Thread: Question for shellcracker pros

I was talking to a biologist today and we were talking shellcracker fishing on KY and Barkley Lakes here in west KY. He told me about seeing a cooler full of 2-3 pound shellcrackers a few years ago that were caught by 2 gentlemen in their 70s on Barkley. These fish were caught in late summer on live bait in 15-20 feet of water. I have ZERO reason to not believe the story. My question is where would you pros start looking for shellcrackers in deep water in the summertime and what type of bottom/structure would you look for? I typically look for 6-10 feet of water in major coves that have creeks entering the lake and sandy/gravel bottoms. These are spawning fish in April-May. The prospect of catching trophy crackers in deep water has gotten my curiosity up, esp. quality fish like those mentioned. I have known for some time that crackers up to nearly 4 pounds can be caught here but they are like 10 pound bass locally. I've never been so lucky. Any ideas or input? Thanks, Doug.

Originally Posted by mrdux

My question is where would you pros start looking for shellcrackers in deep water in the summertime and what type of bottom/structure would you look for? I typically look for 6-10 feet of water in major coves that have creeks entering the lake and sandy/gravel bottoms.

I think you've got the right idea, but I would move out into deeper water. I wouldn't call myself a shellcracker "pro", but I look for the deepest water I can find near the spawning grounds. I fish much smaller waters than Kentucky Lake, so that usually means a max of 12-15' FOW for me. I have no doubt that a place like Kentucky Lake has huge shellcrackers. But like most places, people just forget about 'em after the spawn.

A 4 pound shellcracker??

I am not a pro, but I spend most of my time going after shell cracker and bluegill...

After the spawn they typically move to deeper water as already has been stated.

Typically, I look for some kind of transition, like where the bottom of the lake is dropping rapidly at a slew inlet, channel, etc.

Another thing to keep in mind, althought they eat insects, they prefer aquatic snails (hence the name shell cracker). Typically where there are hard bottoms, rocks, submerged logs, things of that nature have always been more productive for me. In the lake that I spend most of my time on, there is a submerged road bottom that consitently yeilds large shell crackers.

A 2lb shell is pretty rare in most peoples book. Although I have read about 4 pounders, I have never actually seen one.

Oscar

Thanks and keep the info coming.

The worlds record shellcracker is around 5 1/2 pounds. I have mounted some nearly 3 pounds. There was one caught and confirmed on certified scales on KY Lake that was almost 4 pounds a couple of years ago. I have no doubt that there are good numbers of exceptional crackers here if I could just learn to target them. It is a totally untapped resource no doubt.

Fish deep water humps in the summer time it works great in our area maybe yours want hurt trying. we fish humps from 10 ft to 25 ft.

Originally Posted by OKSTATEjiggy

A 4 pound shellcracker??

Merrit`s mill pond in Marriana, Fla used to have a good supply of 3-4 pound crackers. The locals would spear them off beds and net them and ruint the population.

There was a CO on Lake Barkley a few years ago who reported checking a boat at night. The boat was a typical bowfishing set-up we see around here, high intensity lights, generator, etc. The guys in the boat had over 200 shellcrackers that they had gigged off beds.They were totally legal (sad to say). This was before the KY F&W designated them as sport fish and put limits on them on KY and Barkley. There will always be somebody who will ruin a resource if they are given the chance. I personally hope the SOBs choked on a bone!

Originally Posted by mrdux

There was a CO on Lake Barkley a few years ago who reported checking a boat at night. The boat was a typical bowfishing set-up we see around here, high intensity lights, generator, etc. The guys in the boat had over 200 shellcrackers that they had gigged off beds.They were totally legal (sad to say). This was before the KY F&W designated them as sport fish and put limits on them on KY and Barkley. There will always be somebody who will ruin a resource if they are given the chance. I personally hope the SOBs choked on a bone!

i agree ,but what would anyone want 200 for,they must have been selling those fish.lord how many is enough,i sometimes catch 75 or more but i never keep over 20 fish,and most of the time 10 or 12 at most.

shooter, I can only guess that they wanted to be able to brag to their drinking buddies about their "fishing" prowess. I see no sport in what they were doing but it wasn't illegal at that time.

The KY F&W stepped up BIG and made them a game fish with a 20 fish limit on KY and Barkley. If they had the manpower to check creels on a regular basis, I'm sure they would find that many fishermen could really care less what the limits are. I personally think they should check possession limits at campgrounds much more closely. Lots of folks catch and clean many more fish than allowed when they are camping around the lakes. Possession in these parts is usually 2X the daily limit. I hear often of folks heading home with deep freezers full of fillets after a couple of weeks at the campgrounds. I guess there will always be those who think game laws are made for someone other than themselves.