Will my Barkley trip be flooded?

[Tyme2fish]

I'm heading to Lake Barkley on May 2nd for our annual spring trip. Last year the Corp closed the lakes to all recreational boating due to unsafe conditions as a result of the high water and flooding.

What do you think the water conditions will be like there next week? I'm thinking I need to take along an extra bottle of bourbon for all the time we'll spend in the town house not fishing.

[artcarney_agr]

Should be fine.

Reports I've heard are that they're dropping it to 3 ft below summer pool before closing the gates to ease the discharge into the Ohio.

Every other gate was open on KY Dam on Sat. and Sun.

[Dave Stewart]

The lakes were closed during the big flood last year mostly because of all the high current and all the debris making navigation dangerous. As the debris cleared they opened the lakes in sections from upriver down. The sitiutation here now is different...should not be as much current as before as they will be shutting the flow back to ease the flooding on the Ohio.

[7474]

How is the water clarity now on North Barkley and North Kentucky?

[jlawson435]

This is what somebody else wrote about that area:
"New data released this evening from the Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center is calling for water discharges at Kentucky & Barkley Dams to begin decreasing Wednesday with virtually no discharge by Friday. With hoards of water coming down the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers over the next few days, the lakes will surely rise quickly. No projections on lake levels have been released that far out, but based on this data, we can expect sharp rises on Kentucky & Barkley Lakes later this week and into the weekend.

The gates at the dams will be shut off to help flood control on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. The NWS has called this a "catastrophic flood" that we are just now beginning to see the effects of. The lakes are being dumped right now to near winter pool levels so that they can store more water when the gates are shut later this week. "
Doesn;t sound very good.

[bigwormy]

i was ran home last year as well from my spring trip..on the last day, we got a call from my dads partner who works for the corps in the huntington district and he told us to get off the lake. it was noon and by that time me and partner had boated 53 bass yet not one was a keeper. almost everyone was 14-14 3/4 inches and FAT. we found the only spot of clear water i saw on that lake WAY bake in a bay where the creek was so flooded you could go way back. all the fish were taken from a 30 yard little area. it was really a lot of fun and we left em biting! HARD to leave!