Got few guy here at work wanting to head down to Kentucky or BARKLEY lake, when would be a good time to go? Thanks
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Got few guy here at work wanting to head down to Kentucky or BARKLEY lake, when would be a good time to go? Thanks
Oscar
We go down mid April every year and do fairly well. Like anything or anywhere else, lake conditions & temps can vary from year to year.
Personally I wouldn't be afraid to go down anywhere from the last week in March to about the end of April but you may have to be flexible earlier & later. We always fish the northern part of the lake.
Here's Brian with a few from last year.
http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/o...ps9fb6e226.jpg
I agree with John. Second week of april is usually the logical choice to be there. I go in late march and stay a whole month so i'm going to hit them at some point. I'm retired so I can stay an extra week or so if I want. If you're gonna fish the north end by Johnathon creek and looking for a place to stay, I have friends down lake that own Ky lake cottages and they can accommodate groups of 6 in one cottage. It's only 7 minutes down the road from Johnathon Creek. Well worth checking them out. Good prices and great family. PM me for their number or just google them.
Ken
Our group is going to be down on the 13th until the 18th this year. My MIL turns 100 years old on the 15th so I won't be able to get there until the 16th but I'm staying until 21st or 22nd or 23rd depending on weather. I haven't fish Ky Lake this late into April for a few years but crappie are crappie and they have to be somewhere. I'm hoping being there a little later we may find a red ear or 2.
Oscar
If your friends need any more info I'd be glad to help if I can. Being it's April and the fish are reacting to the current weather & water conditions it's hard to be real specific but I'll help where I can. PM me if they need something. Ky Lake is a wonderful lake IMO but I will say it's not always an easy lake. We could actually catch alot more fish around here but it won't come close for size, that lake has some monsters. It seems someone always gets one or 2 in the 16" range down there.
Thanks, I've been talking to some guy on a few sites so we'll see.
100 years old, WoW! Tell her I said congrats. My neighbor lady turns 93 on Feb 14th. Good Luck at KY lake this year.
Yeah it is amazing and if you were to talk to her you would never know it. I think she's still cooking dinner about 1/2 the time.Quote:
Originally Posted by AEFISHING
I will be down there april 15th thru 19th staying at big bear resort. Cant wait. Just hoping for good weather and tight lines!
Crappiemax, got trip booked at ky. Lake cottages April 15th - 18th so probably see you their, maybe you can show us a thing or two.
Oskar
Our trip got turned around a little. My MIL turns 100 years old on the 15th and we're having a party on that day so I'm not going to be there until later in the day on the 16th. EFslabs and his dad plus a couple of other guys I know will still be showing up on the 13th. I plan on staying into the following week so I should get some intel before I get there.
It's been a few years since I fished that section but I have caught some pigs in the mouth of that bay in early march. That's a good section of the lake of course I fished from the Tenn line almost to the dam and caught fish all over. I'm not sure there is a bad part of the lake.
As time approaches I'll get in touch and spill the beans on our approach. Is it the best approach...I don't know but we seem to manage a few here and there. As I've often said Ky Lake isn't necessarily about the numbers (sometimes it is) it's all about the size.
Lipripper
I'll be across the lake at Hillman Ferry. Like you, I can't wait to get back down there.
Oskar,
You will have a great time. Listen to crappiemaxx, he is a great guy and knows his way around the lake. We went last year and he hooked us up with some great information. We ran into some bad weather last year but we were blown away by the size of the crappie out of there. A monster up here was just an average catch down there. Best of luck
Sounds like Ohio will be well represented on ky lake this April.We will also be there on the 15th-20th. we are staying at sportsman on Jonthan creek.its our 1st trip to ky lake,have been going to Reelfoot.time for a change.good luck to you all,hope to see ya on the water..
it would be cool to meet up with some people down there and share some knowledge. all i know is 45 days until im on the lake and fishing. we will be leaving prob about 2 or 3 am so we can be on the water early on wednesday the 15th. sleep is overrated anyways! just hope for good weather and tight lines guys!!
how long you staying and where you staying at? we probally wont be there until about 10 on the 15th.covering more water and sharing knowledge sounds good to me.maybe we will see ya on the water.
Not from Ohio but I will be down there April 15th-19th as well. We are staying at Malcolm Creek resort.
We will be there on the 15th through the 19th as well we are staying at big bear resort.
I will be there too. I'm staying at Early American motel, where i've been staying every year since 1987. Be there from the 28th this month until 25 of next month. Maybe we can all get together one day for dinner at the dinner bell restaraunt after a day of fishing.
