Kentucky Lake Crappie's

[fishnart]

Looking for any info on the usual time when the crappie run takes place.
Thinking of coming down the second week in April.

[crappiepappy]

Looking for any info on the usual time when the crappie run takes place.
Thinking of coming down the second week in April.

From what I understand ... that could put you at the end of the Black Crappie spawn, beginning of the White Crappie spawn, or way before/after either or both ... depending on the weather and water levels. Friend of mine, who guides on Ky Lake, says he prefers the last two weeks in March, during a "normal" year (as if there were such a thing). My guess is that he's looking to catch the Black Crappie moving shallow & the White Crappie staging along the deeper creek channels or just starting their migrating into the creeks/bays ... so he can fish deep or shallow, depending on the conditions, and still have a chance of intercepting both species while they're still in their prespawn movement phase.

One also has to take into account "where" on the lake they intend to fish, since it seems like the spawn takes place, generally, starting in the far South end & works its way North (dam area) as the prevailing weather warms.

You might also consider contacting :

Western Fishery Biologist
Paul Rister
Murray, Ky
(270) 753-3886

You can also get some good info by doing a web search for "ky lake tagging study" ... and reading the monthly reports on location of fish, water temps/levels, prevailing weather conditions & their effect, and reported depths of spawning fish of each species. Compare those results to the conditions at the time of your trip, excluding the actual dates those results were for .... since it's the water levels & temps that dictate the movements & spawning times of the fish. They don't go by any calendar dates !!

... pappy