Kentucky measures success of alligator gar restoration
August 27, 2009 by admin · Comments Off
The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources is beginning to restore the alligator gar, a fish not seen in the state in more than half a century. We measure the success this weekend, August 29 and 30, on “Kentucky Afield” television.
A popular sportfish in areas of the South where it still thrives, the alligator gar will eventually grow over 6 feet in length and weigh in excess of 150 pounds. Today, 12-inch fish are being released into backwater streams of western Kentucky that flow into the Mississippi and Ohio rivers, where they swam historically. Host Tim Farmer follows the journey with the department’s fisheries experts, who made the reintroduction possible.
With October’s bull elk season fast approaching, we take aim on questions of hunters. Big Game Coordinator Tina Brunjes will discuss zones, weapons, terrain, calling techniques and more.
Produced by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, “Kentucky Afield” 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. You may also view “Kentucky Afield” online 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.
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Cave Run Lake fishing report — KDFWR — Aug. 27
August 27, 2009 by admin · Comments Off
Lake level: 730.10
Lake temperature: 78 degrees F
The main lake remains murky and the water level is stable at 1-inch above summer pool. Water temperatures range from 78 degrees at the surface to 74.5 degrees at 25 feet. Dissolved oxygen levels are good down to 16 feet. Muskie fishing has slowed greatly this week. As fall approaches and the water cools some, try crappie fishing up theLicking River or in North Fork Creek. While up in this area you will find plenty of offshore structure along with channel drop offs to concentrate your fishing efforts. Please be careful in these areas as there are lots of submerged tree stumps just below water level. The best way to access these areas are from either Bangor or Poppin Rock boat ramps. Several ramps located around the lake require a fee in order to park or launch a boat so please check with the United States Forest Service prior to launching. Largemouth bass are still being caught on plastics near weed beds in the late evening or during the night. As water temperatures begin to cool, it won’t be too long before largemouth start hitting top water lures.
Fred R. Howes
Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Recourses`
Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley fishing reports — Dave Stewart — Aug. 27
August 27, 2009 by admin · Comments Off
Kentucky Lake: Water Level at Ky Dam – 357.16 Surface Temperature – 82
Lake Barkley: Water Level at Barkley Dam – 357.10 Surface Temperature – 82
Both lakes are two feet below summer pool and on a slow drawdown. The present TVA forecast is for the lakes to drop another 6 inches by midnight tomorrow night. We have had a lot of flat water and blue skies this week and not much in the way of current being generated at the dams except in the late afternoon and early evening hours. The water temperatures had dropped to around 80 earlier this week with the cool nights but came back up to present levels the past two days. We have another cool front coming through the lakes area sometime Friday night and the forecast for a high of 81 on Saturday and mid 70’s from Sunday through mid week. The night time lows are forecasted to be in the mid 50’s starting on Saturday night through midweek. This should bring the water temperatures down again. I have noticed a lot of shad movement this week on the main river channel on Kentucky Lake and a lot of big shad schools are showing up around the mouths of the creeks and bays. This is an indication that the shad are starting to stage around the mouths of the creeks and bays in anticipation cooler temperatures and the transition to fall patterns. We have the water temperatures for this to start happening and I expect we will see the fall transition period begin in the next couple of weeks barring any unforeseen extended hot weather. As per normal during this time of August, a myriad of patterns are now available. There are still plenty of fish on the ledges, although the bite has been somewhat slow during the morning and early afternoon due to a lack of wind and current. You can catch the ledge fish during the day, you just need to fish slow with slow moving baits and be patient. One pattern that has emerged this week, which is normal when some of the shad schools begin to move, is that there has been some reported schooling of Largemouth on the flats just adjacent to the creek and river channels. I myself, saw a large school of keeper sized Largemouth churning the water on a main lake flat this week and had two other reports of folks that encountered these jumps. I would advise anyone fishing the ledges near the shallow flats to keep a topwater lure or a lipless crankbait handy in case you encounter one of these feeding schools. Another indication of staging shad is that the bite on the points around the mouths of the bays is picking up. The bass in the creeks and bays are also active, still feeding on schools of fry on the secondary points and on the flats in the backs of the creeks and bays. As you can see, you can take your pick right now of patterns to fish. The night bite for Smallmouth and Largemouth is still being reported as good on main lake points with spinnerbaits and jigs on Kentucky Lake. The White Bass are still being taken primarily on the main lakes along the channels by vertically fishing with inline spinners and small spoons. I did, however, today observe a large White Bass jump in the mouth of one of the bays on the east side of Kentucky Lake.
