Thread: Spring Crappie run Ky Lkae

The water don't have to be up to catch'um. Falling water & cold fronts are what kills ya!

Originally Posted by howferg

I have benn coming to Ky lake for 4 years now, My question is should I wait till they raise the water , and if so about how long after it has gone to pool?

Can't really help you on your water level question, as I never paid any attention to water levels back when I used to fish down there ... I just always went when vacation days were available :p (and that was usually around the third weekend of April). I always fished the dam ends of either lake ... mostly dippin minners in the buck bushes ... but usually found some good sized fish. Even went one time, and when we got there it was flooded & muddy ... and people were turning around in the parking lots & going back home
Bad move on their part, as it turned out ... we fished the live trees that were flooded along the creek banks (~ 4ft deep/dirty stained water) and caught quite a few good fish. Again, we were fishing minner/float rigs set at about 2ft, and fished right against the flooded tree trunks (more than a foot away from the tree & no bites )

If you haven't already read this, look thru it "competely" & see if it can give you any insight. It's a little dated, but the patterns should still be close (since Crappie are generally repetitive in their patterns). Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources - Preliminary Results

You never know about the Crappie at KY/Barkley .... I've caught them in <5fow in early April (KY Lake) with air temps still in the 30's - and at Barkley Lake, in the bucks & stumps, as late as early May. Caught Crappie on both lakes, in flooded conditions .... KY Lake / clear water --- Barkley/Ky Lakes in dirty water.

Slowly rising water & water temps is your best bet .... but, don't overlook flooded conditions, even in the early part of the season. And keep your eyes on here .... 'cause when they start movin in, our guys are going to let us know !!

... cp

Water level doesn't really make a difference. The same fish are in the lake so it doesn't matter. It's more the lake conditions and weather conditions that dictates the mood of the fish when you arrive. I've been going to Ky Lake for the last 20 years or so and just want stable conditions than anything else. If you stay flexable in your presentation you should do okay in almost any condition.
I think really high winds is the hardest factor to overcome.

Oh yeah....if you watch for Wiskers posts he is dead on every year. Print his latest post before your trip and "carry it under you arm (for reference) like a bible" you'll do well. That man does know his fish!

Water level does make a difference, so does the fact of if the TVA is pulling any current or not.

I would call the TVA and get water level information, sometimes fishing guides post water level information on their websites, so you may look there that time of year.


Good Luck to you.

Originally Posted by Kentucky Lake

Water level does make a difference.

Not if you know the fish and know what you're do'n.

Water temp & weather are your primary factors. Rising or falling water will dictate wheather they are moving up or out. Low water, as long as it is stable has no effect on how the fish bite. As a matter of fact the lower the water, the less water you have to eliminate. Current (how much water TVA is releasing) has minimal effect on the fish in the spring. At that time of year 99% of the fish are gonna be in bays with the baitfish and out of the current. Summer and winter are a little different because most of the fish are in the main lake. Current will bunch the fish up on the ledges in low or high water. But that's not what he is inquiring about. He asked about spring.

Again, I don't care if the water is winter pool, summer pool, high water, or somewhere in between. You give me the water temp., & the last 72 hrs of weather & water level (don't care if its high or low. Don't matter. I'm looking fo rising, falling, or stable.), & I'll take it from there. Fish are fish. They have to eat to servive. They're gonna eat wheather they're in a milk jug or a bathtub if the wanna live.

The only possible exception to this would be flood stage in spring. The fish get out in the cow pastures where I can't get to'um.

Again, my original statement was... "The water don't have to be up to catch'um. Falling water & cold fronts are what kills ya!" I stand by that.

I will be more than happy to prove my theory this spring.

Weather can have an effect on water level. Shallow water can warm faster than deeper water also. Hint: A shallow farm pond can warm much faster than a 160,000 acre lake, like KY Lake. So the water level of a body of water can easily help to dictate the water temperature, and ultimately the fish habits in certain circumstances.

I will make a report on this. The first week of April. Because I will be in whiskers boat the last week of March.
The problem could be that some of you guys are fishing kentucky Lake after whiskers is done. And yes the fishing will be tough.
because all the biguns are in whiskers freezer. I know this to be a fact because I fried last springs catch and some off the slabes were at least a 1/2 thick. I even cut some of the big ones up to fry.
This guy knows Ky Lake better than anyone on it. I have fished with him many times.
If you are having problems, ask him a question He will give you the TRUTH no BS.
He might just tell you were to be in the morning and put you on the fish. Thats the kind of guy he is.
He can talk the bull with the best of them. But he will not steer you wrong on the crappie.
They should put him on a fishin show on the north end of KY lake catchin crappie.
All you would hear is UNH!!

Originally Posted by Kentucky Lake

Weather can have an effect on water level. Shallow water can warm faster than deeper water also. Hint: A shallow farm pond can warm much faster than a 160,000 acre lake, like KY Lake. So the water level of a body of water can easily help to dictate the water temperature, and ultimately the fish habits in certain circumstances.

You are making this much more complicated than it is. He asked if he needed to wait for the water to come up this spring to catch fish. The answer is no. Not maybe. Not kinda. Not well it depends. I can catch fish in low water. crappiemax know this too & he don't even live here.

Shallow water will warm quicker especially if there is color. As for the farm ponds... I was fishing in Ky lake last year while local farm ponds were still frozen. You evidently forgot that Ky & Barkley are river run lakes. Their water comes from down south where the water is warmer. Thats why the bays freeze sometimes and the main lake seldom does.

I''ll say it 1 more time. It don't matter how high the lake is. If you know the water temp. and where the fish will be at that temp., that time of year, (water temp. is gonna dictate were the fish are). Not the water depth!!! I caught limits of fish 4 years ago, the last of febuary & first of mar. fishing 3' deep in 5' of water. I based my decision to look there on 3 things, 1. water temp., 2. water clarity (heavy stained), & 3. last 3 days of weather. Everybody else was still fish'n 20' of water. Except my buddies that I let in on the pattern. :D You know who you are. :D

You got it backwards. Somewhere in that lake there is gonna be 1' of water & somewhere there is gonna be 25' regardless of winter or summer pool. There will be diff. water temps. The fish will seek out the temp. that their body is most active. Been that way with cold blooded animals sinse time began. You don't believe that, wait and see how many dead snakes you see on the road after a few sunny days this spring. Somebody tells you the fish are 10' deep they ain't there because of the depth of the water. They are there because of the water temp. & light penitration.

TVA doesn't start there official pool raising until April 1 and then it is a slow gradual process to summer pool. As a rule many of the Black crappie have already spawned. They make up the majority of the population. Soooo, if you wait for the water to raise you are missing out on about 60% to 70% of the fish.