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Cranking Kentucky and Barkley Lakes

– A Primer for Seasonal Shad Patterns – Part I

by Chuck Bailey

Captain Dave Stewart grew up fishing in West Virginia on the New River in what he describes as “…a backwoods family.  If we didn’t catch it, shoot it or grow it, we didn’t eat.  And it was my job to catch fish.”  Years later in the Marine Corp, he joined a bass club, and as he puts it, “Once you get into it, you are hooked.”

After Dave retired from the military, he moved to Kentucky Lake and decided to get a guide license and do it a couple days a week. He'd go 'fun fishing' the rest of the time.  But after only two years he was the busiest guide on the lake.

While there are plenty of guides on Kentucky and Barkley Lakes, Dave is the only full-time guide that focuses exclusively on bass.  Needless to say, he gets a lot of business - turning down 400-500 trips a year.  Around 50 % of his bookings are “tournament prep” trips because the lake supports a lot of bass tournaments throughout the year. 

Dave believes guiding is all about teaching.  And even during the winter, he teaches classes in his home 7 days a week, on how to find them.  “Them” however does not pertain to the bass. “What I teach people about is shad.  I don’t teach people about bass.  I don’t worry about where the bass are, I worry about where the shad are.  That’s the key to finding the fish on a shad-forage based lake.”

Zero Days?  Never!

Will gaining a better understanding of the shad really help an angler catch more fish?  Well, how many people can fish from March 1st to late November and never get skunked.  Regardless of the conditions, Captain Dave Stewart is so confident of his abilities he humbly tells his students, “There is no such thing as a zero day to me.  When I back my boat down in the morning, it’s not a matter of whether I am going to catch a bass, it’s how many and how big they are going to be.” 

“Now everybody has tough days,” says Dave, “but what I teach is how to eliminate water and find the fish.  I’ve been teaching that about five years and everyone who takes the course says the same thing, ‘I’m catching more fish, and bigger ones’.  You just have to practice what I teach.”  

Kentucky and Barkley - River Lakes

Dave’s outdoor classroom is the famous sister reservoirs of Kentucky and Barkley Lakes.  The dam that created Kentucky Lake was completed back in the 1940’s, and produced about 160,000 acres of water, with 2,400 miles of shoreline.  Barkley was added in the 1960’s and is connected with a free flowing canal.  Between the two bodies of water, anglers have around 250,000 acres of prime bass habitat.

“The reason this area tends to produce a lot of really good professional anglers,” says Dave, “is you have a lot of varied types of water to deal with here.  It can be a calm lake one day, and if they open some of the gates on the dam - it’s a river.  And when they open all the gates, we have 5 times more water that goes over the dam than goes over Niagara Falls at full flow.”

“Both lakes are river lakes,” explains Stewart, “shallow water type lakes; the deepest water here (like in the river channel) is about 60 to 70 feet deep.  We have a lot of flats, and a lot of secondary creeks.  On Kentucky a lot of our creeks and bays are bigger than a lot of lakes that most people fish.” 

“And when you get on the upper end of the lakes, basically it is pure river.  There are very shallow backwater bays, just like you would expect on a big river, and that turns your fishing around and you have to make adjustments on that end.  So there’s something for everyone, and you have to be very versatile to fish it all.”

Structure and Cover

While there are no longer fields of standing timber, there are a few cypress stumps in Kentucky Lake, but most of the cover has been put in by the locals.  “A lot of brush piles, underwater stake beds, and things like that were put in.  This was encouraged by the state to assist with the fishing.”

“There’s a lot of old road beds submerged out there; a lot of old bridges, bridge abutments, rubble piles, things like that.  It’s just what you would expect if you had a big river in the flat lands and they backed the waters up.”  And if you know where they are, the foundations and remnants of some old towns lay submerged in their watery museum.

“The shoreline on the main lake of Kentucky, is mostly rock and gravel.  And of course, you have some riprap around the civilized side of the lake, (which will be the west bank of Kentucky Lake.  The east bank of Kentucky is, of course, the ‘land between the lakes’, and is a wilderness area).  Barkley has more mud banks and rocks, and not as much gravel.” 

Sister Lakes – But Not Twin Sisters

“So even though the two lakes are side by side, they are two totally different lakes.”  Captain Dave explains, that even though they are sister lakes, they are not twin sisters.  “Barkley is a shallower lake; it’s the Cumberland River, with more mud banks and rocks so that the water has more color to it than on Kentucky.  Kentucky is a clearer lake.”

At times there are advantages to the differences, “Even though they run parallel, you can be on one lake in the morning and be unable to buy a bite, and then go through the canal and they’ll be eating good.  (Or visa versa).”

