buckhorn lake

Quote:

Originally Posted by crappie52

i have read that this lake has lots of crappie, has anyone fished this? i think its in southeast ky, about 125 miles from me, i might go if anyone knows anything about it. thanks!

Here's what 2006 KY Game & Fish Magazine had to say about Buckhorn :

Best Crappie Fishing in Kentucky

SOUTHEAST REGION
Crappie anglers in the southeast have a tremendous fishery in a small package. Buckhorn Lake in Leslie County has been a consistent producer of good crappie fishing for the past several years, even though it is only around 1,250 acres in size. This should be another banner year at Buckhorn.

The growth rate in eastern Kentucky lakes is slower than that of their western counterparts. A 9- or 10-inch crappie in Buckhorn will probably average around 4 years old. Therefore, no length limit is in place on the lake. Nonetheless, the lake is known for good numbers of crappie and good-sized fish.

Crappie only have a four- to five-year average life span in the lake with seven years being about the maximum. Fisheries personnel have been questioned about the possibility of implementing a length limit on the lake for crappie. With the slow growth rate, natural mortality could claim as much as 50 to 70 percent of the crappie before they reach a set minimum length.

Creel surveys indicate that the majority of fish kept by anglers are in the 10- to 15-inch range. The lake has a good number of crappie that fall within that range, which is above average for eastern lakes. The latest creel survey indicated approximately 30,000 crappie caught with 13,700 of those being harvested. Of those caught, the mean length was 9.1 inches.

Buckhorn is subject to a major drawdown each year. In fact, boat access is usually very limited until April. During February and March, the lake will typically only have boat access at the dam.

One bright spot to the drawdown is it forces fish into the upper part of the lake and concentrates them there. Spring will usually find the crappie moving into the coves and creek arms among brushy cover.

Many anglers only chase slabs during the spring and then abandon crappie fishing during the hot months of the year. KDFWR fisheries biologist Kevin Frey says he sees some of the heaviest stringers of the year during July and August. Fish in the 13- to 15- inch range will usually dominate a 30-fish stringer during that time period.

The Leatherwood Creek area near the state park marina is a prime place for midsummer crappie, according to Frey. Anglers will find great success trolling jigs or minnow-type lures over shallow mud flats near the main channel. Other prime spots to troll are the Otter and Gays creeks areas.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Another article says:

BUCKHORN LAKE
One other little 1,200-acre hole of water that biologist Kevin Frey recommends this spring is Buckhorn Lake in southeastern Kentucky. Buckhorn doesn't get a lot of attention on the crappie circuit, but Frey's most recent fish study information suggests the lake's papermouth population is in excellent condition.

More so than the lakes in central and western Kentucky, eastern reservoirs experience a pretty heavy drawdown in the winter. This confines and concentrates fish in the main-river channel. Wherever there may be cover along that channel, you can bet fish will be on it. If you go before the actual spawn hits, you can still find crappie with a little patience and persistence. On Buckhorn, Frey said fishing along the main-river channel is the place to catch more and bigger crappie through April.

It's a little different than fishing right on the shoreline in bushes and stickups, or around vegetation the water level may have temporarily overtaken. Eventually, as the lake level rises, crappie will move out onto the flats and into the bank cover, but most are going to be on a ledge or dropoff somewhere along the river channel in March and April.

Frey reports "good distribution and numbers" of crappie are available, and that fishing tends to be best in the upper portion of the lake during early spring.

Drifting a jig or minnow along the ledges of the channel, paying attention to spots where it changes directions or turns, is a good approach to locating feeding fish. Look for spots along intersections of where creeks come into the lake. Close to the mouths of Coal Branch, Langdon, Bills, Trace and Wilder Branch, when the water is up enough, are good spots to find crappie.

As the spring wears on, Frey said crappie transition to the mud flats to feed on schools of shad. He reported they still remain in pretty shallow water along ditches, ledges and drops associated with the main channel, even into the heat of August. If you're out there before the lake starts filling back up, you should be able to identify a few places where crappie will come to when the lake level allows. Fish locator equipment would be handy to find schools and cover out on the feeding flats. Be sure to drop some jigs down into those spots.

Remember, don't always rely on the notion that spring spawning runs are going to hit around mid-April every year. Nature just doesn't work that way. Watch the weather and water temperatures every few days starting in mid-March, and if black crappie are what you're after, be ready to go a little earlier than you might have in the past.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Looks like you might not be able to launch a boat ... current water level is less than a foot above Winter Pool. I think I'd call ahead and make sure a ramp was usable, and where it was located, before making a 125mi trip.
I believe this is the current address/ph# of the state park there :

Buckhorn Lake State Resort Park
4441 KY Highway 1833, Buckhorn KY 41721
(606) 398-7510
Reservations: 1-800-325-0058

*****************************
And, no ... I've never been there. It's about 100mi SE of Lexington ... so that would make it a 2hr trip, one way. I'd be more likely to go to Green River Lake, if I was going to drive 2hrs. But, that's just me :D
I may change my tune, when I get a boat of my own ... so, IF you go there, now or later, be sure and post all the details !!! ... luck2ya ...cp :cool: