The March Lion

Hello fishing fans! This past week the March lion has definitely reared its ugly head! High winds and rain have made fishing on the lakes pretty tough. Heavy rains have kept the west side of Kentucky lake very muddy and made the crappie bite difficult. That being said if you can brave the winds and find groups of fish they will still bite. This week I fished the northern section of the lake for a few days this week, and have had moderate success when I could get a bait directly in front of the fish. Slow is the name of the game and I've had to upsize my baits because of muddy water. The quality of fish had been great, Thursdays trip yielding several fish in the 1lb and a half to 2lb class, and having a few different year classes in the creel. I am also seeing a lot of short fish in the mix which bodes well for the next couple of years. So far this has been the story on both ends of the lake! I am hopeful that fishing will return to the days that we all remember. Something else I have noticed over the past couple of weeks is less numbers in carp. seems like the efforts to thin them out have been somewhat of a success.

Now onto the crappies! Seems like the fish are moving very fast this year towards shallower water. Most of the groups I have seen this week have been in 6-12' of water with lots of scattered fish. They are not necessarily hanging tight to structure and seem to be pretty spooky. you can still catch a some in the piles but the most of them seem to be roaming or buried on the bottom. With the water as muddy as it is, it has made catching those roaming fish more difficult. I look for the bite to pick up significantly when the mud moves out of the system and the wind dies down a bit. I have been single poling jigs using livescope to place my baits right in front of them. One eighth to 1/4 oz jigs and big bright baits have worked best for me in dirty water. Oranges and chartreuse have been my best colors in a 3" bait.

As always Be safe out on the lakes, particularly this time of year when storms and wind can pop up suddenly. Wear your PFD and mind your weather apps and warnings! I still have a few dates open in April but not many. Give me a call to book your trip! 270-978-0885