Fall Market Day This Saturday

 

Lunch & Learn At the Heritage Center

 October 25

ANGLERS RIDING THE TEMP ROLLER COASTER

Kentucky Lake - 10-16-24

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

Never a bad time to be out on the lake but the next few weeks will put anglers in a front row seat to fall’s colorful parade. Colors are fast changing and should reach their peak as late October rolls and around and November sneaks in the door.

Kentucky Lake’s fishing scene has been riding the temperature roller coaster lately. After a dramatic cool spell that brought talk of the season’s first frost and had anglers donning overcoats and coveralls, it appears warm days will return by this weekend. Time to dig the short sleeve shirts back out as temps are forecast to be in the low to mid 70’s next by this weekend. Warmer than that next week.

Lake levels this week were up a few inches from last week with readings in the 355.8 range. At midweek the reservoir crested. Watercolor is clear in the Big Sandy and West Sandy sectors and sporting a good color around the Paris Landing sector with some stain out in the main Tennessee River channel area.

Surface temperatures have cooled a bit since the start of the week when cold nights and chilly days entered the fishing scene. Breezy northwest winds delivered a few whitecaps some days, but the water cooled down to the 69-to-71-degree range.

Tennessee Valley Authority had diminished discharge rates earlier in the week but has since increased them to 40,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) through Kentucky Dam at midweek. A feel of fall definitely filled the air this week when temps dipped below normal a few days.

Crappie fishing has been fair and should show some improvement for anglers seeking more activity in shallow areas. Not many nice stringers have been taken in the 4-to-8-foot depth range this fall as high surface temps likely had a negative impact on the shallow bite. Watch for that to improve quickly as more crappie should move up in the aftermath of the cool front. Those shallow stake beds and brush piles up on shallow main lake areas or in the backs of some bays that haven’t been producing should start paying off.

Most of the crappie lately have been taken deeper in 12 to 15 feet with some coming from 17 to 20 at times. That deeper bite has been more productive for anglers vertical fishing jigs and minnows. Some anglers prefer casting jigs in the deeper venues. They’ve had success with jig skirt colors such as Bobby Garland’s Monkey’s Milk, Mayfly, Threadfin shiner and purple/chartreuse just to name a few.

It’s always a good idea to keep an arsenal of colors in your tackle box and experiment from time to time. Live minnows have been producing too. Not a bad idea to keep that minnow bucket handy during fall outings and let me fish tell you what they prefer. It’s past time for the shallow bite to turn on. Casting a minnow or jig over shallow structure with a slip bobber is another technique that normally works well during the fall months.

Catfishing out on the main Tennessee River channel should be showing improvement as TVA has been pushing enough water lately to stimulate the bite. The rate of discharge should enhance the catfish to move about and feed on the roaming schools of shad.

Bass fishermen are still slugging it out on main lake ledges and some secondary flats where bass are chasing schools of shad. Tossing chrome/blue Rattle Traps and similar lure variations has produced as have swim baits, crankbaits in black/chartreuse, chrome, chartreuse/black and shad variations.

Watch for increased shad activity and surface feeding sprees now as both white bass and largemouth should start busting the surface on calm days. Those shallow sandbars can be productive.

PLTL At Work

Paris Landing Tourism League spent the past weekend honoring the 163rd anniversary of the Battle of Belmont.

We had on display a period laundry site household items hand tools, artifacts and nurses' station.

Handed out brochures and let guest know what Paris Landing and Henry Co. has to offer.

FALL FISHING SCENE/WEATHER STILL NICE TO ANGLERS

 Kentucky Lake - 10-9-24

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

Thanks to an extended spell of nice weather the fishing scene across Kentucky Lake has suited anglers just fine. Fall has been kind to fishermen the last week or two with a little ride on the weather roller coaster at times in terms of temperatures. Lake levels had been holding around the 355.5 lately at Kentucky Dam. Surface temperatures have been reluctant to let go of the 72-to-73-degree range but watch for that to fall as cooler nights will continue to pull that down toward the upper 60’s soon.

Watercolor has been good with a slight stain. Last week the current diminished to 33,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) for a few days, which is a good range for cat fishermen stalking the main channel area.

A few boats have been working the main channel banks and finding the catfish bite pretty good in the 35-to-45-foot depth range.

The fall crappie bite has been fair the last week or two for a few anglers. Some report the fish acting quite finicky on the bright days when high skies influenced a sluggish bite. A few fish were still lingering in deep water on main lake ledges in the 17-to-20-foot depth range. However, anglers targeting the deep main lake areas indicate several small fish were taken but big numbers of keeper size fish were challenging.

Some anglers credited their catches to 9-to-14-foot depths where scattered crappie were taken in the midrange stake beds and brush piles. A few credited their success to minnows; others opted for jigs. Popular colors have been Monkey’s Milk, Mayfly and some unpainted lead heads with dull colored skirts. Tipping jigs with Berkley Power Bait has enticed a few fish to bite. Sharing the midrange structures have been loads of yellow bass and even a few aggressive bluegill.

Bass anglers have been chasing their prey on some main lake ledges at times. Tossing swim baits has been producing bass that are running schools of roaming shad. The shallow bite has not turned on for most bass fishermen this fall. Most of the fish have opted to stay on secondary sandbars and some main lake ledges.

Surface temperatures have been slow to cool the last two weeks. The cool snap earlier this week likely influenced the water to cross the upper 60’s temperature threshold. So far, the fall bite has made most anglers work pretty hard to earn bites. That can change quickly so hang in there.

Northern Lights At Paris Landing

 Great photos of the Northern Lights over Paris Landing Marina last night.  A special thanks to Yong Medluck Huffstetler for the photos.  See more on our Facebook page at:  https://www.facebook.com/share/p/XehkZJHBTWwYwURi/

Monthly Meeting

The monthly meeting of the Paris Landing Tourism League (PLTL) will be held Tuesday, October 8th, at 6 pm at the Senior Center inside the Paris Landing Emergency Complex.

Hope to see you there!