With the BASS Elite competitors fishing now and the FLW guys there next week, Monday was a good day to visit the lake for some firsthand info. While Alton, Tim, Zell and the rest of the best fishermen in the world were stressing over what they were finding and the tourney, which starts today, outdoor writer Mike Lambeth, tournament fisherman/Kentucky Lake guide Ben Parker and I were stress-free and having one of the best fishing days we’ve had in years.
Ben cautioned us that we wouldn’t be hitting spots he thought the tournament anglers would be fishing so we wouldn’t hamper their efforts. It didn’t matter. The three of us boated well over 100 (yes, 100!) bass in a day’s fishing, and managed to land one largemouth over 5 pounds and a smallmouth about the same size. Most of our fish, though, ranged from dink to a chunky 3 pounds.
Frequent visitors to Lurenet.com know Ben Parker’s story. He chucked a white-collar job to give his dream a chance. He’s got two years to make it – “making it” meaning simply making a decent living fishing. But his dreams are much bigger than he lets on. Like most tournament anglers, he’s got the Bassmaster Classic in his sights.
He’s certainly got the abilities. Just after daybreak we flew down the lake to our first stop, a spot along a shallow bar where we boated a dozen or so bass on Fat Free Shad BD7s (Foxy Mama color pattern was the hottest of the day). When the bite slowed, we headed to a bar and muscle shell bed just off the main river channel and caught more on the Fat Free and a BOOYAH Pigskin Jig with a 5-inch Gonzo Grub trailer (Pigskin was Molting Craw color and Gonzo was Watermelon). Again, when the bite slowed and we went 10 minutes or so without a bite, we battened down and headed to another spot.
This pattern repeated itself over and over all morning. We hit ledges and bars that rose to within 4-feet of the surface, some with weeds, some with shell beds and some with both. If the fish showed on Parker’s sidescanning unit to be positioned deep (meaning 15-feet to almost 20 feet) we threw the Pigskin jig. If they were shallower and receptive, the crankbait was weapon of choice. We found bass at a variety of depths.
Alton Jones was quoted on the Bassmaster website as saying that right now, Kentucky Lake is “crazy good,” and that’s an accurate assessment. “Right now,” Parker said, “you can catch bass about any way you want, and just about anywhere on the lake. Kentucky Lake right now, if you’re not getting a bite, you need to move. You’re in the wrong place. We had three early morning spots and caught at least 4 or 5 at each one. We hit 12 spots today and caught fish on all but one.”
And that’s not counting the eight fish we caught while exiting the marina where we sought air conditioning and lunch. Monday afternoon was clear, sunny and only occasionally did a cool breeze blow. But it wasn’t nearly as hot as the bass fishing.
Over the next week, Lurenet.com will bring you stories on Kentucky Lake rife with Ben Parker's professional input and advice, plus updates on what’s going on at the Elite tourney. Be sure to visit every day for up-to-the-minute info on what may be the hottest lake in the country right now.