Kentucky Lake
One of the largest man-made lakes in the eastern US, a top bass and crappie destination.
Depth & Structure
Tennessee River impoundment, 160,000 acres, long/narrow (1.5-2 miles across) — deepest about 70 feet (quarry over 100 feet); offshore ledges, creek channel swings, flats at 10-15 feet for early crappie, brush piles/stakebeds in 10-25 feet, summer brush in 8-12 feet
Best Lures
Vertical tube/hair jigs, twister-tail grubs, double-hook tightline bottom-bumping rigs in deep water, spider rigging, jigging spoons/blade baits/tail spinners for white bass, Texas-rigged plastics on summer brush
Best Baits
Live minnows with jigs on deep ledges (17-22 feet, 18-25 feet) — primary crappie pattern, bottom-bumping rigs with minnows on submerged structure
Gear to Bring
Light spinning and long spider-rig poles for crappie, 6-10 lb line; medium-heavy baitcasting for ledge bass, medium spinning for white bass spoons/blade baits
Local Tips
['Blood River and Jonathan Creek embayments are the universally regarded best spring crappie areas — start on flats 10-15 feet adjacent to creek channel', 'December crappie hold on brush 12-25 feet and roam high over deep creek channels — vertical…
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Related Water
Fish photos: largemouth bass — Wikimedia Commons · crappie — Wikimedia Commons · catfish — Wikimedia Commons
Fishing regulations, seasons and limits change — always check the current rules for this water before you fish. Spot pins are approximate area markers, not launch or access coordinates.