I am moving to Harrodsburg, Ky this spring and would like to learn how to fish Harrington Lake for Panfish.
It seems Panfish Guides are hard to find so any help will be apreciated.
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I am moving to Harrodsburg, Ky this spring and would like to learn how to fish Harrington Lake for Panfish.
It seems Panfish Guides are hard to find so any help will be apreciated.
Never have fished there but have also not heard very good reviews :dono Come on down to Green River Lake , fishing is getting better every year. Probably about 1 hour 15 minute drive from Harrodsburg. I'm just a "weekend warrior" but manage to catch a few every now and then. Join in the posts on Green and they won't steer you wrong.
Don't think you'll find any panfish "guides" on Herrington .... but, you may hear from some members that fish there.Quote:
Originally Posted by Biggerbear
I've fished it since I was a child, but not always for Crappie. It can be a tough lake to pattern for Crappie, except during the spawn, but jigs &/or minners around brush, standing trees, docks, and floating drift piles will get you some.
For Bluegill ... I've had my best luck with Pop-eye jigs tipped with a wax worm, under a float, against cliff banks ... or a cricket on a hook/sinker rig, out away from cliff banks, casting them out and letting them fall on a tight line. (depending on time of year)
... cp :kewl
Herrington has Big Bluegill. Crickets have always worked well for me. Fish the docks & rock banks in the spring. I've caught nice crappie in Herrington but it's work. I've caught most of mine around docks but I have a good friend that catches them using a Jerk bait (purple) in the winter season. He fishes rock points that have structure.
They don't call it the Dead Sea for nothing, lol. I live 5 minutes from the lake and never had much luck their. However there are guys who are very successful on Herrington. I think it's all about finding the underwater cover.
I fished the lake for thirty years with my dad. My experience mirrors CrappiePappy's.
We caught a lot of fish at Herrington. I miss it! :(
I've fished there many times for black bass and white bass. Some of my biggest largemouth have come from Herrington especially in the spring, and I've had an absolute blast fishing schooling white bass in the fall. If you're a fisherman who enjoys getting his line pulled by a number of species, I believe you'll have a blast! Besides that, you're moving to one of Kentucky's most scenic and most historic areas! Enjoy!
Thanks for the reply's
I can't wait to get on the water.
I will second that hard to pattern crappie there. Bluegill and catfish I can find, but have a hard time with the crappie.
There are some huge slabs in there. Find the wood cover in the creeks. They like 1/16 ounce popeyes fished SLOW.
To which my answers would be ...Quote:
Originally Posted by deadaim
Yes there are ... yes you should ... and yes they do :Rofl
One thing you can do, that may help you find the depth the Crappie are holding at (and catch some) ... is to use the method I call "Vertical Casting" -- Crappie Pappy Article
I was actually doing this method long before I put a name to it, and it started at Herrington (back around 1980). There was a large Sycamore tree hanging off a cliff into the water, just up the lake from the Kennedy Bridge. A buddy of mine took me there and told me to bring 1/16oz marabou jigs & a UL rod/reel with 4lb test line. We tied to the tree & dropped the jigs down thru the big branches, about 15-20ft down, then slowly began reeling the jig back in. There'd be a little "thump/tic" on the rod tip, then we'd set the hook. Holy moly ... the Crappie were the biggest ones I'd ever caught (or even seen) coming from Herrington Lake. Most were a good 1.5lbs & some likely over 2lbs. Unfortunately, the tree did not stay there more than a couple of months before rising water levels took it away ... but, it did show me that there are probably more Herrington Slabs that die of old age, than are caught by most of the Crappie anglers that fish the lake.
Fast forward a decade or so ... and I tried the same technique at Watts Bar Reservoir in E. Tenn. ... fishing around bridge pilings & submerged/fallen trees. This time using tube jigs & Panfish Assassins ... again with the same success. When I joined Crappie.com back in 2000 ... I shared this technique via the article I wrote. I still use it, and it still produces :ThumbsUp
... cp :kewl
I will tell you this if you fish it a lot you will develop a love/hate relation ship. this lake can be on fire one day and as cold as ice the next day then back on fire the next.Quote:
Originally Posted by Biggerbear
Appreciate the information share there Crappie Pappy... Many thanks!
A old man that always set on the dock at cane run showed me about 1987 . I came into the dock with zero crappie. He took me back out with a zebco 33 and a 1/16 Popeye white and showed me how its done,.Quote:
Originally Posted by CrappiePappy
AMEN.....Quote:
Originally Posted by Wormin
Yep ... pretty much the same deal with me. Older gentleman that lived on the lake & worked at Kamp Kennedy Marina showed me how to do the method I now call Vertical Casting. Worked pretty good fishing under the marina for Hybrid Stripers, too ... you just reeled in a lot faster for the Hybrids. We were using the Zebco micro spincast reels, back then ... so we reeled in our jigs VERY slow when Crappie fishing using the Vertical Casting method, even when we were cranking the handle at a normal speed (due to the small size of the reel's spool). With the bigger spinning reels I now use, I have to slow the retrieve to around a 3-5 count per handle turn in order to slow the jig's ascent.Quote:
Originally Posted by deadaim
I taught him how to catch Brook Silverside minnows for bait, and he taught me how to smell bedding Bluegill. We fished together quite often, for Crappie, Bass, White Bass & Hybrid Stripers ... and always had a good time together.
... cp :kewl
YESthere goodens in there yes there TUFF TO FIND
Good luck biggerbear!