Kentucky Lake: Water Level at Kentucky Dam - 356.32 Surface Temperature - 82
Lake Barkley: Water Level at Barkley Dam - 356.55 Surface Temperature - 82

Both lakes are hovering about 2.5 feet below summer pool as the TVA is on the slow draw down to winter pool in accordance with the TVA River Operating Schedule. Kentucky Dam has been generating an average of 43,000 cfs the over the past day. Barkley Dam has been varying generation between 8,00-24,000 cfs over the past 24 hours with the higher rate during the mid to late afternoon hours. The latest lake levels , current flows and forecasts for all the TVA lakes can be found at http://www.tva.com/river/lakeinfo/index.htm .

FLASH: Before I give the report, I just wanted to thank so many of you for your contacting me and lending your support and prayers as I have been working through my recovery from the operation I had back in July. My recovery has taken longer than expected due to some complications but I am now back up and running and on the water again as of this week. It is has been very comforting to have so many of you friends, clients and even those I have never met to send me and my family your kind words of encouragement.

Here is a synopsis of what I have gleaned from the reports I have received over the past few weeks with the bass fishing. We had the big heat wave that hit the lakes area a few weeks ago and the water temps rose quite a bit and hit us during late August and early September and this really put a slow down on the bass bite. We typically get a slow down during this period at the end of summer anyway, and these rising temperatures just managed to impact the bite even more. The higher temperatures dropped the oxygen levels and this in has had the fish somewhat less active and spread out. The better bite has been during the late afternoon hours and at night when there is current during the heat of the day and after the water cools down at night. I have had a number of reports of a good bass bite at night but the early morning and day bite has been slow.

Now, as I mentioned above, I am back up and running now as of this week and got out the past few days to get a handle on the bass situation. What I mentioned above is still going on but you can catch some fish early and during the day but it is a little slow as I expected. The better early bite is to work main lake points and secondary channel points in the creeks and bay with mostly slow moving baits but there is a little scattered topwater bite on the points early. The topwater bite is hit and miss. Work the main lake points with jigs, Carolina rigs, shakey heads and flick shake lures. Work slow and feel for a soft bite. Just after the sun comes up you can go shallow on the flats in the creeks and you will some scattered bass chasing small shad where they are mixed in with small White and Yellow Bass. These fish can be taken with spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, lipless crankbaits and square billed crankbaits. There is some spinnerbait bite and topwater bite on main lake flats early and late in the day also on main lake shallow flats near stump fields. Most of the fish are still on the main lake ledges but they are scattered and finicky but they can be taken if you down size your baits and fish slow. Carolina rigs, shakey heads and flick shakes are working best on these fish.

Here is the good news: We have the first big fall cold front coming through the lakes area tonight and the extended forecast is looking good to start dropping the water temperatures and get the fish moving into early fall transition patterns. The front will be coming through the area tonight which is giving us high south winds today with lake wind warnings and we will have some heavy rains and thunderstorms late tonight and early tomorrow with frontal passage. The forecast for Thursday is for a high of 76, low of 60 with 80% chance of thunderstorms early and wind N8. Friday's forecast begins post frontal with a high of 77 and low of 57 with wind NNE8. The weekend forecast is for highs on Saturday and Sunday in the mid 70's and low's in the mid 50's with post frontal north winds. The extended forecast into next week is showing daytime highs in the 70's and night time low's in the lower 50's. This cooler weather is going to start bring the water temperatures down, increase the oxygen and signal the baitfish and bass it is time to start moving to the creeks and bays for the beginning of the fall migration. This will have the fish scattered still as they begin this annual ritual but I expect by the end of the next week or so we will start seeing more activity in the creeks and bays if this weather forecast holds.

LARGEMOUTH BASS: Largemouth are being taken on ledges on the main lakes as well as on main lake points and on secondary channel points in the front halves of the creeks and bays. There is some early and late topwater bite on the points but it is scattered. The ledge fish and the fish on the points are more consistant using slow techniques with smaller lures such on Carolina rigs, shakey heads, jigs and flick shake techniques. Some bass are also being taken early and late on main lake flats near stumps on topwater lurses and slow rolled spinnerbaits. Some bass are also being taken during late morning and during the day on flats in the creeks and bays where they are chasing small shad. These fish are being taken on spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, lipless crankbaits and slow rolled square billed crankbaits. The fish are scattered there but can be taken with patience. Overall, the Largemouth bite during the day is slow. The better bite is consistantly being reported late in the afternoon on ledges with current and better at night on main lake points. The night fish are being taken on dark colored spinnerbaits and jigs and the bite has been reported as good.


