Traffic on the water has picked up, which includes several pleasure boaters pulling skiers and tubes, so be careful. You are asked to share the water this time of the year and you have to remember – many of the pleasure boaters are not on the water that often, so put some distance between you, the fisherman, and those who are not.
Fishing Report
Gibson County Lake
Water temperature: mid to upper 80s. Water color: muddy.
Bass: “Bigger bass are being caught on Texas rigged worms and jigs around timber,” Trenton’s Brent Smith said. “Smaller bass are schooling up on the shad, and can be caught using flukes and small top-water stick baits.”
Catfish: Brent said catfish in the 50-pound range – and up – were caught last week on cut bait.
Pickwick Lake
Water temperature: 81 degrees. Elevation: 414 feet
Bass: “If you get out early, as early as 5 a.m., you can catch fish on top-water baits and have a lot of fun for about an hour,” Clagett Talley said. “This is a good time to catch one or two quality bass before you have to start fishing deeper.”
Clagett Talley, a tour guide from Savannah, said after the top-water bite dies down, you can throw a crankbait in the same area where you caught fish using top-water baits and usually catch a few more.
“After that, throw the same crankbait, one that dives eight-to-12-feet along bluffs and open water ledges,” Clagett said. “Big fish are in deep water right now (and) I have caught fish on deep-diving crankbaits in 15-to-25-feet of water.
“In these areas, a Carolina rig with a green pumpkin Rage Tail and one-ounce Strike King Spinner bait also works well.”
Clagett said white and chartreuse are the only two colors for spinnerbaits he uses in these deep water areas.
“If you like to fish at night, night fishing is starting to pick up,” Clagett said. “The most common bait to use is a spinnerbait with a single colorado blade. The night time spinnerbait needs to be black and it seems to help to have a red accent.”
Clagett said the most common nighttime spinnerbait used on Pickwick for the time being, is a Strike King Mid-Night Special – black with red or blue accents he likes to tip with a red plastic trailer.
White bass: “We still have time to catch a lot of white bass, right now,” Clagett said. “They are running strong around the dam and in the Diamond Island area.”
Clagett said they are hitting the Strike King Series 3 Crankbaits.
“If they are hanging out in swift water, I can usually catch a lot on jerk baits,” Clagett said. “Small white grubs are also accounting for a lot of white bass.”
Stripers: “Stripers are biting throughout the day,” Clagett said. “If you drift from the dam down to the first overhead power line that crosses the river with a live minnow and one-to-three-ounce sinker, you should cover the distance the stripers are running in.”
Clagett said while striper fishing, keep a top-water bait or jerk bait handy.
“They have been busting the surface throughout the day for a short burst, but if you are close enough to get a bait to them, you are sure to catch one,” Clagett said.
Kentucky Lake/Lake Barkley
Water temperatures: lower 80s in the morning, warming to mid 80s in the afternoon. Water level: 359.0, holding at summer pool
Bass: “Largemouth bass are still hitting great on the ledges on Texas rigged 10-inch worms and creature baits, and on main lake points using spinner baits around wood cover,” Darrell Van Vactor said. “The entire month of June should prove to be a great month to chase the bass this year on Kentucky (Lake) and (Lake) Barkley.”
Darrell Van Vactor is the operations manager at CrappieUSA/Cabela’s King Kat Trail in Benton, Kentucky.
“Smallmouth bass are hitting fair on deeper ledges in the mouth of major embayments on Carolina rigged Big Bite Bait creature baits and jigs,” Darrell said. “Green Pumpkin and Pepper baits are hot right now on the brown fish.”
White bass: “They are wide open on main lake flats close to drop offs and submerged islands casting white or gray blade baits and letting them sink to the bottom – then reeling a few turns and open the bail and let them sink back down,” Darrell said. “The fish will always hit on the fall, so be ready for the bite while bait is falling back down to the bottom.”
Darrell said a number of white bass are being snagged by jigging a Silver or White Spoon on the edge of the main river channel because they are easy to spot – either with your sonar or by watching the gull action feeding on young of the year bait fish being pushed to the surface by the whites.
Crappie: “They are slow with a few being caught over 20-to-30-foot wood cover with live bait and Jenko jigs tipped with minnows,” Darrell said. “Trolling Jenko cranks in the mouths of the bigger bays and on main lake flats are also putting a few crappie in the boat while catching a lot of other species in the process.”
Catfish: Darrell said this is a good time to fish for catfish.
“They are really good now on the main lake drops and junctions of feeder creeks using leeches and cut shad,” Darrell said. “Feeding depths are the important factor. If you find cats feeding in 35-to-40-feet today, then target that depth at other locations as well.”
Bluegill and Redear: “They have moved back to their summer habitat, but you can still catch some really good bluegills using plastic grubs tipped with a worm or cricket out on the main lake flats in seven-to-12-feet of water,” Darrell said.
Bass Tournament
The Henderson County Bass Anglers Thursday Night Bass Tournament at Beech Lake will be held from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., today. Visitors are welcome to participate. For more information, call (731) 695-1654.
(PHOTO: Small lake or pond near the corner of U.S. Highway 45 Bypass and Old Humboldt Road)
David Thomas, Twitter– @DavidThomasWNWS
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