Kentucky Lake Fishing Report — Dave Stewart — June 28

Kentucky Lake:  Water Level at Kentucky Dam – 359.83  Surface Temperature – 88
Lake Barkley:  Water Level at Barkley Dam – 359.70  Surface Temperature – 88

Both lakes are about one half foot over summer pool.  The heat wave continues here in the lakes area with daytime highs in the 90’s and heat indexes over 100 every day this past week.  The morning water temperatures have risen 8 degrees since my report last week.  This has slowed the ledge fish down somewhat, but the ledge fish are still biting pretty good.  I recommend that anyone going out for some bass fishing on the ledges take a look at the TVA website for the current flows if you have a choice of going out early or late in the day.  This past week on some mornings, there has been a good current flow on Lake Barkley and very little current on Kentucky Lake after about 5:00 a.m.  The flow on Kentucky is being cranked up around 4 or 5 p.m. and good current is present through the evening and night hours.  Although good current is not essential to catch the bass on the ledges, it certainly increases the bite activity when there is good current present.  If you are going out to the ledges on any given day, you might want to check the current flow of both lakes and decide which lake has the best current flow during the timeframe you are going to be on the water.  Of course, the current flow can be turned on at any given time or turned off as the case may be, but if you monitor the flow history over the past couple of days prior to your trip, you can at least get an idea of how the current flow times have been and take a shot that they will remain the same on the day you go out.  All that being said, not everyone can pick and choose which lake they are going to fish or what time frame they are going to fish, so, if there is not much current out there when you go, take a hint from me and slow your presentations down…when you think you are fishing slow enough, slow down a little more.  What I have experienced this week on Kentucky Lake, having been out there every morning with the exception of one day on Barkley, is that  even with the flat water, blue skies and no current, we are still catching the bass, we just slow down the presentations.  The forecast for Friday and the weekend is for daytime highs in the mid to upper 90’s for Friday and Saturday and high heat indexes.  The forecast for Sunday and early next week is for a slight break in the daytime highs, with daytime highs in the lower 90’s.  Not much of a break, but after more than a week of heat indexes above 100, it will seem like a break for the better.  Be sure to take plenty of water and your favorite sports drinks with you and stay hydrated.

Largemouth Bass:  Largemouth are being taken on the old river and creek channel ledges on the main lakes and around the mouths of the deeper bays as well as on some main lake primary points.  These fish are being taken on deep diving crankbaits, Carolina rigged large worms and creature baits, Texas rigged large worms, jigs and big shaky head worms.  Some Largemouth are also being taken in shallow water in the creeks and bays near vegetation and wood cover.  These shallow fish are being taken on buzz frogs, soft jerkbaits and swim jigs fished around areas of vegetation and Texas rigged creature baits and shaky head worms fished around wood cover.

Smallmouth Bass:  Smallmouth Bass are being taken early and late in the day on primary and secondary points on the main lake on Carolina rigged creature baits, tube jigs and jigs.  Smallmouth are also being taken on the old creek channel and river channel ledges during the day on Carolina rigged creature baits and jigs.  Smallmouth are being taken at night on Kentucky Lake by fishing large dark colored spinnerbaits, tube jigs and finesse jigs on primary and secondary main lake points and the first secondary points in the bays.

Some of the productive lures reported this week are:  Zoom horny toads in green pumpkin swirl and white, Jack’s bubber frog in watermelon/red, Rapala DT 16’s and DT20’s in parrot, green shad and grey pearl shiner,  MOAB custom painted DT 16’s painted in bluegill, Norman DD22’s in paradise shad,  Charmer timber dawgs and timber pups in green pumpkin, plum, and watermelon/purple, Charmer shaky head worms in watermelon/purple and green pumpkin, Zoom trick worms on shaky head rigs in green pumpkin, Charmer gator tail and ribbon tail 10.5 inch worms in plum and green pumpkin fish on Texas rigs and Carolina rigs, Xcite Maximus shaky head worms in plum, green pumpkin and green pumpkin/purple fished on Xcite 5/8 ounce x-lock shaky head rigs, Jewel football head jigs in gourd/craw, P.J.’s football head jigs in watermelon/candy, D&L advantage jigs in black/blue and Cumberland craw,  Zoom super flukes in shad patterns, Booyah spinnerbaits in black/red and black/purple (night fishing), Hook Some Bass tubes in chameleon craw and D&L baby advantage jigs in black/blue.

White Bass:  White Bass are being taken on the old river and creek channel ledges on the main lakes by vertically fishing with inline spinner, small spoons and tight lining minnows.  White Bass are also being taken by trolling inline spinners and small spoons on leaders attached to deep diving crankbaits along the river ledges.  Some jumps are being reported on the flats near the channel ledges during periods of current but these jumps are not lasting very long.