SMALLMOUTH BASS: Smallmouth are being taken on main lake ledges on jigs and Carolina rigged creature baits. The numbers of fish are not great but some quality fish have been taken. Smallmouth are also being taken at night on rocky points and banks on Kentucky Lake with dark colored spinnerbaits and tube jigs. Good Largemouth are also being taken on this night pattern.


Some of the more productive lures reported this week: Strike King Splash baits in shad pattens and Lucky Craft Sammy in ghost pearl lemon, Bag5 custom painted lipless and square billed crankbaits in blue glimmer pattern, Charmer timber pups in green pumpkin and watermelon with purple flake on Carolina rigs, D&L football head jigs in Cumberland craw and Oops patterns,Chatterbaits in blue glimmer, Slong's spinnerbaits in blue glimmer, Charmer shaky head worms in green pumpkin blue and green pumpkin on Slong's shakey heads, Yum Dingers in green pumpkin on flick shake heads.


White Bass: White Bass are being taken along the river channel ledges and adjacent flats by verictally fishing with inline spinners and small spoons as well as by trolling with small spinners behind deep diving crankbaits. The better bite is reported with the vertical fishing and the White Bass bite is reported as good right now.

Catfish: Catfish are being on the main lake on river channel ledges in 20-30 ft of water by bottom bouncing shrimp and leach combinations and also on bottom rigs baited with cut baits.


If you are coming to the big lakes here to enjoy our great fishing, make sure you stop by these businesses for all your fishing and boating needs:

The Cabin Bait and Tackle is located in Kuttawa on U.S. 62 about one mile west of the I-24/U.S. 62 interchange. The Cabin Bait and Tackle has a great selection of the latest in rods, reels, lures for you bass anglers and also a great selection of tackle for the panfish anglers to include live bait. You can also find a selection of bows and guns for the hunter as well as personal handguns in the store. The Cabin also hosts the a website where you can order all your fishing needs with free shipping on all orders over 50.00. Be sure to check them out at www.tackleexperts.com . The Cabin has a great delicatessen where you can get that early morning breakfast sandwich or enjoy a delicious lunch. Phone: 270-388-6440

Fisherman's Headquarters is located in Draffenville at the U.S. 68/U.S. 641 triangle. Fisherman's Headquarters boasts a great selection of the latest in rods, reels and lures for bass anglers that are on the market, not to mention one of the best selection of high end lures and local custom lures we use here on Ky/Barkley lakes. You can find many of the custom lures you see in my fishing reports there including the Bag5 custom painted crank baits and jerk baits. Fisherman's Headquarters also has a really good selection of Crappie and panfish tackle featuring Wally Marshall "Mr Crappie" rods, reels, lures and line as well as live baits. Phone: 270-527-5938


Jet-A-Marina: If you have a problem with your boat while you are visiting our great fisheries, let me recommend you have the folks in the service department at Jet-a-Marina check it out. These folks have a well known reputation for trying to keep our visitors on the water while they are here if they can possibly do so, especially you tournament anglers. Hopefully you will not need this kind of assistance but if you do, you can find Jet-a-Marina located on U.S. 62 in Calvert City, just a couple of miles north of Kentucky Dam. Jet-a-Marina also has a great showroom for all your boating accessories and check out the new Ranger, Stratos and Triton bass boats too as well as bulk oil at rock bottom prices for your engine. Phone: 270-395-4030

GUIDE SERVICE:


For those of you that may not be familiar with my service: I am a full time catch and release bass fishing guide. I only guide for bass. I have been guiding for bass full time on these lakes for 18 years and bass fishing the lakes for over 30 years. I do not go out and fish panfish for 4 or 5 days and then try to guide on bass for one or two days. No one knows everything the bass are doing but one thing is for sure, if you only fish for bass day in and day out, you will have a lot better idea of what they are doing and also be familiar with all the different techniques it takes to be a successful bass angler. If you book with my service, you will have me as your guide and you will be guided in the comfort of a late model Z522 Ranger Comanche equipped with 2 Lowrance HDS 10's and top of the line tackle. I provide just for fun bass fishing trips, tournament preparation trips, focused teaching trips and technique instruction. If you are in need of a bass fishing guide give me a call or drop me an email.

Available Dates:

September: 17, 18, 22, 23, 24, 25,
October: 2, 3, 15, 17, 19, 26, 29, 30, 31
November: I still have a number of dates available.

