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At over 210,000 acres of water, Kentucky and Barkley Lakes are large
but are easily fishable in a modest size boat. Boaters can find
public access boat ramps for the lake near Grand Rivers in Nickell
Branch and Double Creek. Don’t have a boat? You can find great
spots to fish from shore including the Grand Rivers Jetty on
Kentucky lake, the Grand Rivers little jetty on Little lake and
along the shores of the canal that joins Kentucky and Barkley
Lakes. Little Lake is home to the Annual Grand Rivers Free
Kids Fishing Event.
You can also hire a fishing guide and boat to try your luck for the
day. Click here
for local fishing guide information..
The rivers and
lakes of Western Kentucky offer an abundance of sport fish species
including catfish, sauger, bass, crappie, bluegill and more.
For information on Kentucky fishing limits and minimum sizes visit
www.fw.ky.gov
So now that you have a license, how do you find the fish? Fish
follow patterns. Their location will change with the season,
weather and water temperature. Here are a few fishing tips from our local
expert Jim Doom of Between the Rivers Guide Service to get you hooked!
Catfish
Catfishing is good year round on Kentucky and Barkley lakes. In the
winter months you will find catfish in deep water (30 – 60 feet)
where the creek channels empty into the main river channels. Your
best bet in the colder months is to fish deep at an elevation change
or drop-off. During April and May you can catch large numbers in
the Canal between Kentucky and Barkley Lakes. Once the weather
warms up they will move back to the deep river channels. If you are
fishing for catfish use minnows, night crawlers, shad, yellowtails
or herring as your bait.
Sauger
Sauger; another bottom fish, is a cooler weather fish and one of the
most popular fish for good eating. Fish for sauger from the canal
out to the river channel – deep. You should also find good sauger
fishing in the tail waters of the dams. Sauger spawns earlier than
many other fish species, and in February you should find them along
rocky points in the canal. The best sauger fishing is September
through March. Use a jig (pink and Chartreuse are good colors for
sauger) tipped with a minnow and bounce your bait along the bottom.
Black Bass
The Black Bass category includes Largemouth, Smallmouth and Kentucky
bass. All are abundant in both Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley. Bass
can be caught throughout the year but April through November is the
best time for bass fishing. Spring; when the bass are spawning
offers the very best bass fishing. During spring the most popular
baits are jig and pig, lizards and worms fished on a Carolina rig,
spinner baits and crank baits. During the summer the bass move out
to deeper water along creek channels. When the water starts to cool
in September the bass move to shallow water again to feed on the
schools of yellowtails and shad. A top water lure fished around
these schools of baitfish offers some of the most exciting fishing
of the year. After the water cools to around 50 degrees, they move
back toward deeper water. Try using suspending bait in this cooler
time of year.
Crappie
There is an abundance of these panfish in Kentucky and Barkley
Lakes. You can fish for crappie from September through May. Mid
March through April is the best time to catch large numbers of these
fish. After the span they move out to deeper water (10-20 feet)
where they can still be caught but not as easily as in early
spring. In early fall, crappie can be found around creek channels
and stake beds. Minnows and jigs are the most popular baits
year-round for these fish.
Bluegill
Bluegill are also abundant in Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley. Bluegill are one of the
best fish to introduce future anglers to the sport of fishing. They
can be caught year-round but April through May is the best time for
Bluegill fishing. During this time you can catch Bluegill around
the shore in one to six feet of water. After the spawn, Bluegill
move to deeper water around docks and creek channels. Use small
jigs and worms (was, red, meal and night crawlers) to catch these
fish.
White bass
Although they can be caught year-round, April through October is the
best time to fish for white bass. Top water baits are good early
and late in the day. During the day, fish with slab spoons and
Roostertails.
Striped bass and Rockfish
Although these fish are found mostly in the tail waters below
Kentucky dam and Barkley dam, the population of the stripped bass had
increased in Kentucky and Barkley lakes in recent years. The
stripped bass can be caught in the same way as the white bass and
below Kentucky and Barkley dams in the tail waters. If you are
fishing for striped bass below the dam use jigs and live bait and
fish in the swift water. In mid April start using a top water lure.
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