Catfish:  Catfish are being taken on the old river channels by fishing with large minnows and cut baits in bottom rigs as well as by fishing with leaches and shrimp combinations on bottom bouncing rigs.

Bluegill:  Bluegill are being taken around mayfly hatches early and late in the day. These hatches are present around overhanging trees, especially willow trees in the creeks and bays.  These Bluegill are being taken by fishing with crickets and worms fished under bobbers.  Bluegill are also being taken around deeper docks with wood cover by fishing with worms and crickets under bobbers.

The summer fishing season is in full swing now.  If you are coming to the lakes area to enjoy some of our great warm weather fishing, I recommend that you visit both The Fisherman’s Headquarters located at the intersection of U.S. 68 and U.S. 641 in Draffenville and The Cabin Bait and Tackle located on U.S. 62 just west of Kuttawa.  Both these tackle shops stock everything you need for a great fishing trip, from the latest in bass fishing rods, reels and lures for the bass anglers as well as all the tackle and live bait you need to catch those white bass, catfish and bluegills.  You will find the folks at both these tackle shops friendly and helpful as well as having the latest in lake fishing information.

If you are here at the lakes and find yourself in need of some service on your boat, I recommend that you visit the folks at Jet-A-Marina located on U.S. 62 in Calvert City just a couple of miles west of Ky Dam.  The service folks there are second to none when it comes to servicing your boat and they always try to get you back on the water as soon as possible.   The Jet-A-Marina store and showroom also stocks a great line of boating accessories as well as the latest model Rangers and Stratos bass boats.  You will also be pleased to find that you can save a lot of money by visiting the showroom store for your favorite engine oil which they sell in bulk jugs.

If you are in need of a bass guide for some fun catch and release bass fishing, tournament preparation, lake familiarization or technique instruction, don’t hesitate to give me a call or drop me an email to make a reservation for one of my open dates.  Now is the time to take that instructional bass fishing trip to learn how to find and fish the best ledges.  This trip is designed to teach you how to eliminate water (including ledges) to find the highest percentage spots to hold bass and to learn how to set up on the ledges as well as the techniques used to catch the ledge fish.  My goal in this type trip is to teach you what you need to know so that you can go back out and find and fish the ledges on your own.  I have the following dates available for booking in June, July and August:

June:  Sorry, I am booked up.
July:  26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31
August:  I have plenty of dates available in August…give me a call.

Now is the time to book your fall fishing trips, especially those of you that are tournament anglers that are going to be here for the fall classics.  If you wait too long you may not be able to get the date(s) you want or need.  When you book with my service, you get me, not someone else, so I only have so many dates available.

Capt Dave Stewart
Bass Buster Guide Service
dave@kentuckylakeguide.com
www.kentuckylakeguide.com
270-354-5039
“Fish With a Professional”

Kentucky Lake Fishing Report — Dave Stewart — June 18

June 18, 2009
Kentucky Lake:  Water Level at Ky Dam – 359.79  Surface Temperature – 80
Lake Barkley:  Water Level at Barkley Dam – 359.75  Surface Temperature – 80

Both lakes a about one half foot over summer pool.  Well, summer is definitely just about here.  We had heat indexes over 100 yesterday and today and the forecast for tomorrow is for the same.  The forecast for the weekend is highs in the low to mid 90’s.  I would like to remind everyone to check their coolers to make sure they have plenty of water and/or sport drinks with them as they venture on the lakes this summer.  These heat indexes can drain you pretty quick unless you keep yourself hydrated.  Despite the heat, the daytime fishing has been good this week for Largemouth Bass.  The good ledge bite is continuing and on most days you can put quite a few fish in the boat.  The ledges are loaded with a lot of smaller fish but there are good fish there too, you just have to wade through a lot of short fish sometimes to get the bigger fish active.  In the past week we got into a number of feeding schools of 3 – 4 lbs fish on the ledges with an occasional 5 lbs in the mix.  Sometimes these feeds only last a short period but it sure is fun while it lasts.  The mayflies started hatching this week and these hatches should only get more numerous over the next few weeks.  Panfish anglers are taking advantage of the hatches by catching good Bluegill and White Bass near the emerging hatches early in the morning and late in the evening.  I have observed a number White Bass in the jumps around the mouths of the bays this week and on flats near the river channel on the main lake when current is being generated.

Largemouth Bass:  Largemouth Bass are being taken on the old creek and river channel ledges on the main lake and around the mouths of the creeks and bays.  These fish are being taken on deep diving crankbaits, Carolina rigged large worms and creature baits, Texas rigged large worms, jigs and big shakey head worms.  Largemouth are also being taken on primary points and secondary points in the creeks and bays, especially early in the morning and late in the evening on crankbaits, Carolina rigged creature baits, Texas rigged large worms and jigs.  Some Largemouth are also being taken around shallow vegetation on soft jerkbaits and frogs, especially early in the morning and late in the day.

