Temperatures are warming slightly during the day, but seven of the next 10 days, you can look for the low to be at, near or below freezing at night.
If you are an avid fisherman, you probably know what items to wear, and what items to carry with you.
Here’s 12 essentials to make your trip a little more enjoyable –
Base layer or first layer of clothing, insulated socks, mid layer clothing, shell jacket, bibs, insulated boots, gloves, head warmer, face mask, hand and foot warmers, spare clothing and snacks.
Just in case, you might want to have your cell phone with you.
Fishing Report
Gibson County Lake
Water temperature: low 30s
“The water level at the Gibson County Lake is still very low, but there are no difficulties on the boat ramp,” Trenton’s Brent Smith said. “But right now, the whole lake is frozen over.
“When it thaws enough to fish, I recommend letting (a) black and blue pig and jig – and just let it sit,” Brent said. “Fish painfully slow, and then slow it down.
“Bass have been picking it up after it’s been sitting motionless for a minute or two.”
Pickwick Lake
Water temperature: mid 30s
Bass: The weather may warm during the day, but water temperatures will remain cold for several weeks.
When bass fishing at Pickwick Lake, you might want to try a football jig, which are excellent when it gets cold because of their versatility.
There’s also jerkbaits, because of their ability to suspend in place, which allows anglers to perfectly mimic a dying baitfish – which is No. 1 on the menu for bass.
Jigging spoons are still one of the best cold water baits, particularly if you can get on top of the fish.
From what we’ve learned, the trick is to locate the bass under the boat, then drop the jigging spoon on them and give it a couple of small yanks.
Kentucky Lake/Lake Barkley
Water temperatures: 33 and 36 degrees. Water level: 354.57, which is slightly above winter pool
Tailwaters are high, 315.4 on Lake Barkley and 310.1 at Kentucky Dam.
“We are again covered in ice on the north end of both lakes with ramps impossible to use,” Darrell Van Vactor said. “Dams are both running heavy current with 64,000 CFS (cubic feet per second) at Kentucky Dam, and 36,900 CFS at (Lake) Barkley.
“This would make for some good fishing in the deeper channels for crappie and catfish – if the ice breaks up.”
Darrell Van Vactor resides in Benton, Kentucky, and he is the operations manager for Crappie USA/Cabela’s King Kat Trail.
“Weather predictions are for some rain and warmer temperatures this weekend,” Darrell said. “So, lets keep our fingers crossed.”
(PHOTO: Pickwick Lake)
David Thomas, Twitter – @DavidThomasWNWS
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