Hey
What does it cost for Kentucky fishing lic, permits, launch fees ect. The wife and I might try it this year.
Thanks
Herb
Herb
$30 for 7 day. $50 for annual non-resident. Easiest to just buy them online before getting there.
I fish off the LBL so no launch fees.
Give me a call some evening if you need some info.
Where's the Dinner Bell restaurant? You there every night?....'bout what time?Quote:
Originally Posted by chaunc
Too early to know my schedule just yet...
Just south of the Jonathon creek bridge and i dont go there often. It's a buffet and has some great food. I meet my buddy MR DUX there between 5 and 6 when i go. We can make plans later when you get to the area. Hopefully Herb can make it too.Quote:
Originally Posted by crappiemax
Well the 2015 Ky Lake trip is behind us and all I can say is it was super tough fishing. Even with the conditions we had I had a good time and as usual it tough for me to leave that area.
Lot's of Ohio guys were down last week and some friends of mine ran into lipripper one day and Osker was texting me daily with both of us hoping someone found out some way to turn those fish on.
We had 3 boats in our group the first couple of days and but I stayed for a full week with a friend of mine. I not sure exactly what kind of numbers the other boats had but from my boat we averaged between 7 & 12 crappies most days but I will say the size was pretty decent. Now 7-12 fish doesn't seem like much but down there it was doing pretty good.
Lucky for me EFslabs showed me a spot he & his dad found and although I didn't catch any fish off of the spot of his, it did give me the idea to look into deeper water our last few days.
In the beginning of our stay we caught crappie in 8 to maybe 13 fow by the end of the week we were fishing 20-26 fow and all the shallow spots were pretty much dead.
Here's a few pics
http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/o...pspjtdeyg7.jpg
http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/o...ps0tpjl1qx.jpg
and a pretty nice catfish too. Anyone know what kind of catfish that is?
http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/o...ps5h0z9vhi.jpg
There were only 9 fish we caught the last day but 7 of those 9 went from 14 1/2" to 15 1/5"
http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/o...psdijanwnh.jpg
Here's also the pic Osker sent me of a good-un. 1 lb 15 1/2 oz (nice fish Osker)
http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/o...pskrijwuor.jpg
Through the whole week the weather and water was just crazy. By the time we left the water had to go up at least a foot or 2 and it was higher than normal to start with. Several campsites that folks were camping on for several days were partially underwater by the time we left.
The week was also filled with excitement
Day 1, I lost my boat keys. I had to replace the ignition switch because I had no spare.
Day 2, I had a flat tire. Let's just say a guy name Lee at the Benton Wal-Mart tire center went way out of his way to get me back on the road.
Day 6, I lost the prop off my trolling motor. Looks like I hit some supper heavy fishing line and spun the prop loose.
Day 8, I locked my keys on my truck at the restaurant on the way home. Luckily an info center next door called the sheriff dept. and a deputy came while we were eating and open my door.
I will admit that by now I was pretty scared to drive home.
For the boat problems the guys at Legacy Marine in Grand Rivers Ky were a life saver here. For the ignition switch when we stopped it was an hour after closing and even though they were closed a guy was still there and he opened back up and tried to find a spare key that would fit my boat. When that failed he sold me a new ignition switch (now I have a spare key). He said that since there were no mechanics on duty if I had any problems replacing the switch I should come back at 6:30 in the morning and he would have someone replace it for me with no waiting. These guys also had a spare prop, shear pin and nut for my trolling motor. They are a smaller facility but they are well supplied.
You're not kidding, the fishing was very tough this year. Lots of small fish and the average size was down. We averaged 8-10 keepers each day, with a couple 14+" each day. Attachment 200560
Thanks for sharing guys. This just must not be the year for southbound crappie adventures. My dad and brother and I only managed a few white bass in 2 days of crappie fishing at Reelfoot in late March. Of course, it's unlikely your going to be catching many of those size crappie at EF. Never caught any crappie over 14" myself.
I was curious how you're guys trip turned out. Sounds like there was never a dull moment. And good overall average size anyhow. :highfive
The cat looks like a channel in that pic. Definitely isn't a flathead and doesn't have the color of a blue. At least to these old eyes anyhow.
We were at Paris Landing area April 3-10 and it was tough then also. We only caught 10 one day & 11 the next but they were all nice ones with the biggest 1lb8oz 141/2 inches.