Ky Lake or Barkley for Shellcracker?

[artcarney_agr]

Thanks guys. Art, how many acres of water is Poplar Bay? Is it big enough to fish and not have to really leave it for another area?

Absoultely. My family had a houseboat there in the marina from the time I was 8 up until I was 18. I had a little 16 ft semi-v jon boat with a 2.5 hp that I was given free reign to go and do whatever I wanted solo, as long as I didn't go outside the breakwall. I know every single little spot in that bay. And yes, there are good sized shellcrackers in there!

I live in Louisville too, and I drive all the way down there just to fish that area. I make an annual trip to a certain spot in that bay every year Mother's Day weekend...that's when I usually fill the freezer

You'll also be close enought that you can trailer down to Kuttawa if you want a change of scenery - it's another good area that is very large and quite protected if the wind gets up. It too has good fish in it - when I was finally old enough to take the boat past the breakwall, I motored down to Kuttawa quite a bit. There's a little bay in between Buzzard/Poplar and Kuttawa - it has an old roadbed at the mouth that holds fish. The bay itself is loaded with brush piles in the back, and there's quite a few docks to fish as well.

If you could go a little later in the month, it might be a little better, but there's always that chance of an early spring and the bite starting up earlier. Like I said, Mother's Day weekend has been a very reliable indicator for me.

If you want to catch some bass.....a carolina rig works very well in those areas in May, especially if you can locate the old railroadroad bed in Poplar

[fishassasin]

Absoultely. My family had a houseboat there in the marina from the time I was 8 up until I was 18. I had a little 16 ft semi-v jon boat with a 2.5 hp that I was given free reign to go and do whatever I wanted solo, as long as I didn't go outside the breakwall. I know every single little spot in that bay. And yes, there are good sized shellcrackers in there!

I live in Louisville too, and I drive all the way down there just to fish that area. I make an annual trip to a certain spot in that bay every year Mother's Day weekend...that's when I usually fill the freezer

You'll also be close enought that you can trailer down to Kuttawa if you want a change of scenery - it's another good area that is very large and quite protected if the wind gets up. It too has good fish in it - when I was finally old enough to take the boat past the breakwall, I motored down to Kuttawa quite a bit. There's a little bay in between Buzzard/Poplar and Kuttawa - it has an old roadbed at the mouth that holds fish. The bay itself is loaded with brush piles in the back, and there's quite a few docks to fish as well.

If you could go a little later in the month, it might be a little better, but there's always that chance of an early spring and the bite starting up earlier. Like I said, Mother's Day weekend has been a very reliable indicator for me.

If you want to catch some bass.....a carolina rig works very well in those areas in May, especially if you can locate the old railroadroad bed in Poplar

with as warm as this winter has been i bet the spawn will come a little earlier this year

[catchandfillet]

Went to Kentucky lake for redear two years ago and had a great time caught more than 50 a day and all 3 of us caught one longer than 12"