Headed to KY lake next Thurs - SUN

[GeoFisher]

Am I wasting MY time?

I read some stuff there there is lots of junk in the water, Barkley is a MUDHOLE, and KY is not much better.......

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated..........I can pull the trigger and head to Dale Hollow instead, but I'm only getting a couple trips to KY this year.

Again........Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.

Later,

Geo

[Col Forbin]

I had some good days on the lake this week, and the conditions seem to be improving somewhat. There is still abunch of debris around, but Ky lake has not been near as bad. For me, the higher water has made it harder to find the fish than the stain on Ky. But overall, it has not been bad. It is really getting ready to turn on. I would keep an eye on the weather, but I wouldn't cancel any trips. Tomorrow the conditions will be about as bad as they get, but check out the weigh ins from the BFL - I bet there are still some large bags weighed in.

[elnutsmalljaws]

TRAITOR - you was supposed to be with us at Dale catching BIG SMALLMOUTH. I talked to Headrick today and by next Thursday the water temps should be a perfect 53-56 degrees which means they will be moving to spawn. FNF, jerkbaits and cranks should be MONEY. Head on down to that mudhole called Barkley and we will be enjoying nice clear hand to hand combat with some brownfish. Just kidding George, hope you have a good trip to the twin lakes of KY. Already looking forward to the 7 days Hens and I will be spending there in Mid April and then the first week of May, my wife and I will be taking our Son Joshua on his first official fishing trip of his life. He has had a few days in the boat with us for a few hours at a time on a small lake in IN, but nothing like this. I got him a new life jacket the other day, his new reel is spooled with fresh line and Daddy can't wait. I figure with Momma in the back throwing a spinning reel rigged with that special trick worm that Dave talks about and Josh and myself in the front working over the flowers with something similar, surely both of them will hang into their biggest Greenfish of their lives on the same day. I will be the happiest Father and Husband on the planet when I net them both. Good Luck to you George, hope you have a great trip.

[Southwind]

I don't know how much help, but next weekend will be a busy time down there at the lakes. I know of about 400 boats that are going to be there rain or shine 300 out of KY and 100 out of Kuttawa. I agree with you GeoFisher watch the weights I'll bet it will take 20+ to get a payday.

[Dave Stewart]

The water going up like it did scattered the fish. Fish are being taken from the main lake to the backs of the bays. Basically the fish are scattered which is normal when the lake blows up like it did. You can still catch fish. Right now the question is what are the water levels going to be next week. When I wrote my report in the early morning hours yesterday the TVA indicated on their website that they were going to be dropping the lake one foot between yesterday and Sunday. They revised the forecast and it now says the water levels will raise .5 ft by Sunday. My best guess is that if the water levels continue to rise or hold near their present levels then more fish will move into the bays...if they drop the bottom out of the lake and start pulling the water down...just the opposite will happen. There is debris in the lake...not as much as I have seen in some years but it is there and one needs to pay attention or you may eat a log.
The big plus here is the water temps (even though they are still low for this time of year) stayed pretty much in the 45 degree range most of the winter and the fish were feeding pretty good all winter so they are really heavy and healthy...we are catching fish that by length you would expect to be around 3lbs that weigh 4 lbs.
I expect it will take over 20 to win the tourney here today for sure...but it won't take 20 to get a check. I expect around 16 or 17 lbs to get a check..but then again I could be wrong.

[kylakenitro]

Forbin and dave are right on the money.. I fished 3 days this week on Ky and had good results everyday. The fish are scattered due to the higher water, but they are very catchable. It seemed like every place i stopped at yesterday i could catch a fish or two I only got to fish for about 4 hrs yesterday afternoon but had good results... The water temps keep coming up more everyday and this lake will come to life VERY soon. So come on down and enjoy........Good Luck

[thebassman30]

Great report Dave....Thank you!!
Mark