SPAWNING TIME FOR BLUEGILL/SHELLCRACKER…BASS/CATFISH BITE GOOD

Come Catch Some Catfish

Kentucky Lake 4/29/25
Report Contributor, Steve McCadams, Professional Guide/Outdoor Writer stevemc@charter.net


Lake levels have stabilized around normal summer pool (359) range and watercolor is good. Surface temperatures are warming fast and have now crossed the threshold of the 70-degree range. Active spawning phases are underway on Kentucky Lake for both bluegill and shellcracker (red ear sunfish). If you’re waiting for a great time to go fishing, then wait no longer. These next few weeks will see aggressive activity from these powerful panfish as they establish spawning beds in shallow pockets and pea gravel shorelines. Shallow grass beds or visible buck bushes or shallow logs are a few of the popular spots to check out.

Right now, depths of 1 to 4 feet are holding them. Baits of choice for shellcracker are redworms, nightcrawlers, wax worms or maggot larva. Crickets work too but they are the choice of bluegill too. The window of opportunity is actually quite wide as spawning will continue throughout the month of May. The next full moon in May 12 and veteran bluegill and shellcracker fishermen have always found good fishing around the full moon phase.

Meanwhile, stop by your local bait and tackle shop to stock up on terminal tackle. Long shank #6 light wire hooks, split shots and plenty of bobbers will be needed. To the list add long nose pliers and a towel too. And don’t forget the cooler or fish basket. It’s labeled as fishing’s finest hour. Spawning time for gills and shellcracker brings the kid out in all of us. So, take those youngsters out now and introduce them to the great sport of fishing. That bobber disappearing never goes out of style! You just might return to your younger days too when the gills and crackers are biting!

Catfish have been hitting good too. They’re moving up on the shallow rock banks plus meandering around shallow pockets just off the main lake in search of spawning territory. They often hang around the bluegill beds too and feed off the eggs or small fry once they started hatching out. Nightcrawlers have worked best but there’s always a variety of baits used by cat fishermen in their pursuit.

Several bass have been taken in shallow buck bushes lately as the lake is resting around the summer pool level of 359 and that inundates plenty of shoreline cover. Weed beds and buck bushes are holding enough water for bass to hang around and it’s a great time for anglers to toss topwater jerk baits and buzz baits plus floating fluke style worms, frogs, spinnerbaits and Texas rigged craws or worms. At the same time anglers are flipping and pitching a jig/craw combo around shorelines and some river islands.

Some boats are already backing off the banks and fishing a post-spawn patter on secondary ledges. Tossing big crankbaits in the blue/chartreuse color has produced results. So have Carolina rigged craws and Texas rigged worms. As surface temps continue to rise more bass will be moving out to those secondary ledges not far from shorelines.

Crappie are also in post-spawn phases as most of the females being caught have already dropped their eggs. Several crappie are lingering around deeper brush piles and stake beds at the present time while some fish are suspended out over deeper water. Several boats trolling Roadrunner jigs and curly tail grubs have been scoring good stringers as have boats spider rigging using the multipole presentation of jigs and live minnows. Productive depths have been 7-to-12-foot depth ranges.

However, whenever crappie are in post-spawn anglers can still find a few lingering around shoreline buck bushes at times. Dunking a jig or minnow around the shallow stickups can still produce a few dark males hanging around shallow structure!