Hybrid action on Barren

As much as I hate to admit it.....I couldn't catch a crappie right now if you gave me a stick of dynomite. SO, I have experimented with trolling for Hybrid on Barren River lake. Finding large schools of fish in 15 foot of water and catching the fire out of em. Caught over 70 on Sunday afternoon in about a four hour period. (only kept 16) Most fish were small...but Hybrids don't seem to think they are small. Had some 3 to 3 1/2 lbs. I've dressed some...cut out the red vein and am waiting to try them. Hope they eat good.....I'm sure they are nothing like Crappie though. Waiting for fall and cooler weather to pursue the crappie.

I do the same thing on Taylorsville Lake ... until the heat and traffic run me off ... LOL!!
Usually I'll get to the lake just before Sunup ... and cast jigs to fallen timber on deep banks with shade, for Crappie. Once I run out of laydowns, and hit some selected standing timber areas, I'll usually put the Crappie rods away and break out the trolling rod. I'm pulling a large model Hot-n-Tot, with a 12-18 inch leader line tied to the front hook eye, and a 1/16 or 1/32oz hair jig tied on the leader. I'll catch most of the fish on the jig ... but, occasionally a Hybrid or Bass or Catfish will hit the Hot-n-Tot. But, even they seem to prefer hitting the jig more often than the crankbait ... LOL!! I've even caught some decent sized Crappie (11-12") when trolling this setup.
I had more luck catching Hybrids & Bass when trolling with the small sized Hot-n-Tot ... but, the smaller version tends to roll a lot more often, at the speed I troll - so I opt for the larger size.
The Hybrids used to be quite numerous in the 15+ inch range, at Taylorsville ... but, the White Bass have migrated out of the Salt River and into the main lake, and you're more likely to catch one of them. That, and the "chicken liver" anglers have decimated the population of larger Hybrids. That's right - chicken livers catch Hybrids !! I think the Catfish anglers let the "cat out of the bag" ... and the Hybrid seekers picked up on it, with very good results - maybe too good :(
If the Hybrids are "jumping" (busting Shad) or running shallow ... I usually use a White painted "Silver Buddy" - either casting the jumps or trolling behind the boat. It's only when the traffic runs them deep, or they're already running deep, that I use the crankbait/jig setup to troll with. Even then I find most of the fish to be running around the 8-12ft depths ... along the banks where the depths drop off pretty quickly. And any "humps", and especially "humps with stumps" are a good place to pick up some fish.
The trolling reel is spooled with 10-12lb mono ... the leader line is 4-6lb mono. And I "always" have a lure knocker handy - to free the crankbait from some treetop or stump I didn't know about :rolleyes: ...LOL!!
I've heard some good reports about Barren ... just wish it wasn't so far from Lexington. It's bad enough that I have to travel 1.5hrs, just to get to Taylorsville. It's the same travel time to get to Cave Run. Herrington Lake is less than 1hr away ... but I primarily fish it for Bass. Crappie are hard to find there, unless you fish it a lot. I'm still waiting for the Crappie, at Cedar Creek Lake, to grow up. It's an hour drive ... but, at least there are no "lake lice" allowed on it.
Wherever you go, and whatever you fish for ..... luck2ya ........cp :cool:

Crappie Pappy....sorry just now responding to your reply. The Hybrid on Barren are a mysterious fish. Went back this Sunday afternoon and only caught 9. The fish are stacked in 15 foot of water but just couldn't get them to bite. We've been trolling with a DD 22 crankbait. I take off the back treble hook, run about a 5 foot leader and then tie a "pet" spoon size 12. The absolutely love that spoon. The Hybrid on Barren still seem pretty numerous.....and the size range is good as well. I'd still rather catch crappie. I'm trying to improve my habitat for them...but with them drawing the lake down so much during the winter it makes it difficult to put out attractors. I'm going to attempt to put out some structure that will be in good water after the draw down that will give me something to fish over through the winter. Believe it or not, I seem to catch better crappie then. Do you have any suggestions what would be the best way to go about this? Also, if you ever want to try out the hybrid on Barren....just come on down. Thanks.

What type of hybrids are you speaking about? Where is Barren lake , Western Ky or Eastern Ky? I am looking for places to try for white bass/striper hybrids . Thanks Steve

Yes - we are talking about "those" kind of Hybrids .... Hybrid Stripers/Wipers (True Striper crossed with White Bass).
The lake is here - http://www.lrl.usace.army.mil/brl/

You can also catch Hybrids & White Bass at Taylorsville Lake & at Herrington Lake ... although the Hybrids & Whites at Taylorsville will be on the small side, and the White Bass at Herrington can be hard to find. The Hybrids at Herrington Lake have been known to grow to the 15+lb size (the last known lake record, to me, was an 18lb fish - caught in the last year or so). ...luck2ya ...cp :cool:

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Originally Posted by crappiepappy

Yes - we are talking about "those" kind of Hybrids .... Hybrid Stripers/Wipers (True Striper crossed with White Bass).
The lake is here - http://www.lrl.usace.army.mil/brl/

You can also catch Hybrids & White Bass at Taylorsville Lake & at Herrington Lake ... although the Hybrids & Whites at Taylorsville will be on the small side, and the White Bass at Herrington can be hard to find. The Hybrids at Herrington Lake have been known to grow to the 15+lb size (the last known lake record, to me, was an 18lb fish - caught in the last year or so). ...luck2ya ...cp :cool:

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Thanks very much. It is about 429 miles from here to there. I am retiring soon and am making a list of possible lakes to chase striper and their cousins. If the gas prices break, I will be there sometime in the near future. Thanks for the other locations. I understand the cumberland river offers excellent striper fishing too. Should you use a guide on the river?

Hey Iamfishing,
I would definately recommend a guide if you are fishing the Cumberland river, especially the Ky section. IMO its tricky running the rivers that fluctuate with dam outflow. Lots of junk and shallow areas. I was on the river twice with guide Greg Cary (I think his guide business has changed names, so I don't know what it's called now) and would be nervous about fishing it by myself. Good luck with your fishing adventures.

Greenfish

Thanks Greenfish. Couple fellows from here, Clover SC. visit the Cumberland each year. I have also spoken with them recently and the advise is the same.