Kentucky Lake is one of the better largemouth bass lakes in the Midwest. This lake gets a ton of attention from the major bass fishing tournament circuits every year. Bass in the 2 to 3 pound range are fairly common with 5 to 7 pounders being a real possibility.
Fish the Spawn
Pre-spawn largemouth bass will be found on the main lake points and typically the first secondary points. From mid-April through early May, you can expect most of the largemouth bass to have moved shallow to spawn. It all depends on the weather and a cold front can easily push bass out of the bays into deeper water. Follow the fishing reports to get an idea of when the bass fishing heats up. It can get really good here. Once bass get into their post-spawn pattern you can typically still find plenty of bass shallow, but it is mostly the smaller males. The bigger females will move to deeper water to recover from the spawn and they will be harder to catch.
Current Plays a Major Factor Here
Current plays a role in how well the fish feed here. While the current may not play as big of a role in the bite back in many of the creeks, when you are out on the main lake, it can be the difference in finding a school of active fish or nothing but scattered and uninterested fish. When the current is running, this will help move baitfish into certain areas and game fish can school up and ambush lots of bait.
Check out the Tennessee Valley Authority for Kentucky Lake flow conditions on its website.
Fish the Creeks
Kentucky Lake has lots of creek arms that provide some excellent fishing for largemouth bass. The spring and the fall are the best times to be fishing the creek arms. In the spring, warm water brings fish in the creeks to spawn and in the fall, lots of game fish will follow baitfish back into the creeks as water temperatures drop. In the summer, anglers usually report much better fishing out on the main lake, but don’t rule out the creek arms because some bass will stay shallow here all summer long.
Fish the Main Lake
In the summer, large numbers of fish will move out from the creek arms and head out onto the main lake. Kentucky Lake is famous for its mid-summer ledge fishing where anglers fish steep drop-offs out on the main lake for big largemouth bass. Summer can be frustrating for bass anglers on Kentucky Lake if they are not familiar with fishing for deep water bass. While there will always be some bass that come into the shallows to feed during the mornings and evenings in the summer, the deep water bite tends to hold a lot more quality fish if you can find them. You are going to need to use your electronics and some current will definitely help the fishing. No current makes fishing tough on the ledges.
Fish the Points
Main lake points and secondary points are great spots to find a variety of fish. The secondary points that are back in the creek arms can be very productive in the spring and fall, however, most of the better fish will be found out on the main lake during the heat of the summer. The main lake points are also good in the spring and the fall and at times, you can find some good summer fishing off the deeper main lake points.
Fish the Rocks
There is plenty of rock throughout Kentucky Lake and you will find plenty of largemouth bass around the rocks. Find some wood to go along with a rocky bottom and you will usually find more largemouth bass than areas with just rocky bottoms.
Fish the Shorelines
Depending on the water levels in the spring, the fishing can be amazing along the shorelines around all the cover. You will find docks, brush piles, some laydowns and lots of bushes. When the bass move into the creeks to spawn, some of the most exciting fishing can be found along the shorelines. While you can still work the shorelines and catch some bass in the summer, you’re most likely going to have more success by structure fishing out on the main lake. Spring is by far the best time to pound the shorelines here in the creeks, but the fall provides some good shallow fishing too. There are also some deep water shorelines out on the main lake that offer some good bass fishing through the summer.
Fish the Wood
Since Kentucky Lake doesn’t have a lot of vegetation in it, most anglers target a variety of fish around wood. Largemouth bass love hanging around wood and there is plenty of wood in the lake. There are tons of brush piles in Kentucky Lake and you can fish downed trees, laydowns and flooded bushes during high water in the spring.
Learn More About Largemouth Bass
Our largemouth bass section is huge with information on the best live baits, lures, where to catch them and how to catch them. Visit our largemouth bass page to learn more.
