phases should begin. More shellcracker will continue to show up too on shallow gravel and mud banks as those pockets heat up.
Bass fishermen have been landing some nice smallmouth as the bite picked up this week. Some anglers reported catching five fish limits of bass anchored by all smallmouth. The bronze backs have been in the spawning mood. From suspending crankbaits to curly tail grubs and various finesse bait presentations, smallmouth have been aggressive. Dandy largemouth have been taken on rocky and pea gravel points as anglers toss crankbaits plus jig and craw combos plus Texas rigged craws and lizards.
Spring has sprung here on the big lake. Anglers have had spring fever for several weeks. This recent stretch of nice stable weather has really stimulated the interest level for all sorts of fishermen. Even a few catfish have been taken by bank fishermen casting nightcrawlers around shorelines. Soon the catfish will be moving up to rocky banks for spawning phases too.
It’s a great time to be out on Kentucky Lake holding a fishing pole and enjoying the sights and sounds of spring.
EXCELLENT WEAHTER FOR KY LAKE FISHING SCENE
Fishermen all around the Kentucky and Barkley Lakes fishing scene have enjoyed a week of excellent weather that has really put pep in the step of all anglers. Warmer days are in progress, and the weekend looks good for both turkey (season opens Saturday in TN) hunters and fishermen. The weatherman deserves a tip of the hat this week for ALL outdoorsmen. Pretty good life for outdoorsmen these days; they can choose to chase turkeys by morning and fish in the afternoons!
Current conditions on Kentucky Lake have water levels a bit ahead of schedule and somewhat above normal for this early in April. TVA has been releasing very little water (only 12,000 cubic feet per second cfs) through Kentucky Dam this week so very little current is present out there on the main Tennessee River channel.
Surface temperatures are in the 65-degree range. Watercolor is mostly clear. Lake elevation was at 357.9 as of this report. That’s about two feet or so ahead of schedule on TVA’s normal curve for spring lake levels but the fishermen are doing just fine.
Good stringers of crappie have been taken this week from the 7 to 10-foot depth range. Several other depths are giving up fish too as those drifting and trolling out on main lake sandbars around the 10-to-13-foot depth range have caught fish too. A wide variety of methods continue to produce fish. Bank fishermen are fooling a few into taking both jigs and live minnows as casting techniques are working. Slow retrieving the bait beneath slip bobbers has paid dividends lately as male crappie are up there on the gravel banks and around shallow submerged brush and stumps
Those out on the main lake areas are vertical fishing jigs and minnows too around submerged stake beds, brush piles and stump rows and accounting for coolers full at times. The fish are staging in midrange depths and slow trolling techniques are producing some nice stringers too. Long lining methods have yielded limits lately for a lot of anglers as their efforts to pull Roadrunner style jigs plus curly tail and tube skirted jigs have been quite productive. Chartreuse/blue, red/chartreuse, blue metal flake and pearl are just a few of the popular choices.
Spawning is underway as females are bloated with eggs and will likely spawn this week. Some may have already begun spawning phases due to the early spring warmup the area has enjoyed. The biological clock has been a bit ahead of normal due to the above average temperatures in early April this year.
Already showing up are a few scattered bluegill and redear sunfish (shellcracker) on shallow gravel shorelines. They're not bedding yet but just responding to the warm water. However, redear will spawn ahead of bluegill so that bite is already beginning to accelerate. Bedding bluegill will continue to show more interest each week as the surface temps rise. By the end of April odds are early bedding bluegill will be in the mood and spawning phases should begin. More shellcracker will continue to show up too on shallow gravel and mud banks as those pockets heat up.
Bass fishermen have been landing some nice smallmouth as the bite picked up this week. Some anglers reported catching five fish limits of bass anchored by all smallmouth. The bronze backs have been in the spawning mood. From suspending crankbaits to curly tail grubs and various finesse bait presentations, smallmouth have been aggressive. Dandy largemouth have been taken on rocky and pea gravel points as anglers toss crankbaits plus jig and craw combos plus Texas rigged craws and lizards.
Spring has sprung here on the big lake. Anglers have had spring fever for several weeks. This recent stretch of nice stable weather has really stimulated the interest level for all sorts of fishermen. Even a few catfish have been taken by bank fishermen casting nightcrawlers around shorelines. Soon the catfish will be moving up to rocky banks for spawning phases too.
It’s a great time to be out on Kentucky Lake holding a fishing pole and enjoying the sights and sounds of spring.
Apr 9, 2026
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