When to come to Ky Lake for the bite?

[dkeeley]

I have fished north Ky lake on numerous occasions. We usually camp in the LBL at Sugar Bay. We have usually gone in early May so my buddies and I have always bass fished. We have never had the pleasure of running into the crappie spawn.

We are thinking about coming a little earlier this year....perhaps this week. By looking at the weather reports when do many of you pros think the best days to crappie fish will be this season? My guess by looking at water temps and forecasts that it will definitely be sometime in the next few weeks. Can anybody give me their best judgment on this?

Also, from Sugar Bay where would be the best place to fish for the shallow crappies if they are actually shallow? And how? Jigs under bobbers seem to be the best response to this question???

Thanks!

[Kentucky Lake]

The first 20 days of April is always a good time.

My Advice: Try to fish in the Tennessee portion of the lake.

Fish around Paris Landing State Park, and from there all the way south to Interstate 40. The water usually warms up faster in some of the shallow coves in that area.

There are a lot of good shell mounds to fish, and you can avoid overcrowding.

This time of year the north end of KY Lake is very crowded and it gets fished by a lot of people.

So usually if you fish south of U.S 79 it is less crowded. There are some massive crappie, and bass in the part of the lake.

Orange, green, and pink crappie jigs, have been working well in that area of the lake.

Good Luck with your fishing season.

[Old Guide]

Hi D,

Depending on lake level I believe we may start into the spawn later this week. The lake is almost at summer pool but the water is a little cool. Highs are forecast to be well into the 70's later this week and that will bring them quiclkly shallow BIG TIME. The big factor is lake level. Will TVA leave the lake where it is? (I doubt it) or will they pull it back towards a more normal level for late March/early April? (more likely) But we never know. Plus we have more rain in the forecast for tomorrow. I am going to agree with the first 20 days of April as well. I believe we will see them start late next week and continue through the first, second and into the third week of April. To tell the truth I have caught them spawning well into May but just not in the big numbers you see in April. Good thing is there is little competition for them in late April and May.

Good Luck

Old Guide

[CrappiePappy]

... but, back when I fished KY/Barkley Lakes ... I'd go around the end of the third week in April. Of course, I was fishing down around the dam end of Barkley, up to around the prison ... small bays & pockets with wood cover &/or button ball bushes (buck brush). Morning air temps would be cool enough to warrant dressing warmly, and the water temps felt pretty chilly, too. Crappie would be in < 5ft of water, & bedding. (& they were all White Crappie)

In later years, I would venture down around the same time period, but found the lakes to be flooded. The one time I went, when flooded, the water was dirty to dingy & 3-4ft up the trunks of the live trees along the banks. And, that's where we found the fish ... right next to those live trees, in 3-4ft of water. (both lakes)

The other time I went, when flooded, the water was very clear. Still caught fish, but they were scattered. We did manage to find some along the rock walls of the rock quarry bay (KY Lake), too.

The only time I ever went in early April, it was cold & rainy, but we managed to locate a bay where they were coming in ... in large numbers. We caught near limits, by casting Roadrunners over flooded grass/weeds & drifting minnows just outside of the flooded grass. This was on KY Lake, and only a short run from Ky Dam Village, where we were staying.

The point is .... don't give up. They can be found, regardless of conditions. Just do your homework, set up a game plan ... & then be willing to adapt your techniques to the circumstances at hand. They're gonna try and spawn, given the opportunity ... and they will get interrupted, by weather & water level changes ... but, they'll keep trying until the conditions are no longer in favor of any chance of success.

... luck2ya'll ... cp