# Eastfork bite?



## 7thcorpsFA (Mar 6, 2010)

Going to bite the bullet again and buy my out of state license to fish Eastfork. What do you guys think the fishihg will be like Weds. and Thurs. the 28th&29th of this week after this nasty front starts to leave? The guy at Sherry's Bait shop says everthing is biting. Is there any truth to it or is he trying to sell bait? I only use artificials for crappie,bass and stripers. Thanks!


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## Spence88 (Feb 23, 2006)

Rarely have I ever heard a bait shop say that the bite was bad! But in this case, they are being fairly honest. It's worth your out of stater


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## trh232003 (Apr 27, 2010)

Stripers are on fire there. Went there last monday tore up the stripers using KVD sexy shad lip less crank baits. Caught well over 100 of them between two of us. I will be there this wed.


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## chadwimc (Jun 27, 2007)

I was turkey hunting there. The lake was full of boats. Something must be biting...


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## fished-out (Dec 20, 2005)

There were crappie tournaments there the 17th, 18th, and 25th with another one coming this weekend. Some of the regulars have struggled.


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## Mean Morone (Apr 12, 2004)

You will have to decide for yourself if it's worth the trip. Some of the best striper trips I ever had on Lake Cumberland happened when everyone said the bite was bad. I've been down there when eveyone said it was on fire and didn't do very well. If you dont go you wont know. A couple of my buddies caught a few hybrids the other day. Nothing special and the fish were all small. One 15 incher was the biggest.


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## Spence88 (Feb 23, 2006)

Mean Morone said:


> You will have to decide for yourself if it's worth the trip. Some of the best striper trips I ever had on Lake Cumberland happened when everyone said the bite was bad. I've been down there when eveyone said it was on fire and didn't do very well. If you dont go you wont know. A couple of my buddies caught a few hybrids the other day. Nothing special and the fish were all small. One 15 incher was the biggest.


An honest fisherman is one of the biggest oxymorons I know...

Give Eastfork a try - if nothing else, you'll know for yourself whether it was worth it, as well as experience a new lake. NO fun if you don't try.


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## 7thcorpsFA (Mar 6, 2010)

Spence88 said:


> An honest fisherman is one of the biggest oxymorons I know...
> 
> Give Eastfork a try - if nothing else, you'll know for yourself whether it was worth it, as well as experience a new lake. NO fun if you don't try.


I have been there many times by myself, but I really don't have the knowledge it takes to know the lake well. I don't know anyone else who fishes there with regularity. I am from Butler KY. and it takes me an hour to get there, so I only make it 2-4 times a year. I usually fish for Bass and Crappie so I have limited experience with Stripers. It's a very nice lake, although very crowded at times. The fishing is generally superior to any place close to where I live. It's much closer than any of our big lakes in KY. I could really use some help with the striper fishing. Any help would be greatly apprieated. Thanks.


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## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

Check your PMs.


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## 7thcorpsFA (Mar 6, 2010)

fallen513 said:


> Check your PMs.


 Sorry about that,I am computer ignorant and don't know how to check them. I didn't even know I had any. Can't figure it out so I need some help. Thanks.


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## crappiedude (Mar 12, 2006)

7thcorpsFA,read below

Welcome, crappiedude.
You last visited: 04-27-2010 at 09:23 PM 
*Private Messages*: Unread 0, Total 10. 

At the top right of the screen, you will see something like the above.
Click on the words Private Messages (PM)then just follow the instructions to look in your "IN" (incoming messages) box.
I know how you feel, I struggled at doing this stuff at first.
Now I still struggle but I've learned to hide it better

PM's are how members share info without telling the whole world. 

Good luck


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## 7thcorpsFA (Mar 6, 2010)

crappiedude said:


> 7thcorpsFA,read below
> 
> Welcome, crappiedude.
> You last visited: 04-27-2010 at 09:23 PM
> ...


Thanks crappiedude, I am a crappie dude myself,but they made me look bad on 4-28 at Eastfork. I don't go to minnows until all else fails, 4-28 they wouldn't even touch them. Bass,Bluegill and Channel Cats all took them, but no Crappie! Cold windy disaster! Thanks again!


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## HOUSE (Apr 29, 2010)

I hate asking for fishing advice, but I really need some this weekend...I'm not very good at shore-fishing & since East Fork lake has skunked me so many times, I just have to be doing something wrong...can anyone help me with some tips there after reading this post? I have a group of friends going out there this weekend and I want to show them a good time fishing for once. 

I usually fish over by the dam for catfish from the shore, bombing out 5 lines with chicken liver surrounded by bait mesh to hold the mess on my line. Every other cast, I get snagged on the bottom and lose my line. When I try a slip-bobber, I can never figure out how deep to set it. I had one fish run with my line once, but I think my ball of chicken liver was hiding my hook and it didn't set right when I jerked the line. I tried every 25feet from the dam to the boat ramp over the last 2 years and caught one catfish.

When I fish in the first cove northwest of the dam (accessible from that random parking lot on the main road before the dam) I usually fish the tree stumps with small spinners hoping to find some bass or crappie. I always get snagged there too, I'm guessing there are submerged trees at the bottom. Should I try suspending minnows from a slip-bobber by those tree stumps instead?

When I fish the tailwater behind the dam (with everyone else that doesn't have a boat), I usually try nightcrawlers 4 feet under a bobber or all the way down to the bottom from my bobber. I get snagged a lot there too and feel like everyone else is using minnows or doughballs.