Largemouth Bass: Largemouth are being taken on the old river and creek channel ledges on the main lakes by fishing with Carolina rigged small creature baits and worms, jigs, drop shot rigs and shaky head rigs. Some Largemouth are also being taken on the flats on the main lake in jumps as they are feeding on schools of baitfish. These top feeding fish can be taken on topwater lures, lipless crankbaits and spinnerbaits. Largemouth are being taken on primary points on the main lake with medium and deep diving crankbaits, Carolina rigged creature baits, Texas rigged worms and jigs. Largemouth are also being taken on the secondary points and flats in the creeks and bays as they are feeding on schools of fry. These fish are being taken on topwater lures, crankbaits, chatterbaits, Texas rigged worms and deadstick worms.
Smallmouth Bass: Smallmouth Bass are being taken on the old river and creek channel ledges on the main lakes by fishing with Carolina rigged small creature baits and tubes as well as by dragging jigs. Some Smallmouth are also being taken on primary points and the first secondary points in the creeks and bays early and late in the day on jigs and tube jigs. Smallmouth are being taken at night on Kentucky Lake on primary and main lake secondary points with dark colored spinnerbaits and jigs.
Some of the productive lures reported this week are: Lucky Craft Sammy in ghost pearl lemon and chartreuse shad, Strike King and Norman crankbaits in sexy shad patterns, Baby Minus one crankbaits in shad patterns, Strike King red eye shad in sexy shad and blue/chrome, Hook Some Bass vibe (chatterbait) in blue glimmer, Chatterbaits in white and white/chartreuse, Charmer 7.5 ” ribbon tail worms in electric grape, Zoom 7″ utail worms in plum, Charmer timber pups in green pumpkin and watermelon/purple, Yum and Yamamoto dead stick worms in green pumpkin and green pumpkin/blue and Jewel football head jigs in gourd/craw tipped with matching Net Baits trailer.
White Bass: White Bass are being taken along the old river and creek channel ledges on the main lakes by vertically fishing with inline spinners and small spoons. The better fishing is during periods of current.
Catfish: The Catfishing is being reported as slow along the old river channels with yellowtails and cutbaits on bottom.
Bluegill: Bluegills are being taken along deep rocky creek channel banks and off rocky points by vertically fishing with small jigs tipped with worms.
FLASH: I mentioned last week that I was having a lot of email problems and a number of my incoming emails was lost in hyperspace last week. My email problems continued until the past two days. Everything seems to be working good now that my website has been moved to a dedicated server. If you emailed me and did not get an answer over the past two weeks, I apologize and invite you to resend your email or give me a call.
If you are in need of a bass guide for some just for fun bass fishing, tournament preparation, lake familiarization or technique instruction don’t hesitate to give me a call or drop me an email. I am still offering the focused ledge teaching trip so if you want to learn how to fish the ledges, there is still plenty of time to do this trip as there will be fish on the ledges for the next month or so. On this trip you will learn first, how to eliminate water, this is key in finding the most productive ledges (as a bonus you learn how to eliminate water during the spring, fall and winter also) and second you will learn how to set up on the ledges and the techniques used to catch the ledge fish.
I have the following dates available for booking in August, September and October:
August: Sorry, I am booked up.