November can be a great month for active bass on topwater, crankbaits and spinnerbait action...book your trip now while I still have dates available.September 10, 2014

Kentucky Lake: Water Level at Kentucky Dam - 356.32 Surface Temperature - 82
Lake Barkley: Water Level at Barkley Dam - 356.55 Surface Temperature - 82

Both lakes are hovering about 2.5 feet below summer pool as the TVA is on the slow draw down to winter pool in accordance with the TVA River Operating Schedule. Kentucky Dam has been generating an average of 43,000 cfs the over the past day. Barkley Dam has been varying generation between 8,00-24,000 cfs over the past 24 hours with the higher rate during the mid to late afternoon hours. The latest lake levels , current flows and forecasts for all the TVA lakes can be found at http://www.tva.com/river/lakeinfo/index.htm .

FLASH: Before I give the report, I just wanted to thank so many of you for your contacting me and lending your support and prayers as I have been working through my recovery from the operation I had back in July. My recovery has taken longer than expected due to some complications but I am now back up and running and on the water again as of this week. It is has been very comforting to have so many of you friends, clients and even those I have never met to send me and my family your kind words of encouragement.

Here is a synopsis of what I have gleaned from the reports I have received over the past few weeks with the bass fishing. We had the big heat wave that hit the lakes area a few weeks ago and the water temps rose quite a bit and hit us during late August and early September and this really put a slow down on the bass bite. We typically get a slow down during this period at the end of summer anyway, and these rising temperatures just managed to impact the bite even more. The higher temperatures dropped the oxygen levels and this in has had the fish somewhat less active and spread out. The better bite has been during the late afternoon hours and at night when there is current during the heat of the day and after the water cools down at night. I have had a number of reports of a good bass bite at night but the early morning and day bite has been slow.

Now, as I mentioned above, I am back up and running now as of this week and got out the past few days to get a handle on the bass situation. What I mentioned above is still going on but you can catch some fish early and during the day but it is a little slow as I expected. The better early bite is to work main lake points and secondary channel points in the creeks and bay with mostly slow moving baits but there is a little scattered topwater bite on the points early. The topwater bite is hit and miss. Work the main lake points with jigs, Carolina rigs, shakey heads and flick shake lures. Work slow and feel for a soft bite. Just after the sun comes up you can go shallow on the flats in the creeks and you will some scattered bass chasing small shad where they are mixed in with small White and Yellow Bass. These fish can be taken with spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, lipless crankbaits and square billed crankbaits. There is some spinnerbait bite and topwater bite on main lake flats early and late in the day also on main lake shallow flats near stump fields. Most of the fish are still on the main lake ledges but they are scattered and finicky but they can be taken if you down size your baits and fish slow. Carolina rigs, shakey heads and flick shakes are working best on these fish.

Here is the good news: We have the first big fall cold front coming through the lakes area tonight and the extended forecast is looking good to start dropping the water temperatures and get the fish moving into early fall transition patterns. The front will be coming through the area tonight which is giving us high south winds today with lake wind warnings and we will have some heavy rains and thunderstorms late tonight and early tomorrow with frontal passage. The forecast for Thursday is for a high of 76, low of 60 with 80% chance of thunderstorms early and wind N8. Friday's forecast begins post frontal with a high of 77 and low of 57 with wind NNE8. The weekend forecast is for highs on Saturday and Sunday in the mid 70's and low's in the mid 50's with post frontal north winds. The extended forecast into next week is showing daytime highs in the 70's and night time low's in the lower 50's. This cooler weather is going to start bring the water temperatures down, increase the oxygen and signal the baitfish and bass it is time to start moving to the creeks and bays for the beginning of the fall migration. This will have the fish scattered still as they begin this annual ritual but I expect by the end of the next week or so we will start seeing more activity in the creeks and bays if this weather forecast holds.


LARGEMOUTH BASS: Largemouth are being taken on ledges on the main lakes as well as on main lake points and on secondary channel points in the front halves of the creeks and bays. There is some early and late topwater bite on the points but it is scattered. The ledge fish and the fish on the points are more consistant using slow techniques with smaller lures such on Carolina rigs, shakey heads, jigs and flick shake techniques. Some bass are also being taken early and late on main lake flats near stumps on topwater lurses and slow rolled spinnerbaits. Some bass are also being taken during late morning and during the day on flats in the creeks and bays where they are chasing small shad. These fish are being taken on spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, lipless crankbaits and slow rolled square billed crankbaits. The fish are scattered there but can be taken with patience. Overall, the Largemouth bite during the day is slow. The better bite is consistantly being reported late in the afternoon on ledges with current and better at night on main lake points. The night fish are being taken on dark colored spinnerbaits and jigs and the bite has been reported as good.


SMALLMOUTH BASS: Smallmouth are being taken on main lake ledges on jigs and Carolina rigged creature baits. The numbers of fish are not great but some quality fish have been taken. Smallmouth are also being taken at night on rocky points and banks on Kentucky Lake with dark colored spinnerbaits and tube jigs. Good Largemouth are also being taken on this night pattern.

