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Did anyone see the ky afield tv show this past weekend?They were shellcracker fishing on Barkley lake.I have never seen shellcrackers that big :eek: I have always wanted to try that on Ky.lake but never have.Doh Does anyone know very much about shellcracker fishing on Ky. lake?Like the best bays to fish or any good info:confused:
I've seen two KY Afield shows on Shellcracker (Redear) fishing at KY/Barkley. (the one you're talking about, and one prior to that ... last year, or year before ? )
Here's the "cracker" video segments of both shows:
YouTube - ‪Catching Redear on Barkley‬‏.
YouTube - ‪Redear and Bluegill on Lake Barkley‬‏
Wouldn't be too hard to make some of those "jigs" that Jim Doom uses (in both shows) ... as they look to be small Beetle Spin Grubs (black w/yellow stripes) with yellow rubber band legs.
I have caught some "hand sized" ones from Cedar Creek ... fishing from the bank, with a piece of nightcrawler. ;)
... cp :cool:
I make those jigs but I have a custom mold for the bodies and put rubber legs through them. Last year I started tying the jigs and attaching the legs on them. They work just as good and you almost never have a bait fall apart. The gills and crackers can sure tear up the plastic baits. I usually tip mine with a Berkley Gulp maggot or ascot. Most people tip their bait or hook with worms but I catch my fair share with the artificial and my boat stays much cleaner.
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Go into the areas that are traditional bluegill spawning areas and work the deeper areas. Your best bets will be large bays that have a large creek flowing into it with a gravel/sand bottom. I tell most folks if you are catching bluegills casting toward the bank in these areas, you are probably sitting ON TOP of the redears. They will be in anywhere from 3-10 feet of water and it seems that their beds are smaller but more concentrated. Most guys who get onto a good redear bite keep it much quieter than crappie fishermen ever thought about being. Constant pressure will ruin a good bed and many guys I know ALWAYS release the big females back to spawn. The females won't be as brightly colored and will have a more yellow cast to the breast where the males will be gold/bronze/brown. This fishery has been growing big time for the last 15 or so years and we now have some pushing 3 pounds but the bluegill fishing on KY and Barkley is no slouch either.
Thanks mrdux, that's some good info...!
One of these days we will have to give this kind of fishing a try.Thumbs Up
You bet !! .... maybe sometime around the first full moon in May, down at Cedar Creek, perhaps ??Quote:
Originally Posted by Tube man
... cp
That sounds good...!Thumbs Up
That had to be a blast. Feeling something that big tugging on your line. Can't get enough of seeing that cork go down.
There's a lot of ways to catch them. My favorite is throwing a small crawfish colored tube and pinch the tenacles off right behind a 1/32oz. jig on a #6 or smaller hook. Other times I will use a 1/2 a nightcrawler or red wiggler and use either no weight or as little as I can get by with.
It's surprising how big the can get and maybe the best fighter for it's size that swims. Some get so big you find yourself constantly looking in the livewell just to see it finning there. Beautiful fish!
Thanks for the info. I'm going to try to catch some this year and yes it is amazing how big they get....:eek:
All I ever fished for at ky and Barkley have been cats and crappie. But after seeing those videos I think I will give them big ol' shell crackers a try this spring also...
When is the best time to catch redear? Is it as someone suggested about the first full moon in May? How much does the water temperature affect their bedding? Thanks for any information.
Olgrey ... all I've read about Shellcrackers indicates that the best times to catch them, with any consistancy, is during the Full Moon (spawning) period of May thru July. Spawning conditions/factors to be looked for : water temps above 70deg's ... water depths up to 8ft (depending on clarity) for spawning beds ... the presence of submerged weeds/grasses or wood ... sandy, gravel, or hard mud bottom. Their diet consists mainly of snails, shellfish (craws, grass shrimp), insects & their larvae (land & water types), fish eggs, and small fish. This is generally the reason for the use of worms, crickets, insect grubs, & shrimp/crawfish tail chunks, over the minnow imitation artificials that we like to use for Crappie.Quote:
Originally Posted by Olgrey
It has been said that, if you're on a good Bluegill bed & catching them ... your boat "may" be sitting right on top of a Shellcracker bed ... as they generally spawn in slightly deeper water than a Bluegill. And you want to insure that your bait is right on the bottom, or no more than 6" from it.
... cp
I catch redear from March until early November, of course the month of May and first half of June is probably prime time. After that, the fall is really a great time to catch them too. September and October are excellent months to catch redear in 8-12ft of water, fishing directly on bottom.
I use redworms and occasionally nightcrawlers but it's my experience that they love wiggling redworms. I can almost always tell the difference between a bluegill and redear when I set the hook. A big redear has the ability to tug like a catfish, especially when they get close to the boat. They like muddy bottoms and I generally catch them on flats, certainly not steep dropoffs.
Would 1 of you guys being willing to post a short post for redear similar to our "archived" thread...??
http://www.crappie.com/crappie/archi...e-degrees.html
It doesn't have to be as in depth...just a short outline of where they "should" be during the rising water temps in spring and falling water temps in fall...
This would be a great addition to the archives....
Rickie
Fished for them for the first time last year during the full moon in May like Crappiepappy mentioned. I went with around 10 guys and we caught somewhere around 1200 fish in two days. I know guys who went a week or two after me and caught tons more. Obviously we were catching lots of gills but many shellcrackers also. We fished Malcolm Creek. I had such a good time I have already booked a 10 day trip around the full moon this year.
CrappiePappy and others -- Thanks for the information
Thanks for the info jigboy, sounds like you guys had a good trip...!Hands Clapping
Man you were right out my front door at my seasonal camp site. If I'm home while yall are down yall stop by & visit. I am at the campground about the whole time I'm home.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jigboy
Wiskers I have one friend who has been there for a while. He works for the state as a plumbing inspector like me. His name is Jeff and he has a fifth wheel up the hill from the lake a bit. I have another friend who just moved his camper in this year. His camper is near the pool. I am going to the lake on Saturday May 14 and staying until May 22.
I heard Reelfoot is also really good right now for big Redear.
Of course KY Lake can be good to if you can find the right spots.