Herrington lake help

[first2fish]

I am headed there this weekend for the first time and about all i know is that it is super deep. Can anyone suggest lures to fish with to catch white bass and largemouths ? And does this lake have smallmouth ? I havent heard of smallmouth much from herrington. Thanks for any suggestions and help. Jc

[crappiepappy]

My Grandpa told me that Herrington used to have alot of Smallmouth, back in its early days. He said the lake was "poisoned" (probably rotenone) to kill the overpopulation of Shad ... and the lake was covered with dead SM, shortly thereafter. (he told me this back in the 1960's) I would think that there are probably still some SM in there, but too few & far between to bother with targeting them, specifically.
White Bass can be caught with minnows under lights (at night) ... casting the jumps (day) ... trolling the cliff walls (day). Just depends on the lake conditions & what the shad are doing.
LMB can be caught on large worms, plastic craws, jig/pig, cranks, topwater, spinnerbaits ... all the usual stuff ... but, again, it depends on lake conditions (as well as time of day/night that you're fishing).
Yes, Herrington is super deep ... and can be quite trashy (after a rise in water level) ... and can be quite crowded (weekend boaters, pleasure craft party people, tournaments, weekend warriors, etc). ALSO ... be aware of the fact that this weekend is "Free Fishing Weekend" !! There could be a bunch of "newbies" out there, that may not be familiar with the "rules of the road (sportsmanlike conduct)".
If you fish in the daytime ... you might consider staying in a no-wake zone, or back in one of the creeks. If you fish at night ... keep your white running light turned on, wear your PFD, and fish slow & deep.
I'm not sure what the current water level is, but I suspect it's higher than "normal" (with all the rain we've had). I have caught LMB, in these conditions, right in peoples backyards & under flooded live trees (night worm fishing). Cliff wall ledges can also be productive, if you can find them (late evening/night fishing).

... pappy

[first2fish]

Thanks for the info pappy, i hope to catch some fish this weekend. But either which way i always enjoy being on a lake that i have never fished or been on. Thanks again, jc

[sglass]

If I were you I would put in close to the river to avoid the boat traffic unless you are going to night fish. Herrington is hit or miss feast or famine. I have done great down there some nights and some I have only caught a couple keepers. If you do get into the bass they are some of the healthiest bass in KY and will yank your wrist off. I would suggest you pitch around the shallow docks at night (shallow is 5-20 foot at herrington) for bass with jigs and large worms or craws and if you do not have much luck find some dock lights and rip a jerkbait through it for hybrids or throw a topwater lure around the points. Good luck and post a report on how ya did.

[findingem]

I use to fish the lake here and there, and there are a few SM left in the lake. I for one have not seen one at all with any size to them. I'm sure someone has knocked a nice one in the head. The lake should be getting ready to turn on in the next week or so. I would start night fishing soon there. Zoom 9' lizards, Powerbait 10' worms, ledge fish with the cranks, and as soon as dawn breaks, pull out the old buzzbait.

[burt.fishin]

Depending on the water clarity I would use a 7.5 inch pumkin seed plastic worm or a salamander in the mouth of some of the creeks. Fish it along the bottom close to old trees. If the water isnt very clear i would fish a jig around the docks.

[Shimano4Life]

My Grandpa told me that Herrington used to have alot of Smallmouth, back in its early days. He said the lake was "poisoned" (probably rotenone) to kill the overpopulation of Shad ... and the lake was covered with dead SM, shortly thereafter. (he told me this back in the 1960's) I would think that there are probably still some SM in there, but too few & far between to bother with targeting them, specifically.
... pappy

They are still in there......my partner caught a keeper in our tournament last night. I have heard stories about how abundant they used to be in Herrington, but I have yet to see one with a great amount of size.

[first2fish]

WELL, GOT THERE ABOUT 9:30 PM FRI NIGHT AND 10 MINUTES FROM THE LAKE REALIZED MY WIFE AND I HAD FORGOT OUR CLOTHES AND MEDS. HAD TO MAKE THE TRIP BACK TO LOU. TO GET THEM.GOT BACK TO THE LAKE AT 9:00 AM THE NEXT MORNING. TOOK A RELAXING TRIP TO THE DAM SAT. AFTERNOON. THEN FISHED FROM 6-10 PM--NO LUCK--FINALLY SUNDAY CAUGHT 1-6 INCH LM BASS THEN LOST AT THE BOAT ONE THAT WAS BETWEEN 3-4 PNDS ON A HEAVY SHAKEY HEAD WITH A ZOOM SPEED CRAW. AND LAST ONE WAS 15 INCH LM. ON SAME LURE. I DID NOT REALIZE THIS IS A PRIVATE OWNED LAKE. NOT RUN BY THE CORP/ENG. SO I SEEN A LOT OF THINGS ON THE LAKE THAT I AM NOT USED TO. LIKE 3 DOCKS ATTACHED TOGETHER MADE INTO A SMALL LAKE HOUSE. COOL !---OH YEAH SOMEBODY TOOK ALL THE WHITE BASS OUT OF HERRINGTON LAST WEEK END. NOBODY WAS CATCHING THEM,NO JUMPS. FISHING MARINA WITH LIGHTS AFTER DARK--NO GOOD. I HOPE WHOEVER TOOK THEM RETURNS THEM TO THE LAKE SOON ! LOL. WELL THATS ABOUT IT.. LATER JC