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Sporting a hefty summer slab crappie taken last week on Kentucky Lake is
Dr. Randal Minor of Paris. This week’s fall weather has been a rare but
welcomed occurrence for mid-July. All anglers and all outdoorsmen are
loving it.
Photo: Steve McCadams
FALL-LIKE WEATHER THRILLS ANGLERS
Let’s hear it for the weatherman! This fall-like weather in mid-July has
been quite a surprise for most anglers but no one is complaining.
Low humidity and below average temperatures this week suited most
fishermen just fine. Early morning activity required a long-sleeve shirt
most days as night temps dropped to the mid to upper 50’s across the
Kentucky Lake region.
Light northwest winds influenced surface temperatures slightly as the
lake was in the 81 to 83 degree this week. Water remains clear across
most of the reservoir.
Lake levels are down a few inches from last week at this time and
forecast to be 358.6 at Kentucky Dam this weekend and a bit lower
upstream at New Johnsonville where elevation will be in the 358.2 range.
Catfishermen had some improvement earlier this week when increased
current entered the picture along the main Tennessee River channel. Some
decent numbers were taken in depths of 25 to 35 feet around the Paris
Landing Bridge area and elsewhere along channel cuts. Nightcrawlers have
been the popular bait lately.
Summer crappie scattered a little this week but are still biting. The
best days have been those with light winds and cloud cover. Those
conditions seem to stimulate the bite as stagnant conditions and bright
sun cause the fish to take on a sluggish attitude.
Depths of 13 to 16 feet have been productive at times but a few fish
have dropped back to the 18 to 20 foot range on the deep sides of
drop-offs. Live minnows are still working well or jigs tipped with
minnows.
Bass fishing dropped off a bit this week for some, although local
anglers Andy Tyler and Brian Horton scored a hefty 24-pound plus
stringer in a Wednesday afternoon tournament, as it seems the fish had a
mood swing at times. Several fish had been relating to main lake ledges
and humps in depths of 12 to 15 feet but seems the fish adopted a
sluggish attitude when the cooler weather arrived.
Still in the arsenal for summer bass fishing have been big Texas rigged
worms in the green pumpkin-pepper and red-shad colors, chartreuse/white
and blue/white shad variations on big deep diving crankbaits, Carolina
rigs, jig and craw combos, shad colored swim baits and some big spoons.
Some fish are still running pin minnows in shallow areas such as visible
grassbeds and around piers and docks. Tossing spinnerbaits and Texas
rigged worms was still working as were assorted topwater plugs such as
buzzbaits, floating flukes, and other jerk baits.
Mayfly hatches were inconsistent this week but a few were seen on the
main river area around Cypress Creek and south toward Leatherwood and
Danville islands.
When cool fronts and high skies descend it’s not unusual for fish to
back off a bit. That barometer plays a big role in fish feeding
patterns. Watch for action to improve for the weekend as cloudy days and
light rains enter the picture.
Joe and Judy Bernath from Tennessee
Kentucky Lake Crappie fishing
photo courtesy:
Crappie Action Guide Service
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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