Some of the more productive lures reported this week: Strike King Splash baits in shad pattens and Lucky Craft Sammy in ghost pearl lemon, Bag5 custom painted lipless and square billed crankbaits in blue glimmer pattern, Charmer timber pups in green pumpkin and watermelon with purple flake on Carolina rigs, D&L football head jigs in Cumberland craw and Oops patterns,Chatterbaits in blue glimmer, Slong's spinnerbaits in blue glimmer, Charmer shaky head worms in green pumpkin blue and green pumpkin on Slong's shakey heads, Yum Dingers in green pumpkin on flick shake heads.


White Bass: White Bass are being taken along the river channel ledges and adjacent flats by verictally fishing with inline spinners and small spoons as well as by trolling with small spinners behind deep diving crankbaits. The better bite is reported with the vertical fishing and the White Bass bite is reported as good right now.

Catfish: Catfish are being on the main lake on river channel ledges in 20-30 ft of water by bottom bouncing shrimp and leach combinations and also on bottom rigs baited with cut baits.

If you are coming to the big lakes here to enjoy our great fishing, make sure you stop by these businesses for all your fishing and boating needs:

The Cabin Bait and Tackle is located in Kuttawa on U.S. 62 about one mile west of the I-24/U.S. 62 interchange. The Cabin Bait and Tackle has a great selection of the latest in rods, reels, lures for you bass anglers and also a great selection of tackle for the panfish anglers to include live bait. You can also find a selection of bows and guns for the hunter as well as personal handguns in the store. The Cabin also hosts the a website where you can order all your fishing needs with free shipping on all orders over 50.00. Be sure to check them out at www.tackleexperts.com . The Cabin has a great delicatessen where you can get that early morning breakfast sandwich or enjoy a delicious lunch. Phone: 270-388-6440

Fisherman's Headquarters is located in Draffenville at the U.S. 68/U.S. 641 triangle. Fisherman's Headquarters boasts a great selection of the latest in rods, reels and lures for bass anglers that are on the market, not to mention one of the best selection of high end lures and local custom lures we use here on Ky/Barkley lakes. You can find many of the custom lures you see in my fishing reports there including the Bag5 custom painted crank baits and jerk baits. Fisherman's Headquarters also has a really good selection of Crappie and panfish tackle featuring Wally Marshall "Mr Crappie" rods, reels, lures and line as well as live baits. Phone: 270-527-5938

Jet-A-Marina: If you have a problem with your boat while you are visiting our great fisheries, let me recommend you have the folks in the service department at Jet-a-Marina check it out. These folks have a well known reputation for trying to keep our visitors on the water while they are here if they can possibly do so, especially you tournament anglers. Hopefully you will not need this kind of assistance but if you do, you can find Jet-a-Marina located on U.S. 62 in Calvert City, just a couple of miles north of Kentucky Dam. Jet-a-Marina also has a great showroom for all your boating accessories and check out the new Ranger, Stratos and Triton bass boats too as well as bulk oil at rock bottom prices for your engine. Phone: 270-395-4030

GUIDE SERVICE:

For those of you that may not be familiar with my service: I am a full time catch and release bass fishing guide. I only guide for bass. I have been guiding for bass full time on these lakes for 18 years and bass fishing the lakes for over 30 years. I do not go out and fish panfish for 4 or 5 days and then try to guide on bass for one or two days. No one knows everything the bass are doing but one thing is for sure, if you only fish for bass day in and day out, you will have a lot better idea of what they are doing and also be familiar with all the different techniques it takes to be a successful bass angler. If you book with my service, you will have me as your guide and you will be guided in the comfort of a late model Z522 Ranger Comanche equipped with 2 Lowrance HDS 10's and top of the line tackle. I provide just for fun bass fishing trips, tournament preparation trips, focused teaching trips and technique instruction. If you are in need of a bass fishing guide give me a call or drop me an email.

Available Dates:

September: 17, 18, 22, 23, 24, 25,
October: 2, 3, 15, 17, 19, 26, 29, 30, 31
November: I still have a number of dates available. November can be a great month for active bass on topwater, crankbaits and spinnerbait action...book your trip now while I still have dates available.


Captain Dave Stewart
Bass Buster Guide Service
270-362-9987
dave@kentuckylakeguide.com
www.kentuckylakeguide.com
"Fish With a Professional"Captain Dave Stewart
Bass Buster Guide Service
270-362-9987
dave@kentuckylakeguide.com
www.kentuckylakeguide.com
"Fish With a Professional"