Fishing Report

Gibson County Lake
Water temperature: lower 60s

Bass: “I spent several hours fishing both shallow and deep and did best in very shallow water on a lipless crank,” Trenton’s Brent Smith said. “There are some big bass in two-to-three-feet of water right now – but scattered.”

Crappie: “The crappie are starting to turn on in the main body of the lake, suspended at about 16-feet,” Brent said. “Several fishermen reported success with shellcrackers using red worms on the bottom in about 10-feet.”

Pickwick Lake
Water temperature: 60 degrees

Bass: The quality of bass has picked up and big crankbaits are working quite well.

The most productive places are on ledges where you can cover shallow water and deep water in the same cast – dramatic drop-offs.

Some action can be found on plastic frogs in grassy areas, which is much like a fish factory.

Stripers: The top-water bite works well when the stripers are below the dam.

Big popping baits or walking baits are picking up several fish.

Drifting skip jack minnows is a sure way to catch fish as well.

Kentucky Lake/Lake Barkley
Water temperature: upper 50s, warming in the forecast

“Last week we had over 390 anglers from across the nation on the lakes for the 2017 Cabela’s Crappie USA Classic,” said Darrell Van Vactor, the Operations Manager at Crappie USA/Cabela’s King Kat Trail in Benton, Kentucky. “Fishing was tough with temperatures dropping into the 30’s at night and only recovering to the mid 40’s during the day.”

Darrell said the majority of teams caught some crappie but the size was very small for Kentucky and Barkley Lake standards.

“After looking at past weights in the fall of the year, it appears that this years weighed were indeed less than at any time over the past 20 years,” Darrell said. “I sure hope our Asian carp friends are not responsible for the lower weights, but I am suspicious they might be.”

Darrell said only two fish broke the two-pound mark for the two day event – which is very unusual.

“The best weights actually came from Barkley Lake from Taylor Bay south to the Donaldson area,” Darrell said. “Winners used tube jigs in various colors tipped with crappie nibbles and minnows over man-made stake beds in four-to-six-feet of water half way back in the bays.”

Darrell said the fish were scattered and the beds that had noticeable shad movement produced much better.

“Many of the anglers explained that they stayed back from the beds and used a long (14-foot) Jenko pole to reach the fish without spooking them,” Darrell said.

Bass: “Bass remain slow with a few reports of keeper size fish being caught around schools of shad on the flats in the New Johnsonville area of Kentucky Lake,” Darrell said. “These are being taken on shaky heads, lipless cranks and large spinner baits.”

Darrell said white and yellow bass remain slow, but a few are being caught by crappie anglers pulling crankbaits.

Catfish: “Catfish are slow with only a few good reports coming from guys “jugging” half way back in the large bays and catching small channel cat,” Darrell said. “Tailwater fishing remains slow, but a few good white bass are being caught below Kentucky Dam on Rooster Tails and jigging spoons.”

Hunting Note: Phase II of dove season ends Sunday. Phase III runs December 8 to January 15, 2018.

(PHOTO: Lake Graham)

David Thomas, Twitter – @DavidThomasWNWS
https://www.facebook.com/NewsTalk1015/