Thread: Is weather really the problem?? I don't know...Do you?

I'm a very inexperienced crappie fisherman and just keep reading report after report about how tough the fishing has been this spring on KY lake (from the top to the bottom). I know the weather has played a major factor in the spring fishing. It seems everytime someone gets a day off to chase the ole slabs you either have 20+ winds, water dropping 1/2 foot a day, muddy muddy water, rain all day...seems it's been something 90% of the time.

So what are you thoughts? Are the fish there, but on lock down due to the weather?
Are we just in a poor year due to a bad spawn several years ago? With the low numbers of fish this year...could this be better for us in the future since nobody's catching fish during the spawn?

Thanks in advance

I can't answer your very good question. But the everning and morning I got skunked the sidescan was polluted with fish around ledge brushpiles, just couldn't buy a bite.

Brook

Great question!!!
And great answer!!!

I seem to agree with brookpe they are there!!! Ky lake we mapped fish on ledges... fished these spots with a fine tooth comb... ONE fish! So not only are these fish but they are crappie. Same situation back home at Brookville Reservior in Indiana. One day we catch a few and then the next we slam em! Crazy weather

Or let me propose this since its earth day... Maybe this weather is the effects of Global warming??? or could be the effects of the Japan Radiation Leak????

If the weather isnt the problem it should be ,the fish don"t know wheather to **** or go blind ,haha

Could the low catch rate help us in next year or down the road?? Where's a biologist when you need one...

I don't know about next year but would think the way the lakes has been rising then falling. You would think that it will affect the spawn big time. Around here in the Eastern part of the state,there was some good fishing back early to mid month of March. Since then water levels has been all out of wack. Haven't been able to fish much at all in the month of April.
LittleJohn

Conditions constantly changing really effects the bite IMO. 'Least that what I blame it on.:o

I'm not sure, but believe it's more conditions than fish numbers myself. What few days I've got to fish when the conditions have been stable, we've done pretty well. Doesn't mean numbers aren't off a little, but pretty hard to judge given the conditions. As for a biologist, Paul Rister(fisheries biologist for the Lakes area) frequents this board at times but hasn't posted in a while. You might try e-mailing him, [email protected] if you have specific questions. He's always got back to my e-mails.

I agree with you pab1981...the 10% chance I did have good conditions I did pretty well. Thats why I beleive next year should be pretty good.

We are really lucky here with the sister lakes of KY and Barkley lakes. I check the weather for wind direction and speed on the morning that I plan to fish and try to pick a bay that is somewhat protected from the wind where there is a good variety of depths. I also try to pick the bay that I can keep my boat pointed into the wind for the wind that does happen to reach where I am fishing.

With the variety of different facing bays that we have here I can generally always pick a bay that has fishable water for any wind direction.

Knowing where the fish should be by the present water temp and then adjusting that fishing depth by what the weather is has been the last few days will give me a good idea of if I need to fish deeper than normal for that water temp or shallower for that water temp.