Smallmouth Bass:  Smallmouth Bass are being taken early and late in the day on primary points and main lake secondary points on crankbaits, jigs and tube jigs.  Smallmouth are also being taken on the old creek and river channel ledges on Carolina rigged creature baits and jigs.  I have had a number of reports of some nice Smallmouth being taken at night on Kentucky Lake by angles fishing chunk rock points and channel banks with dark colored spinnerbaits and tube jigs.

Some of the productive lures reported this week were:  Zoom horny toad in green pumpkin/swirl and grey ghost, Jack’s bubber frog in watermelon/red, Bomber fat free shad crankbaits in chartreuse shad, Rapala DT series deep diving crankbaits in green shad and parrot, MOAB custom painted DT20 crankbait in bluegill, Strike King crankbaits in sexy shad, Charmer 10.5″ ribbon tail worms in plum and green pumpkin,  Charmer timber dawgs and timber pups in plum, green pumpkin and watermelon/purple, Jewel football head jigs in gourd/craw and black/blue, D&L football head jigs in Herrington craw, Hook Some Bass tubes in chameleon craw and green pumpkin and Xcite 10.5″ maximus worm (shaky head) in green pumpkin and plum.

White Bass:  White Bass are being taken on the flats adjacent to the river and creek channel ledges as well as along the creek and river channel ledges by vertically fishing with inline spinners and small spoons.  These fish are also being taken by trolling crankbaits with an inline spinner or spoon attached to a trailing leader.  Some White Bass are also being taken early and late in the day near mayfly hatches where there are over hanging trees along the shoreline.  These fish are taking curly tail small jigs, inline spinners and small spoons.

Bluegill:  Bluegill are being taken along deep rocky creek channel banks and points on small jigs tipped with worms.  Bluegill are also being taken around docks and overhanging trees where mayflys are hatching.  These fish are being taken on crickets and worms fished under bobbers and small jigs tipped with worms.

Catfish:  Catfish are being taken along the river channel ledges, especially during periods of current on bottom bouncing rigs and bottom rigs baited with large minnows and shrimp/leech combinations.

Field Test Report:  I was contacted recently by the owner of Xcite Baits and was asked if I would like to field test their 10.5″ maximus (basically a big shakey head worm)  here on Kentucky/Barkley.  This big shakey head worm has been very popular this season on the big fish Texas lakes and the owner wanted to see if these big shakey head worms would produce here on our lakes as well.  Over the past two days my clients and I have tested some of these worms on the ledges here.  We fished the maximus worms in plum and green pumpkin over the past two days using the Xcite 5/8 ounce X-lock shakey jig system (shakey head jigs).  All I can say is I wish they had sent me more as the fish jumped all over these big shakey head worms.  Although these worms are not yet being sold here locally, I expect you will soon see them showing up in some of the local tackle shops.  I will let you know when I find out which tackle shops here will be carrying these worms.  Here is the website for these worms:  www.xcitebaits.com .

FLASH:  Congratulations to Brandon Hunter for his win as the top co-angler in the recent FLW Tour tournament held here on Kentucky Lake last week.  Brandon came to the scales with hefty 19lbs 11 oz bag of 5 fish in the final day to take a decisive victory over the rest of the co-angler field.  Brandon is an employee at Fisherman’s Headquarters tackle shop located in Draffenville.  Next time you stop in there, shake his hand.

If you are in need of a bass guide for some fun bass fishing, tournament preparation, lake familiarization or technique instruction, don’t hesitate to give me a call or drop me an email. Now is the time to take that instructional trip to learn how to fish the ledges.  I offer a focused learning trip in which you will learn how to eliminate water to find the best ledges, set up on the ledges and the techniques used to fish them.  I have the following dates available in June, July and August available for booking:

June:  Sorry I am booked up
July:  21, 22, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31
August:  Plenty of dates available….contact me for booking.

Now is the time to make your reservations for your fall fishing.  Make your reservations now to ensure you can get the date(s) you want.

Capt Dave Stewart
Bass Buster Guide Service
dave@kentuckylakeguide.com
www.kentuckylakeguide.com
270-354-5039
“Fish With a Professional”

Post-spawn bass in Kentucky pose fun, but tough, challenge

Mid to late June is a confusing time to fish for largemouth bass. Common sense dictates bass would inhale anything resembling food after the rigors of spawning in late May and early June. It seems a Carolina-rigged lizard or spinner bait tossed into places where the fishing was good earlier in the year would be crunched by a hungry, ornery largemouth at this time of year.

However, many anglers may fish long hours just to catch a few 12-inch bass to show for it.

