November 13, 2015

Kentucky Lake: Water Level at Kentucky Dam – 354.36 Surface Temperature – 63
Lake Barkley: Water Level at Barkley Dam – 354.40 Surface Temperature – 63

Both lakes are a couple of inches above winter pool. Kentucky Dam has been generating an average of 47,000 cfs over the past 24 hours. Barkley Dam has been generating between 9,100 – 30,300 cfs over the past 24 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. With the lake levels down, boaters need to be cautious when navigating the lakes. These are big lakes, but they are shallow river lakes. If you are not familiar with the lakes, make sure you use the navigation lanes and if you are not sure of the depths and locations of obstructions where you are, idle your boat until you are in safe water.

General Conditions: The water temperatures did drop about 2 degrees since last week but we are still about 6-7 degrees above what we normally should be seeing this time in November. I have noticed a few more schools of shad moving shallow but the bass are still scattered and I have seen very little in the way of schooling bass. Our most productive patterns still remain as going shallow early for some scattered top water bite, then fishing the flats with lipless crank baits, spinner baits and square billed crank baits when some active fish are present and if they are not active, we are going to secondary points and channel banks with finesse jigs, tube jigs and Carolina rigged creature baits. This bite has been scattered and we are moving a lot to put some fish in the boat. Some tournament results I saw from last weekend basically reflects this bite: Tournament on Barkley last Saturday was won with 15.7 lbs and seven 5 fish limits weighed in. Tournament on Barkley last Sunday was won with 15.7 pounds and three 5 fish limits weighed in. It only took a little over 9 lbs on 3 fish to place 5th. Tournament on North Kentucky Saturday was won with 10 lbs and no 5 fish limits weighed in. The fall schooling bite obviously is not on yet. As I said last week, hopefully the water temperatures will continue to drop and we will get that fall schooling bite before the arctic fronts come in and drop the water temperatures into winter patterns.

We will be under high pressure this weekend with a forecasted low on Saturday morning of 31/ High Saturday of 62 with wind S4. Sunday morning is showing a low of 43/ High Sunday of 65 with wind SSE5. It should be a nice weekend weather wise on the lakes. We have rain in the forecast starting Monday through next mid week. Current forecasts are calling for a total of 4 inches or more of rain to fall by mid week with high temperatures in the 60’s/low’s in the 50’s with south winds.

Largemouth Bass: Largemouth are being taken on secondary points and channel banks in the creeks and bays as well as on the flats in the creeks and bays where some bass are feeding on schools of baitfish. These fish are being taken on top water lures, medium running crank baits, lipless crank baits, spinner baits, finesse jigs, tube jigs and shaky heads. Overall the fish are scattered and bite is slow.

Smallmouth Bass: Smallmouth are being taken on rocky main lake primary points and secondary points in the front halves of the creeks and bays. These fish are being taken on jigs and tube jigs. The bite on these fish has been overall slow but a few nice fish are being taken.

Productive Lures: Some of the more productive lures reported this week are: Lucky Craft Sammy in ghost pearl lemon, Slong’s spinner baits in blue glimmer, Bag 5 square bill crank baits in blue glimmer, Strike King Red Eye Shad in chrome sexy shad and sexy shad, Bag 5 custom painted Red Eye Shad lipless crank baits in blue glimmer, D&L baby advantage jigs in “oops” pattern and Cumberland Craw, Slong's shaky head jigs with Charmer shaky head worms in bama bug and watermelon/candy, Charmer timber pups in green pumpkin on Carolina rigs and Charmer tubes green pumpkin/orange and their newest color – Big Easy- on tube jigs.

Crappie: Crappie are being taken over brush piles and sunken stake beds on the main lake flats in 8-12 feet of water as well as over brush piles and sunken stake beds in the creeks and bays in 4-6 ft of water by spider rigging with minnows and small jigs tipped with minnows in the deeper water and casting curly tail jigs and fishing minnows under bobbers in the shallower water. The numbers of keeper fish are not great but there some action being reported on these staging fall fish.

I did not receive any reports on the catfish or the white bass this week but we are seeing a lot of small white bass and yellow bass on the deeper flats (6-10 ft) in the creeks and bays.

