# KY Lake Bass Report



## bman (Apr 20, 2009)

Fished Thurs, Fri and half of Saturday. Tough bite. That cold front killed any chance of a great bass weekend. This was the second fall in a row where I hit it at the wrong time. Worse yet, this was the first trip to KY Lake in years (I usually go 2-3 times each season) where I didn't get one over five. Didn't even have a 4 this time around.

Thursday - only got 8 bass but 5 keepers (over 15" on KY Lake). All keepers between 2 and 3lbs. This was the day we should have caught more and it took us all day to figure out a pattern. By then, it was sunset. 

Friday - 20 bass with 6 keepers. All keepers were between 2-3lbs again with Dad getting big bass with a 3-13 smallie. Not a bad day but not incredible either like it can be on KY Lake.

Saturday - 8 bass; 4 keepers. Bite absolutely shut off after 11am for us so we called it quits at 2pm.

Water temps between 56-59. Lots of super small shad in the way backs of the bays (smallest I've seen at this time of year since I started going down to the big lake some 25+ years ago. Only pattern that worked for us was jerks and cranks/trap on secondary points mostly on the LBL side. We caught a few fish shallow too and a few on blade baits in the mouths of coves and on flats. But for one dink, this ALMOST was the first trip ever where I didn't catch a bass on a spinnerbait. It was odd. At least we didn't see any Asian Carp and the drum kept us busy throughout the day!

Here's a few of the fish we caught:


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## Fishing Flyer (May 31, 2006)

Sorry to hear about the slow fishing... at least you picked up decent numbers considering the conditions. Were the bass definitely chasing shad into the coves? When do they start staging deep back in the main lake?

I hope to make a trip to Kentucky Lake next year. This was my first year with a bass boat and I was close to making the trip on Labor Day weekend, but ended up at Dale Hollow instead.


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## bman (Apr 20, 2009)

Fishing Flyer said:


> Sorry to hear about the slow fishing... at least you picked up decent numbers considering the conditions. Were the bass definitely chasing shad into the coves? When do they start staging deep back in the main lake?
> 
> I hope to make a trip to Kentucky Lake next year. This was my first year with a bass boat and I was close to making the trip on Labor Day weekend, but ended up at Dale Hollow instead.


The bass were in the bays/coves that had shad - and most of the larger bays have a large amount of shad right now and will until the water temps start dipping a fair amount. Yes, the bass were chasing these shad although we witnessed almost no surface activity. I threw a variety of topwaters a fair amount of time and did not have one bite on them.

Mid-November is the latest I've fished in the fall on KY Lake and the bass are always mostly located in the bays/cuts with the shad at this time of year. I'm not sure I can answer when the bass leave the shallows but as with most good bass lakes, if you can find large concentrations of shad then the bass aren't far behind regardless of the season (except the spring.)

My buddies are heading down this weekend...hoping they do better!


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## Fishing Flyer (May 31, 2006)

Thanks for the info. I wish your friends good luck this coming weekend as well!


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## Duncan Bay (Nov 10, 2011)

Long time reader, first time poster:

Went down in mid October and had a decent trip, fished 3 days and ended up with around 50 keepers. Back of the creeks were dead and topwater was a waste of time imo. Biggest was 6lbs even with a 5lb and 3-4lbers. Typical fall pattern with squarebill cranks and spinnerbaits being the baits of choice. Resist the temptation of chasing schooling fish, hold your ground because they will drive you crazy and wear your trolling motor batteries dead. 

We are headed back down next Thursday for a long weekend. Was informed at one of the bait stores that when the water temp dips to 55F the lake really turns on. Hoping to hit it right. Bman, let me know how your buddies do.


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## fishingredhawk (Apr 14, 2004)

Great pics Bman! Thanks for the report. It seems like KY Lake can be hit or miss this time of year.


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## dre (Aug 14, 2009)

How long does the good fishing last until down there. My cousin and I were planning a trip but don't know when there 'off' time is. We probably wouldn't be able to go until Janurary, is it still good fishing there or too cold?

Thanks,

Matt


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## dre (Aug 14, 2009)

Anyone have any info on my question above?


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## Duncan Bay (Nov 10, 2011)

I would think that it would be slow dre. I wouldn't want to go during January. Check and save this link. In December check on them to see what the guides are reporting for fish catches, if they report that late?

http://www.explorekentuckylake.com/lakesarea/fishing/reports.htm


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## dre (Aug 14, 2009)

Thank you! May just wait until spring.


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

Is it to warm for a fnf?


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## Duncan Bay (Nov 10, 2011)

Don't know Saugeyefisher? How warm is too warm? 

Dre, go in May when the water level reaches summer pool, first or second week. Could vary depending on the influx of water from the south and area rainfall though. Check the link I gave you under lake conditions report tab. And take your flippin stick with nothing lighter than 20lb test.


