Barren - Any pointers? I've Not Been There.

[BEW]

Well, got on the water around 6-6:15. As a result of poor planning, neither of us had $3...bigger bills only. So we left a note that we would come back after a visit to a marina and went off to fish for a while.

Tried the stone wall off to the left of the ramp as you are motoring out...nothing (another boat was on the point). So we moved over to the right of the ramp, and began to move up the creek. Again, we got nothing. Tried buzz baits and cranks. My buddy was carolina rigging.

So after a while, we ran to the marina for ice, change, and some gas, and came back to complete our ramp fee! It was already getting a little warm. ;-)

We decided to run to the bridge over Beaver Creek, and fish around it. Remembering what everyone is saying about catching on mud and sand banks, we went to the non-channel side on the other side of the bridge. We caught several on spinner baits and crank baits over there in 3-6 feet of water, with the sun beating down. I would never have guessed that.

Best fish went around 3lbs....unfortunately I don't know for sure. He snapped my line once in the boat, and began the 'death flop' until he hopped overboard with my spinnerbait still in his mouth! All the more amusing, my buddy had a 1.5 or 2lber in the boat with his crank still in its mouth...same thing! Never seen that twice in an hour. We laughed it off, and moved on.

Rest of the day was pretty slow. Two or three more fish. We 'survived' until about 2 pm - it was just too hot. Breeze had died, and so had the fishing.

Thanks again to all for the suggestions and help.

[gillman]

Sounds like a pretty good fishing trip, or to me and for this heat and weather. That wall has been a first light bite for me this time of year, before the sun gets up an hits in on those rocks.

happy fishing brother

[gillman]

Hit Barren again today and pick up a pretty good fish about 5:15 again on the old buzz in 5 cast but no more for about and hr. Fished some cranks for about hr. on that mud and sand bank, nothing. Went to a rock wall and over the next 2 hours or so put ten pretty good Ky.'s in the boat, with the biggest being 21/2 lbs. Ho yeah hook up to a gar about three ft. long on that mud bank in 16 ft. of water, though I had on a big bass, and a catfish on a crank on the rock wall.

[BEW]

Hey Gillman,

Thanks for the report. Was all of that up in Beaver Creek? When we went last Saturday, I saw a large number of the gar milling around, swirling the surface. Funny that you caught one.

Too bad you didn't catch my spinnerbait, or my buddy's crankbait! LOL.

I hope to get back down to Barren in the next few weeks.

[gillman]

No Bew I put in at the state dock went up the river. I hadn't been on beaver but two or three times all spring but done pretty good over there last year, or at lest what I call good 5 or 6 in a 3 to 4 hr. trip. When ya planing on fishing?

[BEW]

Probably not this weekend....too many chores stacked up. I would like to think next Saturday, but that's the weekend of the Fourth, and I don't love hitting the lakes on long weekends when things get crazy out there. But if it is anything like last Saturday, even when crazy it won't be too populated. I was taken aback at how little boat traffic there really was on Barren last weekend. Was on the water until almost 2, but traffic was only sporadic. Is that typical? Do you think next weekend will be crazy?

The following weekend, I'm off to Barkley with some pals for our 19th year in a row for our fishing outing there. Looking forward to that!

[CoonCreek]

Probably not this weekend....too many chores stacked up. I would like to think next Saturday, but that's the weekend of the Fourth, and I don't love hitting the lakes on long weekends when things get crazy out there. But if it is anything like last Saturday, even when crazy it won't be too populated. I was taken aback at how little boat traffic there really was on Barren last weekend. Was on the water until almost 2, but traffic was only sporadic. Is that typical? Do you think next weekend will be crazy?

The following weekend, I'm off to Barkley with some pals for our 19th year in a row for our fishing outing there. Looking forward to that!

It won't ba AS bad up Beaver where you were fishing. Most of the pleasure boaters don't run up that far. There is a BFL here this weekend. You won't be able to stir the boats with a stick. Next weekend it will be worse. I would go to Kentucky Lake. Even on the 4th that place is big enough to find a hole with nobody in it.

[gillman]

Bew if I can figure out how to do it I'll send you a email with some pic. an GPS spots. Do ya have a GPS?

[BEW]

Bew if I can figure out how to do it I'll send you a email with some pic. an GPS spots. Do ya have a GPS?

I do have a GPS - has FHS 4.0 on it, too. I use it religiously. That would be terrific if you're able to.

[BEW]

Well, I'd go to Kentucky or Barkley, too, but it's three+ hours away (I'm in Crestwood - Louisville area)...that's a big drive for a day-trip. And since I'm bound there for four days the following weekend, probably not my best move.

I'll probably end up doing what I always do on a long weekend like that -- stay home and organize my tackle! LOL.

[gillman]

I hear ya, I plan more then anything else