Kentucky Lake 1-2-25
Report Contributor - Steve McCadams, Professional Guide/Outdoor Writer (stevemc@charter.net)
Another visit from the Siberian Express has curtailed the winter fishing scene. Frigid temps for the last week or so kept most anglers at bay, doing the majority of their fishing at the coffee shops or up close to the fire somewhere. Anglers had been catching some pretty good stringers of crappie before the brutal weather descend but several back-to-back days that never eclipsed the freezing mark sort of cooled the spirits of local fishermen. Watch for a rebound as anglers are anxious to get back out and test the water. They’ve been suffering from cabin fever for about a week and shown signs of irritability.
Lake levels have been low and stable. Elevation this past week slept around the 354.5 range. Watercolor has been clear. Surface temperatures were in the low 30’s as some thin sheets of ice were reported in shallow backwater areas recently. Odds are the crappie are waiting for the return of a few fishermen who had been catching them in 9-to-14-foot depths. Some fishermen reported finding them deeper around the 15-to-18-foot depth range around deep brush piles and stake beds. Jigs were producing but some credited their catches to live minnows or jigs tipped with minnows.
After a week of brutal weather watch for both the fish and the fishermen to get back in the grove quickly if the weatherman will cooperate. A few days of rising temps and light winds can see the bite resume quickly.
