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January 8, 2014
WINTER FISHING SLOWLY RETURNS
Brutal winter weather dictated this week and Kentucky Lake’s fishing
scene was at the mercy of the elements. A lot of fish were caught but
most all of them were taken around the fire and indoors where anglers
were reliving outings of days gone by!
It appears the Artic blast is now in the rearview mirror and conditions
are improving as the weekend approaches. Temperatures are forecast to
return to normal in the days ahead with highs climbing back into the low
50’s for a few days.
And how will fishing fare after the recent blizzard conditions? That’s a
question on the mind of area anglers as surface temps have dropped
dramatically since last week and ice entered the picture in many shallow
bays and flats.
When such conditions roll in as they did earlier this week in a short
period of time there is usually a shad kill to some degree. Bait fish
such as threadfin shad that have occupied shallow areas fall victim to
the rapid drop in surface temperature and go into shock. Die offs are
not uncommon for a few days in the aftermath of severe cold.
While a lot of baitfish will fall back to deeper water and ride out the
cold there some don’t make it. That scenario is usually tough on
crappie, bass and sauger fishermen as the gamefish suddenly have an
abundant food source that’s easy to catch so they pretty much gorge
themselves on the free buffet of bait.
Odds are that will be the case for a few days but all anglers can do at
this point it try and see. Most of the crappie will move back to deep
winter venues in the main lake so drop-offs will be the best choice and
depths of 20 to 25 feet might be a good place to start.
Surface temps are likely to remain in the mid to upper 30’s for a few
days before slowly climbing back to the 40-degree threshold. Water color
has been pretty clear and in good shape for fishing.
Lake levels have been falling slowly since last week and were forecast
to be in the 355.2 range at Kentucky Dam by the weekend. Upstream in the
New Johnsonville area the elevation is projected to be in the 355.7
range but falling slowly.
No doubt the frigid scene dealt a severe blow to winter fishing this
week here on Kentucky Lake but watch for the warming trend now in
progress to slowly improve things for the area’s winter fishermen who
have been pacing the floor while trapped indoors with cabin fever!
Also check out our past:
Kentucky Lake Fishing Reports
Steve McCadams is one of the nation's best known Crappie Fishermen
and a full time resident of Paris, Tennessee. Steve is also a
professional hunting and fishing guide here in the Paris Landing area.
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