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For several years, we made the 2.5 hour trip to Barren to fish for hybrids in April and May. The last year we went down there (about 3 years ago or so) we just could not catch any. I think we went twice that year and caught 2 or 3 fish where we used to catch 10+ each trip. Has the fishing improved any since then? Or did the fishing never decline and we just ****! :)
BTW, we would fish around Bailey's Point.
I'd give Col. Jesse Duncan a call. [url]http://hometown.aol.com/finbaits/Jesse.html[/url]
Barren is way over-fished especially when you consider the lake was down all last year. This year it's way up and I'll let him tell you about the crazy grass. Get a lure hung in that stuff and forget it.
He'll give you the scoop.
Nothing has changed, the hybrid population at Barren is steady, if not growing. Simply put, hybrids are like any other fish, you may go one day and not hit a thing then go the very next day, fish the exact same way, and catch 100. Hybrids are especially finicky like this because they are a fish that travels A LOT every day. They may travel up to a couple of miles every day and hang out in open water to chase baitfish which makes them very hard to locate. If you are on one place on Barren, you may not be picking up any hybrids, while another end of the lake may be really picking up the hybrids.
All and all, if you are going to Barren to fish hybrids, here are a few tips...
Troll spoons and deep diving crankbaits around channel brakes and flats adjacent to deep water until you get a bite. Then work the area throughly.
Don't be afraid to travel the WHOLE LAKE...and Barren is a huge lake.
Keep a sharp eye on the depthfinder. If you see baitfish, there is a likelyhood hybrids are near.
Keep in mind hybrids are in the lake, no doubt about it, and they are a ferocious, oppurtunistic feeder. If you find the hybrids you will find a bite.
Hope this helps!
Thanks for the info guys. What was always funny to me was talking to guys at the ramp on those good nights. One night, I pulled out a really nice one to weigh and a guy at the ramp asked me what I caught it on. I told him (bang-o-lure) and he said, "I never can catch one on a bang-o-lure." That's primarily the only lure we used and (usually) produced great numbers.
There were alot of big hybrids seen floating last fall, I don't know if that will have much of an effect this year or not.
Last April we caught several prefishing for a tourny and then caught several more the next day during the tourny. We caught about 40 hybrids in 2 days with 1 being about 4lbs and the rest ranged from about 7lbs to the biggest at about 18 lbs. All were caught slow rollling a 1 oz white spinnerbait with gold blades in about 15-25 feet of water on the walls and points toward the ****.
We don't fish for them intentionally so all that we caught were by accident and we turned them all lose. So they should still be in the lake.
Hope that this helps some.
Lee
[QUOTE=condusivecranker;320949]Nothing has changed, the hybrid population at Barren is steady, if not growing.
Don't be afraid to travel the WHOLE LAKE...and Barren is a huge lake.[/QUOTE]
You had me up until you said Barren is a huge lake. Now, I'm confused because what you said before that seemed strong.
Cumberland (Currently) and Dale are both still 4x bigger when Barren is at max summer pool. Twin Lakes KY/Barkley are a combined 200,000 acres between them at summer pool so that's about 20 times the size. I don't mean to be a smart ass, but it's really small and fantastic at times.
I noticed the same thing. Also of note is the locations and feeding patterns have changed somewhat due to the growing alewive population.
I as well saw alot of dead fish last fall. Up to a hundred in "sailboat" cove across from penninsula. The best hyprid fishing i have had a barren was in late march from sunset till midnight. I always fished across from penninsula, where the new boat ramp is. In both of those coves and points with a red-fin. Caught several in the 8lb range.
In the summer I have always caught them anchored on "hogback" in about 16 feet of water using crappie lights and night crawlers fished about 1 foot off the bottom. You can also have good luck between the two islands by baileys point. If you can get your boat in there. It feels up with boats fast on the flat when they are there.
[QUOTE=thebassman30;320994]You had me up until you said Barren is a huge lake. Now, I'm confused because what you said before that seemed strong.
Cumberland (Currently) and Dale are both still 4x bigger when Barren is at max summer pool. Twin Lakes KY/Barkley are a combined 200,000 acres between them at summer pool so that's about 20 times the size. I don't mean to be a smart ass, but it's really small and fantastic at times.[/QUOTE]
I understand what your saying. Cumberland, Dale, KY, Barkely are all larger than Barren and I know that. But still, it is a 10,000 acre lake and has a lot of room for hybrids to move in. Barren is much larger than Rough, T-ville, and Guist, other lakes with hybrids, and has a LOT of open water. Sure, not as large as the other lakes, but its no farm pond.
I see what you mean. I don't like trolling, but it's a good search technique. When I've found them schooled up, they've always been within a 1/2 mile area. You just have to find that area. Also, remember that the same size schools together so it's worth noting for when you catch a 2 lber and your all geeked.
Have fun!