Fishing Report
Gibson County Lake
Water temperature: 50
Bass: Fishing has been very slow, but a few bass are being caught in deep water off brush piles using a blue and black pig and jig.
Pickwick Lake
Water temperature: 44 degrees. Elevation: 410 feet
Bass: Start shallow, fish along river banks, cranking crank baits really slow.
You might want to try these two different crank baits – a Strike King Series 3 in a bright color, and a crawfish series 4.
Kentucky Lake/Lake Barkley
Water temperature: lower 50s
“The lakes are finally back at winter pool of 354.0 and stable,” Darrell Van Vactor said. “There is still a lot of color to the water in most areas, and the floating debris has pretty much left the scene making for safer conditions on the water.
“Fishing has remained pretty slow, but improving and should be poised to break wide open if we can get just a few warmer sunny days. Winter has to give up its grip very soon.”
Darrell Van Vactor is the operations manager for Crappie USA/Cabela’s King Kat Trail in Benton, Kentucky.
Bass: “They are probably the best bet if you are venturing out right now, with some good fish being taken on crank baits in chartreuse and craw patterns on rocky secondary points and roadbeds,” Darrell said. “The smallies are beginning to show up in decent numbers on deeper ledges across the mouths of the larger bays and chunk rock flats off main lake points.
Craw color plastics and lipless cranks are doing best on the brown fish with a few really good size fish being taken.”
Crappie: Darrell said crappie have been very slow due to mud and cold temperatures, but they are beginning to improve.
“Conditions are settling down and we should see some decent catches coming from the mid depth ranges of 12-to-16-feet as the fish begin their normal migration from the deeper areas towards spring spawning grounds,” Darrell said.
“They will use the creeks much like we use highways as they make their way into the bays to search for prime spawning areas.
“We would expect this transition to take a two to four weeks – if water temperatures warm normally towards that magical 60 degree mark.”
David Thomas, Twitter – @DavidThomasWNWS
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