Crappie Fishing Ky/Barkley Lake

[badbrad]

Can anyone tell me whether there is any noticeable difference in the fishing for crappie between Ky and Barkley Lake? Are the numbers and size similar or does one generally outshine the other.

[captainbezerko]

You'll catch the same quality of fish on both lakes, but Kentucky Lake seems to be the one that everyone thinks of when you mention crappie fishing. Alot of it is personal preference.

[badbrad]

Thanks for the reply.....can you recommend a good place to start? I've only been on the lake a couple of times...it's a large body of water.

[badbrad]

Thanks for the reply.....can you recommend a good place to start? I've only been on the lake a couple of times...it's a large body of water.

[captainbezerko]

Badbrad, sorry I haven't been on here in awhile. I've been busy. Which lake are you talking about? Kentucky or Barkley? Yes, I live here and have fished both lakes all of my life. As far as a recommendation of where to go, well that depends upon which lake you're talking about. For Kentucky lake, I would suggest the Jonathan Creek/Moors bays. Let me know where you're planning on going and I'll be able to tell you more. And yes, they are both very large bodies of water!!

[Don]

I have a condo on Lake Barkley at Kuttawa. Is there any areas or patterns at this end of the lake that you recommend. I have caught crappie at Sledd Creek, but it would be great if there were some closer.
Thanks for your thoughts,
Don

[CoolCrappie]

Don,
Try the bridge debrie just outside the entrance to Kttawa bay.
Be carefull around the concrete.

[CrappiePappy]

welcome aboard !

You're one lucky dude, having a condo right on Barkley Lake :D
I haven't been down that way in many years, but I did fish that area whenever I went to Barkley. Here's the best I can give you -

I usually went down around Apr 21st & camped/fished for a week. Stayed in the COE Canal Campgrounds, up by Grand Rivers. I fished with minnows under a float - about 1.5ft deep (from minnow to float) - using a 10ft pole rigged "cane pole" style with Cortland Braid (snelled my own hooks/mono line - so if I snagged I could break off the leader mono). I fished around any "buck bushes", stumps, laydowns, or "wood" cover I could find in 5ft of water or less.
Looking at a map of Barkley - find the dam .... now, on the "left" there are two bays between Lake City & Grand Rivers - I fished those. On the "right" are two shallow bays with creeks running into them ... the one closest to the dam with stumps marked and a creek running in, is good. The next one with Cypress Creek running into it is good (esp if the bushes are flooded, or logs have drifted in and sunk). Now - still on the "right" side - right on the "bend" point, is a bay at Boyds Landing. It used to have "buck bushes" from the left bank at the mouth ... all the way to the back of the bay. I fished there, and usually caught some of my biggest Crappie from there. Heading on uplake from there ... I'd stop in the pockets on either side of Money Cliff. Then I'd go into the creek at Buzzard Rock and hang a hard left into the pocket off to the left. Then I'd come out of there and go into Poplar Creek ... stopping just inside the narrow "cut thru" and fish the dropoff (where the right side point of the cut thru meets the channel). Going on back into Poplar Creek ... the creek splits and there were "buck bushes" on either side, just before you get to the bridges. There "was", also, some deep brush off the big round point, that's straight across from the Marina. Coming out of there ... I'd go right around the corner to the Kuttawa bay ... fish the road bed in the back of the (right hand) bay - then drift the middle of the bay (there's a culvert there, supposedly).
That's as far as I'd go, in a days time ... kind of a "milk run" that I'd repeat each day. I only had a little 15ft Bass boat w/50hp motor ... so I tried to keep my daily runs as quick and simple as possible.
Hope that helps you some .... luck2ya ......cp

[Don]

Crappiepappy and Coolcrappie,
I really appreciate the tips. I will give it a go when my brother from NC comes over.
Thanks again,
Don