“I have trouble with post-spawn fishing because it’s transitional,” said Jeff Ross, assistant director of fisheries for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “The spawn takes a lot out of them. Shallow water fishing declines after the spawn. You may still catch little ones, but the big females are transitioning to their summer habitat.”

That decline in shallow water fishing is the reason Ross isn’t the only bass angler who struggles to catch fish after the spawn. Anglers fishing for bass from Kentucky Lake in the Purchase Region to Fishtrap Lake in Pike County find tough fishing in late June. The likely reason is they still fish the same areas in the same way they did in April.

Anglers need to intercept largemouth bass during this transition. “It all depends on the kind of lake,” Ross explained. “At a shallow water lake like Lake Barkley, the post-spawn transition will be different than at a lake like Laurel River.”

Creek channels, points, weedlines and other features such as roadbeds or rows of stumps along what was once a fencerow serve as arteries for fish migration. They move from the shallow spawning beds to deeper summer bass habitats such as deep points, channel drops and off-shore humps in June.

“They aren’t going to randomly swim around in open water and then dive down to their summer habitat,” Ross said. “They are going to follow something. On a really shallow lake, they may use a weedbed as a guide, but on most lakes, it is usually a channel. At a deep lake like Laurel or Cumberland, they may just move down the point closest to their spawning grounds.”

On shallow to mid-depth lakes with defined channels – such as Kentucky Lake, Lake Barkley, Barren River Lake or Green River Lake – a soft plastic jerkbait, or a Carolina-rigged 7- to-inch plastic worm or lizard, is a tremendous choice to fish channels in June. Carolina rigs consist of a heavy egg-shaped sinker and a swivel. Tie the hook 1-2 feet from the swivel, with the egg sinker placed above the swivel to keep the sinker from contacting the hook. This gets the rig down, but allows the bait to float above the bottom.

Sling the Carolina rig onto the flats adjacent to a channel, then work the bait over the channel lip and down into the channel. Channels with brush or stumps along their lips are the best places to try. Once you catch a fish, mentally note the location and depth and try and replicate those conditions along other channels in the lake. This may lead to a glory day you’ll brag about to your buddies for many years.

“Flats are good post-spawn areas,” Ross said, “especially if they lie near channels, stump fields or weedlines.”

Carolina rigs are also good for probing weedlines. The heavy weight of the rig plows the way for the soft plastic offering to hover just above bottom. Soft plastic jerkbaits and spinner baits are two other lures to try along a weedline during the post-spawn period.

In deep lakes like Herrington, Laurel River Lake, Lake Cumberland – or most lakes east of Interstate 75 – a 4- to 6-inch finesse worm rigged on a Shakey head and slowly worked down the point should intercept any transitioning bass. A Shakey head is a specialty jig designed to make a soft plastic bait stand up from the bottom. By gently twitching the tip of your fishing rod, you can impart a tantalizing action to the bait.

A 3/16 -ounce jig-and-pig combination swum just over the bottom along the contour of the point also fools post-spawn bass.

For soft plastic lures on the Carolina rig, Shakey rig or jig-and-pig combination, earth tones are the way to go in June. Combinations of green, brown, black, red or orange perform well on bass. For soft plastic jerkbaits and spinner baits, the reliable white and chartreuse combination is still tough to beat.

The June post-spawn transition period isn’t that hard to figure out if you intercept bass as they move from their breeding grounds to their summer haunts. Don’t fish for them in same areas as you did earlier this spring. They’ve left town for the summer.

By KDFWR

Mayfield’s Williams wins FLW Outdoors Tour tournament with 9-pounder

MURRAY, Ky. – Even though the Walmart FLW Tour event took off from Kentucky Lake’s north end, pro Keith Williams committed to the New Johnsonville, Tenn., area from the start. In fact, he never made a single cast into Kentucky waters during the four days of practice or the four days of competition.

What drew the Land O’Lakes pro to the lake’s south end was its plentiful hydrilla. On Williams’ first day of practice, he pulled up to a grass flat and within 10 casts had caught a 7-pounder. He explored the area some more and discovered there was a road bed in front of the flat. Furthermore, a small ditch came off the flat and into the road bed. Best of all, the grass in the area was submerged, meaning most of Williams’ fellow competitors overlooked it.

“All of a sudden, I saw (BASS Elite Series pro) Skeet Reese coming right at me,” he said. “That was the final day of their tournament, so, of course, I immediately left. And with him were about 40 other boats, so I kind of wrote the area off.”

