Eastern Kentucky Fishing Report

This fishing report was compiled for April 18-22, 2012

Cave Run Lake: The water level is stable at two feet above winter pool. Surface temperature is 61 to 66 degrees. While the Cave Run report hasn’t changed much this week, the cooler temperatures seemed to have put the spawn on hold. The Licking River is clearing and looks to be in very good shape. The main lake is stained in areas but clearing. As the lake begins to clear fishing is starting to really get hot. Musky: good to excellent. All of the guides report catching fish this week. Use jerkbaits, bulldawgs, gliders, rattle lipless crankbaits and inline spinners. Bass: Smallmouth fishing is fair to good. Baits this week that have had reported success have been crawdad-colored crankbaits, fishing points and creek heads. We also continue to have reports of smallmouth in Beaver Creek taken on chatter baits. Largemouth are reported good. Use crankbaits, swimbaits, tube jigs and rattle-trap types baits. Many of the reported fish were taken this week from shallow water spawning areas around old roadbeds and creek heads. The fish are staging, but with temperatures having fallen last week it may be another week before they begin to nest. Crappie: Good, some excellent size crappie were caught fishing small in-line spinners on mud flats near feeder creeks. Live bait around brush-piles on flats continues to produce too. The white crappie are finding cover near spawning beds.

Grayson Lake: The water level is stable at 2.5 feet below summer pool. The lake is stained but clearing in the dam area, with water temps warming to 62 to 66 degrees. Bass: reported good and improving. Fish points using crankbaits and jerkbaits. Some fish are also reported active in shallow water spawning areas. Use tube jigs and swim baits. Crappie: improving. Use live bait fishing downed trees near channel areas. Some reports have come in this week reporting success using small inline spinners along roadbed areas.

Greenbo Lake: The lake is mostly clear and the water surface temperature is 66 degrees and stable. Bass: good. Fish with jerkbaits and Silver Buddies on points and creek heads. We have also had reports of catches on swim baits and tube jigs. Trout: Fair to good, fishing inline spinners, Berkley Power Bait, blade baits, and red worms. Most of the action continues to be in the ramp area from the bank. Crappie: Improving, fish jigs and inline spinners. 

Ohio River: The Ohio River Greenup pool is reported as rising with backwater areas are very muddy. White Bass: We have had some report of white bass catches in creek heads this week. Fish crankbaits and lipless crankbaits. Largemouth Bass: Improving, use crankbaits, jerkbaits and small spinnerbaits, fishing the mouth of coves and shallow water coves.

Below the Dam: Sauger: unchanged fair to good. Use white, lime-green or chartreuse grub rigged on a lead-head jig. We have been getting reports that this is an early morning bite with better success on the Ohio side of the locks. This bite has been falling off by the middle of the day. Our suggestion is to get there early since most of the reported catches have been before noon. Note: I continued not to have reports bass fishing below the dam. I’m confident it is improving. If you have fished this area, we would love for you to let us know how you did. Catfish: Good, fishing spawning beds and creek heads. Strippers: We have gotten a few reports that Strippers have been active on live bait and topwater stick baits

Yatesville Lake: The water level is reported rising, and was four feet over winter pool at press time. The water surface temperature is 63 to 66 degrees. Headwater areas are reported to be clearing and the main lake is slightly stained. Bass: good. Use flippin jigs, swimbaits, crankbaits, and jerkbaits fishing points and creek headwaters. We also have had a few reports of bass moving into shallow water spawning areas. This shallow water activity should improve as bass begin spawning. Crappie: Good fishing the edges of flats in channel bends and old fish attractors. Use 32 oz. white crappie jigs tipped with live minnows. We have also had some reports of catches using small in-line spinners, casting the shallow water flats as the black crappie start visiting these areas when the sun starts to warm the surface. Bluegill: We continued to have reports this week that bluegill are starting to show up in spawning areas.

Local area fishing reports can be submitted to trimmer308@windstream.net

This fishing report was compiled for April 9-16, 2012

Cave Run Lake: The water level is stable at two foot above winter pool. Surface temperature is 63 to 67 degrees. The Licking River is clearing and it looks to be in very good shape. The main lake is clear to stained. As the lake begins to clear, fishing is starting to really get hot. Musky: Good to excellent, all of the guides report catching fish this week. Use jerkbaits, bulldawgs, gliders, rattle lipless crankbaits and inline spinners. Bass: Smallmouth, fair to good. Baits this week that have had reported success have been crawdad-colored crankbaits fishing points and creek heads. We also continue to have reports of smallmouth in Beaver Creek taken on chatter baits. Largemouth are also reported good. Use crankbaits, swimbaits, tube jigs and rattle-trap types baits. Many of the fish reported this week were taken from shallow water spawning areas around old roadbeds and creek heads. The fish are staging but with temperatures falling this week, it may be another week before they begin to nest. Crappie: good. Some excellent size crappie were caught this past week, fishing small in-line spinners on mud flats near feeder creeks as well with live bait around brush-piles on flats. The white crappie are finding cover near spawning beds.

Grayson Lake: The water level is stable at 2.5 feet below summer pool. The lake is stained but clearing in the dam area, with water temperatures warming to 62 to 66 degrees. Bass: Reported good and improving. Fishing points use crankbaits and jerkbaits. Some fish are also reported active in shallow water spawning areas. Use tube jigs and swimbaits. Crappie: Improving, use live bait fishing down trees near channel areas. Some success has been reported this week using small inline spinners along roadbed areas.

