Decided, given the water situation on Ky Lake...and the wind...to try a few bluegill late this afternoon on Barkley. Fished in the Kuttawa area from the shore, 2 ft deep in three ft of water. From about 4:00pm to 6:30pm caught 76 bluegill. Of course, many of them were small but ended up catching around 20 nice ones. But....I also caught 4 really nice shellcrackers (redears). Caught them all on a black w/white head grizzly jig tipped with a Berkley Power Wiggler fished under a small float. I've never found anything that catches bluegill or shellcrackers better than grizzly jigs..but they've got to be tipped with a Power Wiggler.

We are truly blessed here in W KY to have the bluegill/shellcracker fisheries that we have in Ky and Barkley Lakes. For years I fished Reelfoot Lake and have caught my share of giant bluegill there, but the bluegill fishing on our lakes here has really come on in the last few years and runs Reelfoot a close rival. And the redear fishing? Wow!! It's fantastic, especially on Barkley. So....if you are coming to these lakes to crappie fish and get messed up with water levels and wind, don't forget the bluegill and redear. They are already biting, and will only get better. I've caught a lot of shellcrackers the last few years on these lakes....even in late March and early April.