September: 1, 3, 4, 9, 10, 14, 15, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 27, 28, 30
October: 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 25, 26, 27, 30, 31
Remember, November provides some great fall fishing. If you like to throw topwater lures, spinnerbaits and crankbaits on schooling fish, we always have some great days on this fishing in November. Make your reservation now for the November fishing. Also, I am taking reservations for next spring now so if you can plan that far ahead, you can get the date you want by booking now.
Capt Dave Stewart
Bass Buster Guide Service
dave@kentuckylakeguide.com
www.kentuckylakeguide.com
270-354-5039
“Fish With a Professional”
Cave Run Lake fishing report — KDFWR — Aug. 20
August 20, 2009 by admin · Comments Off
Lake level: 730.20
Lake temperature: 84 degrees F
The main lake remains murky and the water level is stable at 2-inches above summer pool. Muskie anglers are still reporting catching muskie; however, fishing has been much slower than last week. Muskie are being caught at depths around 15 feet near weed beds. Largemouth bass fishing appears to be not as slow as it has been last week as bass anglers are reporting decent catches of fish in and above the slot limit. Cave Run Lake has a 13-16 inch protective slot limit which means anglers can not keep largemouth bass in this size range but may harvest largemouth bass above 16 inches and below 13 inches. Largemouth bass are being caught on plastics near weed beds in the late evening or during night. Anglers are continuing to catch some nice crappie during the day at depths around 15 to 20 feet on minnows and jigs.
Fred R. Howes
Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Recourses
Kentucky Lake/Lake Barkley fishing reports — KDFWR — Aug. 20
August 20, 2009 by admin · Comments Off
ummer time fishing patterns should prevail. Ledge fishing along the main river channel and points of secondary channels for catfish, largemouth bass and white bass can be great if there is some current in the lake. Early in the morning and late afternoon may be the best times to fish these deepwater habitats. A great bait for catfish right now large shiners, fresh live shad or leeches. For bass, try big deep diving crankbaits, Carolina rigged worms, or jigs. The white bass may bite best on inline spinner type baits and shiny spoons. Fishing shallow in the mud flats around structure should yield some fun catching a lot of sublegal size largemouth bass, with an occasional keeper. Look for schools of shad minnows, and fish with top water baits, or Texas rigged worms. Good shoreline places to go fishing; Canal Overlook, at KY Lake Jonathan Creek Bridges (Hwy. 68 and 402), piers at KY Dam and KenLake state parks, at Lake Barkley the State Park, dock at Popular Creek and road bed at Energy and Honker Bays.
Paul Rister
Kentucky Dept. of Fish and Wildlife Resources
Fisheries Biologist – Program Coordinator
30 Scenic Acres Drive
Murray, KY 42071
Kentucky Lake/Barkley Lake fishing report — Dave Stewart — August 20
August 20, 2009 by admin · Comments Off
August 20, 2009
Kentucky Lake: Water Elevation at Ky Dam – 357.65 Surface Temperature – 83
Lake Barkley: Water Elevation at Barkley Dam – 357.80 Surface Temperature – 83
Both lakes are about one and one half feet below summer pool and on a slow drawdown. Both lakes are on schedule with the Tennessee River Operating Schedule and the present TVA forecast is for the lakes to be nearing 357 elevation by midnight Saturday. We have a cold front pushing toward the lakes region and according to the forecasts should pass through the area sometime tomorrow evening. The forecast for the weekend is for sunny skies and highs in the upper 70’s on Saturday and low 80’s on Sunday. We have been experiencing pop up thunderstorms the past few days, especially in the afternoon and evening hours and this is forecasted to continue through tomorrow. The Largemouth Bass fishing has been pretty much the same as last week, that is slower moving baits like the Carolina Rig and dragging football head jigs have been the more productive lures on the ledges with little current present during the day. There are some Largemouth still being taken in shallow water in the creeks and bays as they are feeding on schools of fry. Most of these shallow water fish are small fish but there are also some good keeper fish being taken also. The night bite for Smallmouth and Largemouth Bass continues to be reported as good on dark colored spinnerbaits and jigs on Kentucky Lake. Main lake points and rocky banks are reportedly producing some good night bass fishing. The White Bass fishing is being reported as fair during the day by fishing the creek and river channel ledges and adjacent flats with inline spinners and small spoons. There are a few jumps being reported on the flats just off the channels but they are short in duration.
