I have benn coming to Ky lake for 4 years now, My question is should I wait till they raise the water , and if so about how long after it has gone to pool?
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I have benn coming to Ky lake for 4 years now, My question is should I wait till they raise the water , and if so about how long after it has gone to pool?
The water don't have to be up to catch'um. Falling water & cold fronts are what kills ya!
Can't really help you on your water level question, as I never paid any attention to water levels back when I used to fish down there ... I just always went when vacation days were available :p (and that was usually around the third weekend of April). I always fished the dam ends of either lake ... mostly dippin minners in the buck bushes ... but usually found some good sized fish. Even went one time, and when we got there it was flooded & muddy ... and people were turning around in the parking lots & going back home :eek:Quote:
Originally Posted by howferg
Bad move on their part, as it turned out ... we fished the live trees that were flooded along the creek banks (~ 4ft deep/dirty stained water) and caught quite a few good fish. Again, we were fishing minner/float rigs set at about 2ft, and fished right against the flooded tree trunks (more than a foot away from the tree & no bites ;) )
If you haven't already read this, look thru it "competely" & see if it can give you any insight. It's a little dated, but the patterns should still be close (since Crappie are generally repetitive in their patterns). Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources - Preliminary Results
You never know about the Crappie at KY/Barkley .... I've caught them in <5fow in early April (KY Lake) with air temps still in the 30's - and at Barkley Lake, in the bucks & stumps, as late as early May. Caught Crappie on both lakes, in flooded conditions .... KY Lake / clear water --- Barkley/Ky Lakes in dirty water.
Slowly rising water & water temps is your best bet .... but, don't overlook flooded conditions, even in the early part of the season. And keep your eyes on here .... 'cause when they start movin in, our guys are going to let us know !!
... cp :cool:
Water level doesn't really make a difference. The same fish are in the lake so it doesn't matter. It's more the lake conditions and weather conditions that dictates the mood of the fish when you arrive. I've been going to Ky Lake for the last 20 years or so and just want stable conditions than anything else. If you stay flexable in your presentation you should do okay in almost any condition.
I think really high winds is the hardest factor to overcome.
Oh yeah....if you watch for Wiskers posts he is dead on every year. Print his latest post before your trip and "carry it under you arm (for reference) like a bible" you'll do well. That man does know his fish!
Water level does make a difference, so does the fact of if the TVA is pulling any current or not.
I would call the TVA and get water level information, sometimes fishing guides post water level information on their websites, so you may look there that time of year.
Good Luck to you.
Not if you know the fish and know what you're do'n.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kentucky Lake
Water temp & weather are your primary factors. Rising or falling water will dictate wheather they are moving up or out. Low water, as long as it is stable has no effect on how the fish bite. As a matter of fact the lower the water, the less water you have to eliminate. Current (how much water TVA is releasing) has minimal effect on the fish in the spring. At that time of year 99% of the fish are gonna be in bays with the baitfish and out of the current. Summer and winter are a little different because most of the fish are in the main lake. Current will bunch the fish up on the ledges in low or high water. But that's not what he is inquiring about. He asked about spring.
Again, I don't care if the water is winter pool, summer pool, high water, or somewhere in between. You give me the water temp., & the last 72 hrs of weather & water level (don't care if its high or low. Don't matter. I'm looking fo rising, falling, or stable.), & I'll take it from there. Fish are fish. They have to eat to servive. They're gonna eat wheather they're in a milk jug or a bathtub if the wanna live.
The only possible exception to this would be flood stage in spring. The fish get out in the cow pastures where I can't get to'um.
Again, my original statement was... "The water don't have to be up to catch'um. Falling water & cold fronts are what kills ya!" I stand by that.
I will be more than happy to prove my theory this spring. ;)
Weather can have an effect on water level. Shallow water can warm faster than deeper water also. Hint: A shallow farm pond can warm much faster than a 160,000 acre lake, like KY Lake. So the water level of a body of water can easily help to dictate the water temperature, and ultimately the fish habits in certain circumstances.
I will make a report on this. The first week of April. Because I will be in whiskers boat the last week of March.
