GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. – For the third time this season, Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley will host the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine LBL Division on May 16. The two lakes are legendary for offshore ledge fishing, and this event could be setting up for the first offshore action of the year – but plenty of bass should still be up shallow, too. That’s the decision anglers will have to make, but no matter which approach they take, the bass should be biting, as the fishery is in great shape.
What to expect
Drew Morgan has two BFL wins and a Toyota Series Top 10 on the lakes since he moved to the area to compete for Murray State University. He said that the fishing is good, and there will be plenty of ways to catch them.
“We’re at the back end of the spawn, and there are a lot of fry guarders, but that’s going to be going away soon,” he said. “My guess is that whoever finds a school of fish offshore will be the one who wins, but they are not really out there just yet.”
Typically, the first fish on the ledges are more than willing to bite, as they haven’t been as pressured. But environmental factors are slowing the push offshore, according to Morgan.
“The lack of water we’ve had is really hurting that, but the water is starting to come up a little,” he said. “It’s all depending on water flow, and we haven’t had much rain, so they’re only pulling a little bit of current now. I don’t think this is going to be a full-blown ledge tournament because of that; there are just not a lot of fish out there yet. But if you can find them, you’ll have a pretty good chance at winning.”
Another factor is the shad spawn bite, which Morgan believes will definitely be a player.
“Somebody will get onto a few good ones early doing that,” he said. “I’m not sure if I’m going to fish (the event) or not, but I would plan to start shallow in the morning to try to catch a big one or two before going out deeper and turning on my forward-facing sonar. I’d spend an hour or two shallow first and then kind of go from there.”
Baits to bring
For the shallow shad spawn bite, Morgan said that a spinnerbait will be hard to beat. As he moves out to deeper water, he recommends a crankbait of some sort and a jighead minnow.
What will it take?
Morgan said that the weights have been slightly down at recent events, but they’re still solid and could improve by the time of this tournament.
“The weights are a little lower than last year, but I think the bite is really fixing to turn on here in the next few weeks,” he said. “I think it will take 22 or 23 pounds to win and 15 or 16 pounds or so to cash a check. That check range has been pretty consistent all year.”