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

Just curious, I know its a cold water tech. for suspended smallies. Just dind know if was productive when the water temps are as high as they are, Dont they usually start working when the water drops into low 40s high 30s? If i were to go down that way i would want to do some cold water smallmouth fishing
Dre, I would go no matter what time of yr. You should have a good shot at a huge smallie that time of yr!! Others will know better i just read reports on it never fished it


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## Duncan Bay (Nov 10, 2011)

Not my style of fishing Saugeyefisher so it's hard for me to comment on it's effectiveness at KY lake. I actually had to google fnf to see what you meant. 

Can't say if I've ever paid attention to the water temps in the winter, but I'm guessing main lake would be mid 40's with the backwaters in the upper 30's, again I'm just guessing.

Winter smallies = Dale Hollow

I have friends that actually own trailers at KY lake and take trips in the winter to Dale Hollow. Find them suspended and yo yo a blade bait through them is how they catch some good ones.


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

Thanks a bunch. And yea ive heard great things about dale hollow to!


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## bman (Apr 20, 2009)

fishingredhawk said:


> Great pics Bman! Thanks for the report. It seems like KY Lake can be hit or miss this time of year.


Thanks. Yes; KY Lake is a bit finicky in the fall. The cold fronts really frustrate you when one is timed to coincide with your annual fall trip!!!

That being said, I've had some unreal days in the fall on KY Lake. One of the biggest reasons I like fishing in the fall there is the complete lack of crowds. It's not so much the bass guys but in the spring, every piece of wood on every secondary point is covered by 1-2 crappie fisherman! Still doesn't keep me from going though...

For those interested, my buddies fished with my father this weekend with very mixed results from day to day. Friday - an OK day for numbers and no real quality. Think they got about 30 for the three of them. Saturday - miserable. All three caught maybe 10 bass all day. Sunday - much better; they got around 40 fish. No hawgs but a fair number of keeper fish on Friday and Sunday. Biggest 5 were all around 3 lbs even (basically like the green fish I'm holding in the picture above.) Same patterns only they caught more fish on rat-L-trap type baits vs. jerks and relatively few on blade baits (but I know two of them do not like using them!) Surface water temps were in the mid-50s.

If you can strike gold and have stable weather immediately prior to your trip + during the trip and not post frontal conditions, it can be magic like I said on the big lake.


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## bman (Apr 20, 2009)

dre said:


> How long does the good fishing last until down there. My cousin and I were planning a trip but don't know when there 'off' time is. We probably wouldn't be able to go until Janurary, is it still good fishing there or too cold?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Matt


I second the recommendation to NOT go in December-January-February. March is hit or miss; I usually go in April and November and sometimes in June. I'll be there next April and June for sure (my father lives down there 15 miles from the lake.)

One thing about winter on KY Lake - if you get a few nice weather days in a row without having gale force winds (a rarity at that time of year during a warm front!) some guys really catch the heck out of crappies on those kind of days in January-Feb. But...keep in mind the several of the past 5 winters there was skim ice to a few inches of ice in backs of many of the shallower, smaller coves!

Stick with April-Nov to invest in that kind of a trip!


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## Duncan Bay (Nov 10, 2011)

bman said:


> If you can strike gold and have stable weather immediately prior to your trip + during the trip and not post frontal conditions, it can be magic like I said on the big lake.


Doesn't sound too promising with what just rolled thru here in southern ohio about an hour ago. Although the temps forcast at Aurora, KY will be about the same as what we experienced there in October.

Thanks bman for the report, I'll post our results when we get back. :B or :S


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## Duncan Bay (Nov 10, 2011)

I did hear a report today that the gizzard shad are starting to move up in the bays, hopefully they will bring the fat girls with them to join the party :0


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## Duncan Bay (Nov 10, 2011)

Got back from KY lake today, fished thurs, fri and sat with my dad. We were able to boat 13 bass on thursday with a 4-10 Lmouth being the biggest. Friday was a little better with 27 bass caught, around 4lb the biggest. Saturday was the best day with 50 bass caught with a 4-8 Lmouth and a (only) 3-0 Smouth. We were unable to fish one of our key spots until 1pm due to the hi winds and waves and up to that point we had 10 bass in the boat. From 1pm to 430 we landed 40 bass. 

Of the 90 bass caught I'm going to say that 80% of them were keepers and I don't think we caught one under 12inches. Nice healthy looking fish they have down there. I've never seen so many bass with the black blotches on them as I did this past trip. I landed a 4lber on Saturday that was blotched all over it's fins and tail, should have got a pic of it but didn't since the wind was howling and blowing us around, had to stay on the trolling motor.

Had my doubts about the trip once we hit the water on thursday with the bluebird skies and the area just receiving 4" of rain earlier in the week, but managed to make a good trip out of it. Fish were up on the wind blown sides of the secondary points hungry and gorging on the shad. The guts on the fish were amazing, at one point I weighed a 15 3/4" bass at 2-8 out of curiousity. Caught fish on KVD1.5, scrounger jigs/flukes and the a-rig. Not much surface activity going on either, but I tried topwater with no success.

Pic of one of our doubles on Friday, for clarification he is holding mine in his right hand


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