Bluegill and Shellcracker bite

I took my Dad and brother to Barkley today. We fished many of my usual haunts and all we found were dinks. We fished deep, we fished shallow, north side and LBL side. Just a handfull of keeper gills and no keeper redears. We were drop shotting worms and I was dragging a popeye jig. I did get my 4 pound line broken by a bass that was probably 4 pounds.

As we were idiling out of an LBL creek, my 1199 lit up with fish stacked on a point break. I told them we had to get the crank bait rods out and try them. Our first pass dad caught the best fish, probably 1 1/2 lbs. We ended up with a dozen or so (haven't counted for sure) decent keeper crappie and 3-4 GOOD fillet size blue catfish that were almost white.

If they are not on the beds all you can do is work out from the bed area and try to find them staging up somewhere. I have got there to early before and had to do that. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. And just like all fishing even if you find them they may not be biting one day or two but biting good on a third. That's fishing. Most of the time by now they should be close to the beds and holding to move in if not on a bed. A few years ago I fished Barkley early and just could not find them shallow or deep. I just kept looking and looking and found a creek arm with some grass on a hump and flooded mustard weed along a bank. I was there for four days...spent two days running up and down the Lake looking for them but the next two I pretty much caught them at will but only in that one place. Sometimes it's like that.

Headed down Derby Day for a few days to try to catch a few

I caught 15 or 16 redear today. We found them in one small area up in the mustard grass. Four were really nice fish, the others were eating size. I think it's going to get good this week and next week.

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Originally Posted by redearhoosier

I caught 15 or 16 redear today. We found them in one small area up in the mustard grass. Four were really nice fish, the others were eating size. I think it's going to get good this week and next week.

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Nice I'm sure hoping so!!! Can't wait time is almost here!!

im hearing they are catching a few on the Tn side in the Big Sandy area of the lake. I will be after them Saturday

Heading to Kentucky tomorrow and just checking to see if the bluegill and redear action has picked up?

bluegills were good for us Saturday afternoon, only 2 red ears tho