Largemouth Bass: Largemouth Bass are being taken on the old river and creek channel ledges on the main lakes and around the mouths of the deeper creeks and bays. The main lake ledge bite seems to be the better bite lately. These fish are being taken on deep diving crankbaits, Carolina rigged creature baits and dead stick worms, dragging football head jigs and shaky head worms. Largemouth are also being taken on the primary points and secondary points in the creeks and bays, especially early and late in the day. These fish are feeding on schools of baitfish fry and are being taken on topwater lures, spinnerbaits, Texas rigged creature baits, tube jigs and finesse jigs. Largemouth are also being taken on the shallow flats in the creeks and bays, especially near wood cover and vegetation with topwater lures (early and late in the day), chatterbaits, spinnerbaits, Texas rigged creature baits and dead stick worms.
Smallmouth Bass: Some Smallmouth Bass are being taken during the day on the old river and creek channel ledges on the main lakes. These fish are being taken on Carolina rigged small creature baits and dragging football head jigs. The better Smallmouth bite is being reported at night on Kentucky Lake by fishing main lake points and rocky banks with dark colored spinnerbaits and jigs. Some good Largemouth are also being reported on this night bite pattern.
Some of the productive lures reported this week are: Lucky Craft Sammy in ghost pearl lemon, Yozuri spash-it with lemon back and ghost body, Storm chug bugs in black/chrome, Rapala DT series deep divers in grey pearl shad, Hook Some Bass spinnerbaits and vibe (chatterbait) in blue glimmer, Charmer timber pups in watermelon/purple, watermelon/candy and green pumpkin, Jewel football head jigs in gourd/craw and black/blue with matching Net Baits trailers and Last Cast wooly bug finesse jigs in green pumpkin and peanut butter jelly with matching Net Baits trailers.
White Bass: White Bass are being taken along the old river and creek channel ledges and on the adjacent flats with small spoons hopped off bottom and inline spinners fished vertically.
Catfish: Catfish are being taken along the old river channel ledges by fishing with yellow tail and cut baits on bottom rigs. The Catfish bite is being reported as slow with little current present on the lakes.
Bluegill: Bluegills are being taken around deeper docks, especially at night under lights by fishing with crickets and worms under bobbers. Some Bluegills are being taken off deep rocky banks and points by fishing with small jigs tipped with worms.
FLASH: If you have emailed me within the past few days and not received an answer it would be because I did not receive your email. The server that provides my email account has been going through and upgrade by Microsoft and there have been periods in which both my website and email have been down. Hopefully this situation is just about finished and my website and email will return to normal working order. In the meantime, if you have not received an answer to any email, please call me and I would be more than happy to answer your questions or book your trip over the phone.
If you are in need of a bass guide for some fun, catch and release bass fishing, tournament preparation, lake familiarization or technique instruction, drop me an email or give me a call. I have been doing a lot of the ledge teaching trips over the past couple of months and the feedback I am receiving from my past clients has been very positive. There is still plenty of ledge fishing left before the fish transition to fall patterns so if you would like to learn how to find the better ledges and learn the techniques used to catch the ledge fish, now is a great time to do so. This trip will not only teach you how to eliminate water to find the better ledges but also how to find the highest percentage spots during the other seasons of the year along with a lot of tips on techniques and patterns to increase your catch rate.
I have the following dates available for booking in August, September and October:
August: 26
September: 1, 3, 4, 9, 10, 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 27, 28, 29
October: 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 23, 25, 26, 27, 30, 31
Of course I am taking reservations for November also as well as next season. November can be some of the best fall fishing as the schools of big fish feed up for the winter and the lakes are void of big tournaments and pleasure boaters. Give me a call now to book your November trips.
