Fishing Report

Gibson County Lake
Water temperature: mid 50s and climbing. Water color: muddy, with a lot debris

Bass: “Some good fish have already come in shallow and are hitting black and gold lipless cranks or a red craw color,” Trenton’s Brent Smith said. “The water (level) is way up on the lake … no trouble with the boat ramp, but the walkway to the boat dock is under water.”

Pickwick Lake
Water temperature: 50 degrees. Elevation: 411.13 feet

Bass: “With the weather changing, it has been hard to pattern bass over the last week,” Clagett Talley said. “I have actually caught more fish during the cooler days (and) I have also had more luck in the afternoons.”

Clagett, a tour guide from Savannah, said Craw-fish colored Strike King series 3 crankbaits has been his first choice of baits, although the Strike King jerkbaits have also accounted for a good number of quality bass.

“Craw-fish colored in the Series 3 have worked well, and should continue to work good throughout the spring,” Clagett said. “Jerkbaits (orange belly) have been a good bait over the past several weeks, and will continue to be good for a few more weeks.

“This is a good time of year to catch a big bass in the Pickwick area.”

White bass: “You should be able to catch white bass on small white grubs, right now,” Clagett said. “They are schooling in different areas between the Pickwick Dam and Savannah.”

Stripers: Clagett said river conditions are not his favorite for stripers for the time being, but it won’t be long before they begin to bite.

Sauger: “This has been a tough year for sauger,” Clagett said. “I usually fish with a jig throughout February and mid-March, but by April, I like to troll small crankbaits along 12-to-15-feet of water. If you get in a good area, you can catch a lot of fish fast.”

Want more from the “Mayor of Pickwick Lake?” Give Clagett Talley a call (731) 607-5266 or visit him online – www.pickwickareaguide.com

Kentucky Lake/Lake Barkley
Water temperature: upper 40s, lower 50s

If you are thinking about fishing at Kentucky Lake or Lake Barkley in the next day or so, you might want to look elsewhere.

“There is no fishing taking place right now, at least on the northern portion,” Darrell Van Vactor said. “Flooding and water so muddy that you can plow it has moved in on the northern 20 miles of both lakes with levels increasing hourly.”

Darrell, the Operations Manager for Crappie USA/Cabela’s King Kat Trail in Benton, Kentucky, last reported Kentucky Lake levels stood at 357.1 feet, and following a rise of four-feet to 361.4 feet, it put the lake at two-feet above summer pool.

Darrell said the current draw at Kentucky Dam stood at 167,000 CFS and – at last report – will increase to 197,000 CFS. The current in the lakes will be at a dangerous level, plus all the floating debris will make navigation dangerous in all areas.

“Below the dams, rivers are out of their banks and above flood stage throughout the system,” Darrell said. “They too, are rising hourly and are not expected to crest in the near future (because of more rain).

“The only silver lining in the cloud might be that the muddy waters will warm sooner than the clear water, so hopefully when the water recedes, we will have water temperatures favorable for the fish to move into the shallows in preparation of the spring spawn a little earlier.

“If you venture out on the lakes for any reason, remember that floating logs and debris are heavy especially in the main channel areas and the dams are wide open.”

David Thomas, Twitter – @DavidThomasWNWS
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