Current?

Both damns are power damns that generate electricity, so there will always be some water flow.  “But as far as heavy current,” explains Dave, “we’re only going to get that when we get a lot of water coming in from up river and it’s released for flood control.”

“Naturally the water flow will vary as to what times of the day they are going to be generating power.  Typically, (such in the summer time when we are fishing mainly ledges, out in the open water), you would expect the more current in the afternoon and evenings when everyone gets home from work and they turn up their air conditioners.” 

The amount of current, and whether it will cause the bass to reposition or not, will depend on where in the lake an angler chooses to fish.  In the summer, if the current is strong enough to get the food flowing for the shad, and the current re-oxygenates the water, the bite will definitely pick up. 

Dave gives an example, “And like right now, (mid February), I’ll be out there in a couple of weeks, and the spring rains will cause the current to be flowing, and it will definitely position the fish in the eddies, and on the back side of the points.”

Naturally the current flow changes seasonally, but it can even change throughout the day.  “On some days there’s no current, or not enough to affect the fish what-so-ever.  And if you go back into the creeks and bays, (even when a strong main lake current is flowing), you’re fishing a calm lake.  It’s not a river there.  So, you can start your boat up and go 500 yards and move from river to lake.  That’s why there’s something for every type of fisherman here, and you have to be very versatile.”

Largemouth AND Smallmouth

For many years the largemouth and smallmouth were found in equal numbers in both reservoirs.  But in recent years the largemouths have begun to dominate largely due to an environmental change.  Dave explains, “Years ago we lost the grass on the lake.  But now the grass is making a natural recovery.  That means we’re getting a lot better spawns and more fry survival, and it has just caused an explosion here with the largemouth.” 

“We’ve still got plenty of smallmouth, (and we’ve still got some really nice smallmouth.  I’ll put a number of 7 pounders in the boat every year).  But up until 3 or 4 years ago, you couldn’t win a bass tournament during the prespawn in March without smallmouth.  And 18 pounds wouldn’t even get you a check.  But here in the last few years it’s been more of a mixed bag – some smallmouth, some largemouth.  The largemouth are just exploding here.  It’s unbelievable - 100 fish days are pretty common here now. “

How Big?

Dave is quick to point out however, that the largemouth in the sister reservoirs are northern strain, genetically smaller but hardier than the southern strain.  “So your average largemouth here is going to average 2.5-3 pounds.  As to trophy fish, I am looking for an 8, 9, or 10 pound fish.” 

“Now as to the smallmouth, the average size here is about 2 pounds.  We do have numbers in the 6 pound range, and 7’s are definitely not out of the question, and occasionally an 8 or a 9 is caught.  There is no doubt about it, ours is one of the healthiest fisheries in the country.”

The Key:  Shad

But the key to catching these bass comes as a result of unlocking the secrets of their primary food source: the shad. 

Dave elaborates, “Well, the primary forage on the lake is threadfin and gizzard shad.  We are on the northern range of the threadfin here, though they are probably the more numerous of the two.  But we do have plenty of gizzard shad too.  Of course we do have the general crawfish, panfish, and other sources of food, but the primary forage is the shad.”

Being the primary food source, Dave’s logic is simple: find the shad, find the bass.

Obviously one of the greatest shad imitators (in terms of man-made baits) is the crankbait.  And Kentucky and Barkley Lakes are a hardbait enthusiast’s dream.  Still, having a bait that looks like a shad doesn’t guarantee success if the angler is not familiar with the seasonal behavior of shad.  And a natural place to begin is with the spring.

Spring Patterns

“As far as crankbaits go,” Captain Dave explains, “I break spring down into three phases; early pre-spawn, pre-spawn, and late prespawn. And we are rapidly approaching the early pre-spawn (Mid-February).  As a matter of fact, I’ll start guiding in two weeks.  And we may be a week or two off this year, but the primary pattern will be throwing suspending jerkbaits, or slow rolling medium crankbaits on deep points and deep channel banks, for both smallmouth and largemouth.” 

Early Pre-Spawn

“I have to say that last March we had the best jerkbait bite I have ever seen in my life, and while we always have a good one, it was almost criminal it was so good.  An average day was 50 fish, and I don’t know how many 100 fish days I had.  There were a lot of 3 to 6 pounders, and a number of 7’s in the largemouth, and at least one or two smallmouth in the 4 to 5 pound range.”

