Kentucky Lake Homes For Sale  |  Levels  |   Events |   Lake Cam

• Places To Stay
• Things To Do
• Fishing
• Boating
• Local Guide

In the aftermath of increased rainfall across the TVA valley lake levels on Kentucky Lake have been rising lately and climbed above normal summer pool the last week or so.

Elevation lately rose several inches and had crested around 360.5, which is about 18-inches above the summer pool levels of 359. Water color has been clear.

Surface temperatures has been lingering around the 75 degree range. As of this posting lake levels were slowly receding and were 360.4.

TVA is pushing a large volume of water through Kentucky Dam----over 60,000 cubic feet per second (cfs)---some days. Other days it had diminished slightly to 52,000, which is still enough to produce a lot of current in the main Tennessee River channel.

Increased current has stimulated the catfish bite lately. Some hefty stringers have been taken in the last few days. Anytime a surge in current takes place it increases movement of shad schools and that, in turn, stimulates the catfish bite as more fish are on the move.

Coolers full of both channel and blue catfish were showing up for anglers, most of which were using either night crawlers or marinated hot dogs in red Kool Aid soaked with garlic. That combination is quite appealing to catfish.

Moving water stirs up plankton and algae. That stimulates the whole food chain as baitfish, namely gizzard and threadfin shad, are out and about. Schools of catfish are hot on their trail too.

It’s a good time to load the boat with catfish while they’re on a feeding spree as a result of increased current.

Also biting are bedding bluegill that made another recent surge in activity courtesy of May’s second full moon. It occurred on the last day of the month, triggering both bluegill and some shellcracker to return to spawning beds with quite an appetite.

Having two full moons in May is unusual. Anglers are the beneficiary as it brings bluegill back to shallow gravel and sandy areas for a second spawning spree. Higher lake levels have put the fish up around weedbeds and buck bushes lately.

Casting or long poling crickets, meal or redworms or bits of nightcrawlers beneath bobbers in 2 to 5 foot depths works great. The male bluegill have been aggressive, guarding the spawning beds which means fast action for fishermen.

When spawning the males are quite protective of the spawning beds and will strike a bait that enters the zone. Males are dark colored, sporting a bright orange belly due to hormonal changes. The females are pale yellow or almost white.

Bass fishermen are taking advantage of high lake levels too as shoreline buck bushes and weedbeds offer abundant opportunities right now for tossing Texas rigged lizards and worms plus spinnerbaits and topwater presentations.

From buzzbaits to topwater jerk baits, it’s a surface bait Mecca out there right now.

Shad fry have been hatching and the abundant schools of the tiny minnows relate to structure and lure bass to their locale. Anglers will see the abundance of forage as you drag your lure by shallow structure and the schools sparkle their whereabouts, revealing the potential fishing spots.

Scores of bass fishermen are pitching and flipping jig/craw combos around the visible cover reaping the benefits too. Green pumpkin-pepper colored craws and lizards have been deadly color choices.

Other anglers have backed off the banks and fishing some main lake humps for post-spawn bass that had been pulling out toward summer venues.

Tossing big crankbaits and assorted finesse baits has worked on main lake areas but the rising lake levels may have pulled some deep fish back to shallow shorelines where an abundance of forage awaits them.

Some crappie fishermen are dunking minnows and jigs around midrange stakebeds and brushpiles lately, picking off a few scattered post-spawn fish.

Crappie have been somewhat scattered, which is not unusual for late May. Watch for the bite to improve as June brings on warmer surface temps and the reservoir falls back to normal summer pool levels soon.