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Jay Herrala, stream fisheries biologist for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife, holds a muskellunge captured and released during population sampling on Barren River. Late spring is a productive time to fish rivers in Kentucky. Watch on YouTube
This is the fourth installment of the “Spring Fishing Frenzy" series of articles, detailing productive fishing techniques and opportunities across Kentucky. These articles will appear on the second and fourth Thursday of the month. The series will continue until early summer.
Although mired in an unusually long dogwood winter, a folklore term for a mid-April cold snap when dogwood trees bloom, the extended forecast calls for it to break early next week. The increased temperatures and dry weather in the forecast should get river systems in Kentucky in good shape for late April and early May fishing.
Late spring is an excellent time to fish rivers in Kentucky, waters often overlooked by anglers fishing our sprawling reservoirs and the many smaller, state-owned lakes.
The Ohio River is highly rated for its hybrid striped bass and channel catfish, both species earning an "excellent" rating in the 2021 Fishing Forecast. Those in search of largemouth bass and crappie on the river in the coming weeks should key on embayments. The crappie in the Ohio also earned an "excellent" rating in this year's forecast and the largemouth bass received a "good" rating.
As far as somebody looking to go out and have a really good day, I would suggest the Markland Pool, and point people toward the embayments like Craigs Creek, Gunpowder Creek and Woolper Creek," said Jay Herrala, stream fisheries biologist for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources who helps oversee management of the Ohio River.
Largemouth bass anglers would do well to focus on spots that lead to spawning areas - deeper points and the deeper stretches of banks that lead into the embayments - and work back from there. Crawdad imitations, jig and trailer combinations, square-billed crankbaits, weightless flukes and Texas or Carolina-rigged lizards all can draw strikes. Also, save room in a stowaway box for topwater lures such as Zara Spooks, Pop-Rs and buzzbaits.
Herrala recommends the lower ends of pools for largemouth. "You can pick up some pretty nice spots here and there as well," he said.
For crappie, consider drifting live minnows below bobbers in areas with good structure. A 2-inch white or black and chartreuse 1/8- or 1/16-ounce tube jig tipped with live minnows or a soft plastic grub also can entice bites.
Late in the spring, if those crappie don't pull out into the river and that water starts to set up like a lake, you could probably troll some small crankbaits and maybe catch a few as well," Herrala said.
Silt-free embayments and rocky habitat are good places to target channel catfish with nightcrawlers, chicken livers, cut pieces of shad or skipjack herring, shrimp and scented dough baits.
Recent population sampling by fisheries biologists revealed the South Fork of Kentucky River in Clay and Owsley counties holds impressive numbers of smallmouth bass, muskellunge and channel catfish.
I was absolutely blown away with it," Herrala said. "Catch rates for smallmouth bass were probably somewhere in the Green River to Elkhorn Creek range. It was phenomenal. Channel catfish looked great. Muskie numbers were good and they were in excellent physical condition.
Smallmouth bass can be found in tailwater areas but also along outside bends with rocky habitat. A 3-inch plastic tube, 4-inch salty lizard or 3-inch Senko-style worm in green pumpkin or smoke fished on a 1/8-ounce lead head is a tried and true presentation. As water temperatures crest 70 degrees, topwater baits are worth trying in low-light conditions.
Like the South Fork of Kentucky River, the Barren River from the dam at Barren River Lake downstream to Lock and Dam 1 at Greencastle offers an opportunity to encounter muskellunge. As with any stream that holds a population of these fish, target the mouths of feeder creeks - and the creeks themselves - as well as areas around woody structure and current breaks.
A dressed in-line spinner or spinnerbait, 4- to 7-inch balsa wood crankbait and a 1/4-ounce skirted buzz bait are essentials. A 7-foot medium-heavy to heavy action rod, baitcaster reel rated for 40- to 80-pound braided line tipped with a steel leader will be up to the task.
This section of Barren River is an overlooked smallmouth bass stream and grants anglers one of the best chances at a stream smallmouth longer than 18 inches in Kentucky. The smallmouth bass in the Barren River earned an "excellent" rating in the 2021 Fishing Forecast.
It's understandable for anglers who normally fish lakes and reservoirs to feel out of their element fishing a river.
It's a lot of trusting your instincts," Herrala assured.
Kentucky Fish and Wildlife offers some helpful resources on its website at fw.ky.gov. The Canoeing and Kayaking page on the website provides valuable information for fishing the South Fork of Kentucky River and Barren River as well as many other streams and rivers across Kentucky. Click on the Stream Fisheries and the Blue Water Trails links on the Canoeing and Kayaking page for detailed information on stream and river access, productive fishing techniques and recommended flow levels for fishing and paddling.
Another important resource for bank anglers and paddlers alike is the U.S. Geological Survey's streamflow conditions web page for Kentucky. It provides up-to-date information for current flow conditions in the streams and rivers of our state and invaluable for anglers to study before planning a fishing trip.
Outfitted with that information, all that's left to do is to give it a try before spring turns to summer.