Thread: Which is better for early spring

Both are good. Blood is much bigger. How are you fishing? Casting, vertical jigging, spider rigging? Do you have a gps? I might be able to fix ya up with a few spots in Jonathan.

Thanks Wiskers , we have been slow trolling jigs with curly tails ( road runners ) also do little cast and retieve , I do have gps . how do you fish ,we are open to what ever works , just seemed to be our best way to find a few . [email protected]

I've fished both Blood River and Jonathan Creek for a number of years and caught a ton of fish from both places, and if I had to pick between the two, I'd pick Blood River. As has been said here, it is the larger area for fishing of the two. But, I'd throw something else into the mix. I'd suggest that you give the Big Sandy area of Ky Lake serious consideration. If I had one place to go fishing on Ky Lake in the springtime, it would be Big Sandy. Big Sandy is a "much larger" area of the lake than Blood River and acre for acre is the most productive crappie area of Kentucky Lake. I know that Kentucky needs tourism dollars from out-of-state fishermen, but I'm simply talking from the perspective of serious crappie fishing.

I fish both and also prefer Blood River. Have been wanting to try Big Sandy but haven't yet, maybe this year! I think Jonathan is just too convenient and gets tons of pressure.

You might want to read thru this, before making plans on which creek or part of the lake you want to try :

Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources - Kentucky Lake - Crappie Movement Study

It's a few years dated, but still gives you a perspective on the different movements of the two species of Crappie, as it relates to time of year/water temps/weather/water level/etc.

Don't overlook the smaller bays, either
My best trip to KY Lake was in early April, many years back. Stayed at KY Dam Village ... and was told by a "local" ---- go 3 bays up the lake and fish. Turned out to be a fairly small bay, and fairly shallow water (6-10ft) with newly flooded field weeds. The Crappie were stacked in that flooded flat ... even though the air temps were in the 30's & it was drizzling rain off & on. My partner & I limited out casting 1/16oz Roadrunners ... the other two guys, that were with us, limited out on minnows (fishing tightline, just where the 10ft depth started rising to the 6ft weedy flat. Three guys in another boat (not part of our group) were also catching 'em pretty good, too. They were all fishing with 3 cane poles apiece, using minnows ... and they had cane poles, minners, & Crappie flinging & flying all over the place, whenever a school of Crappie would pass under them :D (my partner & I just ran circles around their boat, which was anchored, and fancasted towards them and the area around them :p )
Granted, that was back in the day when White Crappie were the dominant species .... but, you just never know

... cp

Those are things I was wondering about and really appreciate the replys , 3 days isn't much time to scout around for some good fishing holes and I can't talk my brother and son into taking a few more days . LOL But I really look forward to this trip ever year .

They both get tons of pressure and I seem to have about equal luck on both.

I agree with CP. Now, I am an Illinois fisherman, not a Kentucky Lake expert, but have been coming to Kentucky Lake since I was a young. Some of the best crappie fishing we have done there has been in bays that you don't even know there name. "No Namers" we call them. Try this if things are not good in Blood or Johnathan. Bear Creek can be good too! Don't be afraid to move around. Note: My profile picture is of me with a couple of nice Kentucky Crappie in a "No Namer" bay.