barren river lake

[newblade]

Anyone fish it? any tips for fall or spring and any GPS coordinates of a brush pile or something (just kidding) Is fishing tough because of the water draw down in the fall?

[CrappiePappy]

Anyone fish it? any tips for fall or spring and any GPS coordinates of a brush pile or something (just kidding) Is fishing tough because of the water draw down in the fall?

I think fishing is tough, because the water conditions and the calendar don't jive We're looking at the calendar, thinking in terms of Fall cooldown/feeding frenzy ... but the water conditions are still in a late Summer mode.

The water drawdowns in Fall will affect any lake. The faster the drawdown, the greater the effect. But, once the lake has stabilized, and the water conditions get in sync with the calendar ... the reduced water level will only serve to concentrate the fish into a smaller containment area. The loss of access may be a problem, as water levels drop below the level where ramps can easily or safely be used.
When the actual cooldown does occur ... the fish will be shallow -- just not necessarily "in the shallows". They may be suspended less than 10' under the surface of the water, but the bottom (under them) may be 20-40' deep. And Black Crappie will come to shallower cover than the White Crappie will.

I don't know about Barren ... but, Rough is drawn down almost to the old river channel ... and Fall fishing on Rough can still be quite productive. It just may be a little difficult to get a boat launched. I don't fish Rough, either ... but a friend of mine does, and this is what he has related.

... cp

[Sledge]

Crappie were decent on Barren several weeks ago. I usually go once a week but been catching up on some work. Probably will go Wednesday of this week. Fish 2-3 weeks ago were caught in water depths ranging from 10-17ft. deep. Most fish were suspended off the brush. Caught some as shallow as 6ft. deep when I found some brush in about 10ft. of water, closer to the dam I caught some 13-15ft. deep in 17ft. of water. As they pull water some fish will migrate more to bluffs. They had not made that move as quickly this year, I think because the lake was down some this year anyways they didn't start pulling it when they normally do. I believe they may have started pulling a little water. As crappiepappy touched on, on Barren when they start pulling water fairly well, I have noticed you sometimes will have fewer spots because some you have been fishing will get to shallow, but fish do seem to bunch up a little more, and you will catch more fish off of less spots. Most of my fish have been coming from brushpiles on points, ledges, and flats, but like I said I think some fish will be really showing up on some bluffs, All the docks from the Narrows down the lake towards the dam should be fine all through winter.

[badbrad]

I've found that the crappie fishing is better in November and December on Barren. This gives time for the lake to settle down from the draw down and turnover. Fish relate a lot then to the old river channels. I haven't been on the water in quite some time, July 30 to be exact...but plan to start hitting it hard November/December.

I always do real well on Barren with Purple/Chartreuse tube jig tipped with a minnow or a Southern Pro minnow tube injected with nibbles.

[crappiecrazy]

I've found that the crappie fishing is better in November and December on Barren. This gives time for the lake to settle down from the draw down and turnover. Fish relate a lot then to the old river channels. I haven't been on the water in quite some time, July 30 to be exact...but plan to start hitting it hard November/December.

I always do real well on Barren with Purple/Chartreuse tube jig tipped with a minnow or a Southern Pro minnow tube injected with nibbles.

I think JT sold your boat a couple of weeks ago. How are you fishin Barren in Nov/Dec. Casting or spider rig?

CC

[badbrad]

"JT" has been threatening to sell my boat every since he started letting me keep it at his place (lol!) I've told him it's fixen to get untarped and taken to the lake here soon.

I did pretty good spider-rigging the creek channels last year. Hopefully the pattern will be the same.

[crappiecrazy]

"JT" has been threatening to sell my boat every since he started letting me keep it at his place (lol!) I've told him it's fixen to get untarped and taken to the lake here soon.

I did pretty good spider-rigging the creek channels last year. Hopefully the pattern will be the same.

I may try to come over sometime in Nov/Dec with my rig and give it a shot. Thanks for the info.

[badbrad]

I'll let you know if I'm doing any good and try to meet you when you come over.

[MUSH]

Hi Guys And Happy Thankgiving Barren As Of Today Is At 538.4 And There Pulling It Half Foot A Day. Crappie Is Still Slow I Think Its Because Of Late Draw Down. Were Going To Be About Three Weeks Late On Winter Pool.

[CrappiePappy]

Hi Guys And Happy Thankgiving Barren As Of Today Is At 538.4 And There Pulling It Half Foot A Day. Crappie Is Still Slow I Think Its Because Of Late Draw Down. Were Going To Be About Three Weeks Late On Winter Pool.

I think we're about 3 weeks late on most everything, this year since the Summer heat lasted about 3 weeks longer than normal.
Let's all hope for a little more "normal" seasonal progression, next year :D


... luck2ya ... cp