The lake has risen about 18in. with the recent rains to 601.14 feet above sea level. Normal pool is 599.7 The water temps jumped from 77 to 85 and were starting to get a nice thermocline but was broken up by the incoming water and current. We should have one very soon though. The lake remains very clear. North end some stain, south end gin clear. The water temps are going to fall after these next few days back to the 77-80 range. It has been extremely hot. Cooling off after today the 15th.

Crappie…. Not a lot has changed for me. I am bouncing around with a slip bobber and minnow rig using stumps, brush and cubes. Catching a ton of crappie to get our three person limit about every trip out. The very hot sunny days I am using just heavy branched down trees and cubes and dead sticking a plain minnow rig into the tightest places I can get. These fish are seeking out the best shade they can get. On days with a nice breeze, cooler and overcast I am concentrating on stumps on edges of points or flats. Drifting the minnow rig by them. Deadly on everything as we have been getting whites and channel cats mixed in with the crappie.

White Bass…. They are up on flats at daylight chasing the small shad until about 7am. then just gone. We have been casting into busting schools and having a ball. They are like chasing ghosts though. They are up one minute then down and gone.

In the next week or so my summer pattern of chasing them on sharp drop offs with my jigging spoon will be going strong for the rest of the summer. I have a few days off coming up to go put this pattern together. It works for me every summer just have to find them. Watch for my big red cooler pics which means we got over a hundred that day. End of July, August and September are always great months for the combo trips of crappie and white bass.

Kentucky Lake…. Don’t forget I am guiding once again on Kentucky Lake Big Sandy in November. I currently have the 12th and 13th left open then we will open up another week.

Steve Welch
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