Reply With QuoteLast week of March or first two weeks in April have been the best for me on average. Weather varies things quite a bit.
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Minnow
Kentucky Lake Crappie Spawn
wondering when the spawn starts down there i have always wanted to make a trip down there during that time being from ohio it is about a 6 hr. trip any info would be appreciated.
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Last week of March or first two weeks in April have been the best for me on average. Weather varies things quite a bit.
Minnow
i can't beleive it is that much earlier down there. here in central ohio the first weeks of may r the best for spawning crappies.thanx for the info. r there plenty of hotels around the lake or should i start reserving now for the first of April???
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There are plenty of hotels and cabins, but at spawning time it can be tough to find a room, especially on the weekend. Once word gets out that they are on the banks, everything fills. I usually tent camp, so there is a little less competition and it lets me be flexible on when to get there. There's a crappie tournament on the 31st, so it might be even busier.Originally Posted by crappies4ever
Minnow
no don't want to be on the water during a crappie tourney down there wow. if i make it down this year it will be april11,12,13 not a weekend. is the east banks usually the best spots like they r around here with the dominant west wind blowing the warm water to the east side of the lake?
Trophy King
I was wondering have you been here before? A west wind has more effect in the bays and not as much on the main lake. I have never noticed a push of warm water east across the lake. The current in the main channel controls temperature more then wind does. Kentucky (and Barkley)is a long lake running mainly north to south. Because of that the winds to watch for are southerly or northerly. The main lakes can get rollers over 5 feet. Bays here are as large as lakes other places. From my experience the spawn in the east side bays are usually equal to or a little before the west. You find more black crappie on that side and they tend to spawn a little before the whites. The east side tends to be clearer and the west side more stained but it can clear also. April 11th - 13th should be fine. The lake should be at or near summer pool which helps. The water should also be around 65 degrees maybe warmer if the weather stays decent. If the crappie slow look for some shell crackers or bass. They tend to follow the crappie and extend into May depending on water temp. If you get a chanced to come down during the tournament you can still find spots to fish. They average maybe 200 or so boats but we can fish either Barkley or Kentucky which are the two largest lakes in Kentucky, and make up the largest manmade reservoir in the world so you can always find a place away from the crowd. Especially if you have a large enough boat to cross the main lake and get to the LBL. And I agree with Catfan, the last week or March and the first two weeks of April have been best for me too when it comes to the spawn. But they are catchable year around if you know where to look.
Good Luck!
Old Guide
Matthew 6:34
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Minnow
thanx for all the info fellas and i have never been there before didn't realize there was that much current in the lakes. as far as the wind goes that is what i watch for here in central ohio just goes to show how much fishing varies from state to state. i know u can always catch good crappie down there from reading this, but for a first timer and such a big lake it always helps to narrow them down at first and then go from there. i just have a 14ft. deep v so won't be going out too much just looking for coves and points with good spawning habitat. i figured a tourney down there would bring so many boats that u would have a hard time finding a place to fish. thanx again for alll the info will let u know if i can make it down. see u on the water.
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You have to get a handle on how big the place is. There's a big tourney of some kind almost every weekend, but you can find plenty of places to fish. It's huge. Get a decent map so you can find ramps in other bays in case the wind is up and you can't run the main lake.
Minnow
i just realized how big it is went to a ky lake website and it said there are 2380miles of shoreline and from spfld,oh where i live to L.A.,cal it is only 2212 miles and 160,000 square acres of water surface, the biggest lake in ohio is st. mary's and they call it the other great lake and it is only 12,000 acres and probably as big as some of the bays on ky. lake wow. just curious is barkley lake as good a crappie lake? what r the names of some good bays that r not so big a newby could find them in a relatively short amount of time on the east side of the lake that have public ramps?
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East side of Kentucky and West side of Barkely are all public ramps as they are in the LBL, although some are in campgrounds where you'd have to pay a fee to get in. Here's a site with some of the non-LBL public access ramps listed: http://www.kentuckylake.com/fishing/launchramps.htm
Many of the on-lake places like The Moors have their own ramps. Check out the map at http://www.kentuckylake.com/maps.htm to see some of the bay names. The nav charts are online. Go to http://www.lbl.org to see a detailed map of the LBL with ramps. They are all good. Jonathon Creek is kind of "crappie headquarters" when they go shallow. Public launching and motels are available there. The LBL bays on the other side are good too.
Make sure you get a FHS type map. If you have a GPS, you will be good, but if not, make sure you pay attention to where you are. A guy I know about ran out of gas trying to find Sugar Bay because he was sure he was north of it, even though he was south of the 68 bridge.
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