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I spend a lot of time chasing crappie in early to mid March, but I'm planning on trying to catch some bass this year while the water is in the upper 40's to low 50's. If you could only take 3 lures to fish Kentucky Lake this time of year what would you take and how would you use them? I like to catch #'s and it seems like most seem to be going after a few big bites this time of year and I'm not sure I have the patience.:D
[QUOTE=caseydrew;356033]I spend a lot of time chasing crappie in early to mid March, but I'm planning on trying to catch some bass this year while the water is in the upper 40's to low 50's. If you could only take 3 lures to fish Kentucky Lake this time of year what would you take and how would you use them? I like to catch #'s and it seems like most seem to be going after a few big bites this time of year and I'm not sure I have the patience.:D[/QUOTE]
Jerkbaits, crankbaits lipped and lipless, and spinnerbaits. If the water is off colored wide wobblers that create alot of water movement in bright colors especially chartruese based will catch some good fish. Less turbid water will lend itself more to the jerkbait bite.
Rattle trap black and red and chrome/blue back 1/2oz or bigger- very slow retrieve.
Rouge chrome/blue back- slow retrieve.
Lucky Craft Slender Pointer 97 MR- Chartreuse Shad
Rapala Shad Rap SR 5 - Crawfish
Strike King Red Eye Shad - Orange Craw
Rotate between those three, and you're sure to get bit.
GOOD LUCK!
Carolina Rigged Lizards and creature baits.
Big deep diving crankbaits (fished shallow some) in a chartruse shad pattern.
Spinnerbait... white
[quote=caseydrew;356033]I spend a lot of time chasing crappie in early to mid March, but I'm planning on trying to catch some bass this year while the water is in the upper 40's to low 50's. If you could only take 3 lures to fish Kentucky Lake this time of year what would you take and how would you use them? I like to catch #'s and it seems like most seem to be going after a few big bites this time of year and I'm not sure I have the patience.:D[/quote]
Lucky craft slender pointer in Char. shad, or table rock shad
Rapala shad rap #5 and #7 in craw or black and silver
Red eye shad in craw and sexy shad
the longer bandits with a coffin bill in splatter back and rootbeer/chartruse.
Blue glimmer spinnerbait
I have had great luck with all of these in the spring, especially the pointer. I also look at back logs on some sight of Dave Stewart's fishing report. One of the sites in his links on his homepage has the past several years of fishing reports. His reports have always been a starting point for me - even when I think I have figured something out, I will look and it is usually on his report. As much time as he spends on the water - he is always dead on with his reports. I highly suggest at the least looking at his reports for lure choice, but a trip with him will help you tremendously in locating fish.
[quote=HiDefFisherman;356070]Carolina Rigged Lizards and creature baits.
Big deep diving crankbaits (fished shallow some) in a chartruse shad pattern.
Spinnerbait... white[/quote]
...could not have said it better myself. :)
Blue glimmer spinnerbait, it's an awesome spinnerbait that i think you can only get it at ken lake area tackle shops. (This is one of the best kept secrets down their, but im not from the area, so everybody may know about it) Also i would have a chrome/blue lippless crankbait on.
Thanks for the tips! Not a jig on the list??? Surprising, but encouraging.....didn't think they would chase crankbaits and spinnerbaits when water is that cold.
My three lures of choice in early March would be:
1) Tube(fish deep on west side of KY Lake in the mouths of creeks on channel banks)
2) Jig(fish same as above)
3) 1/2 oz Chrome/Blue Back Rat-L-Trap. Try on flats at mouths of creeks and first or second point at mouths of creeks.
Seems to me the last few times I have been in mid-march the smaller largemouths have been moving into the steak beds in water between 5-10 ft deep as the crappie (what few I have managed to catch) move out of those locations. No problems catching them on white spinners of any size (in KY Lake I prefer twin silver willow blades) but if you're looking for numbers I'd go with 1/4 oz. Live minnows on the old slip float work well also but are more effective for me when there is enough wind to break the surface up a bit which with this rig and my old mans SeaNymph helps to add a little bit more action (this is pretty much the norm on the lake for Griswolds like me, hi Glen, Larry, Jackie). Those mid-running Rapala jerkbaits work well in those fifteen minutes before dawn and dusk when the water is flat, if it flattens out, I prefer silver bottom with black back. Have occasionally found larger fish on windswept points at the mouths of coves and creek mouths. Wailed on the Gar in the high water last April on anything that swims, just throwing that in there just in case. Don't get to spend much time down there but that's whats worked for me.
theyll do some chasin if the water temp. is on the upswing, but you usually still have get it relatively close. id hit some secondary points and other staging areas with some deeper diving cranks, if you find some fish throw a senko at em. and id comb some flats with a lipless also.