Depends on what you're fishing for & what method of fishing you intend to use.
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I知 planning to fish a few days this spring in Kentucky, more than likely central or western part of state. Recommendations?
Depends on what you're fishing for & what method of fishing you intend to use.
More centrally located you have Cedar Creek which offers a chance at a trophy LM, Laurel Lake or Dale Hollow which both offer a chance at a trophy SM, and then Lake Cumberland which offers good quality LM and SM bass in most any creek you wanna get in on the big end. Ky lake out West is great fishing but I would not recommend a small boat on that lake at all.
For central KY in March I would go to Cumberland and Cedar, Barren or Green in April. I know you mentioned small to medium size water and Cumberland is considered big by most people but you don't have to run the entire lake. In fact some creeks are like fishing a small lake. For example you can put in at Pumpkin and fish Pumpkin, Greasy and Clifty and never see the main lake and still catch fish. Same applies to to putting in at Wolf and fishing Wolf and Caney. Plus you can put in at Beaver and fish Beaver and Otter. Many years ago when I had a 15 ft boat I fished the creeks mentioned because I wanted to avoid running across the main lake. You can run the main lake in a 15 ft boat but only if conditions are safe to do so.
For west Ky I would check out Malone or pick a creek on KY/Barkely and avoid the main lake if you're committed to medium or small water.
When you say "spring" that is a 3 month period. Water levels could still be winter pool and in the 40's or it could be in the bushes and in the 70's pending conditions. I would let weather be my main factor as to what lake I would choose.
Thanks for all the info. I値l be in a 17ft bass boat. I was planning on late March. I wanted to stay away from Barkley and Kentucky hoping to fish lesser known waterFor central KY in March I would go to Cumberland and Cedar, Barren or Green in April. I know you mentioned small to medium size water and Cumberland is considered big by most people but you don't have to run the entire lake. In fact some creeks are like fishing a small lake. For example you can put in at Pumpkin and fish Pumpkin, Greasy and Clifty and never see the main lake and still catch fish. Same applies to to putting in at Wolf and fishing Wolf and Caney. Plus you can put in at Beaver and fish Beaver and Otter. Many years ago when I had a 15 ft boat I fished the creeks mentioned because I wanted to avoid running across the main lake. You can run the main lake in a 15 ft boat but only if conditions are safe to do so.
For west Ky I would check out Malone or pick a creek on KY/Barkely and avoid the main lake if you're committed to medium or small water.
When you say "spring" that is a 3 month period. Water levels could still be winter pool and in the 40's or it could be in the bushes and in the 70's pending conditions. I would let weather be my main factor as to what lake I would choose.
Green river lake in south central ky in late march can be very good if the weather cooperates. It is what i would consider a medium size lake when compared to cumberland, ky and barkley etc. But it produces some giant lm every year.
Man you are breaking my heart. Me, grew up in West KY but now live on Lake Cumberland. Always try to get back to the twin lakes in late March/early April for some GREAT BASS fishing (and did I say CRAPPIE).
You can almost always fish in the bays when the wind on the main lake is up. The lake runs North South so a lot of the bays offer some protection from a North and or South Wind as the bays mostly run East/West.
I'd hit the big lakes.........KY and Barkley.. You always need to be mindful of the wind on those bodies, but you can definitely find some great water on both, without having to run the main lake.
When I had a 17ft tracker, and the wind would get up. I'd run down the trace and hit a couple boat ramps in a day. Ginger, Sugar, Smith, Pisqua on KY , and then Demumbers, Nickel Branch, Champion Springs, Poplar Creek on the Barkley Side.
Poplar Creek and Champion Springs are not on the trace, but you get the idea.
You can fish a bay in half a day, and then pick another bay for the evening bite.
Depending on the time of year, you will find fish in different places.
* Early, EARLY spring, you may find some back ready to do their business. These will be the big dogs, and sometimes on the right day and right bait, you can catch a giant. If we get a week of solid warm weather in late Feb, early March, you're darned tootin, I will be at least trying a shallow red eye shad bite.... . Depending on water temps.
* A little later in spring where some are done and some are getting ready to start, and some are staging, you can have a ton of fun in those bays you can only trailer to. You will definitely have company though, because a lot of those "good" spring bays you can trailer to are also GREAT crappie bays, and sometimes they are "busy". NO matter, the crappie guys are usually fishing different water......Sometimes it is hard finding a parking spot though, but that is rare.
* Late spring.......this time you will also have a great time fishing in those bays, Odd are there are fish that are done and are hungry. They destroy baits. It can still be hard this time of year, because those up shallow are locked down, and they may be hard to catch, but move off a little, and catch those recovery fish. They will bite, and generally bite hard.
Man, I love KY and Barkley Lake.........
One other thing........you an almost always run on Barkley when you cannot run on KY. I was rarely locked in on Barkley on the north end when running my 17ft tracker. NOT that it cannot get bad and ugly there, but it usually is not as bad and not as ugly.
Good Luck.....
Later,
Geo