Where is all this great fishing occurring?  “Actually in the early pre-spawn, most of the activity will be out on the main lake over deep water.  This when they are first coming out of the winter and starting to feed a little bit.  Of course, most days your shad are going to suspend, and the largemouth and smallmouth will be right under them.” 

“The smallmouth are a little more aggressive,” notes Dave, “they tend to track the bigger gizzard shad that time of the year, which spawn earlier.  Smallies tend to go for the bigger meal first.  And the largemouth will tend to track the smaller shad, the threadfin.”

Forget Structure Fishing!

So does this mean that structure fishing is irrelevant in the early pre-spawn, and that anglers must locate shad on the main lake?  “Absolutely,” declares Dave.  “Cover and structure does not become a factor during March, because your shad are suspending.  The only time they are going to go deep is if the conditions turn post-frontal.” 

During post-frontal conditions Dave recommends putting the crankbaits aside and slowing down – fishing the bottom with jigs, shaky heads, and soft plastics.

Otherwise, as far as the crankbait bite goes, Dave insists, “It’s pretty much throwing suspending jerkbaits, or you may be slow rolling medium-running crankbaits.  One of the favorites here would be the Shad Rap; probably a number 7, and maybe slow rolling it in 30 feet of water - just to get it down in front of the fish that suspending.”

Suspended - How Far Down?

And where exactly are the fish suspended in the water column?  “Well that will depend on the day as to whether or not you’re going to go shallow or a little deeper.  Typically they are going to be suspended anywhere from 6 to 10 feet, and if you get some environmental changes they could possibly go a little deeper.  But it’s pretty easy to figure it out, because you can pick out the shad and the fish on your depth finder.”

Electronic Eyes!

This is one of those seasonal patterns in which an angler’s electronics become their eyes.  “Your electronics are everything!” Dave insists.  “Oh yeah, there’s no doubt about it, electronics makes the difference between night and day.”

And when the suspended jerkbait bite is on, it can be pretty exciting.  “To me,” says Dave, “the only thing that is going to beat it is topwater.  This past March I can remember going down one bank about 70 yards long and catching 58 fish off of it.  There were days out there that were just unreal.  And to be honest with you, I think we are going to have the same type of bite this year.  I really do – I’m expecting it, because the few days that anyone has been able to get out this winter, the jerkbait bite has really been on out there.” 

Working A School Of Shad

So how do you work a school of shad?  “Well, what you want to do is come right under it.  You’ll cast over the school and bring the jerkbait right under it because that is where the bass are gong to be, and you just want to put it right in their face.  The key to jerkbait fishing is the pause.  I think the biggest mistake most people make is they don’t pause their bait long enough.” 

“Last year, on the jerkbait bite we had, we caught big numbers, but still you had to pause that jerkbait a good 15 to 20 seconds if you were going to catch them.  There are times when you will get a bass to chase a jerkbait that is moving pretty quick, but 99% of the time - it is a long pause.  I’ve seen years out here when I had to pause the jerkbait 30-45 seconds.” 

Reaction Strike

“The whole idea of the jerkbait in the first place is to get a reaction bite.  If the fish are a little more active, they’ll eat, but they’re not like they are going to eat later on in the year, and you’ve got to remember that you’re in cold water.” 

“Remember, when using a jerkbait - that bass is a predator, humans are predators, and therefore it’s pretty easy to equate to that bass if you start thinking in those terms.  Basically we are all territorial; we have this imaginary space around us and we don’t want anything in it.  And if you can just imagine someone coming up to you and sticking their finger up in their face and how that is going to irritate you, well, that’s what you are trying to do to the bass with a jerkbait.  And the longer you sit it there and irritate him, the better the chance you’ve got of getting him.”

Regular or Long Billed Jerkbaits?

In order to get the jerkbait under the shad, you are going to need to know how deep the shad are.  “On most days,” explains Dave, “the shad are going to be down about anywhere from 5 to 8 feet.” 

Does that mean the angler will need to use a long-billed jerkbait to get under the shad?  “Well, that depends,” our guide says.  “If the bass are real active and they are coming up into those fish, I will go with a shallow running jerkbait.  But if the bass are holding off a little deeper, say down around the 10 foot range, we’ll go with a long lip model” 

The Trophy Pattern

But Dave also understands that during the early prespawn – there can be more than one pattern happening at a time.  “Fishing for suspended bass on the main lake - that’s your primary pattern.  At the same time, we have what I call the ‘trophy pattern’.  When I say trophy, again I’m looking for that 8 pound plus largemouth.” 

