TVA has began the normal draw-down this fall, bringing Kentucky Lake down to the mid to low 357ft mark. TVA normally starts dropping the lake levels just after the 4th of July weekend, and will have the lake at or near winter pool of 354ft, by the first week in September. Lake levels are predicted to stay around 357.4ft all week, with flow rates backed off from last weeks 80.000cfs, to the mid 30.000cfs. Water Temps remain in the mid 80’s, but with some warm days on tap, expect the surface Temp’s to increase over the next few days.
Fishing has been tough for almost all species of fish this week, with falling water levels, changing water conditions (temps, flows, etc), but expect fishing to improve as water conditions stabilize this week. Bass continue to be found on the ledges where bait fish are present, but fishermen have been having to search for the schools of bass, not all ledges and humps have been holding fish.
Catfish have been somewhat slow of late, but some good eater sized cats have been found on the main river drops in good numbers. most have been taken on nightcrawlers, livers and catalpa worms. Bigger fish seem to be holding in the deeper haunts of the main river channel, by fishermen using cut bait fished a few feet off the bottom.
The big day for Duck hunters looking for a WMA blind is this first Saturday in August, August 3rd. This years drawing has been re-designed, with a 2 part drawing. The first will be for the hunt parties (person drawn and sign-on’s), the second drawing will be for the blind sights which only the party’s which were drawn in the first drawing will be entered. Changes were to combat the buying and selling of the WMA blinds. Kentucky Lake (Camden Units 1 and 2, Harmon’s creek, Big Sandy, and Gin creek) will be held at the Big Sandy Little League Park, and Dover (Barkley WMA) will be held at the Stewart County High School. all on-site registrations will begin at 7am-10am with drawings afterwards.