Kentucky Lake Question(Dave Stewart)

[KyPit71]

This is more for Dave Stewart but will take any advice.Heading to Ky Lake this weekend for a week long trip and was wondering about the bass bite.I read Dave's report from 4/22 and am excited.We mainly fish shallow(shoreline,bushes,etc) and was wondering what Dave thought,or anyone else for that matter, about the bite then.We are hoping the big fish will be shallow from all the rain we've had.Will the water be up in the bushes or will they pull the crap out of it because of the upcoming forecast for more rain next weekend? Thanks for the advice,its much appreciated.....This will be my first trip there in probably 20 years,my buddy has been there every year for past 10 yrs.....Thanks again

[first2fish]

Im not dave but just returned from ky lake. Very windy/stomy weekend. Stayed back in coves around big bear. Caught fish in shallows and deep rock banks. Bigger fish came from deep rock banks. 2 best lures were 7 inch berkley power bait worm{purple} and i mean purple only--no fleck. Then my wife wakes up from a nap and grabs a green with red fleck senko and boats 2 nice spotted bass within 5 minutes. So i put one on and hooked a lm that was between 3-4- pds--lost at boat. They really liked the senko. Caught 10 bass 1-3 pds on senkos on deep rock banks. Crappie i guess ran to the other side of the lake when i got there. Only 2 caught over the weekend. Hope this helps,good luck. Let us know how you did when you get back. Also senkos were rigged texas style. Later jc

[KyPit71]

Thanks JC. The forecast is calling for scattered t-storms early next week so hopefully it will be hit miss.Thanks for the report and will post how it went after we get back.I'm hoping they keep coming to the shallows,don't have a big boat so I plan on staying off main lake,unless wind isn't bad.I'm hoping for the best and planning on the worst.Much appreciated!!

[nitro90]

Was down there on the 15th thru the 18th,with my brother in laws and a nephew, very windy. Went out at Ky dam vilage and caught over 100 LM 1 SM . Caught them on lipless cranks, chartruese spinners and lizzards, but................................... over 75% of these were caught on green pumpkinseed lizzards carolina rigged. After you come out of the marina, the first big cove on the right, down about half mile . Hope this helps, be safe

[NuttyFisherman]

Just spent the weekend down there and the wind was crazy but still caught a lot of fish but most were just under 15". Seems the bigger fish were in deeper water, I believe most of the bigger fish have already spawned. Maybe Dave can confirm that?

I always thought they spawned mostly near a full moon but the water temps have been in the mid 60's long enough that they may have spawned already.

Dave which is more inportant to the spawn water temps or moon phases?

Thanks in advance!

[Dave Stewart]

Just spent the weekend down there and the wind was crazy but still caught a lot of fish but most were just under 15". Seems the bigger fish were in deeper water, I believe most of the bigger fish have already spawned. Maybe Dave can confirm that?

I always thought they spawned mostly near a full moon but the water temps have been in the mid 60's long enough that they may have spawned already.

Dave which is more inportant to the spawn water temps or moon phases?

Thanks in advance!

Water temps then moon....don't have to have a full moon during the spawn but it will certainly put many of them on the beds around the full moon if it happens to fall within the right water temperatures.

Now, as far as the spawn goes...some have spawned and some haven't. I have taken some shallow girls down south on Ky Lake but on north ends of both lakes all the females I am taking are still on staging areas...we have the water temps for them to move shallow and the full moon is Thursday..if they don't move in now, they won't this year in my opinion....I believe many of the bass spawned deep (not good) with the water down last couple of weeks until it finally came up last weekend. I am catching a lot of females with eggs and rubbed tails on the lead in channel banks and secondary points...I believe these fish moved up and started fanning a couple of weeks ago but then the TVA dropped the bottomeout and drew the lakes down 2.5 ft and pulled them out. I had an 8lb on my second cast this morning sitting in 16 ft of water on a stump and she was full of eggs and had a rubbed tail. Like I said, if they don't move up with this full moon, don't look for any big numbers of big fish shallow on the north ends...just my opinion. Plenty of action shallow on small fish though and some of those bucks are keeper sized but mostly short fish.
Dave

[Bradd]

Dave knows what he is talking about...I fished 23-26 or at least as much as mother nature would let me...I caught crazy amounts of fish, but the keepers were not as plentiful shallow on the KenLake area of the lake. It was just facinating how many just under 15" we caught. These fish would give you a fight, but you can't take them to the scales in a tournament. I am still a little upset that I didn't get anytime with Dave this time down. You have to get your stuff together and book him early or it won't happen.

[bigwormy]

im heading down friday as well. i was excited, but now nervous. i am seeing a possible 3-5 inches of rain for the forecast over the weekend. do you think this will destroy the fishing or just move the fish up shallow, and i mean shallow, with the rising waters? please anyone with lake experience respond. thanks a lot!

[jdw174]

Fished out of Paris last Wed., caught 20 and only two measured. The rest were all short males, but they were hitting practically anything I tied on. Two best fish came off of a point leading into a creek on a Bomber Square A. I'm headed out this morning, but it's chilly and the water is up. I predict a rather slow day this time.

[Spider04]

I am intrigued by Dave's assumption that some bass spawned deeper. My brother and I fished the lakes a couple of weeks ago for a full week. I fished north, south, Barkley, Kentucky. Jeff and I commented that we thought they may be spawning deeper because of the water being pulled. He caught several bass with bloody tails in deeper water - 12 to 18 feet. And this was on north Kentucky. On South Kentucky I saw what is normally seen this time of year. I guess I am testifying to Dave's idea of a deeper spawn. Jeff and I really didn't say anything about it to other guys we fished with, but we thought that could be the case.

Aside from the safety aspects, my two cents on the rain. If it is raining and the water is rising pull out a 3/8 oz blue glimmer spinnerbait and make some memories. Three of my best days ever on Kentucky Lake were done in that fashion. If they pull a lot of water, the opposite can happen. A couple of springs ago I fished on a Saturday and had fairly good success fishing shallow. They pulled a ton of water that night and I couldn't find a bite shallow that Sunday.

Good luck!