BITE STILL GOOD FOR BLUEGILL, CRAPPIE, CATFISH AND BASS

Kentucky Lake 5/22/25
Report Contributor, Steve McCadams, Professional Guide/Outdoor Writer stevemc@charter.net

A cool spell will put a chill in the air for the big Memorial Holiday Weekend, which is the unofficial kickoff of the summer boating season. Still, the Kentucky Lake fishing scene has held up pretty good lately despite some thunderstorms and nasty northwest winds that delivered below normal temperatures. Lake levels are a few inches above the normal summer pool level of 359 this week. Readings were in the 359.5 range at Kentucky Dam.

Watercolor is relatively clear with some dingy color in portions of the lake due to high winds and recent runoffs from thunderstorms. Surface temps are around the 73-degree range.

Nice stringers of bluegill continue to come in from anglers casting crickets and redworms around shoreline habitat such as grass beds and buck bushes. Some anglers were finding open water beds in 4-to-7-foot depth ranges and doing well as they utilized forward facing sonar units and discovered submerged beds off the shorelines while monitoring live scope units. A few redear (shellcracker) sunfish were being caught but their numbers were pale in comparison to the aggressive bluegill.

Bass fishermen were playing the post-spawn pattern and backing off the banks at times while others were still finding enough shallow activity to keep them busy. Tossing Texas rigged craws and worms around visible buck bushes has paid dividends as have assorted topwater presentations such as floating fluke style worms, buzz baits and jerk baits. Those fishing secondary ledges are tossing big crankbaits and some Carolina rigged worms to find fish moving off the banks already.

Crappie are in their usual post-spawn pattern and somewhat scattered for most anglers as they slowly move toward deeper main lake areas. However, a few boaters reported some nice numbers taken while fishing live minnows or tipping jigs with minnows. Productive depths have been the 9-to-14-foot depth range. However, when crappie are in a scattered post spawn pattern several different depths will produce fish, requiring anglers to stay on the move. Some boats are trolling both crankbaits and Roadrunner style jigs on the main lake areas where shallow flats are producing a few fish.

Catfish are still biting as hefty stringers were reported again this week from shallow shorelines and rock banks. The catfish are entering their post-spawn phase too and will slowly move out away from rock banks and shallow pockets or bays that have been appealing to them for several weeks.

Warmer weather is expected to return by early next week and that will help the overall fishing scene resume as these cool spells can have a negative impact on the overall bite for a short time. Watch for things to make a quick rebound in the days ahead.