| ||||||||||
 
Dr. Ronald P. Rogers CHIROPRACTOR Support for your body's natural healing capabilities 270-384-5554 Click here for details 
  
Columbia Gas Dept. GAS LEAK or GAS SMELL Contact Numbers 24 hrs/ 365 days 270-384-2006 or 9-1-1 Call before you dig 
Visit ColumbiaMagazine's Directory of Churches Addresses, times, phone numbers and more for churches in Adair County Find Great Stuff in ColumbiaMagazine's Classified Ads Antiques, Help Wanted, Autos, Real Estate, Legal Notices, More... 
|
KY Afield Outdoors: Crappie time is just around the corner This is the fourth installment of the "Spring Fishing Fever" series of fishing articles, which detail productive fishing opportunities across Kentucky. By Lee McClellan FRANKFORT, Ky. - Although the redbud trees haven't bloomed yet, it isn't too early to start fishing for crappie. Black crappie are likely along rocky banks now in lakes that have them. "With the water temperatures still in the mid-40s, white crappie are likely staging in deeper water right now," said Jeff Crosby, central fisheries district biologist for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. "With the longer photoperiod and the warmer temperatures on the way, they will be moving up to the shallows." The big twins of western Kentucky, Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley, along with Green River Lake and Taylorsville Lake all receive oodles of fishing pressure for the crappie that swim in their waters. However, Kentucky is also blessed with other less known waters holding bountiful populations of crappie that don't receive the adulation and fishing pressure of their more well known brethren. While known for its excellent largemouth bass fishing, wood strewn 2,315-acre Yatesville Lake in Lawrence County holds good numbers of quality white crappie with many in the 15-inch range. "In our latest population sampling, Yatesville had the most crappie we've ever sampled in the 10- to 14-inch range," said Kevin Frey, eastern fisheries district biologist for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. Yatesville Lake, near the West Virginia border, more resembles a flatland reservoir with abundant woody cover than a mountain lake. Probe the fallen tree tops and submerged trees with live minnows suspended under a bobber and adjust the depth until you get bites. The timbered coves and banks near the confluence of Blaine and Greenbrier creeks hold crappie. "In the upper part of Blaine Creek at the Rich Creek boat access, we've placed fish structures and cut down trees for bank anglers to catch crappie," Frey said. "There are numerous pull offs along KY 32 for bank anglers. It is good fishing in that area in spring." Cave Run Lake is full of 2- to 3-year-old crappie, providing excellent opportunity for both black and white crappie. The deep weedbeds in the mouths of Skidmore and Leatherwood creeks in the Beaver Creek arm attract black crappie in March and into April. Black crappie tend to move into the shallows earlier in the year than white crappie. White crappie stay out in deeper water along creek channels while blacks may be in just a few feet of water along rocky banks at the same time. The abundant woody structures around Bangor Boat Ramp and fallen trees along the island near Poppin Rock Boat Ramp in the North Fork Arm of Cave Run provide excellent fishing for white and black crappie. One of the crappie sleepers flows off of Pine Mountain all the way to northern Kentucky. The Kentucky River holds considerable numbers of crappie a foot long or better. "The river goes in cycles, but there are some good fish in there," Crosby said. "The crappie in the Kentucky like those creek mouths and backwater areas with little current." Tributaries at their confluence with the Kentucky River have abundant root wads, undercut banks and washed in tree tops and brush. Probe all of these with live minnows suspended under a bobber or with 1/16-ounce chartreuse Roadrunner style spinner baits dressed with a matching 2-inch curly-tailed grub. "Another flowing water to consider is the Ohio River. It is really, really good for crappie right now," Crosby said. The Ohio River offers good crappie fishing from Ashland downstream to the Purchase Region in far western Kentucky. He recommends backwater areas along the river, often formed where tributaries meet the main stem of the Ohio. "With all of the flooding on the Ohio, those embayments should have fish right now. Target brushy areas with live minnows in those embayments." Guist Creek Lake covers 317 acres in Shelby County. It is also overlooked for crappie. "We saw some really nice crappie last fall in our population surveying," Crosby said. "I think most of the fishing pressure there is on largemouth bass." Early spring is a good time to catch large white crappie 11 inches and longer on Barren River Lake in Allen and Barren counties. Known throughout the Midwest and upper South as a superior largemouth bass lake and written up in national magazines, Barren River Lake holds a burgeoning population of black crappie as well, which now make up 60 percent of the total crappie population in the lake. Casting banks composed of pea gravel with lime-green 2-inch curly-tailed grubs rigged on red 1/8-ounce leadheads is a productive presentation for black crappie. Drifting live minnows along creek channels in March and early April fools big white crappie on Barren before they move into the shallows to spawn. The huge snows of just a few weeks ago are now in the dustbin of history. It is time to get out and catch some crappie. Author Lee McClellan is a nationally award-winning associate editor for Kentucky Afield magazine, the official publication of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. He is a life-long hunter and angler, with a passion for smallmouth bass fishing. This story was posted on 2015-03-26 16:07:30
Printable: this page is now automatically formatted for printing.
Have comments or corrections for this story? Use our contact form and let us know.
More articles from topic Ky Afield Outdoors:
Golden eagle captured in Bernheim Forest KY Afield Outdoors: March brings Muskie Madness KY Afield Outdoors: White Bass runs around the corner KY Afield Outdoors: Fish hit close to home at FINs lakes KY Afield Outdoors: Why buying your fishing license is important KY Afield Outdoors: Improving fisheries to try this spring KY Afield Outdoors: Planning spring fishing trips KY Afield Outdoors: Save money for spring fishing, hunting KY Afield: Hunters post 2nd-highest deer harvest on record KY Afield Outdoors: Preparing your bow for the offseason View even more articles in topic Ky Afield Outdoors |
 
115 Jamestown St. Columbia, KY. 270-384-2496 
  
   
 Provided by the Adair Co Fiscal Court and the Adair Co. Emergency Mgt. Agency 
|
||||||||
|
| ||||||||||
|
Quick Links to Popular Features
Looking for a story or picture? Try our Photo Archive or our Stories Archive for all the information that's appeared on ColumbiaMagazine.com. | ||||||||||
|
Contact us: Columbia Magazine and columbiamagazine.com are published by Linda Waggener and Pen Waggener, PO Box 906, Columbia, KY 42728. Please use our contact page, or send questions about technical issues with this site to webmaster@columbiamagazine.com. All logos and trademarks used on this site are property of their respective owners. All comments remain the property and responsibility of their posters, all articles and photos remain the property of their creators, and all the rest is copyright 1995-Present by Columbia Magazine. Privacy policy: use of this site requires no sharing of information. Voluntarily shared information may be published and made available to the public on this site and/or stored electronically. Anonymous submissions will be subject to additional verification. Cookies are not required to use our site. However, if you have cookies enabled in your web browser, some of our advertisers may use cookies for interest-based advertising across multiple domains. For more information about third-party advertising, visit the NAI web privacy site.
| ||||||||||