Read more

Kentucky Lake Fishing Report — Dave Stewart — June 11

Kentucky Lake: Water Level at Ky Dam – 359.53 Surface Temperature – 77
Lake Barkley: Water Level at Barkley Dam – 359.40 Surface Temperature – 77

Both lakes are one half foot over summer pool and on a slow draw down to summer pool. The Largemouth Bass fishing remains very good on both lakes with most of the fish being taken on the ledges on the main lakes and around the mouths of the deeper creeks and bays. The Bassmaster Elite Series finished their tournament over the past weekend and the winning weight totaled over 97lbs for 4 days of fishing (5 fish per day). The Wal Mart FLW Tour tournament began today and the leading weight for 5 fish after day one is over 24 lbs. with thirteen 5 fish bags over 20lbs. If you have never fished the ledges on these lakes in the summer time, now is the time to learn and get in on some of this fun offshore fishing. The summer White Bass fishing is picking up with good catches being reported on both lakes. We have a cold front moving over the area this evening and it is projected to stall over the area for the next few days. The forecast for Friday and though out the weekend is for highs in the mid 80’s, high humidity and a chance for thunderstorms each day. Some of these storms may be severe, so if you are planning on being on the lakes this weekend, you should keep an eye on the sky and be ready to move to safety if needed.

Largemouth Bass: The Largemouth Bass are being taken on the old creek channel and river ledges on the main lake and around the mouths of the deeper creeks and bays. These fish are being caught on deep diving crankbaits, Carolina rigged large worms and creature baits, Texas rigged large worms, shaky head worms, drop shot rigs, jigs and spoons. Some Largemouth are also being taken on the primary points and on secondary points and associated creek channel banks in the creeks and bays. These fish are being taken on crankbaits, Texas rigged large worms and creature baits, shaky head worms, jigs and tube jigs. Some Largemouth are being taken shallow in the creeks and bays, especially early and late in the day near grass beds and wood cover on topwater lures, spinnerbaits, lipless crankbaits and Texas rigged creature baits.

Smallmouth Bass: Smallmouth Bass are being taken early and late in the day on primary points and main lake secondary points on crankbaits, jigs and tube jigs. Some good Smallmouth are also being taken during the day on old river channel and creek channel ledges on deep diving crankbaits, Carolina rigged creature baits and jigs. A good night bite on the Smallmouth is being reported on spinnerbaits, jigs and tube jigs by fishing rocky points on the main lake and on rocky secondary points in the mouths of the bays on Kentucky Lake. The reports indicate that the spinnerbait bite has been the best bite.

Some of the productive lures reported this week are: Lucky Craft Sammy in ghost pearl lemon, Chatterbuzz buzzbaits in white and black, Zoom horny toads in white and green pumpkin swirl, Rapala DT series crankbaits in green shad, parrot and grey pearl shad, MOAB Rapala DT 16 in custom painted bluegill, Norman deep diving crankbaits in paradise shad, Hook Some Bass spinnerbaits in blue glimmer, Booyah spinnerbaits in black and black/purple with large Colorado blade (night fishing), Charmer timber dawgs and timber pups in watermelon/purple and green pumpkin, Charmer 10.5″ worms in plum, Berkley 12″ power worms in plum, Charmer shaky head worms in green pumpkin/candy, Strike King sexy spoons in silver and shad patterns, Jewel football head jigs in gourd/craw and D&L football head jigs in Herrington craw and Hook Some Bass tubes in green pumpkin and chameleon craw.

White Bass: White Bass are being taken on flats adjacent to the old creek and river channels on the main lake as well as on the associated ledges. These fish are being taken by vertically fishing with inline spinners and jigging spoons. Some Rockfish are being taken by these anglers in the same areas fishing the same lures. White Bass are also being taken by trolling inline spinners and small spoons on deep diving crankbaits with hooks removed and attaching the lures on a following leader.

Catfish: Channel Catfish are being taken on the old river channels and creek channels on the main lake and around the mouths of the bays. These fish are being taken on bottom bouncing rigs baited with shrimp and leaches. Some Channel Catfish are still being taken on rocky banks and rocky flats on night crawlers fished under bobbers and on bottom rigs, these are Catfish that are still spawning.

Bluegill: Bluegill are being taken in 5-10 ft of water off the spawning beds around wood cover and along rocky banks. Bluegill are also being taken around docks with wood cover. These fish are being taken on worms and crickets fish under bobbers and on split shot rigs fished on bottom.

FLASH: The Wal Mart FLW Tour final two day weigh-ins will be held at the Regional Events Center located on the Murray State University campus in Murray, Ky on Saturday and Sunday. The Wal Mart Fun Zone is located there both days with lots of great things to see and do, especially for the kids.

If you are in need of a bass guide for some fun bass fishing, tournament preparation, lake familiarization or technique instruction, don’t hesitate to give me a call to book one of my open dates. Now is the time to learn how to find and fish the ledges. I do a focused learning trip to teach you how to find the highest percentage ledges and how to fish them. I have the following dates available in June, July and August:

June: Sorry I am booked up.
July: 15, 20, 21, 22, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31
August: Plenty of dates available, contact me to book your trip.

