Anyone bass fish KY lake a bunch? I get that people probably don't want to share their honey holes - but I'm looking for some general info. Anybody that wouldn't mind answering a few questions in a private message?
Is this as bad as it's been in your opinion? I talked to some folks out there back last fall and they said things were starting to improve. Only slightly of course but it was the first time in a couple years I recall anyone having much positive to say about it at all.I will try to answer a few questions but the lake is dead.... Fish for 8 hours to get 3-5 bites kind of dead..
its not dead, we just had a couple of years spawn failures, just like the crappie. 2017 was the best spawn year for LMB that has been seen on KY and Barkley since theyve kept records on spawn success and keeps in my prediction 2 years ago that 2021 and 2022 we will see a lot of keeper LMB.I will try to answer a few questions but the lake is dead.... Fish for 8 hours to get 3-5 bites kind of dead..
Where are the spawn studies? I have seen them before but can't find them. I think we had a good spawn in 2020 as well. Saw quite a few 3-4 inch bass in july-august under docks and shallow cover. Id have a school of 10-15 chase my bait out from under a dock.its not dead, we just had a couple of years spawn failures, just like the crappie. 2017 was the best spawn year for LMB that has been seen on KY and Barkley since theyve kept records on spawn success and keeps in my prediction 2 years ago that 2021 and 2022 we will see a lot of keeper LMB.
the problem with most folks perception is from the 2008 spawn and the amount of large bass we had in the lake up to around 2017. the problem is the failed spawns we had after 2008 and there were no fish to replace the 2008 spawners when they end of lifed last year.
the same was said about white crappie 4 years ago and everyone was coming up with all minds of cocka maimy ideas about carp eating shad, fry, etc. it was partly the carp due to their spawn that one year but it was mainly due bad hydrology of severe wet springs and two back to back winter kills. but like anything in nature, rrproduction is usually above average after big kills. the crappie have bounced back as the 2015 spawned fish are showing up and even a 3.5 pounder was caught out of the big sandy recently.
after all that said, folks will still need to think outside the box to find fish because the carp will definately move and disrupt gamefish
KY fisheries site. they come out with a yearly report on their trapnet data. fyi, ky lake is pretty much a mirror image of barkley.Where are the spawn studies? I have seen them before but can't find them. I think we had a good spawn in 2020 as well. Saw quite a few 3-4 inch bass in july-august under docks and shallow cover. Id have a school of 10-15 chase my bait out from under a dock.
I've been fishing the lake for 30 years and its the worst I have ever seen it... so bad that I have started to look for other lakes to fish or just don't fish. There are days that will give you a glimmer of hope only to be humbled the next 10 trips. This past fall is the first time I have seen any bait fish to speak of for the last 4-5 years. That was encouraging. I have a tournament there this next weekend so I will be optimistic going into it but not sure how things will be after this passed week of weather. Every creek on it was frozen all the way out to the main lake. Water temps are in the mid/upper 30's.Is this as bad as it's been in your opinion? I talked to some folks out there back last fall and they said things were starting to improve. Only slightly of course but it was the first time in a couple years I recall anyone having much positive to say about it at all.
Well I hope it starts to get better again. Like I said I was hearing the first optimistic talk I've heard in a couple years, but this was a lot of second hand info so take that into account. In my head I am planning to make a couple runs out to Barkley later this spring I can be to Cadiz in just under 2 hours. Course I'm not going after bass but still.
I would love to see some vegetation back on the lake. It would really help things out for fishing and duck hunting.Some duck hunters that know a lot more about hunting those big lakes than I do would certainly agree on the wish for vegetation.
yeah i dont know if that will ever happen again like it was before the 2010 flood. KY fisheries has been planting winter rye in some of the coves as a test project. i had thought about planting some myself but i dont know if it would be legal or not.I would love to see some vegetation back on the lake. It would really help things out for fishing and duck hunting.