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An extended stay of hot and humid weather has dominated the Kentucky Lake fishing scene for the last two weeks. Dog days of summer have hung around until the end as the official transition of seasons occurs on Monday.

While the first day of fall will officially arrive Monday on the calendar, out on the lake it looks like more like summer's grip will be stubborn to let go anytime soon. Daytime highs will remain in the upper 80's with night cooling to the upper 60's.

Anglers are yearning for cooler days and lower surface temperatures. Readings lately remain around the 80-degree range. Water color is clear as very little rain has fallen across the region lately.

Lake levels are in the 355.9 range. Discharge rates at Kentucky Dam have been in the 25,000 cfs (cubic feet per second) range producing a light current.

With daytime highs running some ten degrees above normal cooler surface temps are not likely to arrive until a cold front descends, bringing change to the region. The area is very thirsty.

A few catfish have been taken lately out on the edge of the main river channel whenever some current is present. Depths of 35 to 50 feet have produced a few blue and channel catfish which are out there in pursuit of the balls of baitfish.

Most fishermen are bumping bottom with a double hook rig armed with nightcrawlers. A few are using commercial stink baits and catching fish while others are trying big minnows or cut shad and bluegill as bait.

Scattered stringers of crappie have been taken but the overall bite as of late has been sluggish for most anglers. Low numbers have been reported across the board the last week or ten days.

Normally crappie begin moving up to shallow or midrange depths by early to mid-September but no doubting the negative influence of the high surface temperatures accompanied by hot sunny days and no cloud cover.

Even anglers who have mastered the high tech sonar units say can see fish around structure but cannot get them to bite. Several fish appear to be residing in the 12 to 15 foot depth range---some even less---but getting them to take a jig or live minnow presentation has been challenging at times.

The sluggish mood of September crappie will change once cooler days and cloud cover return to the fishing scene. That early fall bite is overdue to kick in anytime.

Some anglers have attempted casting jigs around stakebeds and brushpiles in a variety of depths but the mood of the fish has not been cooperative.

A few white bass have busted the surface at times as they pursue schools of shad out over shallow sandbars near the main channel areas. Several schools of the smaller yellow bass are out there but some of the large white bass are there too.

Bass fishermen are still stalking the main lake ledges tossing swim baits and crankbaits. A few smallmouth have been located at times as have a few small schools of largemouth roaming the sandbars.

Anglers fan casting the backs of big bays in search of shad activity have found the bite inconsistent too.

It's high time bass were moving up on gravel banks in the early morning and late afternoon hours when lowlight conditions stimulate midge hatches that result in some topwater feeding sprees.

Tossing chrome colored Rattle Traps usually yield both bass and white bass this time of year if baitfish are located.

Both the anglers and fish on Kentucky Lake are tired of enduring the long hot summer conditions. Now that fall has officially arrived (Sept 22nd) let's have some fall temps to enter the fishing picture!