Report for the week of Sept.4th
Fishing this week in the Paris Landing sector of Kentucky Lake has
been fair for crappie but slow for most other species. Lake elevation is
resting in the 356.2 range. The reservoir in this area has been somewhat
stable all week with some current in the main river beginning
mid-mornings as power demands kick in.
Hot weather continues to curtail much of the fishing
activity except
for early morning and late afternoon outings. The mercury has been
climbing all week but the weatherman is predicting somewhat cooler
conditions for the week ahead, along with some showers mixed in.
Crappie anglers are finding fish in the 10 to 14 foot
zones. Seems
this depth zone has been paying off better than the extremely deep
depths. The fish are apparently following the shad but there may also be
better dissolved oxygen at this level than at the deeper depths.
Minnows and jigs tipped with minnows are paying off as crappie anglers
stalk the manmade stakebeds and brushpiles.
Bass fishermen are logging a lot of casts in-between strikes
lately.
The largemouth are still quite scattered along the main lake ledges and
catching a five fish limit has been quite a chore for even veteran
anglers.
Soon the bass will begin running the gravel banks during late
afternoons and early mornings. The shad come during the lowlight
conditions and feed on the midge hatches, that tiny insect that comes
out about an hour after dawn and a hour or so before darkness arrives.
This is a topwater enthusiast's prime time so keep an eye out for
this
type activity to increase over the next few weeks. Those long
sloping
gravel banks along the main lake are usually the ticket.
Catfishing has been ho-hum throughout most of the month of
August. The
fish have had a few flurries but overall, it has been slow. Even on the
days when the current was present it seems the catfish have been
reluctant to gather in their normal spots and bite. Things could change
quickly as a cool spell might stimulate some activity in those 20 to 30
foot areas along the main channel bank.
White bass fishing has been about like kissing your sister. Seems
the
stripes are just not busting the shad on top this summer. A few jumps
here and there but no consistency whatsoever along the main river.
Many biologists feel the white bass are just not there in the numbers
needed to sustain the good summer surface activity we've enjoyed
over the years. Some anglers feel the siltation of the creeks and
tributaries where the white bass have spawned over the years are
somewhat inaccessible. The upper Big Sandy River, White Oak, Standing
Rock, Hurricane and Leatherwood are a few spawning areas used by
the white bass over the years.
Trouble is, the creeks silt in and during low lake levels the fish
cannot get up the creeks to spawn. White bass have to have running water
and the little feeder ditches and running creeks are the ticket. Without
them, spawns are not successful. With the exception of a few high water
periods in spring when the lake is above normal summer pool elevation,
the white bass are just not replenishing themselves.
Meanwhile, cool weather is on the way and fall isn't as far away as it
once was so hang in there. There's some good fishing ahead.
Last Week's Report
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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