FISHING SCENE WARMS UP

Kentucky Lake 5/15/25
Report Contributor, Steve McCadams, Professional Guide/Outdoor Writer stevemc@charter.net


Kentucky Lake’s fishing scene has been good and it’s heating up even more with the arrival of some hot weather now entering the picture. Surface temperatures have climbed to the 74-degree range and may rise even more this week as daytime highs were projected to reach the mid to upper 80’s for a few days and then fall back to the normal low 70’s. Lake levels have been a few inches above the normal summer pool elevation of 359 this week. The watercolor is clear.

Still dominating the conversation among the ranks of anglers up and down the lake is the fantastic bite underway by bedding bluegill and red ear sunfish (shellcracker). It has been holding up on a consistent basis as impressive stringers have been taken by anglers targeting the 2-to-5-foot depth range.

Pockets just off the main lake and shallow backwater bays have been home to spawning bluegill and shellcracker for the last few weeks. The powerful panfish have been fanning those craters in shallow gravel and mud bottoms for egg deposits. The bite has been good. The bite should hold up for another week or two as the fish enter a post-spawn phases. Early summer is still a good time to catch them, but nothing compares to the peak spawning phases.

Also filling the coolers of Kentucky Lake anglers have been hefty stringers of catfish. Both channel and blue catfish have been spawning around shallow structure and hanging around the bluegill beds too. Plus, those rocky shorelines have really been appealing to spawning catfish.

Most anglers are relying on nightcrawlers for bait, but a variety of commercial baits are working well too. Levees and any rip-rap rock shorelines such as the old railroad levee east of Big Sandy at Danville on the Tennessee River, Paris Landing bridge approach, the little rock island up Big Sandy adjacent to Sulphur Well Island and rocky banks beneath the power lines on Big Sandy are but a few of the popular catfish producing spots.

Bass fishermen are finding fish shallow at the same time some of their friends are backing off the banks and targeting the post-spawn pattern. The post-spawn pattern usually sees bass backing off the banks as surface temps rise to the mid to upper 70’s. Lately several decent stringers have been taken as some anglers stay on a shallow pattern and continue to pitch and flip Texas rigged craws and worms around buck bushes, blowdowns and logs. Grass beds are holding bass too. Tossing a spinnerbait and buzz baits or jerk baits have been accounting for some good fish still lingering in shallow areas.

Out on the ledges anglers are relying on big crankbaits to help them cover a lot of water. Shad colored variations, along with black and chartreuse have been productive colors as the ledge bite begins to improve. Tossing big Texas rigged worms in the green pumpkin pepper, along with swim baits and hopping a jig and craw will continue to be popular choices as summer approaches.

A few nice stringers of post-spawn crappie are still coming in from anglers who are stalking midrange depths of 9 to 15 feet out on main lake areas. However, some crappie are still relating to structure back in the bays in midrange depths too. Tightlining jigs and live minnows has worked well. Some boats trolling crankbaits and Roadrunner jigs are finding several suspended crappie in the 9 to 15 depth range as they cover a lot of water out on main lake areas.

Kentucky Lake’s fishing scene chalked up another good week as the bite has been good.

Monthly Meeting

 The monthly meeting of the Paris Landing Tourism League (PLTL) will be held Tuesday, May 13th, at 6 pm at the Senior Center inside the Paris Landing Emergency Complex.

Hope to see you there!

Care Camp Basket Raffle

 Paris Landing / Kentucky Lake KOA Holiday (6290 East Antioch Road, Buchanan, TN)

The baskets are coming in and it's going to be a great time here at Paris Landing KOA! Come and stop by next weekend to see what great community businesses have donated for this great cause AND be the lucky winner of these items! We hope to see you...and bring your friends!

SPAWNING TIME FOR BLUEGILL/SHELLCRACKER…BASS/CATFISH BITE GOOD

Come Catch Some Catfish

Kentucky Lake 4/29/25
Report Contributor, Steve McCadams, Professional Guide/Outdoor Writer stevemc@charter.net


Lake levels have stabilized around normal summer pool (359) range and watercolor is good. Surface temperatures are warming fast and have now crossed the threshold of the 70-degree range. Active spawning phases are underway on Kentucky Lake for both bluegill and shellcracker (red ear sunfish). If you’re waiting for a great time to go fishing, then wait no longer. These next few weeks will see aggressive activity from these powerful panfish as they establish spawning beds in shallow pockets and pea gravel shorelines. Shallow grass beds or visible buck bushes or shallow logs are a few of the popular spots to check out.

Right now, depths of 1 to 4 feet are holding them. Baits of choice for shellcracker are redworms, nightcrawlers, wax worms or maggot larva. Crickets work too but they are the choice of bluegill too. The window of opportunity is actually quite wide as spawning will continue throughout the month of May. The next full moon in May 12 and veteran bluegill and shellcracker fishermen have always found good fishing around the full moon phase.

