FISHING REPORT – Kentucky and Barkley Lakes

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Watch for an increase in activity this week and for the weeks ahead as surface temps are already falling. Readings the last few days have seen things cool down to the 81 degree range and will likely fall into the upper 70’s this week thanks to cool nights. Although some warmer days are in the forecast for this weekend the recent change will help kick-start the transition toward fall fishing patterns for all anglers. And, some recent rains that drenched a thirsty region helped the overall scenario too. Lake levels this week continued to fall slowly and are forecast to be around the 355.9 range at Kentucky Dam and upstream around New Johnsonville. The elevation is down slightly from last week at this time but pretty much on schedule for TVA’s winter drawdown curve for Kentucky reservoir. Water color is clear across the reservoir despite some thunderstorms and rains this past weekend. Not much runoff occurred and there hasn’t been much current for catfishermen stalking the main river channel lately.

LARGEMOUTH BASS: The bass bite picked up during the cooler days with the cloud cover and we took a number of fish with most of them being short fish but also with occasional nice keeper. Largemouth are being taken on the ledges on the main lakes and around the mouths of the deeper creeks and bays. Some bass anglers are beating the banks in hopes of finding some shallow fish moving up on stakebeds, rock points and the abundance of gravel banks others are still clinging to the deeper, offshore patterns of main lake ledges. Working the ledges with big deep diving crankbaits, jig and craw combos, Texas rigged worms and mixing it up with some swim baits is still popular too.

SMALLMOUTH BASS:  A number of Smallmouth were caught on the early morning top water bite and later finesse lures bite on rocky main river channel banks and points as mentioned above. Most of these fish were short fish but a lot of fun.

CRAPPIE: crappie should begin to transition toward shallow venues in the weeks ahead as surface temps fall. Cooler conditions not only make it feel better out on the lake but also help the mood swing of the fish too! Shad should respond favorably to the cooler surface temps and begin phasing toward shallow flats and backwater bays. With them come bass and crappie who usually follow their forage base. Areas that have been stagnant should start producing more activity in the days and weeks ahead. Midrange depths of 8 to 14 feet are the norm for fall crappie. However, sometimes cloudy days and cool conditions can see the shallow bite improve quickly. Other days when warm conditions have lingered the fish might fall back to deeper sides of main lake ledges where depths of 14 to 18—or even deeper at times—might be holding the bulk of the crappie.

BLUEGILL/RED EARS: No new report…The hunt for Bluegill may be picking up just a bit. A few anglers have caught some nice gills while fishing with bladebaits. There are reports of some nice bluegill being caught in water 6-10 feet deep. Try worms, crickets or Popeye jigs with wax worms on a drop-shot rig.

CATFISH:  The summer catfish bite should rebound a bit this week as a little more current likely entered the picture at midweek. Most of the catfish taken lately came from 35 to 40 foot depths by anglers using nightcrawlers and chicken livers for bait.

WHITE & YELLOW BASS: White Bass are being taken by vertically fishing with blade baits and inline spinners along the river channel ledges. Productive lures are D&L jigs in Cumberland craw and oops patterns, Slong’s jigs in mustang, Charmer timber pups on Carolina rigs, shaky heads and Texas rigs in green pumpkin, green pumpkin/blue and watermelon/purple, Big Hammer swim baits in bay smelt and Robo worms on drop shot in mean green.