Winter Time Blues

Welcome to Kentucky!  Ever changing weather patterns have made fishing these past few weeks rough for the anglers and the fish.  When you can get a few days of stable weather there is a bite to be had.   A recent high school tourney has posted some great weights for bass.  The reports I have gotten is they seem to be schooled up and ready to eat if you can get to them.   The Twin Lakes Crappie Club Classic last Saturday posted some good crappie weights.  My partner and I were fortunate to take the win with 10.48.  The next two bags were over 10 lbs and fourth was a stout 9 lb.  The fish will bite if you can find them.  We caught ours mostly trolling a ledge with scattered brush and stumps, 9- 16'  seemed to me the most productive depths. 

Now as far as this crazy weather goes, I encourage anyone reading this to take precautions before venturing out in the cold.  Our water temp has been hovering around 47 degrees, that's plenty cold to be dangerous.  A couple of things I encourage you to consider are:  take an extra change of clothes, Wear a PFD the whole time you are fishing,  use extra caution when moving about the boat, and always let someone know where you are going to be.

PFD’s are very important this time of year due to all the extra clothing that you are wearing.  If you were to fall in by accident Would be much heavier to try and swim in.  Also having an extra change of clothes could be the difference between getting hypothermia and making it back safely to the ramp.  Safety should always be a number one concern in rough weather.

Another winter time tip if the weather is less than desirable is to take this time for tackle and boat prep.  I spend nasty days studying maps, organizing tackle, making baits, boat repairs, and making structure for new spots.  All these things can be done in the warm and dry and will help you stay ready for those few mild days that we will have between now and spring.  So watch the weather carefully and if your able pick your days.  The fish should stay fairly stable through the winter months.  I would look for them to be in deeper wintering holes, if it is sunny out concentrate more on structure and if you have a run of cloudy days I would look for them to suspend a little.

Thank you for taking time to read this report stay safe out there and tight lines!