Northeastern Kentucky Fishing Report

This fishing report was compiled for the week of March 31, 2015.

Editor’s note: Lake conditions continue to improve with all of our lakes reporting catches this week. Water temperatures on all the lakes have improved. On warm sunny days, anglers are reporting that some temperatures have tipped the 50 degree mark. Most of you know that is the magic number for bass activity. We expect to see even better reports as the lakes continue to clear. Send us your pictures or story ideas to: trimmer308@windstream.net. We will try to use as many as we can in print and online.

Cave Run Lake: The lake level at press time has reach 745.2 ft. However, the lake is continuing to fall. While some ramps remain closed most are open. We will continue to check the lake. While it is still 15 feet over summer pool, the water it is starting to clear. Water temperatures are also starting to come up, with temperatures of 42-49 degrees recorded this week. Musky: good. Fish the heads of creeks where the water is changing colors. Hot baits have been lipless crankbaits, some jerkbaits and in-line spinners. The in-line spinners have been the most productive baits while the water is still stained. Largemouth Bass: fair. Warming water temperatures have improved your chances fishing flats and creek heads. Use jigs, drop-spoons and A-rigs once you locate shad. Baits that produced were lipless crankbaits fishing creek heads and points. Smallmouth: slow to fair. Smallmouth fish are always spotty on this lake, however, this week some good fish were reported caught near the dam area fishing spoons and lipless crankbaits. Crappie: improving. These fish continue to hit small 1/32 oz. jigs dressed with twister tails or minnows along with roadrunner spinnerbaits. The fish staged in channel trees and near weed beds and starting to move up on points holding brush. Catfish: Fair, fishing back water areas with live bait.

Grayson Lake: Winter pool for Grayson is 637 feet of elevation. At press time, it stood at 637.2 ft. We had at least one tournament this past week on Grayson Lake. I was informed that the winner had two bass over five pounds. The water is 47-50 degrees. Bass: Fair and improving, upper areas of the lake are clearing making the lake very fishable. A few fish continued to be caught fishing shakey-head jigs and chatter type baits in deep water. Jig & pig type baits and some jerk baits produced this week too fishing creek heads and points. Crappie: Fair, fish downed timber and brush in 14 to 18 feet of water. Jigs, live bait and small crankbaits have been successful this week. Hybrids: We continue to have some reports that the hybrid bass are active on the main lake. Fishermen have been locating shad and then backing off and throwing swim-baits and big spoons. Fish have been in eight to 10 feet of water. Catfish: Fair, fishing live bait from the heads of coves near discharge areas and backwater.

Greenbo Lake: Greenbo got a stocking of 5,500 rainbow trout on Jan. 29. Water temperatures are between 48-51 degrees. The water level has been stable. Bass: Fair but improving fishing blade baits and crankbaits. We had a report this week that a smallmouth over six pounds was caught. Spinnerbaits and blade baits have produced this week too. Trout: Good using Berkley sparkly orange Powerbait rigged using a small treble hook with a split shot about six to 12 inches up the line or small, brightly colored Roostertails spinners. Catfish: Fair fishing cut bait in the heads of coves and deep water points. Bluegill: Slow fishing live bait near underwater structure. The bluegills have left the banks making them harder to find.

Ohio River: At press time the water levels of the Ohio River in both Greenup Pools are dropping. Below the dam, the lower pool was 26.46 feet while it was 12.67 on the upper side of the dam. The Ashland pool was 37.75 at mid-week, which is within normal water levels. Rain may impact the Ohio River this week; however, the river should continue to improve. Fishing was reported improving as water levels have returned to normal. Largemouth Bass: Fair and improving. Jigs and small spinnerbaits have produced this week fishing points and areas that hold weeds. Some bass has also been caught near discharge areas fishing blade baits. We also saw some smallmouth caught this week using jig & pig baits fishing rocky areas. White Bass: Some white bass above the dam have been hitting blade baits and inline spinnerbaits. Look for schooling fish.

Below the dam: We were waiting on reports from anglers fishing below the dam at press time. However, water levels have returned to productive elevations and we expect to get good reports. The old standard method of twin tail grubs on ¼ oz. ball jigs is still the best producer of Sauger and Walleye. Use slow bump-the-bottom retrieves. Running a two-jig setup produces better strikes. One of the two baits needs to be a little off of the bottom. White Bass: Slow, fishing inline spinners and blade baits. Look for breaking fish. We had no reports of Hybrid Striped Bass catches this week. Bass: We are looking for some new reports on the bass fishing below the dam. If you get on the water help us out! Catfish: Slow, using live bait in backwater areas. Minnows, cut-bait and worms fishing on the bottom have all been successful.

Yatesville Lake: The lake is open and the fishing report remains unchanged. Water temperatures have been in the 46-49 degrees. The winter pool level is 624 feet of elevation and water levels were at 625.1 feet at press time and stable. The lake is clear of ice and as water levels return to normal we should start to get some new reports Bass: Some catches have been reported using creature baits and blade baits while fishing first break structure and deep-water points. Some fish have also been caught using A-rigs fishing over shad pockets in 18 feet of water. Crappie: Fair, fish the edges of flats in channel bends and old fish attractors using 1/32 oz. white crappie jigs or live bait. We have seen some anglers improving their odds drifting across fish attractors using both live bait and jigs. Catfish: Slow, fishing back water areas where flooding has created some warmer pools of water. Bluegill: Slow, we didn’t get any reports on the bluegill fishing on this lake this week.