If you are now planning your trip down here for the fall fishing tournaments, I suggest you add to your check list a visit to one or both of our best tackle shops in the lakes area. Fisherman’s Headquarters located in Draffenville at the intersection of U.S.68/U.S. 641 and The Cabin Bait and Tackle located on U.S. 62 just west of Kuttawa are fully stocked with not only the latest in rods, reels and nationally known brand lures, but they also sport good selections of custom lures such as the Hook Some Bass, Charmer baits and Xcite lures among others you see mentioned in my weekly reports. You will also find the folks at these shops to be knowledgeable about bass fishing and you will receive the personal attention you can’t get in the big box stores.
Another item to put on your checklist is a visit to Jet-a-Marina located on U.S. 62 in Calvert City, just a couple of miles north of Ky Dam. Here you will find your favorite engine oil at the best bulk oil prices around as well as a service department that is dedicated to keeping you in the tournament if at all possible.
Capt Dave Stewart
Bass Buster Guide Service
dave@kentuckylakeguide.com
www.kentuckylakeguide.com
270-354-5039
“Fish With a Professional”
Rough River Lake fishing report — kentuckyfishing.com — Aug. 15
Fishing for largemouth this weekend was terrific in early morning and late evening on Rough River Lake. Pop-R-style baits worked well in the morning and small spinners worked well at night and in the morning. In an effort to catch what he thought were hybrid bass in the jumps, the author threw inline spinners — Roostertails — and caught numerous largemouth that were chasing baitfish on and near long points. The largemouth would “boil” for a minute or so and two or three fish — some nearing three pounds — could be caught before each boil ended. Fishing was best with boat traffic or wind because both pushed baitfish off of the rocks they were using for shelter. After dark and before daylight, this kind of fishing slowed considerably because the water’s surface was still.
Green River Lake fishing report — KDFWR — Aug. 15
August 16, 2009 by admin · Comments Off
Green River Lake
Fishing overall has been slow. Largemouth activity best on main lake and secondary points at night or late in the day on shad or crawfish colored crankbaits, Carolina, Texas & shakey-head worm rigs. Creel clerk reports some shallow activity available using topwaters and smaller cranks as some fish are up chasing small shad on flats in the creeks and coves.
Some crappie still being caught fishing channel drops with minnows and small soft plastics.
Eric Cummins
Southwestern District Fisheries Biologist
KY Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources
970 Bennett Lane
Bowling Green, KY 42104
Barren River Lake fishing report — KDFWR — Aug. 15
August 16, 2009 by admin · Comments Off
Barren River Lake
Fishing overall has been slow. Largemouth activity best on main lake and secondary points at night or early and late in the day. Crankbaits, Carolina, Texas & shakey-head worm rigs have been baits of choice. Some shallow activity available using topwaters and smaller cranks as some fish are up chasing small shad on flats in the creeks and coves.
Catfish being caught on jugs and trotlines on live or cut bait.
Hybrids fair at night and early & late trolling shad imitating soft plastics or crankbaits on lower ends of lake arms and at the dam.
Bluegill bite good early & late in day on crickets, grasshoppers, worms, wax worms or small plastic grubs
Eric Cummins
Southwestern District Fisheries Biologist
KY Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources
970 Bennett Lane
Bowling Green, KY 42104
Kentucky Lake/Lake Barkley fishing report — Dave Stewart — Aug. 13
August 13, 2009 by admin · Comments Off
August 13, 2009
Kentucky Lake: Water Level at Ky Dam – 357.52 Surface Temperature – 84
Lake Barkley: Water Level at Barkley Dam – 357.60 Surface Temperature – 84
Both lakes are one and one half feet below summer pool. The lakes should be dropped another one half foot by the end of the month per the TVA River Operating System Schedule barring any unforeseen circumstances such as heavy rains etc. The Largemouth Bass bite on the ledges has slowed some over the past two days since the frontal passage on Tuesday. We are currently under a strong high pressure system which was very evident today with the water being totally flat through most of the day with little or no winds to speak of and blue skies. We also have not had much in the way of current on either lake the past two days. This coupled with blue skies made the ledge fishing somewhat tough today. But, remember, this is deep summer and we do get some of these days this time of year. When you get a day like this, you might want to check out the alternate summer Largemouth pattern back shallow on the flats in the creeks and bays. The shallow fish are still chasing shad fry back shallow and even on days like today you can find some action there. Most of the fish are small, but now and again you can catch a nice fish and the fun part of it is that these fish are actively feeding. The better ledge pattern this week has been fishing slow with Carolina rigs and dragging jigs. Some few fish have been reported on crankbaits during the peak current periods earlier in the week but the slower moving lures have been topping the list. The night fishing for Largemouth and Smallmouth is reported to still be good. The forecast for the upcoming weekend indicates sunny skies and highs in the 90’s with light southerly winds. Take plenty of cold water and/or sports drinks with you and make sure to use that sunscreen if you are going to be out there this weekend. The current forecast is calling for highs in the 80’s next week with a chance of thunderstorms each day.
