Average lake surface temperatures have been staying in the mid 50’s. Although we have had some warm, windy days, the nights continue to be cold, keeping water temps below the 60 degree mark. Many anglers are awaiting water temps in the 60’s, combined with more stable weather to entice many of our sports fish to head towards the shallows. TVA has been maintaining a strong flow throughout the river system, in an attempt to keep the lake near normal levels. Levels as of this last Saturday at New Johnsonville were at 357ft. TVA has predicted to keep the lake on a downward fall, with a predicted drop to around the 356ft mark by the first of the week. Of course mother nature has some anticipated rainfall for mid week, which may cause area water levels to climb back up. Flow rates on Kentucky Lake are expected to remain around the 150,000cfs mark over most of the week, normally we should be seeing 25,000cfs. The Duck River crested last Thursday at 14.5ft, but is now headed back down, and is predicted to be around 5ft by mid week. The Buffalo also came up last week, it crested at 11ft on Thursday, and should be back to normal by mid week, but both rivers might rise again depending on area rainfall this week.
Fishing has continued to improve, as water temps continue to climb towards the 60 degree mark, as fish have started their spring movement towards the shallows. Crappie remain to be found in the moderate depths, with most fish still being taken in 12-15ft of water in the bays. Most successful fishermen have been using techniques where fishermen cover water, such as spider rigging and long line trolling. Many area crappie fishermen are not familiar with ‘long line trolling’ which is a technique in which a fishermen uses baits pulled behind the boat, using the wind or trolling motor to keep the boat moving at around .5mph. Most fishermen use 1/8-1/4oz jigs or small crank baits. These techniques cover a lot of area, as the crappie seem to remain scattered in most areas. The bass fishermen continue to find some nice smallmouth bass on rocky steep banks with clearer water. The crawfish colored baits seem to be producing the best, as the smallmouth have been feeding on crawfish in these areas. Largemouth bass are being found in shallow water areas around crappie beds where the water is warmer, particularly as the sun warms these areas later in the afternoon on sunny days.
The spring turkey season begins with the juvenile hunt on March 26-27th, with the regular season beginning on April 2nd. Keep in mind before hunting; make sure you have the proper licenses required, as licenses expired at the end of February. More information on which licenses are required can be found in last years hunting guide on page 38. A few laws to be aware of; make sure you have permission to hunt on the property as well making sure the area is not baited. It is the hunters responsibility to make certain that it is not baited. Bait is any agricultural grains have been placed in attempt to attract wildlife you are hunting, Mostly I’ve seen corn, wheat, and bird seed being used throughout the years. A few people throughout the years have hunted on the area rivers out of a boat, although this is not illegal, it is illegal to hunt on property without permission, as the land along the Buffalo and Duck Rivers is private. The exception is on TVA lands and the Federal refuge, which is open to hunting. The Duck River fed refuge is open to turkey hunting, but hunters 16 and over must also purchase a federal hunting permit type 064 in addition to their required state licenses. Limits on turkeys in our area, are 1 bearded turkey per day, not to exceed 3 for the season.