Kentucky Lake Bass Fishing: Largemouth Bass & Smallmouth Bass
Kentucky Lake has some incredible bass fishing, which is obvious to anyone that has watched some of the fishing tournaments that are televised every year. It takes quite a few bass in the 4 to 5 pound range with some pushing 6 or 7 pounds to place high in a bass tournament on Kentucky Lake.
Kentucky Lake Largemouth Bass
Spring - From late winter to early spring, expect the bass to start moving into shallower water. They will begin their transition from the main lake into the creeks and bays. Pre-spawn largemouths will be found on the main lake points and typically the first secondary points. From mid-April through early May, you can expect most of the largemouth bass to have moved shallow to spawn. It all depends on the weather and a cold front can easily push bass out of the bays into deeper water. Follow the fishing reports to get an idea of when the bass fishing heats up. It can get really good here. Bass will be feeding on a variety of baits such as crankbaits, jigs, spinnerbaits, soft plastics and live bait. Once bass get into their post-spawn pattern you can typically still find plenty of bass shallow, but it is mostly the smaller males. The bigger females will move to deeper water to recover from the spawn and they will be harder to catch.
Summer can be frustrating for bass fishermen on Kentucky Lake if they are not familiar with fishing for deep water bass. While there will always be some bass that come into the shallows to feed during the mornings and evenings in the summer, the most experienced Kentucky Lake bass anglers know that there are schools of big bass that hang out on the ledges. Kentucky Lake ledge fishing can provide some tremendous results. If you find the right school of fish, you can expect bass to run from 2 to 5 pounds with some pushing 7 pounds. It may be difficult to find bass in the summer though. Look for steep drop-offs on the main lake. You are going to need to use your electronics and some current is good for fishing. No current makes fishing tough on the ledges. Some good lures to use during the summer are 10 inch plastic worms, big crankbaits, topwaters on the flats, big spinnerbaits on the flats and live bait.
Fall is a transitional period that will keep some largemouths on the ledges while others move into the bays to follow the shad as the water temperatures cool down. It’s nice to have options of fishing deep or shallow, but it can be more difficult to figure out a pattern on any given day. Bass will active throughout the day as water temperatures drop back into the 60s. Bigger baits work well in the fall as these bass get their feed on before winter.
Winter - Bass fishing isn’t very popular during the winter on Kentucky Lake, but a warm front every now and then can be enough to turn on some bass. Expect to fish deeper and slower. Vertical jigging with spoons can be effective.
Kentucky Lake Smallmouth Bass
Spring - The smallmouths start moving shallower to spawn a little earlier than the largemouths do on Kentucky Lake. Remember that this lake has a lot more largemouth bass than smallmouth bass, but there is a healthy enough population to go out and target smallmouths. The key to smallmouth bass is finding the rocks. Rocky shorelines and creek channels at the mouth of embayments are good places to start.
Summer - Smallmouth bass will be in deeper water along the main river channel as well as along the rocky bluffs. Night fishing is very popular on Kentucky Lake during the summer for smallmouth bass. Spinnerbaits, crankbaits, jigs and tubes will work well at night. Dragging jigs, tubes or creature baits can be effective along the gravel bars.
Fall fishing can be excellent for smallmouth bass. There will be some fish shallow, while others will be deep, but expect the smallmouth bass to come into the shallow to feed during the early mornings and evenings. A school of smallmouth bass can move onto a gravel bar and put the feed on in a hurry. At times, the bite may be strong for only 15 or 20 minutes, but you can limit out in that time if you’re in the right place at the right time with the right bait. Crankbaits, jigs and tubes work well. Live nightcrawlers and minnows will also catch plenty of smallmouth bass.
Winter fishing is not very popular, but some smallmouth bass can be caught in deeper water. You’ll need to fish slow and downsize your baits.
For more information on the lake, please visit Kentucky Lake.
