Quote Originally Posted by howferg View Post
I have benn coming to Ky lake for 4 years now, My question is should I wait till they raise the water , and if so about how long after it has gone to pool?
Can't really help you on your water level question, as I never paid any attention to water levels back when I used to fish down there ... I just always went when vacation days were available :p (and that was usually around the third weekend of April). I always fished the dam ends of either lake ... mostly dippin minners in the buck bushes ... but usually found some good sized fish. Even went one time, and when we got there it was flooded & muddy ... and people were turning around in the parking lots & going back home
Bad move on their part, as it turned out ... we fished the live trees that were flooded along the creek banks (~ 4ft deep/dirty stained water) and caught quite a few good fish. Again, we were fishing minner/float rigs set at about 2ft, and fished right against the flooded tree trunks (more than a foot away from the tree & no bites )

If you haven't already read this, look thru it "competely" & see if it can give you any insight. It's a little dated, but the patterns should still be close (since Crappie are generally repetitive in their patterns). Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources - Preliminary Results

You never know about the Crappie at KY/Barkley .... I've caught them in <5fow in early April (KY Lake) with air temps still in the 30's - and at Barkley Lake, in the bucks & stumps, as late as early May. Caught Crappie on both lakes, in flooded conditions .... KY Lake / clear water --- Barkley/Ky Lakes in dirty water.

Slowly rising water & water temps is your best bet .... but, don't overlook flooded conditions, even in the early part of the season. And keep your eyes on here .... 'cause when they start movin in, our guys are going to let us know !!

... cp