Brought to you by: Fishtale Lodge
Report for April 20th, 2001
DOGWOOD WINTER MAKES A PASS AT ANGLERS
By Steve McCadams
Bet you thought that overcoat was going to stay
in the closet until next fall. Wrong again!
Dogwood winter paid a visit to the deep south earlier this week
sending temperatures to near record lows and wrecking havoc with the
plans of legions of anglers. From Good Friday up until Easter the
weather was great and crappie were spawning and really hitting.
In fact, anglers all along Kentucky Lake last
week reported hefty
stringers of crappie coming from 6 to 13 feet. Water levels were already
above normal by two feet or so when a strong cold front descended on the
area thanks to some bone chilling northwest winds that whipped the lake
to a froth.
Since last weekend the fishing took a nose dive as anglers had
trouble getting on the lake due to the high winds. And, the cold front
and high pressure seemed to really knock the bite as what few fish were
caught earlier in the week were reluctant to take a bait.
But the weatherman had already begun to improve things by midweek
and now warmer weather has returned. Hopefully, fishing will get back to
normal even though lake levels are still somewhat above the norm for
TVA's curve of reservoir filling here.
Lake levels on Wednesday were 359.1 in the Paris Landing area.
That's above the normal summer pool elevation but that mark isn't
supposed to occur until May 1. Seems TVA has been holding water back off
the Mississippi River, which is going on a tear up north and sure to
have some effect downstream near the Cario, IL area.
Rainfall upstream has also been a factor in the increased
elevation.
However, lake levels are falling slowly and are expected to continue
throughout the weekend. The projected elevation in this area for the
next few days is 358.9.
Surface temperatures were in the 65 to 68 degree range last
weekend but have fallen back to the 61 to 63 degree range due to the
cold nights of midweek. Look for warmer readings these next few days.
Spawning has been underway for crappie all over the reservoir.
Many of the fish are spawning in depths of 7 to 13 feet due to the clear
water. A few fish have approached the shoreline buck bushes this week as
the water has inundated a lot of structure along the shoreline.
Generally speaking, the crappie have scattered the last few days
due to the rising lake levels. There's a few fish real shallow but
there's still a lot of fish in the 7 to 13 foot zone, not to mention
some still relating to the deep ledges out on Big Sandy. Anglers who are
drifting and trolling are having success as they cover a lot of water
with different type baits set at different depths.
When the fish scatter and suspend, such techniques as spider
rigging or pulling multipole rigs are deadly. There's still some fish
being taken around the power lines near Mansard Island. A few crappie
were still in the stumps in the upper end of Swamp Creek and throughout
West Sandy and up near the gravel pits and Country Junction too.
Look for some increased activity in the buck bushes this next week
as the fish move and find the shoreline cover. A lot of the crappie have
already spawned. However, a few are still holding eggs but will likely
complete their spawning attempts this next week.
Don't expect any mass movement to shallow shoreline habitat,
however, as most of the crappie have spawned and will likely remain on
secondary flats due to the clear water conditions. It's likely some good
fishing will occur in late April and throughout May in the transition
zone of 9 to 14 foot depths.
Some anglers are casting jigs on light spinning tackle along big
rock banks and still finding a lot of the dark male crappie there.
Twister tale grubs in the chartreuse colors and white pearl have been
producing.
Other anglers are still catching fish by vertical jigging in the
manmade stakebeds and brushpiles. Hollow body jigs such as Southern
Pro's purple/chartreuse, clear blue with metal flake, and
yellow/chartreuse sporting red glitter, are a few of the more popular
choices.
Live minnows are still producing too. Many anglers continue to tip
their jigs with live minnows to increase strikes.
With the weather now stabilizing look for crappie action to
improve, although fish will likely be somewhat scattered due to the
water levels.
Bass action has been at the mercy of the cold fronts this past
week too. Anglers are tossing lizards and spinnerbaits around the
submerged yellow flowers along the banks and coves. Bedding bass love
that dead grass and especially when a few yellow flowers are mixed in.
Some smallmouth are being taken as anglers fish crankbaits and
leadhead jigs on ledges and around deep rocky points. There's a few more
small fish showing up this year and that's good news. Hopefully, those
little rascals will keep growing and signal a stronger year class ahead.
For Previous Fishing Reports
Click Here
Steve McCadams
is a professional hunting and fishing guide
here in the
Paris Landing area and host of The Outdoor Channel's television series IN-PURSUIT.
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