The problem could be that some of you guys are fishing kentucky Lake after whiskers is done. And yes the fishing will be tough.
because all the biguns are in whiskers freezer. I know this to be a fact because I fried last springs catch and some off the slabes were at least a 1/2 thick. I even cut some of the big ones up to fry.
This guy knows Ky Lake better than anyone on it. I have fished with him many times.
If you are having problems, ask him a question He will give you the TRUTH no BS.
He might just tell you were to be in the morning and put you on the fish. Thats the kind of guy he is.
He can talk the bull with the best of them. But he will not steer you wrong on the crappie.
They should put him on a fishin show on the north end of KY lake catchin crappie.
All you would hear is UNH!!
You are making this much more complicated than it is. He asked if he needed to wait for the water to come up this spring to catch fish. The answer is no. Not maybe. Not kinda. Not well it depends. I can catch fish in low water. crappiemax know this too & he don't even live here. :cool:Quote:
Originally Posted by Kentucky Lake
Shallow water will warm quicker especially if there is color. As for the farm ponds... I was fishing in Ky lake last year while local farm ponds were still frozen. You evidently forgot that Ky & Barkley are river run lakes. Their water comes from down south where the water is warmer. Thats why the bays freeze sometimes and the main lake seldom does.
I''ll say it 1 more time. It don't matter how high the lake is. If you know the water temp. and where the fish will be at that temp., that time of year, (water temp. is gonna dictate were the fish are). Not the water depth!!! I caught limits of fish 4 years ago, the last of febuary & first of mar. fishing 3' deep in 5' of water. I based my decision to look there on 3 things, 1. water temp., 2. water clarity (heavy stained), & 3. last 3 days of weather. Everybody else was still fish'n 20' of water. Except my buddies that I let in on the pattern. :D You know who you are. :D
You got it backwards. Somewhere in that lake there is gonna be 1' of water & somewhere there is gonna be 25' regardless of winter or summer pool. There will be diff. water temps. The fish will seek out the temp. that their body is most active. Been that way with cold blooded animals sinse time began. You don't believe that, wait and see how many dead snakes you see on the road after a few sunny days this spring. Somebody tells you the fish are 10' deep they ain't there because of the depth of the water. They are there because of the water temp. & light penitration.
TVA doesn't start there official pool raising until April 1 and then it is a slow gradual process to summer pool. As a rule many of the Black crappie have already spawned. They make up the majority of the population. Soooo, if you wait for the water to raise you are missing out on about 60% to 70% of the fish.
Hey,wiskers come join are crappie club we fish yearround?
I just hope Wiskers is around when we come down this year , he is usually on that barg, wishin he was fishin .
Water level can effect water temperature, and the growth rate of aquatic vegatation also.
And the big fish will often follow the bait fish.
I have caught tons of crappie in the spring out by some of the KY Lake bridges, when current was being pulled. The baitfish were out under the bridges, and I loaded my boat with crappie, and Bass.
On days current was not being pulled, you couldn't buy a bass, or crappie in these same places.
When I fished in the Triton Owners tournament a few years ago(Bass fishing), I met Harold Knight, of Knight and Hale, and one of his favorite tricks is to fish under bridges in the spring when current is being pulled he has done well in many tournaments by doing this, and so have I, on KY Lake and on lakes in several other states.
But everyone should just do what works for them IMO.
Say what?Quote:
Originally Posted by Kentucky Lake
I think the original question was should he wait for the water level to come up to summer pool before visiting the lakes And that answer is no, it really doesn't matter what the lake level is. There are going to be active crappie (somewhere)at all levels of the lake. If you are even a little versitle, you should be able to catch crappie weather the lake is at summer pool or not.
I try to get down there sometime in the first couple of weeks in April. Depending on how much rain we've had the lake level can be almost anywhere. In the last few years alone it's been above summer pool and receding due to recent floods or stable at winter pool or rising slightly in other years. It didn't matter, we've caught fish at every level. I have to say that under the different circumstances, the fish were in different areas or were relating to different cover. We usually just keep moving around until we put together some kind of pattern.
A few years back (maybe 5 or 6) we came down and a major cold front came through. I think there were 50-60 mile winds and the temps fell into the 20's. I got to say it was miserable. We still found fish. What made it tough wasn't the cold front, it was the wind. We still found active fish. We just couldn't hold the boat to catch them.
