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I’m headed to Kentucky lake this weekend. Main goal of the trip is to get the boat running and make sure everything is ready for the more serious trips coming later in March.
Haven’t seen much for actual fishing reports since the first of February. Anyone actually been on the water? If so I’d love to hear if you found any fish. Not asking for spots just would like to hear whether or not I’m completely crazy for wanting to hit the water.
Surface Temp around 43
Water is stained and falling .5 - .75 per 24 hrs.
TVA is still pulling 270,000 CFS out of Ky. lake
The lake is suppose to drop .4 from Friday midnight to Saturday midnight.
All that being said.... Lots of Gizzard shad in lakes from what I've seen.
The bite has been a little weird of late on the lakes but still plenty of fish to chase from what I have seen.
Things are about the same here in Big Sandy area.
Update from the weekend trip. We had beautiful weather wish I could say the same for the fishing.
After getting in late Friday night and getting the boat running (it’s older and takes a while each spring to wake back up) we hit the water around noon Saturday. Launched and found some water I wanted to try and BAM 13 inch crappie first drift. It started too good to be true and it was. We tried the same water, tried different water, crossed the lake, and crossed again. Managed to catch 2 nice crappie and a monster drum.
Sunday we got an earlier start and headed down to Jonathan Creek to get out of the wind and try a different area. We started in 10-13 ft water with no results so we moved a little deeper. We caught a few yellow bass and a few drum but zero crappie.
I spent the two days with my dad and a friend’s 12 year old in the boat, a fun crew but not the most experienced anglers. We had a good time but sure wish we had caught a few more target fish.
I have a question for others fishing areas with an Asian Carp population. How do you go about finding crappie with your electronics? I am not doom and gloom and I am sure there are still crappie in the water but trying to use my graphs to find fish seems more and more futile. Everywhere I scan I am marking fish. I typically ignore large schools of fish but this weekend it seemed like maybe even the scattered fish were carp. Is anyone having success fishing through the carp and finding crappie or are you trying to get away from the carp? Is there a consistent way the crappie are relating to the carp (deeper water, shallower water, above or below the carp)?
I’ll be back in a couple weeks but feeling a little lost after this weekend.
I've found the crappie to be spending much more time buried up in structure like stakebeds and brush. The recent good shad spawns mean the crappie don't have to roam to find food. Yes, we still have some great crappie fishing but the tactics Grandad used 40 years ago probably aren't your best bet.
Let me clarify my previous comment. We have many fishermen who visit KY and Barkley Lakes who have been coming here for years. They may have been introduced to fishing here by Granddad or their father. Most fishermen 40 years ago here used a minnow under a bobber and fished the shoreline cover, what we call buckbrush or buttonball bushes. You would now be hard pressed to find any shoreline structure unless the water levels are very high. I still see folks sitting near a state stakebed in shallow water for most of the day with their boat surrounded by bobbers. Some, if not most, of those fishermen are going to go hungry on what they catch doing that.
What has happened here in recent years and with the arrival of the Asian carp is those same fishermen use the tactics they learned decades ago, go home disappointed, then get on social media and blame the Asian carp for their lack of success. They say don't go to KY or Barkely Lakes! Fishing is dead there! Spend your $$ somewhere else!!
I try to take those same fishermen, teach them some new tactics, and watch their success increase. They are then much less likely to diss our area. Let's face it folks. How many have been on a major bay in late spring and look around and see a tiny percentage of the boats we would historically see? I know many fishermen see that as a good thing. Many of us depend on vacationers and those who travel here to fish and enjoy our area. Fishing and tourism is a HUGE part of our economy.
The negative publicity HAD to be voiced to get the attention of those who control the purse-strings to get their help in the fight against the Asian carp. That fight is now being waged daily. We just need to get the word out that our lakes still produce good numbers of good crappie for those who are willing to spend their hard-earned money on new technology and who are willing to try new tactics.
Let me clarify I’m not blaming the carp on me not catching more fish. I’m fully aware of the fact I’m a mediocre fisherman who enjoys being on the water and seeing a pole bend. I’m 36 years old with a wife and two kids, and live and work 6 hours from the lake. Easy to say I don’t get to spend as much time on what I consider my “home lake” as I would like.
I was actually trying to ask how others are finding success in the world we currently live. I know the fish are there but staring at my electronics hoping to find my target species is not yielding the desired results. I am guessing learning how the crappie are relating to the current reality is a major key to having success.
Unfortunately livescope doesn’t fit in my current budget.
M R DUX thanks for the information.
I’ve seen areas where my baits were bumping carp and my rods moving every time they do. Some times we catch Crappie right in the middle of the carp. Some times we don’t.
I try to find areas that hold good numbers of man-made cover and try to troll my cranks or jigs in or as close as I can to that cover. 2 years ago we could catch big numbers of nice crappie just working areas that had scattered cover but not necessarily IN that cover. Last year it got harder to get those same crappie to come out and play.
That said, I’m now set up for Livescope and will be working the cover much closer.
Ky and Barkley have had cyclical crappie fishing for as long as I have fished them. Spawns have been good, spawns have been almost non-existent. Fishing follows those cycles. According to Ky F&W, we’ve had good spawns the last 2 years and IMO we should see a big up-swing in keeper crappie next year.
Spending time on the water, watching that screen, at various depths, with a finger on the waypoint button will help one’s success more than anything.
Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com
One thing to remember about this plague we call Asian carp ...
Asian carp get HUGE .. and roam in herds ...
Crappie are relatively small and they have no idea those huge fish herds roaming above those crappie’s head ain’t gonna try and eat them ...
When carp are roaming near - most of the average size crappie may be holding tight to cover until the carp herds move along ...
In tough fishing like this you might try methods that get the baits in the cover to dig the crappie out - instead of just drifting over the tops of the cover ...
2 polin, KY rigs with minners, anchor and cast live bait under a bobber, etc
Rickie
I am with you 100% on your statements, because they are correct. I've been preaching that for a few years now, and most get mad when I say what you have said. I've even been kicked off of a well known bass fishing forum for voicing the same things you have said. It's true for crappie, as well as bass. The fish are still in there, and you have to adapt/change tactics in order to continue to catch them.Quote:
Originally Posted by M R Dux
Yep, on the Carp. Was there last May fishing for Bluegill. Found a nice size bay with about 2 acres of 2-5 ft water with beds scattered around. We did good, didn't kill them, but caught several nice fish on the 1st day. Next day, went into the same bay, as I slowly motored into the bay, had some carp jump around the boat. I did not think it would affect the Bluegills, but I was wrong, nothing for 2 hours fishing hard the entire area, even had carp jump when I used the trolling motor, so, moved to other areas and had luck. Now, the NEXT day, I went back to the 'Bluegill' bay that I went to the day before, no carp jumping, and the fishing was good, so I guess the carp had left. I'm not an expert, but IF the Carp are pilled in an area you are fishing, I'd move to another spot. There are fish in the lake, but they don't seem to like to be around these large groups of carp