Kentucky Lake 2/26/25
Report Contributor, Steve McCadams, Professional Guide/Outdoor Writer stevemc@charter.net
The roller coaster for Kentucky Lake anglers has been a wild ride recently but it’s calming down. Both temperatures and lake levels have fluctuated the last week or two, keeping fishermen off balance. Things are improving as rising temperatures greeted falling lake levels recently. That’s improved the overall fishing scene. Stability was long overdue.
Fishermen have rapidly bounced back to active duty, returning in force to their favorite fishing holes. Boat ramps were filled recently with anxious anglers yearning for a return to normalcy. Lake levels are back down near normal winter pool levels. TVA really pulled the plug last week after the rapid rise in elevation in the aftermath of flooding conditions over a week ago. Elevation at midweek was 354.7, which is about normal for late February and early March.
Watercolor continues to clear and is in good shape for winter crappie and bass anglers. Surface temps were rising at midweek when daytime high reached 75-degree range. Since then, slightly cooler conditions have returned. Water temps were in the low 40s but rising.
Both the bass and crappie bite has bounced back as surface temps warmed and stability in lake levels returned. Tossing crawfish variations of crankbaits have been productive as have shad variations too. Anglers are targeting gravel banks and big rock points, especially in the bays off the main lake. Watercolor in the main river channel area had some dingy color but elsewhere it’s clearing rapidly.
Crappie fishermen are stalking some deep main lake ledges and focusing their efforts on the 16-to-20-foot depth range and finding action there. No doubt the fish fell back to some deeper water when lake levels fell drastically during the cold spell. Look for that to change daily as fish respond to not only slightly warmer surface temps but stability in lake levels. That should see more fish enter mid-range depths of 9 to 14 feet. Brush piles and stake beds in that depth range should be holding decent numbers of crappie.
A few days crappie were scattered and suspended and not relating to structure. Sometimes the fish are roaming when lake levels are changing but will return to cover quickly when stability returns. As the schools of bait fish move up so will the crappie. Shad will respond quickly to the warming trend and likely continue moving toward shallow to mid-range areas.
The long-range weather forecast indicates mild to moderate weather so watch for crappie to respond favorably for fishermen if the wind will cooperate. This time of year the sudden warm-ups are often accompanied by strong southerly winds so it’s a trade-off sometimes. March is here with all its different faces. Anglers know they will have some nice days but the month has a reputation for unstable weather and wind.
