Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley: Keep a few fish

[Dave Stewart]

Probably would not hurt the LM population here if some folks kept some LM as they have exploded over the last few years..but anyone that fishes much here over the years also knows that the SM and Spots populations are down and I certainly would not recommend that...heck, if you read the KDFW's own fishing forecast for Ky Lake last couple of years you will see that the forecast states that for SM and Ky Bass and quote:

"Low to moderate number of keeper fish and low numbers of small fish"....that low numbers of small fish is indicative of the which way the SM populations have been going here.

No, I am not gonna change my colors...I am still a catch and release bass guide...but if you want to eat a few of the smaller just keeper LM, I don't see how it would hurt our populations any.

[smashdn]

...if you read the KDFW's own fishing forecast for Ky Lake last couple of years you will see that the forecast states that for SM and Ky Bass and quote:

"Low to moderate number of keeper fish and low numbers of small fish"....that low numbers of small fish is indicative of the which way the SM populations have been going here.

Where is the grass? The deep grass is mostly gone now.

[Dave Stewart]

Where is the grass? The deep grass is mostly gone now.

Maybe you missed it but we had a near record flood with muddy water this spring...there is where you grass went.

[smashdn]

Maybe you missed it but we had a near record flood with muddy water this spring...there is where you grass went.

Didn't miss it. The question was mostly rhetorical and food for thought.

Not counting this year but in years past I had heard rumblings of spraying and killing of the grass. I don't know if there is any truth to it but I hear reports that the grass beds are a thing of the past on the KY side of KY.

[Dave Stewart]

There has been no spraying...we have not had much for grass beds last couple of years because of high dirty water during the time the grass is coming up. We had nice starts on big grass beds on the Ky end this spring before the flood, we were knocking the late prespawn good in them before the flood hit and took them out.

[alycat]

I personally will at the end of the season keep a limit of keepers about a pound to a pound and a half. Untill theres Ice on the water. As far as tourneys both of my clubs will take dead fish and filet them for an end of the year fish fry. It's like deer you have to cull them or there will not be a healthy population. Big fish yes I will always put them back. But the rest get tatar sauce and hushpupies.