Of course I am taking booking for September through November also. You should make your reservations now for the fall fishing to ensure that you can get the date(s) you desire.

Capt Dave Stewart
Bass Buster Guide Service
dave@kentuckylakeguide.com
www.kentuckylakeguide.com
270-354-5039
“Fish With a Professional”

Kentucky/Barkley lakes Fishing Report — June 4 — Dave Stewart

June 4, 2009

Kentucky Lake: Water Level at Ky Dam – 359.30 Surface Temperature – 77
Lake Barkley: Water Level at Barkley Dam – 359.15 Surface Temperature – 75

Both lakes are at summer pool. Both lakes rose to one foot over summer pool earlier this week but have been drawn back down over the past couple of days. As I mentioned last week, the Largemouth Bass bite on the ledges has been very good, especially when the current is present. It is pretty easy to catch numbers of fish on the ledges and although many of these fish are short of the legal limit, we are also catching a good number of quality fish on the ledges too. This good ledge fishing this week was exemplified yesterday at the BASS Elite Series weigh-in when the top weight was 29lbs and 31 bags were weighed in over 20lbs. Now if that does not prove that we have a world class fishery here, nothing will. We are also getting some bonus nice Smallmouth on the ledges with the current being drawn this past week. Although they are not in big numbers, the Smallmouth we have taken have been quality fish. I have received a couple of reports of some nice Smallmouth now being taken at night on Kentucky Lake on large dark colored spinnerbaits so for those of you that like to night fish, it seems the summer night Smallmouth fishing has begun. I have also received a number of reports of a number of White Bass now being taken on the flats adjacent to the river channels so the summer White Bass fishing is starting to heat up too. The present weather forecast for the weekend looks good with party sunny to sunny skies, light winds and virtually no chance of rain.

Largemouth Bass: Largemouth Bass are being taken on the old creek channel and river ledges around the mouths of the deeper bays and on the main lakes with deep diving crankbaits, Carolina rigged large worms and creature baits, Texas rigged worms, ledge spinnerbaits and jigs. Largemouth are also being taken in the secondary points and creek channel banks on crankbaits, spinnerbaits, Texas and Carolina rigged worms and creature baits and jigs. Some Largemouth are also still being taken shallow near the buck brush and vegetation on topwater lures early and late in the day, spinnerbaits, Texas rigged creature baits and jigs. The ledge fishing has been very good this past week.

Smallmouth Bass: Smallmouth Bass are being taken on main lake primary and secondary points and on the old river and creek channel ledges around the mouths of the deeper bays and on the main lake. These fish are being taken on deep diving crankbaits, Carolina rigged creature baits, tube jigs and jigs. Smallmouth Bass are also being taken at night on rocky main lake primary and secondary points with dark colored spinnerbaits and jigs on Kentucky Lake.

Some of the productive lures reported this week are: Lucky Craft Sammy in ghost lemon pearl, Chatterbuzz buzzbaits in white, Zoom horny toads in white and green pumpkin pearl, Rapala DT series crankbaits in parrot, green shad and grey pearl shiner and bluegill, Norman crankbaits in rootbeer and paradise shad, Hook Some Bass spinnerbaits in blue glimmer, Gambler mega daddy in green pumpkin, Charmer timber dawgs and timber pups in watermelon/purple and green pumpkin, Net Baits mad paca in green pumpkin, Charmer 10.5 ” worm in plum, Berkley 10″ power worm in plum and red shad, Jewel football head jig in gourd/craw, D&L football head jig in Herrington craw and Cumberland craw and Hook Some Bass tubes in chameleon craw and green pumpkin.

White Bass: White Bass are being taken on the flats adjacent to the river ledges in 10- 12 ft of water by vertically fishing with inline spinners and small spoons. White Bass are also being taken by trolling with deep diving crankbaits with an inline spinner or small spoon on a trailing leader.

Bluegill: Although some Bluegill are still being taken around shallow beds, most of these fish are now being taken in deeper water banks off the spawning areas in 8-12 ft of water by fishing with worms under bobbers and on small jigs tipped with worms around wood cover. Bluegill are also being taken around docks with wood cover on worms fished under bobbers.

Catfish: Channel Catfish are still being taken on shallow rocky flats in the creeks and on the main lake. These fish are being taken on nightcrawlers fished under bobbers and on bottom rigs. Some Channel Catfish are also being taken along the old creek channels in the creeks and bays on bottom bouncing rigs baited with leeches and shrimp combinations.

FLASH: Fisherman’s Headquarters located at the U.S. 68/U.S. 641 triangle in Draffenville will be hosting an FLW TOUR PRO NIGHT on Friday, June 5th from 4-7 p.m. Top FLW professionals Guido Hibdon, Dion Hibdon, Brent Ehrler, Dan Morehead, Ramie Colson and Terry Bolton will be there to meet and chat with everyone that attends. There will be a number of in store specials and some give aways from Berkley. Drop by and enjoy an evening with some of the top professional anglers in the country and don’t forget to say hello to Bart, Lori and Brandon.

