by Steve McCadams
Report for October 27th, 2000
Lets give credit where credit is due. These last two weeks the accolades go to none other than the weatherman himself. Perhaps it's
politically correct to say weather forecaster or meteorologist but you
get my drift.
How 'bout this last week. Record highs have combined with light
winds. All over Kentucky Lake the fish and the fishermen have benefited from
the stable conditions. Fall has been living up to its reputation
recently.
It's long been the underrated season of the year for consistent
fishing success. Lake levels pretty much stay put and blend with light
winds and cool mornings followed by warm afternoons.
Fishing has been good this last week all over Kentucky Lake.
Seems the nice weather has stimulated activity as crappie have improved
as have the bass.
While somewhat cooler weather is predicted for the weekend and
into next week, that shouldn't hurt as surface temperatures were in the 64 to
70 degree range the middle of this week. That's a little warmer than
normal but it will likely change this weekend.
Meanwhile, the observed lake elevation in the Paris Landing
area is still dancing around the 354.9 mark. It may vary a few inches one
day but generally speaking, lake levels are stable.
Boaters are reminded to pay close attention to the channel markers
and not stray too far unless you really know the water. A few boaters who
haven't heeded that advice have been finding themselves thumping stumps
with their propellers and lower units, not to mention some pontoons
almost grounding in the shallow flats.
Crappie were hitting good this week in the 9 to 13 foot depths.
A few days when cloud cover was present found the fish moving up in 6 to
8 foot structure. And, as always, there's some fish lingering on those
deep ledges out in Big Sandy and on the Tennessee River. Depths of 14 to
16 feet have produced too.
Water color is relatively clear due to the lack of rain and
wind lately. The trouble with the clear water is that the crappie in
shallow water are easy to spook. The calm days have the fish finicky
anyway.
A few anglers are dropping back from the spots and casting jigs or
live minnow rigs with slip-bobbers. This allows you to catch the fish
without getting the boat right on top of the spot and scarring them
away. Another tip is to use light monofilament line in a clear or dark
green color.
Chartreuse colored jigs sporting metal flake, along with a
white and clear with sparkle, have produced this week. The
motor oil and clear with sparkle are good too. A few anglers are using
painted leadheads on their jigs but the plain leadhead color works good
in clear water too.
Tossing a 1/16 to 1/8 ounce jigs has been the norm. Still,
remember to take along some live minnows as there are times when a jig tipped with a
minnow or just the live minnow itself appeals to the stubborn crappie.
Bass have been tearing up the shad along gravel and big chunk
rock banks. There's some white bass and yellow bass teaming
together and running the abundant schools of threadfin shad too. On the
calm days the stripes have been hitting the surface on their feeding
sprees. Keep a rod handy with a small spinner or Rooster tail and you'll
find some fast action awaiting you.
Several largemouth are running the gravel banks where anglers
tossing crankbaits are scoring. Some jig and pork chunk
combos are tricking a few into hitting as have some surface lures.
Smallmouth continue to attract attention as they load on light
grubs, small crankbaits and jigs tossed over the long points
near the main river channels. There's a lot of small bass showing up and
while that's not tipping the scales in local tournaments, it is a good
sign some year classes are coming on.
Expect the bass and crappie fishing to hold up good next week.
Unless drastic changes occur, there's plenty of fall fishing still ahead
Previous Fishing Reports
Oct. 24th
Oct 13th
Oct. 7th
Sept. 25th
Sept. 18th
week of Sept. 11th
week of Sept. 4th
week of Aug. 28th
The information above is
compiled by outdoor writer
Steve McCadams
Steve is a professional hunting and fishing guide
here in the Paris Landing area and host of the The Outdoor Channel's television series
IN-PURSUIT.
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