Any helpful advice from reading this? I appreciate it...I'm sick of being such a bad fisherman and really want to learn. Thanks!


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## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

WAREHOUSE said:


> I hate asking for fishing advice, but I really need some this weekend...I'm not very good at shore-fishing & since East Fork lake has skunked me so many times, I just have to be doing something wrong...can anyone help me with some tips there after reading this post? I have a group of friends going out there this weekend and I want to show them a good time fishing for once.
> 
> I usually fish over by the dam for catfish from the shore, bombing out 5 lines with chicken liver surrounded by bait mesh to hold the mess on my line. Every other cast, I get snagged on the bottom and lose my line. When I try a slip-bobber, I can never figure out how deep to set it. I had one fish run with my line once, but I think my ball of chicken liver was hiding my hook and it didn't set right when I jerked the line. I tried every 25feet from the dam to the boat ramp over the last 2 years and caught one catfish.
> 
> ...




Bank fishing for bass, use a Carolina rig or Texas rigged black rubber worm with a worm hook, inserted into the worm like this: 












Try using a smaller spinnerbait in white or chartreuse & hold your rod tip higher or reel a little faster to keep your bait above the snags. 

Everybody snags, I lose $6 crankbaits left & right, it's no fun. Use a floating type, such as the Bomber model A, & retrieve it slow. When you feel it bump into something, pause....allowing it to float up & away from the obstruction.


Good luck.


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## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

I do a bunch of different types of rigs depending on where I'm fishing. I have success avoiding snags by putting the weight @ the very end of the line, with the hook 2-3' above it. Cast & let it sink, drag the line until it is taught & your hook & bait should be 2-3' off the bottom. 

Something along these lines, though it need not be so fancy:


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## crappiedude (Mar 12, 2006)

7thcorpsFA said:


> Thanks crappiedude, I am a crappie dude myself,but they made me look bad on 4-28 at Eastfork. I don't go to minnows until all else fails, 4-28 they wouldn't even touch them. Bass,Bluegill and Channel Cats all took them, but no Crappie! Cold windy disaster! Thanks again!


It's been a tough bite at EF this year for sure. Only advice I can give is keep moving and changing till you find whats working. Last nice crappie I caught were still 8'-10' deep mostly on minnows.



WAREHOUSE said:


> I just have to be doing something wrong...can anyone help me with some tips there after reading this post? I have a group of friends going out there this weekend and I want to show them a good time fishing for once.
> I usually fish over by the dam for catfish from the shore.
> *MOVE and try somewhere different*
> 
> ...


The best advice I can give is try different areas of the lake. I see people bank fishing all around the lake. If you go to the same spot over and over and you aren't catching anything, why go back to that spot? You may have to explore a little but that's half the fun.


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## 7thcorpsFA (Mar 6, 2010)

Spent 7 hours at Eastfork today, it was painful for me and everyone else I talked to. 2 hours before the first Crappie was caught at about 9". The next 3 hours were an occational lazy nick at my jigs. Decided to Bass fish on the rocks with a Rebel Craw. The first cast was hit like a ton of bricks, thought I had a nice Bass but believe it or not it was a 10" Crappie! Figured it was on! Not another hit the rest of the day. All my Dogwood flowers are gone. What happened to the Crappie?


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## eagle451 (Apr 21, 2010)

The park office at the dam has a pad of free maps that show depths and where trees and stumps are. Also where they put fish attractors. I do not think the online map shows the trees


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## HOUSE (Apr 29, 2010)

eagle451 said:


> The park office at the dam has a pad of free maps that show depths and where trees and stumps are. Also where they put fish attractors.


I saw those on the map...how do those fish attractors work?


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## boonecreek (Dec 28, 2006)

gary, at sherries would tell u if they wer,t biting. knowed him for years. sales a good quality minnow there, plus a lot big enoff 2 turn a truck and boat around.


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## eagle451 (Apr 21, 2010)

Here is the basic design of fish attractors. They look like a bunch of tree limbs or weeds the fish like. Also, yesterday I fished on the left hand side of the Tate boat ramp and caught 7 bluegill and one catfish on worms. Aguy was fishing with minnows and caught a 10 inch crappie and a rock bass. He gave them to me as that is all he caught. I had a great supper last night. 
http://www.honeyholetree.com/Gallery.asp


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## HOUSE (Apr 29, 2010)

boonecreek said:


> gary, at sherries would tell u if they wer,t biting. knowed him for years. sales a good quality minnow there, plus a lot big enoff 2 turn a truck and boat around.


I like getting my bait from Sherry's too. They are very friendly there and always seem to have good advice. The bait seems very cheap. Side note: I just found out this weekend that Walmart sells waxworms and nightcrawlers there, did anyone else know that? The waxworms were huge too, lol. They must be from China...


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## 5BIGFISH (May 12, 2010)

I know there are Hybrids in there....lots of them


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## 5BIGFISH (May 12, 2010)

I know there are Bass in there.....not enough of them.


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## 5BIGFISH (May 12, 2010)

Actually there are lots of them if you know how to fish.....

www.freewebs.com/eastforklake

3 hour tourny 

Every Tuesday Night

Look at what it took to when last night....3 hours.


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## HOUSE (Apr 29, 2010)

5BIGFISH said:


> ...Look at what it took to when last night....3 hours.


holy carp! 6pounders!
Were those hybrids or largemouths? I think I might take my kayak out there Saturday and spy on them


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