The only condition I'm not in love with is rising cold muddy water. If you fish the LBL side of the lake you can avoid that most of the time.
OK. Just so we're clear... Is your advise to the original question to wait untill the water comes up to summer pool. No bioligy lesson or comment on the cause & effect of current, sun, rain, snow, clouds, illegal imigration, etc... Just a yes or no.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kentucky Lake
Where yall fish out of Joey? I might hook up with you guys & learn something. I know you 7 Your boy wear'um out.Quote:
Originally Posted by Joey Briggs
KY lake has plenty of fish in it, so come down when you please, I am sure you will have a good time.
I live about 15 miles form KY Lake so I will be fishing every day I can.
Good Luck to you.
I think this means water level doesn't matter.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kentucky Lake
I live 300 miles from the lake and will be fishing every day I can also. Unfortunately I will only be a Ky Lake for 4 or 5 of those days.
yup! :DQuote:
Originally Posted by crappiemax
No, it just means I got tired of debating over this issue.
I will probably fish around 40 or more days on KY Lake this spring/ Summer. I am also going down to Lake Guntersville, in Alabama to do some Bass fishing.
I've never been to Guntersville but would like to try it some day. I figured anybody that lived so close to KY lake would never leave to go anywhere for fresh water fishing.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kentucky Lake
Yeah KY Lake is great for Crappie fishing, and for catfishing. The redear fishing is great also. The Bass fishing is really good if you know what you are doing, and if you go to the right place.
I have fished in 7 different states, but I like going to Guntersville. It's 70,000 acres of water, if you go at the right time you can catch 100 Bass per day. I have done this before last summer. It's a really scenic lake also.
Trust me the Kentucky/ Barkley lakes area is great for hunting, and fishing. The lakes combine for a total of 220,000 acres of water, and there is around 350,000 acres of public hunting land around the KY Lake area.(LBL, Fort Campbell, TN National Wildlife Refuge, Clarks River National Wildlife Refuge, KY Lake Wildlife Management area, lake Barkley WMA, Cross Creeks NWR).
So the spring is great down here, great Turkey hunting, and great fishing.Quote:
Originally Posted by crappiemax
Have to agree with Whiskers on this one, as i fish a lot on ky lake and i have seen them turn on and bite like crazy with stable water no matter what lake level, then all of a sudden you get a strong cold front or let them open several gates and start dropping the lake real fast and its like the next day they disappear. Major cold fronts and falling water conditions IMO is when you stay home and re-spool reels, clean out the tackle box, or drive stake beds. I want to be crappie fishing when the lake level stabilizes and it dont really matter to me if it is high or low as long as it is not in flood stage and then it scatters them so bad in the woods and fields that i cannot get to them. Not trying to take sides on this debate this just reflects my personal experiences.
Water level can also have an effect on areas you may want to fish. If you have flooding you may be able to go farther back into the bays and fish in places, that you normally can't if the water level is down.
I love doing this, in the Spring. I love it if the water raises in the lakes. Of course hard rains can also cause the water to get cloudy or murkey, as a result you may not be able practice sight fishing, which some people like to do, especially for Bass fishing.
So in my opinion I do pay attention to the water levels, because they can provide access to places that may normally not be accessible. I like to fish in the back of the flooded Bays, or creeks.
Hey fellas, any suggestions on a good guide for KY Lake? We have 2 groups headin down April 22nd, we have one booked lookin for another
Depends on what area you are gonna be fishing. I know several good guides.Quote:
Originally Posted by chrisgford
Terry ... he's staying at Kenlake (according to a previous post). Though, that really doesn't restrict him from fishing any other part of the lake. Any of these guys on your list : Kentucky Lake Fishing Guides Page - Ky Lake Guides, Ky Lake Crappie Fishing, Smallmouth fishing, Bass fishing
... cp
Last year, someone printed a chart that was by degree and depth at which to find crappie. I will research this evening and see if I can find in the archives. Had one in my boat, but some how it is gone.
Gosh, cabin fever is setting in early this year.:)
Chucki
Cane Pole did that and I think it's in the archives someplace.