FLASH: Back in March I mentioned that a new custom lure company would be coming on-line this summer with some great custom painted lures that will be painted by the top custom lures painters in the country. MOAB Custom Baits is now up and running on line at www.moabcustombaits.com . I highly recommend that you check out the custom painted lures they have available. There are also some great opening special prices on the site right now so don’t delay in checking out these high quality lures. I will be working with this company over the next number of months in developing a line of custom painted lures that I will have personally field tested here on Kentucky and Barkley lakes.

If you are in need of a guide for some fun catch and release bass fishing, tournament preparation, lake familiarization or technique instruction, don’t hesitate to give me a call or drop me an email for one of my open dates. Now is the time to learn how to fish the ledges. I do a focused learning trip in which you will learn how to eliminate ledges to find the most productive ones, learn how to set up on them and the techniques used to catch the ledge fish. I have the following dates available for booking in June, July and August:

June: Sorry I am booked up.
July: 2, 10, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31
August: Plenty of dates available…contact me to book your trip.

Of course, I am also taking bookings for the fall fishing in September thru November. You should make your reservations now for the fall fishing to ensure you get the date(s) you want.

Capt Dave Stewart
Bass Buster Guide Service
dave@kentuckylakeguide.com
www.kentuckylakeguide.com
“Fish With a Professional”

“Kentucky Afield” host Tim Farmer to throw first pitch at Louisville Bats baseball game on June 7

“Kentucky Afield” television host Tim Farmer goes in pursuit of a different kind of game this weekend – baseball. This Sunday, June 7, is Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Night as the Louisville Bats host Lehigh Valley, the AAA affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. Game time is 6:15 p.m.

Farmer will make the ceremonial first pitch then greet fans at the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife booth on the main concourse during the first and second innings. As an added bonus, anyone presenting a valid Kentucky fishing license at the ticket office can save 50 percent off their tickets for the game. The limit is four tickets for each person.

Kentucky Fish and Wildlife personnel will also be on hand to answer questions about wildlife, fishing, hunting and boating, plus register visitors for fun prizes of sporting equipment.

“Kentucky Afield” is a production of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. It is the longest continuously-running outdoor television show in the nation. The program airs Saturday at 8:30 p.m. Eastern /7:30 p.m. Central and is repeated Sunday at 4 p.m. Eastern/3 p.m. Central on KET 1 and on the Internet at fw.ky.gov. To see the latest news about “Kentucky Afield” television and view your favorite show segments from the past, sign up today for the electronic newsletter.

Outdoors notebook | courier-journal.com | The Courier-Journal

Metro Parks officials will unveil improvements at Waverly Park Lake on Saturday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11:30 a.m.

Read the rest of Gary Garth’s story in The Courier-Journal by following the link below:

Outdoors notebook | courier-journal.com | The Courier-Journal.

