Kentucky Lake 8-14-24
By Steve McCadams, Professional Guide/Outdoor Writer (stevemc@charter.net)
The best bite going for the mid-summer fishing scene here on Kentucky Lake has been catfishing. Both the bite and the weather have been pretty hot! Lake levels continue to fall slowly on the path of TVA’s winter drawdown schedule. Elevation this week has dropped to 357, which is down several inches from last week at this time. Surface temperatures have been in the 86-to-89-degree range.
Nice stringers of channel catfish, along with a few blues, are being caught by a few fishermen who have mastered the deep-water techniques of the Tennessee River. Thanks to a pretty steady flow of current lately through Kentucky Dam moving water has worked in favor of the catfishing scene. Most days TVA has been pulling water in the rate of 33,000 cubic feet per second (cfs). Some days less but holding around that range and that’s enough to stimulate movement of bait fish. When the current is moving it stimulates schools of shad to meander around, feeding on zooplankton throughout the water column.
That scenario within the food chain spells success for cat fishermen out near the main channel banks or humps in deeper depths of 40 to 55 feet. While most anglers choose to bump bottom with a double hook rig---hooks are often tied a couple of feet apart on drop loops---sometimes the fish may be suspended. Closely watching the movement of balls of baitfish, accomplished anglers monitor closely the depth of the bait and adjust their bait presentation accordingly. Sophisticated sonar units even help identify the whereabouts of the larger fish, helping anglers pinpoint their bait presentation.
A lot of the better boxes of fish taken are from those anglers who do just that. They mark the fish on their screens and attempt to put the bait right smack dab in the face of the fish! Productive bait choices always seem to have nightcrawlers on the list. Chicken liver, cut bait, hot dogs dipped in commercial concoctions are but a few of the more popular choices being credited for catches. There are always a few cat fishermen mixing up their own recipes of magic potions. As long as the current keeps flowing the main channel area catfish bite should hold up.
Bass fishing has been sluggish for most. Reports have trickled from anglers targeting the main lake ledges with big deep diving crankbaits, Texas rigged worms, swim baits and some jigging spoons. There have been some anglers finding locating a few isolated schools of base chasing shad while mixed in with some white bass.
White bass (stripes) have been seen busting the surface out in the main lake areas, but sightings of schooling fish have been inconsistent. Those catching a few white bass credit their catches to the use of white Rooster Tails and some silver-colored jigging spoons.
Isolated reports have come in from a few summer crappie anglers working the main lake ledges around depths of 18 to 25 feet. They credit their catch to the use of live minnows in most reports.
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