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. These fish are being taken on Carolina rigged creature baits and dead stick worms, dragging jigs and drop shot rigs. Some Largemouth are also being taken on primary points and secondary points in the creeks and bays, especially early and late in the day. These fish are taking crankbaits, Carolina rigged creature baits, Texas rigged creature baits and worms, shaky head worms and jigs as they are feeding on schools of fry. Largemouth are also being taken on the flats in the creeks and bays on topwater lures, chatterbaits and Texas rigged creature baits as they are feeding on schools of fry.
Smallmouth Bass: Smallmouth Bass are being taken during the day on the old river and creek channel ledges on the main lakes. These fish are being taken on Carolina rigged creature baits and dragging jigs. The better Smallmouth bite is being reported at night by fishing with large dark colored spinnerbaits and tube jigs on rocky banks and points on the east side of Kentucky Lake. Some nice Largemouth are also being reported on this night pattern.
Some of the productive lures reported this week are: Lucky Craft Sammy in ghost pearl lemon, Yozuri splash it in lemon with ghost body, Storm chug bugs in black/chrome, Strike King crankbaits in sexy shad, Charmer timber pups in green pumpkin, watermelon/purple and watermelon candy, Charmer shaky head worms in watermelon/purple, Jewel football head jigs in gourd/craw and black/blue with matching baby paca craw trailers, Hook Some Bass vibe (chatterbait) in blue glimmer with Yamamoto twin tail blue pearl trailer.
White Bass: White Bass are being taken along the old river and creek channel ledges and on adjacent flats by vertically fishing with small spoons and inline spinners. White Bass are also being taken by trolling deep diving crankbaits along the old river channels with a trailing small spinner or spoon.
Catfish: Catfish are being taken along the old river channels on bottom rigs baited with yellow tails and cut baits. The Catfish bite has been reported as slow the past few days with little current.
Bluegill: Bluegill are being taken around deeper docks, especially at night under lights, by fishing with worms and crickets under bobbers.
Now is the time to get ready for the coming fall fishing season. If you have not yet made your reservations for lodging and guides you should do so soon.
If you are in the market for a bass fishing 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 a great time to learn how to find and fish the ledges. I offer a focused learning trip in which you will learn how to eliminate water with your topo map to find the highest percentage fishing spots any time of the year, including ledges and also you will learn how to find the best ledges, set up on them and the techniques used to catch the ledge fish.
I have the following dates available for booking in August, September and October:
August: 17, 18, 19, 21, 26, 27, 30
September: 1, 2, 3, 9, 10, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 27, 28, 29
October: 14, 15, 16, 18, 20, 23, 25, 26, 27, 30, 31
November can be some of the most fun bass fishing of the year. This is the time of year for schools of feeding fall bass. There are many days in November when you can catch bass on topwater lures all day as well as spinnerbaits and crankbaits. Make your reservations now to get in on some of this great bass fishing.
Capt Dave Stewart
Bass Buster Guide Service
dave@kentuckylakeguide.com
www.kentuckylakeguide.com
270-354-5039
“Fish With a Professional”
