Smallmouth fishing on Elkhorn Creek looks good this year

March 8, 2009 by admin

Lexington angler Billy Elkins lands a smallmouth bass from central Kentucky's Elkhorn Creek. Fishing for smallmouth bass in Elkhorn Creek and other Kentucky streams should improve in 2009. Photo by Lee McClellan

Frankfort, Ky. – Elkhorn Creek, one of the premier smallmouth streams in Kentucky, produced fantastic smallmouth bass fishing from 1998 to 2002. Anglers could expect to catch a few dozen smallmouth in a day’s fishing. A couple of these fish were usually longer than the 16-inch upper limit of the 12-16 inch protective slot limit in effect for largemouth and smallmouth bass in the creek.

Fishing flattened out on the Elkhorn in 2003 and the downward trend continued through 2006. It isn’t pollution, disease or development that caused this trend. It’s rain.

“When we have really wet years, it impacts the spawn in a negative way,” said Jim Axon, former assistant director of fisheries for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “Drought years are good years for smallmouth spawning on streams.”

Fishing on the Elkhorn flourished from 1998 to 2002 because drought years in the late 1980s and early 1990s encouraged great reproduction of smallmouth bass. The better smallmouth bass breed, the better the future fishing.

The same positive development that created the good fishing is taking shape again. Smallmouth fishing on the creek began to pick up in 2007 and improved again in 2008 until last summer’s drought made the fish lethargic. This coming year should be the best year for fishing on Elkhorn Creek since the 1998 to 2002 boom.

“In our sampling last spring, we saw lots of smallmouth in that 15-17 inch range,” said Jeff Crosby, central fisheries district biologist for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. “The fishing on Elkhorn should be good this year.”

Population evaluations of smallmouth bass by fisheries biologists for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife show excellent smallmouth spawns in 1990, 1991, 1993 and 1994. “Those fish born then are at the top of the slot or above now,” said Gerry Buynak, assistant director of fisheries for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. “You need a time lag of 5 years or longer to see the benefits of a good spawn. It takes about 5 years for a smallmouth in the creek to grow to 12 inches.”

The same phenomenon that created the recent good fishing on Elkhorn should occur throughout the state. “The same weather patterns that impacted Elkhorn should have done the same throughout the state,” Buynak said. “It should be a good year for stream smallmouth fishing all over Kentucky.”

In southwestern Kentucky, the Gasper River, Fallen Timber Creek and the Barren River downstream of Barren River Lake offer good smallmouth bass fishing.

The Green River downstream of Green River Lake Dam, the Little Barren River and Russell Creek in south-central Kentucky all have quality smallmouth bass to catch. The South Fork of the Kentucky River, the Big South Fork and the Little South Fork of the Cumberland River, the Redbird River and the Middle Fork of the Kentucky River give southeastern Kentucky anglers overlooked smallmouth bass fishing.
The South Fork and main stem of Licking River, the Little Kentucky River, Slate Creek and Eagle Creek in north-central Kentucky are good places for smallmouth bass. The Levisa, Russell and Tug Forks of Big Sandy River, Kinniconick Creek, Tygarts Creek and the North Fork of Kentucky River grant eastern Kentucky anglers a place to stretch out a light action rod and 6-pound line with a hard-fighting stream smallmouth.

Anglers fishing for smallmouth bass in these streams in the next few weeks need to find the smallmouths’ winter holes. Smallmouth bass migrate in late fall to the deepest holes in the stream that also possess good structure such as boulders, stumps and fallen trees. Target the flowing ends of these holes in March and early April with a purple hair jig, 4-inch pumpkinseed with green flake lizard or 1/8-ounce white spinner bait.

If the water is dingy to muddy, pound any current break in the same areas such as a large rock or log with the white spinner bait. Also try the slack water pockets next to flowing chutes in these areas as well with the spinner bait. Some anglers like the Beetle Spin type lures in this situation.

For a complete list of Kentucky smallmouth bass streams, call 1-800-858-1549 and request a copy of the Stream Smallmouth brochure. You may also access this brochure at Kentucky Fish and Wildlife’s website at fw.ky.gov.

—Lee McClellan, KDFWR

Author Lee McClellan is an award-winning associate editor for Kentucky Afield magazine, the official publication of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. He is a life-long hunter and angler, with a passion for smallmouth bass fishing.

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