Patoka Lake Water Conditions

[FlyLie]

Anyone have a recent report on conditions at Patoka?
Gary

[steves]

I was there Christmas Eve. The water is still up about 10 feet above winter pool and clear. Water temperature was 46 degrees in the Lick Fork end of the lake. I caught one keeper about 2 lbs and two short fish, all on a jerkbait. Sadly, that was the best day I have had there in 4 or 5 trips.

[Moose1am]

Water temps are probably the same from the top to the bottom. Some days if it's nice outside the sun may warm up the shallow waters a bit and that might bring the fish into the shallows to feed.

For the most part the Winter pattern is deep water. Find an area of deep water with IMMEDIATE access to shallow water nearby and you may find the fish.

Weeds may have died by now with the cold water temperature and the lack of sunlight. But then again I am guessing on this one. There may still be some submergent vegetation that survives year round when we have mild winters and not ice covering the lake. But the weeds won't be doing much photosynthesizing as there is not as much light in the winter as in the summer.


With the water temperature the same throughout the vertical water column the fish are free to roam anywhere. They may suspend down about 5 to 15 ft where they feel comfortable and where they can relate to a drop off that may be 200ft away from where they are suspended.

If it gets really cold the fish may hung the bottom of the deepest part of the lake, River Channel bottom where the water is the warmest.

Watch the wind direction and see if the wind has been blowing from one direction for 24 hours or long enough to set up a current that will move all the plankton to the windward side of the lake or bay. The wind driven current will hit the bank and then dip back under the surface and travel back in the opposite direction along the bottom. In the summer months when there is a lot of zoo plankton feeding on the phytoplankton these organisms will be blown across the lake by the wind and currents and the fish will follow. But in the Winter months there is not as much phytoplankton in the lake due to the cold water conditions and the decreased sunlight penetrating the waters surface. Sun is at a lower angle and therefore more light is reflected off the waters surface than absorbed into the water. So this pattern may or may not be as good in the winter months as in the summer months. Most Fisherman avoid the windward back as it's hard to control the boat. They opt for the leeward bank where it's quiet. But the fish are not as effected by surface winds. They live below this and go where their food source goes.

Patoka Should be dropping over the next month or so. It's suppose to be a 532 ft by March.
Regards,

Moose1am