Questions for Dave......

[brucehampton]

Wanting to learn about the current at Ky lake. Everyone always speaks of current and ledge fishing in the same sentence. Have learned to view the generation schedule on the TVA site....... What generation level is sufficient to produce heightened activity on the ledges ? Does the inflow have any bearing on the acitivity levels or is the discharge flow the only factor? Does the "ledgebite" hold up during the fall ?...... and if so how late in the year can it be reliable if you have adequate current ? As you can tell I know nothing.
Thanks for your help.

[Dave Stewart]

Bruce
From my experience it takes about 50,000 cfps flow to affect the ledge fishing....inflow is not a big deal on the ledges....outflow is....the ledge bite will hold up as long there is sufficient numbers of fish there....there are always some fish on the ledges just as there are some always shallow..in the early fall there are plenty of fish on ledges...the numbers go down as more fish move to the shallows to feed.

Current: We do not get near the daily current that we used to get on these lakes....the reason is that we have lost a lot of industry in the area. Most of the current is now pulled here at night when folks get home and crank up their air conditioners, lights, tv etc...

[brucehampton]

Dave

Have you ever seen the TVA site be incorrect on the discharge rate given
on their website ?

[carman]

Dave does that mean night fishing on the ledges ? Does this lack of current during the day change the way you fish a ledge? I read your reports & articles along with all the input from this board & it seems that no current, no fish as far as big numbers. Im a weekender & only seem to hit it good on a ledge ever once in a while. Would love to be a little more consistant.

[Dave Stewart]

Bruce...yes I have seen the TVA site projected current off many times....but remember...the current you see as projected is an average projection....also the past hourly report is an average....many times you may get a few minutes of strong current and then low current or no current for the rest of the hour.

carman: Ledge night fishing can definitely be good. As far as no current changing the way I fish a ledge...sometimes yes and sometimes no...if the fish are there and not biting I will try aggravating techniques or reaction techniques such as shakey head, drop shot or slack lining jigs....Ledge fishing requires a lot of patience...sometimes you may work a ledge for hours before the fish get active....those who have patience do best on ledges. As far as big numbers or no big numbers with no current...that is not true...have had many days including last Friday with big numbers of fish on ledge with no current....when they are ready to eat they will eat...current will get the shad more active and in turn will get the bass biting more...that is why we like current when we are fishing ledges...but you take what they give you.

[carman]

Dave thanks for that explaination. I am a slow fisherman so that part of this I have figured out. I just have to spend more time fishing than catching until I can find 5 -10 spots that are winners. Thanks again for your help.

[brucehampton]

Dave
Appreciate your info and help. Was out last Sunday on a ledge.....the current seemed to really be moving around my buoy, yet when I checked the discharge rate later that evening it was only 20,150. Expected to see a much higher number. Would the discharge rate on average be higher after upstream rains regardless of a weekday or weekend or is electric production the only reason for increased flow ? Sorry for all the questions.

[Dave Stewart]

Bruce...the flow is increased for electrical production and also to main lake levels...so your answer is both.