Meanwhile, stop by your local bait and tackle shop to stock up on terminal tackle. Long shank #6 light wire hooks, split shots and plenty of bobbers will be needed. To the list add long nose pliers and a towel too. And don’t forget the cooler or fish basket. It’s labeled as fishing’s finest hour. Spawning time for gills and shellcracker brings the kid out in all of us. So, take those youngsters out now and introduce them to the great sport of fishing. That bobber disappearing never goes out of style! You just might return to your younger days too when the gills and crackers are biting!

Catfish have been hitting good too. They’re moving up on the shallow rock banks plus meandering around shallow pockets just off the main lake in search of spawning territory. They often hang around the bluegill beds too and feed off the eggs or small fry once they started hatching out. Nightcrawlers have worked best but there’s always a variety of baits used by cat fishermen in their pursuit.

Several bass have been taken in shallow buck bushes lately as the lake is resting around the summer pool level of 359 and that inundates plenty of shoreline cover. Weed beds and buck bushes are holding enough water for bass to hang around and it’s a great time for anglers to toss topwater jerk baits and buzz baits plus floating fluke style worms, frogs, spinnerbaits and Texas rigged craws or worms. At the same time anglers are flipping and pitching a jig/craw combo around shorelines and some river islands.

Some boats are already backing off the banks and fishing a post-spawn patter on secondary ledges. Tossing big crankbaits in the blue/chartreuse color has produced results. So have Carolina rigged craws and Texas rigged worms. As surface temps continue to rise more bass will be moving out to those secondary ledges not far from shorelines.

Crappie are also in post-spawn phases as most of the females being caught have already dropped their eggs. Several crappie are lingering around deeper brush piles and stake beds at the present time while some fish are suspended out over deeper water. Several boats trolling Roadrunner jigs and curly tail grubs have been scoring good stringers as have boats spider rigging using the multipole presentation of jigs and live minnows. Productive depths have been 7-to-12-foot depth ranges.

However, whenever crappie are in post-spawn anglers can still find a few lingering around shoreline buck bushes at times. Dunking a jig or minnow around the shallow stickups can still produce a few dark males hanging around shallow structure!

REDEAR/BLLUEGILL BITE IMPROVES

Kentucky Lake 4/24/25
Report Contributor, Steve McCadams, Professional Guide/Outdoor Writer stevemc@charter.net

LAKE RETURNS TO NORMAL LEVEL AND COLOR…REDEAR/BLLUEGILL BITE IMPROVES

Lake levels are back to normal range as watercolor improves. The overall Kentucky Lake fishing scene has improved for most anglers who are glad to see normalcy return. The reservoir is now dancing around the summer pool mark after weeks of high muddy water. Falling lake levels last week pulled a lot of the muddy water out of big bays and the open water areas are improving too.

Surface temperatures this week rose to the upper 60s. Across the Paris Landing sector the lake is in good shape. Slight fluctuations have been occurring, but the reservoir is in the range of normal summer pool, which is 359.

Shoreline fishermen are beginning to see an improvement in both bluegill and shellcracker (red ear sunfish) activity this week as the powerful panfish move up in preparation for spawning. Once surface temps reach the low 70s bluegill will begin their early phases around shallow weed beds, gravel banks and bushes. By next week anglers can expect increased activity. They’re already moving shallow and biting, but active spawning phases are still on the threshold of kicking in.

The first full moon in May occurs May 12 this year. Look for peak phases of spawning to be underway in that time frame.

Some nice size shellcracker have already been taken by anglers working grass beds, buck bushes, blowdowns and those pea gravel mud mixed areas back in pockets off the main lake. Most credit their catches to waxworms, redworms and nightcrawlers fished on the bottom or with bobbers set at a depth where the bait is right at the bottom. The bite should hold up for the next few weeks.

Bass anglers have been busy tossing spinnerbaits, Texas rigged craws and worms around buck bushes and dead grass beds or various stickups. A few credit their catches to floating worms and various jerk baits as the topwater bite has improved. There are always a few boats backing off the shorelines and fishing sloping points and ledges as some post-spawn bass slowly head back out from shallow spawning territory. Secondary sandbars back off the shorelines are holding bass now.

Successful lure choices have ranged from Carolina rigged worms and craws to crankbaits and swimbaits. Texas rigged worms and craws have worked too in colors ranging from green pumpkin pepper to red-shad and Tequila sunrise just to name a few. There’s still lots of bass relating to shallow shoreline structure. Pitching and flipping techniques are still worthy of consideration as a jig and craw tossed in the right spot will pay dividends.

Catfish continue to prowl shallow shoreline structure and that will last for a few more weeks. Soon the catfish will target rocky bluffs and shoreline crevices for spawning. Signs of that are already underway. Rocky banks along the shoreline such as rip-rap limestone on levees and roadbeds will be good choices.

Crappie anglers have been playing cat and mouse for several weeks as the reservoir was unstable as to both lake levels and water color. High winds have played havoc with a lot of open water crappie fishermen this spring as well. Since lake levels have settled down fishermen are finding most of their fish in the 7-to-14-foot depth range. Several crappie have been taken by such methods as drifting, slow trolling Road Runner style jigs and pushing the multipole spider rigs out over shallow main lake flats as well as back in the bays.

