The rain has stopped, temperatures are on the rise and our contributors give you an idea what’s happening on the water.

Fishing Report

Gibson County Lake
Water temperature: upper 70s. Water level: slightly lower

Bass: “The best bass fishing has come in the early morning on top-water poppers,” Trenton’s Brent Smith said.

Crappie: Your best bet is using minnows about 16-feet deep.

Catfish: “A lot of eating size channel cats – one-to-two-pounds – were caught last week on the bottom in 20-to-25-feet of water where all the trees are down (near) the levee,” Brent said. “Be prepared to lose a lot of hooks.”

Pickwick Lake
Water temperature: 76 degrees. Elevation 413.5 feet

Bass: “When bass fishing early in the lake, don’t forget about the grass beds,” Clagett Talley said. “Over the past few weeks, we have caught a large number of fish in and around those beds using the Strike King Spit ‘N King.”

Clagett, a tour guide from Savannah, said the easiest way to fish the grass with this bait is to work it around the edges of the grass – not in the middle.

“I get the most action out of these lures by fishing them on a medium action Lews Rod, and I always use a Lews Reel,” Clagett said. “Sometimes you can catch good fish in the middle of the grass beds, but you will need to switch to a weedless frog.”

Clagett said there are a number of shallow areas visible from the Pickwick Dam that have grass just under the water surface, and these areas usually hold a lot of fish and are easy to fish baits over the top of them without getting tangled in the grass every cast.

“You can also fish a creature bait through these areas on a weighted hook or Texas rig and this method sometimes works throughout the day,” Clagett said. “The deep water humps and ledges are still holding good fish, right now.”

Clagett said In the deeper water, throw a deep-diving crankbait or a heavy spinner bait.

“One-ounce Aggravater Spinnerbaits have been a favorite on Pickwick for years, but they are no longer making spinnerbaits,” Clagett said. “Strike King has a new one-ounce spinnerbait that looks like it will be a hot lure on Pickwick, Bay Springs and other lakes (where) a bass fisherman would benifit from using this heavier spinnerbait.”

Stripers: “The Strike King “Spit ‘N King” has been an all-around great top-water (bait) with stripers and bass in the Tennessee River below the Pickwick Dam,” Clagett said. “Popping this feathered tail bait attracts fish in the area that are actively feeding on the surface.

“If you are after stripers, and you have already caught a few big ones on the top-water baits, you might want to switch over to a jerk bait because you can usually hold on to the fish longer with the jerk bait.”

Clagett said for now, you can find small stripers busting the surface all day, but the bigger stripers will be in deeper water after the first few hours of daylight.

“Throughout the middle of the day, you will need to switch to a live bait rig and drift downstream with a live minnow on a bait hook,” Clagett said. “If you can catch skip jack minnows in the river for this method of fishing, you will be more successful catching good stripers, but you can use minnows from a bait store.”

Clagett said store bought minnows usually produce fish if the natural bait is not present below the dam.

Catfish: “We have caught several catfish drifting the Dyna-Bites in 25-to-30-feet of water,” Clagett said. “I like to fish the Dyna-Bites with a medium action Lews Rod with a one-ounce sinker, if possible.
“I hear liver and shad gutts are very produtive baits as well, from other catfishermen. This is also a good time of year to fish a little deeper … you may improve the size of catfish you’re catching.”

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

Kentucky Lake/Lake Barkley
Water temperatures: mid 70s, falling slightly. Water color: Stained on Barkley and clear to lightly stained on Kentucky.

“The TVA dropped both Kentucky and Barkley lakes to allow for anticipated influx from Hurricane Harvey, but that did not happen,” Darrell Van Vactor said. “Water is finally coming back up and is steady at 355.9 feet above sea level.
“Current draws at both dams are running about normal again with Kentucky Dam running 57,000 CFS and Barkley running 18,000 CFS.”

Darrell Van Vactor is the Operations Manager, Crappie USA/Cabela’s King Kat Trail in Benton, Kentucky.

Bass: “Largemouth bass are slow with a few fish still being caught on the shallower drop-offs on smaller (6-inch) worms fished Texas style, and secondary points are also giving up a few fish on top-water baits early and late, and spinner baits during the day,” Darrell said. “Smallmouth bass are hitting creature baits and shaky heads fished on main lake points with drops … these fish are also slow, but an occasional good size fish is being caught.”

Crappie: “Crappie are doing very well, and are locking in on their fall patterns,” Darrell said. “Fish can be caught spider-rigging, long line trolling jigs, or crankbaits and vertical jigging with tube jigs and/or minnows.”

Darrell said limits are being caught on a regular basis with better fish arriving on crankbaits pulled along the secondary channel flats and drops.

“Colors that are hot right now are red/chartreuse tubes, orange/chartreuse curl tails and black combos Jenko crank baits,” Darrell said. “Those pulling cranks are picking up several channel catfish as well.”

Darrell said white/yellow bass continue hitting when you can find a shad school and vertical jig, a spoon or blade bait under the bait fish. Most are holding on the creek junctions with the main channel.

Catfish: “They are moving into the bays this week with several people “jugging” successfully (using) large minnows and night crawlers,” Darrell said. “Ledge fishermen are still picking up a few on main lake river channel drops, as well as on cut shad and small skipjack.”

Darrell said the area continues to anticipate the arrival of numerous thread fin (yellowtail) shad into the backs of the bays which was expected to have occurred after the first few days of September.

“So far, few shad are showing up,” Darrell said. “One theory is that the Asian Carp have ready hurt the shad populations and is supported by the fact that many skinny largemouth bass have been noted recently. Lets hope they are wrong about this.”

Darrell said he has spent over 15 hours in the past few days looking for striper and hybrid in the tailgaters of Kentucky and Barkley lakes, and below Smithland Dam on the Ohio.

“Bait is pretty good below all dams, but I have not seen one striper,” Darrell said. “I did catch about a five-pound hybrid below Barkley, and he was as poor as a church mouse. The Asian Carp still OWN the tailgaters unfortunately. What a great fishery destroyed by these invaders.”

(PHOTO: Lake Graham)

David Thomas, Twitter– @DavidThomasWNWS
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