Kentucky free fishing weekend coming up June 6-7

Each year, the celebration of National Fishing and Boating Week includes Free Fishing Weekend. Kentucky anglers may fish June 6 – 7 without a fishing license or a trout permit. All fishing regulations such as minimum size limits and daily creel limits remain in effect during Free Fishing Weekend.
This year, National Fishing and Boating Week brings begins June 6 and ends June 14. The celebrations aim to bring new people into fishing, boating and other water-related recreation.
“We also want to stress that getting outside and enjoying fishing is a healthy activity for kids,” said Marc Johnson, aquatic education coordinator for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “It gets them off the couch. Plus, fish are nutritious and delicious.”
The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources and Kentucky State University will host a Fishing Derby for youth under the age of 16 from 5 to 8 p.m. June 5, and from 7 to 10 a.m. June 6 at the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Headquarters off U.S. 60, west of Frankfort. The two lakes at the Headquarters will close to fishing on June 3 and will reopen to all anglers at 10 a.m. on June 6.
“They will stock 1,000 catfish and 1,000 sunfish up to one-half pound in the Upper Sportsman’s Lake,” Johnson said. “And, new this year, we will stock 77 largemouth bass in both the Upper and Lower Sportsman’s Lakes that weigh 1 to 7 pounds. We would like to thank Kentucky State University for supplying a portion of these largemouth bass. After the kids are done June 6, the public is welcome to fish the lakes after 10 a.m.”
Prizes will be awarded by random drawing throughout the event. “We try and make sure everyone walks away with something,” Johnson said.
The event is free, but participants are encouraged to bring their own fishing equipment and preferred baits or lures. A limited amount of fishing equipment and bait will be provided for those who need it.
“They don’t have to re-register on Saturday if they want to fish both days,” Johnson said.
Also, Captain Myra Minton of the law enforcement division of Kentucky Fish and Wildlife will host a Kids Fishing Derby across KY 245 at the Jim Beam Distillery at Clermont, Kentucky from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 6.
Conservation Officer Scott Herndon will host a kids fishing event at the Taylorsville Lake tailwater below Taylorsville Lake Dam from 8 a.m. to noon on June 6. No registration is required for both of these free events.
“After noon, we will move to the Spencer County Fish and Game Club on KY 44 east of Taylorsville where we host a kid’s fun day with archery, trap shooting, paintball and a casting contest,” Herndon said. “Lunch is provided and we go until they get tired of shooting.”
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will also host the 23rd Annual Catch a Rainbow Fishing Derby on June 6 at the Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery and creek, located just below Wolf Creek Dam on Lake Cumberland. The free event is for kids 1 to 15 years of age. Registration for the free fishing derby begins at 8 a.m. Central time. Participants must bring their own fishing tackle.
For more information about the 23rd Annual Catch a Rainbow Fishing Derby log onto www.catcharainbow.org.
Those who live in the Louisville area and in northern Kentucky, six lakes will be stocked this week to provide good fishing for Free Fishing Weekend. Tom Wallace Lake in the Jefferson Memorial Forest and Waverly Park Lake will each receive 1,000 catfish and 1,000 sunfish. Miles Park Lake #4 will receive 600 catfish and 600 sunfish.
Middleton-Mills Lake in Covington gets 200 catfish and 200 sunfish while Stein Community Lake in Alexandria receives 1,200 catfish and 1,200 sunfish.
“There are many fishing events this weekend sponsored by the parks and recreation departments of towns all over Kentucky,” Johnson said. “Check with your local parks department to see where fishing events are held.”

By KDFWR

Kentucky Bourbon and wildlife watching, a winning combination

If sampling some of the world’s finest bourbons, eating good food and listening to some great bluegrass music sounds like a fun Saturday night for you, then the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Foundation has just what the doctor ordered at the Salato Wildlife Education Center in Frankfort June 13.

Hosted by The Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Foundation (501c3) and the Kentucky Bourbon Festival, Inc. (501c3), The Bourbon Sampler helps raise funds for new exhibits at the Salato Center. You can sample bourbon from 10 major Kentucky distilleries, and excellent food from area restaurants and caterers.

County Line Bluegrass will play fine bluegrass music throughout the event, outdoor exhibits will be lighted for evening viewing, and Salato staff and volunteers will offer free tours and programs. A silent auction will help raise additional funds for the Center.

In addition, a live drawing will be held for the Foundation’s bull elk tag. The lucky winner will receive a guided elk hunt this year with “Kentucky Afield” television host Tim Farmer. As a bonus, the hunt will air on “Kentucky Afield” television. Raffle tickets for the elk hunt will be sold throughout the evening. Proceeds from the elk tag drawing will benefit our conservation camps for Kentucky’s youth.

“This has been one of our most popular fundraising events,” said Laurie Davison, director of the Salato Center. “We rely on donations to the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Foundation and events like this for much of our funding. It’s a great way to support a worthy cause and have fun while you’re doing it.”

The Salato Center Sampler will begin at 6:30 p.m. and last until 9 p.m. Tickets may be purchased for $50 a person in advance by calling the Kentucky Bourbon Festival at 1-800-638-4877 or (502) 348-3623. Advanced tickets are also available online at www.kybourbonfestival.com, or in person at the Salato Center. The cost of tickets and silent auction purchases are tax deductible.

Tickets may be purchased at the door the night of the event by cash or check only. The event is limited to 500 participants. Thirty five dollars from every ticket will go to the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the remaining $15 to the Kentucky Bourbon Festival, Inc. All silent auction proceeds benefit the Salato Center directly.

The Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Foundation is a charitable organization that raises funds for exhibits at the Salato Wildlife Education Center. The Salato Center, a part of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, receives no General Fund tax dollars and is funded by donations to the Foundation, by the sale of hunting and fishing licenses, and boat registrations. For more information about the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Foundation, go to www.kentuckywildlife.com.

The Salato Center has a variety of native animals for the public to see, including a black bear, bobcats, elk, deer, bison, eagles, snakes and fish. The Center has numerous indoor exhibits and miles of hiking trails open to the public. Fishing is available at two lakes. While some programs may require a registration fee, general admission to the Salato Center is free.

For more information call 1-800-858-1549, ext. 4445. Learn more about upcoming events at the Salato Center on the Internet at fw.ky.gov. The Salato Center, operated by Kentucky Fish and Wildlife, is located at the department’s headquarters on U.S. 60 in Frankfort, 1.5 miles west of U.S. 127. Hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays. The Center is closed Sundays, Mondays and state holidays.

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