“Now those girls tend to spawn early.  And typically a lot of people overlook them.”  So while most anglers are out on the main lake fishing deep points and drop offs, Dave heads into the shallows knowing that the big females are going to spawn early.  “If you want one of those trophies, the optimum time to get her is March, and you need to be back shallow in 2 to 6 feet of water with a lipless crankbait.” 

“Most people won’t even think about going shallow that time of the year.  But every year I put a bunch of them in the boat.  It just depends, I didn’t spend as much time on it last year, but we still put 5 bass over 8 pounds in the boat last year, (but that was not as many as normal, because like I said earlier, the jerkbait bite was too good last year to come off of it).”

Where?

“Once you find one of those spawning areas, fish it thoroughly.  Largemouths are homebodies, they are territorial.  Smallmouths are nomads, they travel.  But most largemouth don’t move two miles their whole life.  So once you have found a regular spawning location, it’s going to repeat for you every year.” 

And what is a regular spawning area?  Typically what I am looking for is found back in a creek or bay, of course.  Since we’re at winter pool, there is no water up in the bushes – not like what you would normally see during a largemouth spawn.  Still, I am looking for wood cover, like stumps or brush piles.  And the bass will be off the bank, usually in about 2 to 6 feet of water, and that is where that big girl is going to spawn.  She’ll be hanging around back in that area doing her pre-spawn feeding during the month of March.” 

The Right Conditions

“The best chance of getting that trophy fish comes with certain weather conditions.  What you need is an approaching cold front coming in, and be ahead of the front.  Ideally you need a good south, or southwest wind most of the day, (a really warm wind that warms the shallower water and gets some shad to move into it – that’s when the big female will  go on a ‘feed spree’.  In early pre-spawn, your odds of catching an 8 pound plus fish go up.”

Colors?

Regardless of which pattern an angler chooses to pursue, there are some colors that work well in Kentucky and Barkley Lakes.  “Your natural shad patterns are going to work.  Basically you’re going to have a dark back with a silver or pearl side on it.  The Table Rock Shad, will also work - which is just another shad pattern with a purple back, and with a chartreuse side on it. Of course, the gizzard shad have a green back and a pearl side to them, and that was the hot bait last year,” recalls Stewart. 

Hottest Jerkbait

“And every year there is going to be one jerkbait that out performs the other ones – the standards.  Last year it was the Pearl Ayu (Lucky Craft) on the Pointer, and I’ve got them with the paint totally chewed off of them.  All it is, is a green back with a pearl side on it.  On sunshiny days you can go to a blue with chrome side.  But over all, if you stick with your darker shad patterns, you’ll catch some bass with those colors.”

The water clarity typically runs around 3 to 4 feet visibility.  And while Kentucky never really gets muddy, Barkley can, and Captain Dave suggests using the brighter colors, like clown, chartreuses, etc.. whenever the water gets stained.

Pre-Spawn

How long will the early prespawn pattern last?  “The early pre-spawn pattern is going to work through the month of March in this latitude we’re in here,” says Dave.  “And then the water is going to warm up enough that the shad are going to start transitioning back into the creeks and bays heading shallow for food.” 

“And of course the bass are going to follow them.  And that is what you call your pre-spawn bite; that’s when you start working your transitions points and banks.  And for the most part, your crankbait is your primary bait at that time.” 

More Wobble

“We will, however, change crankbaits a little bit.  Typically we go to Wiggle Warts or a Bandit crankbait – something that’s got a little more wobble to it, a little more action.  With the water warming up, the fish are a little more active and you can entice them a little better.  And that lasts about two weeks or so.

Late Pre-spawn

“And then you are going to get your first wave of largemouth coming up shallow about the middle of April.  Unless a flood disrupts the spawn, it will typically last about three weeks.  So for that three week period you can either be back shallow, or you can still be working those lead-in banks.  You’ve actually got a choice as to what you want to do.” 

“Of course, until the shallow fish lock down on the beds, they are going to be back in there feeding hard; and that creates a Rat-L-Trap bite.  So you can work the lipped crankbaits or Rat-L-Trap baits right up until the 1st of May.  After the last wave - then everything goes to post-spawn.” 

“The initial part of the post-spawn will require throwing slow moving baits until they rest up a little bit.  But generally, about the 2nd week of May that’s when you get into big time crankbaiting.  They are hungry from the spawn, and they will start moving out to deeper water, and to our ledges.” 

<To Be Continued>

 

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In Part II– Captain Dave Stewart takes us through the summer, fall, and winter patterns, explaining how each is based on shad behavior.  We’ll explore the environmental factors that affect shad behavior, and what crankbaits best take advantage of that knowledge.  Captain Dave finishes with some great tips, and offers some unbelievable resources.

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