Greenbo Lake: The lake is mostly clear and the water surface temperature is 66 degrees and stable. Bass: Good, fishing jerkbaits and silver buddies on points and creek heads. We have also had reports of catches on swimbaits and tube jigs. Trout: fair to good. Fish inline spinners, Berkley Power Bait, blade baits, and red worms. Most of the action has been in the ramp area from the bank. Crappie: improving. Fish jigs and inline spinners.

Ohio River: The Ohio River Greenup pool is reported to be rising with backwater areas very muddy. We have had some reports of White Bass catches this week with crankbaits and lipless crankbaits. Fish were reported in creek heads. Largemouth Bass: Improving, use crankbaits, jerkbaits and small spinnerbaits. Fish the mouth of coves and shallow water coves. Below the Dam: Sauger unchanged, fair to good. Use white, lime-green or chartreuse grub, rigged on a lead-head jig. We have been getting reports that this is an early morning bite with better success on the Ohio side of the locks. This bite has been falling off by the middle of the day, our suggestion is to get there early since most of the reported catches have been before noon. Catfish: Good, fishing spawning beds and creek heads. Note: I had no reports on the bass fishing below the dam, but I’m sure it’s improving, if you have fished this area we would love for you to let us know how you did.

Yatesville Lake: The water level is reported rising and is four feet over winter pool. The water surface temperature is 63 to 66 degrees. Headwater areas are clearing and the main lake is slightly stained. Bass: good. Use flippin jigs, swimbaits, crankbaits, and jerkbaits fishing points and creek headwaters. We also have had a few reports of bass moving into shallow water spawning areas. This shallow water activity should improve as bass begin spawning. Crappie: good, fish the edges of flats in channel bends and old fish attractors using 32 oz. white crappie jigs tipped with live minnows. We have also had some reports of catches using small in-line spinners casting the shallow water flats as the black crappie start visiting these areas when the sun begins to warm the surface. Bluegill: we had some reports this week that the bluegill are starting to show up in spawning areas.

This fishing report was compiled for April 3- 9, 2012 

Editor’s note: Fish are spawning or are in a pre-spawn pattern in most of our reported lakes this week. While our reports reflect what has been sent to us, it’s safe to say, that a shallow water pattern will become active in most of the lake as fish begin to spawn.

Cave Run Lake: The water level is two foot above winter pool. Surface temperature is 63 to 67 degrees. The Licking River is clearing and it looks to be in very good shape. The main lake is clear to stained. As the lake begins to clear, fishing should turn on. Musky: Good to excellent, all of the guides reports catching fish this week. Use jerkbaits, bulldawgs, gliders and jigs. The rattle type lipless crank baits have been coming on and account for some of the reported fish. Bass: Smallmouth fair to good. Baits this week that have had reported success have been crawdad-colored crankbaits fishing points and creek heads. We also continue to have reports of smallmouth in Beaver Creek taken on chatter baits. The largemouth is reported good. Use crankbaits, swimbaits, tube jigs and rattle-trap types baits. Many of the reported fish were taken this week from shallow water spawning areas around old roadbeds and creek heads. Crappie: reported improving. Fish small in-line spinners on mud flats near feeder creeks and live bait around brush-piles on flats.

Grayson Lake: The water level is rising and starting to approach summer pool. The lake is stained to muddy with water temps warming to 62 to 66 degrees. Bass: Reported good and improving. Use crankbaits and jerkbaits fishing points. Some fish are also reported active in shallow water spawning areas. Use tube jigs and swimbaits. Crappie: improving. Use live bait, fishing down trees near channel areas. Reports have come in this week reporting success using small inline spinners along roadbed areas.

Greenbo Lake: The lake is mostly clear and the water surface temperature is 66 degrees and stable. Bass: Good, fishing jerkbaits and Silver Buddies on points and creek heads. We have also had reports of catches on swimbaits and tube jigs. An 11 lb. 2 oz. bass was reported caught this past week along with a few fish in the five-pound range. Trout: Fair to good. Fish inline spinners, Berkley Power Bait, blade baits, and red worms. Most of the action has been in the ramp area from the bank. Crappie: Improving, fish jigs and inline spinners.

Ohio River: The Ohio River Greenup pool is reported as rising with backwater areas very muddy. White Bass: We had some reports of white bass catches this week on crankbaits and lipless crankbaits. Fish were reported in creek heads. Largemouth Bass: Improving, use crankbaits, jerkbaits and small spinnerbaits. Fish the mouths of coves and shallow water coves. Below the Dam: Sauger reported unchanged, fair to good. Use white, lime-green or chartreuse grub, rigged on a lead-head jig. We have been getting reports that this is an early morning bite with better success on the Ohio side of the locks. This bite has been falling off by the middle of the day, and our suggestion continues to be to get there early since most of the reported catches have been before noon. Note: I had no reports on the bass fishing below the dam, but I’m sure it’s improving, if you have fished this area we would love for you to let us know how you did.

Yatesville Lake: The water level reported rising and was four foot over winter pool at press time. The water surface temperature is 63 to 66 degrees. Headwater areas are reported to be clearing. The main lake is reported as slightly stained. Bass: good. Use flippin’ jigs, swimbaits, crankbaits, and jerkbaits fishing points and creek headwaters. We also have had a few reports of bass moving into shallow water spawning areas. This shallow water activity should improve as bass begin spawning. Crappie: good. Fish the edges of flats in channel bends and old fish attractors. Use 32 oz. white crappie jigs tipped with live minnows. We have also had some reports of catches using small in-line spinners casting the shallow water flats as the black crappie start visiting these areas when the sun begins to warm the surface.

Local area fishing reports can be submitted to trimmer308@windstream.net