Thread: Help on Lake Barkley - or - Kentucky

I am meeting my family and some friends on the weekend of the 19-20 of April. We are staying at the Canal Campground on Lake Barkley. I Have never fished either of the lakes for crappie. I am hoping people can help me with some advice on areas of the lake close to the dam to fish for crappie, shellcracker and catfish. I am most intersted in the crappie, but I just want to be able to find fish for my family/friends to catch. I would prefer to stay in that general area of the lake, as I only have a 15 hp motor and I know it's a huge lake. I cannot cover alot of area in a small boat. I live in tennessee and ussually fish Douglas lake for crappie. ANy help would be very much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

You should be hitting the area at a decent time. I would advise you to consider trailering your rig to some of the bays on the LBL south side on Barkley. A small rig and small hp motor can be a recipe for trouble if the wind gets up. There are decent ramps at several LBL sites. Hopefully the water levels will be down before the majority of camping starts. High water will flood many campgrounds locally so I would make sure the Canal campground is fully open before you head down. Good luck.

back in my younger days ... always went around the 21st-23rd of April, and stayed for a week. As Mr Dux has said ... the wind can be a problem, depending on which way it's blowing (and how strong). Last time I was there, the lake was flooded and the wind made it impossible to launch from the canal campground ramps. We trailered the boat to one of the LBL campgrounds, and launched. Caught Crappie right out from under the concrete picnic tables, at the campgrounds (that's how flooded it was).

If you can get to them ... any of the small bays and pockets, on either side of the dam, may have some fish in them .... if the water is up into the shoreline bushes (commonly referred to as "buck brush"), put a minnow under a slip float (about 1ft less depth than the water level depth) and drop it down into any openings of these bushes, and between bushes. Any stump, log jam, floating mat of debris, or downed tree that you see ... fish it !!!

If for some reason, the lake is flooded, and the water is up around the live trees along the bank ... fish around those live trees, and fish right next to the trunk of the tree (all the way around it). If there's a dead tree still standing, fish it ... and go back to it later that day, & every day you're there.

You're probably going to be too late for the Black Crappie spawn ... but, you may still get in on the White Crappie.

... luck2ya ... cp

PS - don't leave anything in your tent, or camp, that can be walked off with easily. We had some things stolen from ours, last trip down (and so did another couple of guys that were camping close by).

As said previously, you should not run the lake in such a small rig. Many get in trouble on these lakes. Trailer down to Demumbers bay. I have caught some monster crappie there. Concentrate on the lake half of the cove. Many brush piles, stake beds and stumps. I have found blue jigs seeem to be excellent due to the stained water. Good fishin.

Good advise so far. As far as the small craft goes, as long as you know its limitations and respect the lake you'll be fine. I ran that lake as a teenager in a 12 ft gamefisher (sears) and a 7.5 merc. Caught more fish then than I did with my bigger rigs since. If the wind is up or going to be head to the ramps in the bays. Demumbers is good, Slide over to Smith bay on KY lake side of LBL. If its real windy look into some of the smaller impoundments in LBL.