If you are planning a visit to the lakes area, I highly recommend these local businesses for all your fishing and boating needs:
Fisherman’s Headquarters is located in Draffenville at the U.S. 68/U.S. 641 triangle, or the Draffenville "Y". FHQ stocks everything an angler could need, from live bait, hooks and bobbers to top of the line tournament bass tackle. More than a "bait and tackle" store, Fisherman’s Headquarters is a true "pro shop", offering advice, training and special order assistance not found online or at the big box retailers. Services even include custom electronics training and installation. The store offers a wide variety of nationally known brands as well as many regional and hard to find items we use on Kentucky and Barkley Lakes. They stock many of the products I rely on daily, such as Charmer Baits, Slong’s lures and All Pro Rods. From bluegill to bass and catfish to crappie, FHQ has you covered! Stop by and visit or 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 and Stratos 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 20 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 Lowrance HDS electronics 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:

November: Sorry, I am booked up for guided trips this month. I do have available this coming week the 16th, 17th and 18th available for the Eliminating Water Class since the weather forecast is showing wind and weather conditions not conducive to being on the water safely.

FLASH: I am taking reservations for the 2016 season beginning in March. I have already received a number of reservations for next season so if you are planning to book with me next year, especially during the spring months, you should make your reservations now to ensure you can get the date(s) you want.

FLASH: I do offer gift certificates for guided bass fishing trips. These certificates make great Christmas and other special occasion gifts for the bass angler in your family. To purchase a gift certificate, just drop me and email or give me a call.

ELIMINATING WATER CLASS: I will be offering my class on how to Eliminate Water again this winter during the months of January and February and I will also teach a few classes on any open dates I still have in November (see above). These classes are limited to one or two people per class. The classes last approximately 8 hours. The cost of the class is 200.00 which covers one or two people. These classes have been very popular with my clients over the past few years and all the feedback I get is very positive. Here are some examples of that feedback:
**Dave ... Harry and I took your "Eliminating Water" class and it has helped both of us like you wouldn't believe! - J. Harris

**In the past 3 tourney's I have managed to get a limit on 3 separate lakes. Old Hickory, Barkley, and Barren. Managed a 3rd place finish Sunday on Barkley with a 6lb kicker. I have a lot more confidence when I hit the water now. I no longer pull the old "that bank looks good, lets waste a few hours here". Thanks Dave - M. King

**Well worth the money - and probably the most valuable thing I have purchased in the terms of fishing. - K. Stephens

**The eliminating water class is without a doubt the best money I've spent on fishing in my life. - D. Page

Here is a short description of the Eliminating Water Class:

This class is done in a classroom environment. In this class you learn the most important thing that you can learn as a bass fisherman, that is, how eliminate water to find the Bass by finding the highest percentage spots during all the different seasons of the year that will hold more fish, more often. In this class you will learn what information you need to know in order to eliminate water to find these high percentage spots during your preplanning for a trip and how to apply this information as well as current environmental conditions to make decisions on which techniques you should be using when on the water that day and how to adjust to environment changes that can move your fish or change the pattern from day to day, season to season.

Basically, what I teach you in this class is how to use knowledge of mother nature by using scientific knowledge, logic and common sense to develop a system to find your fish as well as make decisions before you get on the water and while you are on the water to be a more consistent bass angler. What I teach you in this class is what I do every day as a bass fishing guide when I am trying to find and catch bass with my clients. What you will learn in this class will apply anywhere you go bass fishing, this is not specific to just Kentucky and Barkley Lakes.

Finding bass and making decisions as how to catch bass is not done solely by looking at electronics, it is accomplished with knowledge. There is no button on your sonar unit or mapping unit that says "Go Find Fish". Sonar units show you fish AFTER you find them. Mapping units show you just that, a topographical map of the body of water you are on. The mapping unit allows you to mark spots on your electronic map where you have found fish and assist you in navigating back to those spots. Just as with a paper topographical map, you can scan over an electronic map and mark "places of interest" or as I call them "looks good" spots to go check out when you get on the water...but finding high percentage spots are not "looks good" spots. High percentage spots are selected by having the knowledge of what type spots have the highest percentage chance of holding bass during the different seasons of the year coupled with how to apply what is going on in the environment that will affect the fish so that you can make educated decisions as to what type techniques and lures you need to employ to be successful.

Call or email me to book your class date while dates are still available!


Captain Dave Stewart
Bass Buster Guide Service
www.kentuckylakeguide.com
[email protected]
270-362-9987

"Fish With A Professional"