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.

Santa's Night of Lights Starts Friday

 Starts this Friday.  Come on out to the Lake!

WINTER WEATHER CALLING THE SHOTS FOR FISHING

Kentucky Lake 12-4-24

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

Bad weather has been the story this week across the Kentucky Lake region as another brutal cold front descended. On Monday the fishing scene saw a gusty beginning of a week full of cold fronts that kicked off with a snowy day reminiscent of a mid-winter weather pattern. Although winter doesn’t officially arrive until December 21 to anglers across the region it feels like it arrived early. Below average temperatures escorted by bone chilling northwest winds have been anything but welcomed by late fall fishermen here.

A stop at Paris Landing State Park by Bass Anglers Sportsmen’s Society (B.A.S.S.) dropped anchor here this week on a rare late season bass tournament but day two of the event on Thursday was postponed due to a nasty weather forecast. Some 250 teams pushed the competition back a day as they hope to complete the fishing here on Saturday, where temperatures are expected to be slightly better, but conditions have been quite challenging all week. Daytime highs on Thursday were forecast to be only 29 degrees; Friday’s high was expected to reach only 35 degrees. Saturday’s high could rebound to a balmy 46 degrees!

Meanwhile, an unforgiving Kentucky Lake was sleeping at a low level of 354.2 range. That’s the low ebb of winter pool elevation and a scenario that can be quite challenging to any anglers, especially those not familiar with the reservoir’s shallow sandbars. Surface temps have dropped to the low 40’s the last few days. Watercolor is clear.

A few bass fishermen were targeting smallmouth spots wherever they could dodge the wind. Crappie anglers managed to catch a few fish the last week or so whenever winds allowed them to move about. Depths of 14 to 14 feet have given up a few fish on main lake ledges whenever anglers found deep brush piles and stake beds.

When the weather gets this bad about the only beneficiaries are duck hunters, deer hunters assuming they’re in a nice, heated stand or a few rabbit hunters following the baying beagles.

Only big dollars in a bass tournament and the chance for the winner to advance to the Bassmaster Classic will pull them away from the fire and comfort zone somewhere indoors and away from the nasty elements of a big cold windy lake.

By early next week temperatures will moderate slightly but rainy days are expected to enter the picture on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.