Went down to Kentucky Lake and fished yesterday and today. Had to get on some decent action somewhere, Shelbyville is killing me this summer. Anyway nothing to really get excited about but we did clean about forty on Saturday and fed ourselves and the two rooms of Bass fisherman adjoining ours at Fishtale. They own Seaton's restaurant at the top of the hill and will fry your fish up for you. We had a ball though but no pictures, wife forgot to pack camera. Our biggest two were fourteen inches but very skinny almost sick looking. The smaller fish had bigger bellies but hey it is August. Several times on Saturday I saw what looked like white bass busts were actually Kentucky Spotted Bass. I would just throw my crappie jig at the bust and I must of caught fifty of them from one to three pounds. I caught two channel catfish biggest was about ten pounds. Try putting that in an ego net.

The lake is full of grass as it always is this time of the year and we did our best in brush that had weeds in it.You had to watch your jig very closely on the depthfinder and keep it just above the grass that is in most of the brush. I used a quarter ounce Bighead (white) and a emerald blue Midsouth tube. Had to have a crappie nibble on it to get any action. Today it was tougher so we switched over to minnow rig and put them in rod holders and just kept them right over brush and moved ever so slightly around over brush, then the pole would just load up. Patience was the key today, yesterday we caught a bunch of them really popping the jig up and down several feet and they would hammer it on the fall. Today no movement at all.

There is nobody crappie fishing as everyone is a bass fisherman and I have all the best spots to myself. Caught very few fish under ten inches and most were twelve inches or bigger. Just not real heavy.

Every time I go down there I am reminded of how spoiled these people are and it is a different world with pro-bass rigs everywhere. Wrapped boats, boats with three hundred horse on the back, just a ton of nice rigs. My little 21 foot Ranger with the 225 on the back isn't even close to big dog down there.

Steve--sounds Like You Got Smart And Left This Barren Water---would Have Loved To Been There----keep Me In Mind
How Was The Water Lice ?

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It ain,t braggin if you can do it
Frank

setve.. have u ever fished lake eufaula ok. just got back from there weather hot. 100 to 103. did ok on crappie pound to pound and quarter. caught about 200. last day cleaned 80 but lost a lot at boat. that is one big lake 1002000acres. we caught crappie in 2ft of water out to 15 ft of water. if u have never fished it u need to try it one time. used jigs first 2 days than jigs and minnows. have u ever fished truman in mo. hope to go over week from monday. its a very good lake for crappie.


have a good day

dean havens


murrayville il

Glad someone got out and caught some fish. And were spoiled to be able to live close enough to drive to Paris and fish. Then come back home in the evening. About the same to Reel Foot or Sardis. Called Heaven.
Pete

I have been to Truman twice and loved it. Both times during the summer and we caught tons of crappie. First time the lake was up 30 feet and they had colored rags just hanging in the trees and you could just go through the woods rather than go all the way around the long winding bends on that lake. The folks at Bucksaw had a tractor for us to use to launch the boat in the ditch next to what was left of the parking lot. No ramps anywhere, all under water. Still we caught our limit every day in ninety degree weather. Saw my first four pound fish while there. A woman brought it in to put into the freezer at Bucksaw. Huge fish. I have heard tons of good things about Eufala. Talked with Todd Huckabee at the Crappie U.S.A. classic in Indiana a couple of years ago. He guides there and he told me the summer fishing is incredible. It is on my to-do list for sure.

Steve, you and your wife need to invest in an inexpensive camcorder so you can put clips on the internet for us to see the action. These days, camcorders are not very expensive, the new ones do not use tapes, have no moving parts, and most are designed to work with a computer. The small recorder I had when we fished only cost aound $100, automatically downloads to a computer, and fits in a shirt pocket.It is very handy and does a nice job.
I have never fished the area but I have been to Aurora, Kentucky several times for hunting dog trials and shows. I have seen crappie fisherman pull slabs out of the public brush piles in the area. It would be tough to decide whether to hunt or fish.

It sure sounds like you had a good time.

__________________
"To catch a big fish you need to use good bait"
Dave Haugh

just put in eufaula into mapquest. 551 miles, definitely not a weekend trip. it's 492 to grenada. not that much further. the roads can't as bad as 55 down through Arkansas. maybe we should put together a little caravan and check it out. I don't want to go now with deer season coming, but how about in the spring?

It is 306 miles from my house to Paris Landing. That is why I can go so often. I have it down to a science. Leave after work on Friday at about 5:00 and eat somewhere on the way and usually arrive at 11:00. Fish Saturday and Sunday all day and until noon on Monday then get home about 6:00 PM. I usually take two guys with me and we each pay for one night at Fishtale which is 65.00. Each pay for a tank of gas or 75.00 and about 60.00 for meals as we tend to eat at nice places for evening meals. Then about 15.00 for bait and I think it is 16.50 for three day license. I have annual at 41.00. Grand total is 231.50 each. Not bad to get in on some of the best crappie fishing within 300 miles. You really have to burn a weeks vacation to go down to Grenada and plan way in advance. I can go to Paris twice for the same money and I never make plans farther out than three days. I will not go down in winter if the wind is projected to get over eight mile per hour. That is like our fifteen plus with no where to hide from it. The ledges out in the middle of the lake is the only place to fish for me. I am after big fish. I try and go about six times from first of December to end of March. That is your best shot at a fish pushing two and a half pounds. I have yet to see a three there but I know they exist.

when we have gone to Kentucky, we stayed at mansard island and paid around 650 for 7 nights. the next time down, I think I will try fishtail lodge at 65 a night. I usually take the boys, so I pretty much pay for everything. so even a trip to K L is a trip that has to be planned. the best thing about K L is we have caught just about every kind of fish that swims there. it's a great fishery. yes, it's a main lake pattern. there is no running up the river and fishing with a cork. and the 2 lbers are a bonus that doesn't exist around here. I have enough vacation to try that a couple times next year myself.

I have stayed at Mansard before. In my opinion it is old and run down. The shower in our room was free standing and it fell over and we had a hole in the floor in the living room. New owners had just bought it and I am sure repairs have been made. Fishtale isn't but maybe five years old. All cedar cabins and motel. They have five cabins I believe. I have stayed in the biggest one three times. It even has a covered carport for your boat. Three bedrooms and sleeps six easily. It has laundry and full kitchen as well. They have a big covered entertainment area that they have weigh ins and parties for big tourneys. I stayed there for a week at the Crappie U.S.A. classic last fall and we went to cook outs and Steve Deason's birthday party was the first night and they brought up an entire truck load of lobster for everyone. I have stayed with David and Sharon so many times and I send them a lot of business that in the winter if they have open cabins they give me one for the same price as a motel room. David is a semi retired BASS pro and ran the circuit for over twenty years. Sharon is an accomplished fisherman herself and they are very knowledgable about bass fishing. Right next door is a new tackle store called Elliots. They have everything you need and Richard Williams, when he isn't guiding is in there working. They sell bait by the pound like it should be. There is a lot of minnow counters down there. Try it you will like it and besides it is a lot closer to where you want to fish than Mansards. Up front at mouth of Big Sandy in winter. Fish aren't too far away from the Tennessee.