Just exactly when the peak of spawning phases occurred the last few weeks has been somewhat confusing to a wide range of anglers. While some had hoped to find fish moving up to shoreline buck bushes and stickups that party never really occurred like they hoped it would. It appears most of the fish spawned in midrange structure out away from the shoreline in manmade fish attractors that were scattered in midrange depths that ranged from 8 to 14 feet. Some fish have move up to 4-to-8-foot depths up Big Sandy but it seems more were taken out a bit deeper as fishermen vertical fished jigs over structure while others trolled over suspended schools of baitfish and found the crappie roaming with the balls of baitfish.

Warmer days and more stability are now in the cards for the Kentucky Lake fishing scene. Late April and May usually offer nice fishing conditions. Bring it on!

Come Play With Us

The water marker at Paris Landing Marina has been at Summer Pool for the last few days and the days a getting warmer. 

Come play with us and have a fun summer.

LAKE LEVELS RECEDE…ANGLERS ANXIOUS FOR A RETURN TO NORMAL CONDITIONS

Kentucky Lake 4/16/25
Report Contributor, Steve McCadams, Professional Guide/Outdoor Writer stevemc@charter.net

Good news for Kentucky Lake’s fishing scene! Lake levels are falling, and temperatures are rising. At midweek Kentucky Lake finally crested. Lake levels are slowly receding after a long bout with high muddy water. Fishermen on the big pond have been battling adverse conditions for a long spell in the aftermath of major flooding earlier this month. In additional to high muddy water have been high winds too plus below average temps

It has been mean out there for most anglers but it appears better days are fast approaching. After cresting around the 363 mark at Kentucky Dam (normal for mid-April is around the 357 range) TVA began dropping the water a few inches daily. Due to a lot of flooding to our north along the Ohio and Mississippi River TVA has been limited on discharge rates. That dilemma is beginning to ease up.

Normal summer pool is 359 on Kentucky Lake and target date on that is May 1, each year. Whether or not TVA pulls it back down to normal curve in the next week to ten days remains to be seen. Meanwhile, fishermen of all sorts are attempting to pattern fish and outguess their whereabouts during all the fluctuation. It has been a guessing game for most.

Surface temps this week kicked off around 62 degrees due to a cold front which was accompanied by chilly northwest winds. A warm spell is now underway escorted by southerly winds. Daytime highs are forecast to climb into the upper 70’s and low 80’s the next few days with a few rainy days expected. No heavy rains are anticipated. Surface temps will likely rise to the mid to upper 60’s soon.

The rise in surface temp should restart the crappie march toward shallow areas. There were a few people who caught very scattered crappie in visible stickups and buck bushes at the peak of the high water, but it was challenging. There has just been too much water that had the fish and fishermen off balance. Covering the lake surface has been an abundance of floating debris. That’s improving too as lake stages fall.

Cat fishermen casting from the rocky shorelines were catching some pretty good stringers. The fish moved up fast during the rise and will still hang around rocky banks and shoreline habitat in the days and weeks ahead in preparation for spawning. Bank fishermen should have nice opportunities on catfish plus meandering bluegill and shellcracker that are moving up into grass beds and other shoreline structure. That’s should improve daily as the water warms.

The scattered crappie bite ought to settle down and improve for the average angler who has been sort of confused lately. A few boats have scored decent stringers of crappie during the unstable conditions but muddy high water has been a factor. Falling lake levels should pull a lot of the dingy water out of bays in the coming days. The overall fishing scene should get a boost.

More boats are likely to resume slow trolling jigs and pushing spider rig presentations. Shallow to midrange flats and areas back in the larger bays ought to start producing some spawning fish that have been roaming and staging out in the middle of nowhere during the periods of changing weather and lake levels. Hopefully high winds will begin to settle down in the approaching days as well.

Still paying dividends have been manmade fish attractors in 9 to 14 feet. A few days ago anglers were letting out more line in an attempt to fish what would normally be referred to as midrange depths. What was normally 10 feet deep was 14 feet or more! Through all this wild spree of changing lake stages has been concern from crappie anglers as to the status of the spawn. Many worry the fish will drop some eggs in shallow areas as TVA pulls the plug.

Meanwhile, scores of crappie anglers are anxious to stalk the stickups and search for some spawning crappie around buck bushes, willows, etc. The next few days will keep anglers off balance a bit as they attempt to move about and establish a pattern. All the changing conditions lately have humbled anglers and understandably so.

Bass fishermen should see the shallow shoreline bite improve. Tossing a spinnerbait, Texas rigged craw or worm and some topwater should enter the picture. Several are pitching and flipping jig and pig combos around the endless amount of stickups.

The lake is on the path to normalcy. It’s fast returning to better watercolor and normal elevation. Perhaps the worst is over and bright days lay ahead for anglers who deserve it!