I fish both regularly. Barkley last year 147 trips and Kentucky 91 trips. Sometimes both lakes on the same day. I can be on Barkley in 5 minutes and on Kentucky in 15 minutes. I like them both and usually the wind determines which one. Over the last forty years I have caught 6 crappie that weighed three pounds, four out of Barkley and two out of Kentucky. I tend to fish deeper in Kentucky and breaklines instead of brushpiles. One thing to remember both lakes can become killers quick when the north or south wind begins to blow.